Strong Media Coverage of Community Forums

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On Monday April 2 an article appeared in The Community Press covering the three community forums that took place March 26, 27 and 28th as part of the community engagement process for the cultural plan. The article entitled “Regional Plan Unique in the Province” described discussions at the three forums and also communicated some very powerful messages about the economic importance of culture to our communities and the region as a whole.

The article cites Greg Baeker, one of the consultants retained to support the development of the cultural plan, stating that the Cultural Plan for Hastings County and Quinte Region was breaking new ground provincially in adopting a regional approach cultural planning. To date cultural plans have been developed on a municipality-by-municipality basis. He felt the region should take pride in the leadership and innovation it was demonstrating through this unique approach.

Great turnout at Cultural Plan Forums!

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More than 100 people participated in the Cultural Plan Forums held this week in Quinte West, Belleville and Madoc.  The Forums helped us engage community residents to help inform the development of the Cultural Plan.

Click a photo below to enlarge:

Following an overview of why we are developing a cultural plan and what it is involving, participants were divided into groups and asked “what are the 5 most important cultural assets in the community?”  Participants were also asked to write a short phrase describing their vision for a culturally rich community, describe some “big ideas” or strategies needed to advance the vision, and outline what some of the signs are that we are moving in the right direction.

Several responses were collected and Greg Baeker and the team of Millier Dickinson Blais will be compiling them and later presenting them to our Advisory Committee.

A copy of the the PowerPoint presentation used at the forums can be downloaded here.

In other news, forty personal interviews have been completed, and focus groups are now being arranged and scheduled for April.

Things are progressing well!

Advisory Committee Meets

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On March 13th, a volunteer Advisory Committee for our Cultural Plan met, with membership coming from our arts and culture community.

Greg Baeker, our consultant for the project, delivered a presentation to provide an overview of the Cultural Plan – its purpose and objectives, the planning process and a number of key ideas underpinning the development of the Plan.  You may view Greg’s powerpoint presentation.

A SWOT analysis was conducted to collect everyone’s thoughts on Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats relating to culture in Hastings County and the Cities of Belleville and Quinte West.

You can contribute too by attending one of the upcoming (free) public forums.

More Than 100 Survey Responses Received to Date!

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More than 100 responses to the Community Survey have been received to date, signaling the high level of community interest in the Cultural Plan. Based on experience with cultural plans in other communities, this represents a very strong response rate. Survey responses will help shape the vision and directions for the Cultural Plan so community input is critical. If you have not already done so, please take a moment to complete the Community Survey. Simply clip on the following link and follow the simple instructions. The Survey does not take more than 10 minutes to complete.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/C2SGKHR

Community Survey Launched

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An important part of the community engagement process is a community survey designed to reach the broadest possible cross-section of residents and stakeholders. The survey is easy to complete and will not take more than 10 minutes. Please participate and help shape the vision and priorities for the Hastings County and Quinte Region Cultural Plan. Simply click the link below and follow the instructions.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/C2SGKHR

Community Forums Scheduled

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Three Community Forums have been planned and everyone is welcome to attend one of the events listed below, which are free to attend:

March 26, 2012 – 5:00 to 7:00 pm – National Air Force Museum of Canada, 220 RCAF Road, Trenton

March 27, 2012 – 5:00 to 7:00 pm – Empire Theatre, 321 Front Street, Belleville

March 28, 2012 – 5:00 to 7:00 pm – Arts Centre Hastings (Madoc), 230 Durham Street South, Madoc

To register for one of these forums, please click on the following link and follow the easy instructions – http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7MHKN8Z

About this Project

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Culture plays an increasingly important role in growing local economies and enhancing quality of life in our communities. Last year Hastings County, the City of Belleville and City of Quinte West agreed to partner and complete a Cultural Plan for the entire Hastings/Quinte region.  The Cultural Plan would satisfy the recommendations as identified in Council approved strategic plans and integrate the findings and recommendations set out in the North Hastings Municipal Cultural Plan Project completed in 2010

The project will engage community residents, planners and stakeholders in establishing a cultural vision for the region, identifying concrete strategies and actions to support cultural development, and creating a Cultural Plan that will help to inform municipal decision-making across the region. Details of this engagement process are described elsewhere on this website.

The project was launched in November 2011 and will conclude in June 2102. The Cultural Plan is being undertaken with funding support from the Government of Ontario’s Creative Communities Prosperity Fund (CCPF) and the Community Futures Development Corporation out of Bancroft.