GUELPH COMMUNITY

WELLBEING INITIATIVEA Conversation About What Matters

Ward 2

Ward Conversation

September 12th & 13th, 2012

What is Community Wellbeing?

Wellbeing starts with the essentials – food,

shelter, healthcare

…it also includes how we spend our time,

how we care for each other, how we earn a

living, and how we treat the planet.

…it‟s about being safe, healthy, and feeling

connected to the people and places around

you

…it‟s about the quality of our

neighbourhoods, parks and nature

…being able to express ourselves fully and

participate in the activities that we love.

Wellbeing is what matters in life!

Guelph Community Wellbeing

Initiative (CWI)

• Community-wide initiative to:

– Define what we value in Guelph

– Find ways to improve our quality of life and wellbeing

• Tool for decision-makers and community groups

• Way to encourage new projects, actions and partnerships

The Wellbeing Trend

• A new way of measuring the

health of our communities is

taking shape.

• The Canadian Index of

Wellbeing (CIW) is a

nationally accepted tool for

measuring quality of life.

• How much money we have ≠

progress.

What are the Goals of CWI?

• Encourage sharing of ideas;

• Give people the power and the tools

to take action;

• Improve the City of Guelph‟s

understanding of their community –

what they value, need and want;

• Make it easier (and more fun!) to

get involved in your community;

• Better include social and cultural

factors (i.e. people) when making

decisions.

Community Conversations About

Wellbeing

• Wellbeing means something

different to everyone.

• The first step is to

understand what Guelph

residents value and what

factors they think contribute

to their quality of life.

• The feedback will help us to

develop workable, effective

and community supported

solutions.

Who Else is Involved?

• City Staff and Councillors

• The Mayor

• Leadership Group

• Partners

• Volunteers

• Lura Consulting

Developing the Plan

• The sum of the information collected will provide

the basis of the Guelph Community Wellbeing

Plan.

• We will define a vision for the future and a set of

approaches to improve quality of life.

PHASE 1

April to May 2012

Creating and Engaging Leaders

PHASE 2

May to Sept. 2012

Developing a Vision, SWOT, and Actions

PHASE 3

Oct.-Dec. 2012

Defining Priorities, and Developing Implementation

Strategy

But It’s More Than Just a Plan

• It‟s about action

• It‟s a way of thinking,

planning and making

decisions

• We hope that each

person is inspired to do

something new that

contributes to our

collective quality of life

Questions or Comments?

Group Activity 1• As a group, make a diagram or “map” of

items that are most important for

improving your personal wellbeing and

wellbeing of your neighbourhood.

• Use a familiar shape or pattern – a star, a

wheel, a pyramid – to record your

answers and show how they are

connected.

• Engage in a conversation as a large group

about what patterns came up.

Group Activity 2• Group brainstorming:

– What about Guelph

blocks/can block or

helps/can help reaching a

higher quality of life?

• Use the yellow post-it cards for

„block‟ and green for „help‟

• Post your results on the wall

board under „block‟ or „help‟

• Group similar ideas together

Group Activity 3

• Taking a look at the helpers and barriers to wellbeing,

pick actions that you think would help to improve

wellbeing in Guelph

• As a group, try to choose 2-3 actions for each level of

wellbeing:– Individuals

– Neighbourhood

– Guelph

Things to remember: • An action can be taken on by the City, community group,

volunteers, etc.

• Don‟t be afraid to think big, big but be realistic

What Did We Learn?

• What we care about most (in their own life and in their

community)

• What we feel they need to have the best life possible

• What in Guelph acts as a barrier to having a high

quality of life

• What in Guelph helps us to achieve better quality of life

• What type of actions can we take to improve wellbeing

at the individual, neighbourhood and City level

Next Steps• Start developing the Plan - defining the vision,

strategies and actions.

• How to stay involved:

Sign up for our mailing list and visit our website regularly

Attend the CWI Forum in October

Tell Your Friends

Fill out a comment card

Use the #guelphwellbeing hashtag

Signup to be a volunteer

Host a wellbeing conversation using the Workshop in a Box (light version) found on the website

Thank you!

Please don‟t forget to fill out a

comment card and take

some with you!