RADF Managing Director Terry Keyko blogs about the recent application deadline and future program support on the horizon

Well Rural Alberta, you sure responded to our latest deadline of January 15^th for Expressions of Interest.  We received 87 Expressions of Interest for the last round of funding under current RADF Criteria and Guidelines.  We have had some difficult decisions to make in determining which Expressions should move forward to the proposal stage.

More than half of the Expressions did not meet our criteria, but among the rest there were many excellent ideas.  With only $5 million available we focused on moving those Expressions forward which best met our criteria and, most importantly, would be able to provide a fully developed proposal back to RADF in a very short timeline.  In other words only those Expressions whose ideas were well advanced and had shown significant progress toward a full plan were approved to go forward.  We know these decisions will certainly leave lots of those who put their ideas forward disappointed.

As RADF moves forward on its new direction, there will be opportunities in the future for additional funds to be allocated to projects that benefit rural Alberta.  I would encourage you not to abandon your ideas but to stay in touch with us for more news in the coming weeks on a new program direction.

Terry Keyko

Managing Director, RADF

Farewell to Lorne Owen, Project Officer South

Farewell to Lorne Owen, Project Officer South 

Join management and staff of the RADF in wishing Lorne Owen well in his new role as General Manager of Community Futures South Fraser in Abbotsford, BC.  Lorne’s contribution to the RADF as Project Officer in the south has been very much appreciated. 

Projects reporting to Lorne have been re-assigned to other project officers within the organization.  If you have not been put in touch with your new Project Officer, please call or email the RADF office, and we will make that happen.

Judy Ferguson, Program Director RADF

Looking at Quality of Life and Community Capacity in a Different Way

RADF recently released the “Quality of Life and Community Capacity Population Survey Results”. We at Howard Research & Management Consulting Inc. designed and tested the instruments and conducted the survey. 

Is this the first look at quality of life and community capacity in Alberta? We know that specific municipalities and communities have been collecting data on quality of life and other community perceptions. However, we believe this is the first time baseline data has been collected as a provincial picture of Albertans’ assessment of their personal well-being and perceptions of community capacity using valid and reliable survey instruments such as these. 

In our work in measuring quality of life (QoL) we face a challenge from some folks who suggest that measuring the perceptions of individuals on their QoL has little value. Our answer to the challenge is “if you want to know about peoples' QoL, what else would you measure?” – Well maybe we are not quite that blunt. 

Quality of life (QoL) is a complex, multidimensional concept. Its origins are in the very beginnings of western philosophy (Plato’s The Republic) and it continues to be a popular notion in modern health and social science literature. However, when one wants to measure quality of life, one is faced with at least a hundred definitions in the academic literature alone. Thus operationalizing (reframing it into a measurable form) the concept of QoL requires some choices—at a minimum a choice between two major perspectives of QoL and their associated indicators. 

One set of indicators points toward what we at Howard Research refer to as standard of living; the other is personal well-being. Standard of living describes the environment where people live. QoL is indicated through statistics such as average income, air quality, and crime rates. Personal well-being describes how people experience where and how they live. QoL is indicated through statements and statistics that capture perception such as: How would you rate your personal health? How safe do you feel walking in your neighbourhood? Do you feel you have enough resources to meet your basic needs? Do you trust your neighbours? Do you have enough friends? Do you experience enough personal privacy? 

What we know for sure is that where people live and how well off they are economically do not necessarily predict how they will experience the quality of their lives. Social science research since the early 1970s consistently shows that there is little correlation between objective and subjective indicators of quality of life. People living in less economically advantaged environments do not necessarily see themselves as experiencing a poor quality of life. 

As the cliché goes “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” That said it just makes sense to us to honour the perceptions of individuals when we assess their quality of life. The quality of one’s life is best known and described by the individuals experiencing it. 

Dale Howard, President

Howard Research & Management Consulting

Showcase Reflections

What a great afternoon!  In the second half of the day we asked participants to ‘roll up their sleeves’ and do a bit of work.  Just under 100 individuals, a significant percentage of which were representatives of organizations that had received funding from RADF, were invited to participate in a workshop designed as an opportunity for RADF Board members and staff to listen and learn.  Our intention was to hear first-hand the challenges they face around community capacity and leadership development and come away with a series of best practices and measurements for success.

What I heard in some of the breakout rooms was exciting to say the least!   The buzz and excitement resonated through the lower level of the Shaw Convention Centre.  There was no doubt that more opportunities for developing synergies and sharing of information and experiences must be created.

Participants were asked a number of questions, one of which was, what might a rural Alberta community with good capacity and leadership would look like; what characteristics might we expect to see?  I heard from many participants that this community would enjoy a high degree of citizen participation, it would have a shared vision with strong grass roots and industry support, it would have among their citizens results-oriented ‘doers;’ those people who understand that implementation is key.   In addition, a common feeling from those that I was able to engage with, was in that community, young people could see their own futures in either that community or in another rural community.  No surprises here, but the important point here is, what do we do about it?  How can we help?

An equally spirited discussion followed identifying barriers that to becoming that community with capacity and leadership.  Once again, few surprises here – lack of awareness of opportunities (speaks to resources), lack of capital (also speaks to resources).

The afternoon was a huge success from my perspective!  Participants were completely engaged, not only to the task at hand, but with each other.  Early feedback that I received supports the importance of collaboration, of bringing together like-minded people and giving them the opportunity to share knowledge and experiences.  It was quite evident that future partnerships were developing, and the need to feed the incredible appetite for more information.  Pretty heady stuff!

My opinion . . .  we must do this again . . .  sooner rather than later in order to maximize on the momentum and excitement that resonated amongst participants!  Rural Alberta, you are not alone, and the Rural Alberta’s Development Fund is committed to working with you to be the best that you can be.

Judy Ferguson, RADF Program Director

A Morning of Discovery

This morning Rural Alberta’s development fund brought together 143 rural champions, leaders and stakeholders, many of whom are implementing projects supported by the fund. It was a celebration of where we have been and a transition to where we are going over the next five years. 

RADF has spent the last two years talking to rural Albertans, through project applications, community presentations, provincial events and community forums. It had become evident that while we have funded great projects with great diversity based on community identified needs, we have not fully connected to smaller rural populations due to capacity barriers.  Engaging community members and partners, visioning, planning and applying for funding requires resources that small communities may not be able to access. RADF is working on a new business model that will, in addition to being a funder, better address the leadership and community capacity building Albertans have identified as a need.

Four current projects presented their successes to date and many participants identified the great value in hearing about that work. It provided an opportunity to recognize the diversity of the projects as well as the overarching outcome of building rural community capacity, whether it is through youth, seniors, innovators, leaders or entrepreneurs.   As always proves to be, the conversation in the hallways, at coffee and lunch builds connections and provides learning and sharing that compounds the value of the event.

Jann Beeston, Program Chair, RADF Board of Directors

Bob Clark's Blog on Change

Today’s a really exciting day for the RADF Board because we get to share with you some details of what we have been planning for months. During that time we have considered and discussed the expressed need for rural capacity building in rural Alberta and balance the fiscal realities of today. We feel that the progress to date needs to have an opportunity to be sustainable.

We’ve had to keep quiet about this until now as we have been in consu ltation with Minister Groeneveld and his senior staff – to work through the details of potential changes in the contract that established RADF. Although all the details have not been finalized we can indicate to your today what that future directions looks like.

Hopefully, you got a chance to hear firsthand about our future direction and changes by attending today’s 2009 Project Showcase event or watching the presentations on your computer via our webcast. If not, details are posted elsewhere on this website. Essentially, the reason for the transition boils down to this. Change or allow the momentum we’ve built up over the past three years to stall.

Last fall, our Board was facing this dilemma. Even though we still had three years left on our government contract, we could see that being just a funding organization with a fixed contract and no way to replenish its investment pool had its limitations. Perhaps as importantly, we could see that smaller rural communities were struggling to build community capacity and develop leaders. Rural Albertans told us these were two of their greatest needs.

So we looked at how we needed to change to meet these needs. And when we got down to strategic planning, we realized we not only had to change our direction but our organization too. By March, we had a game plan in place. We spent the summer and fall talking with Agriculture and Rural Development Minister George Groeneveld and his people about changing the contract and they agreed. Why? Because they realized – as we did – that it was the best thing for rural Alberta long-term for our progress not to stall.

It’s great to see that they – and others within and outside government – have been very supportive of what we are trying to do.

Bob Clark, Chair, RADF Board of Directors