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| ARPA's e-Newsletter |
January 2010
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Mark Your Calendar!
2010 Youth Development Through Recreation Services Symposium
March 15-17, 2010
The Banff Centre
Banff, AB
Register Today!
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| Minister Ady to continue on as Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation
 After much speculation of an impending cabinet shuffle, on January 13th Premier Stelmach announced his new cabinet team, which includes Minister Cindy Ady continuing on with the Tourism, Parks and Recreation portfolio.
Also maintaining their existing portfolios include Minister Lindsay Blackett, who will stay on with Culture and Community Spirit, and Minister Dave Hancock, who will continue as the Minister of Education. Notable moves resulting from the cabinet shuffle include Minister Gene Zwozdesky to Health and Wellness, as well Minister Hector Goudreau to Municipal Affairs.
Premier Stelmach said his new cabinet will be focused on ensuring Alberta has: the strongest financial position of all provinces coming out of the recession; the most innovative and competitive economy in North America, creating jobs and attracting investment in traditional and emerging sectors; the best performing public health care system in Canada; and the most advanced infrastructure built in North America.
ARPA would like to congratulate Minister Ady, and is pleased that she will continue her work with Tourism, Parks and Recreation. ARPA and its Board of Directors are looking forward to working with Minister Ady and her officials on a number of recreation and parks initiatives.
For more information on the new cabinet assignments please visit:
http://alberta.ca/acn/201001/27634296588A5-FF21-1A16-60456BB10F8E0513.html
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 University of Alberta announces new dean for Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation
The U of A has brought back one of its own to head the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation. The new dean is Kerry Mummery, PhD, FASMF, professor and acting pro-vice chancellor and executive dean of the Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Health at Central Queensland University in Rockhampton, Australia. His five-year term begins July 1st, 2010.
Originally from the Lake of the Woods region of Kenora, Ont., Mummery began his life in academia amidst a budding professional swim coaching career, making stops at Brandon University and the University of Saskatchewan before coming to Edmonton and graduating with a PhD from the U of A focusing on sport and exercise psychology in 1994. Mummery's first academic job was as an adjunct professor at the U of A and as the research co-ordinator for the Alberta Centre for Well-Being, which is now the Alberta Centre for Active Living, before accepting a position as a lecturer in Australia.
On July 1st, the U of A will also bid farewell to Mike Mahon, outgoing dean of the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, as he has been tapped to be the next president of the University of Lethbridge. ARPA extends its congratulations and best wishes to Dean Mahon as he embarks on this next phase of his career.
For more information, please visit www.physedandrec.ualberta.ca.
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 Alberta Active Communities wraps, celebrating two years of success
Late in 2009, leaders from ten communities celebrated the conclusion of their two year commitment as partners in the Alberta Active Communities initiative, and also celebrated their progress in getting more people, more active, more often in their individual communities.
Since the initiative received funding in April 2006, tremendous capacity has been created to support communities in becoming more active. Relationships have been built, networks created, and plans developed to change communities for the better. Projects that range from communication schemes and trail connections, to greenhouses and youth leadership groups, were created by citizens to promote health and quality of life in their communities.
Alberta Active Communities ultimately inspired a funding proposal to Rural Alberta's Development Fund to build upon the initiative's success. With corporate support from EnCana and CanWest Media ARPA received the funding, and as a result, ACE Communities has taken off, now supporting over 50 communities in the province.
Although the Alberta Active Communities project is at an end, the philosophies and strategies carry on through ACE Communities. ARPA would like to congratulate the first ten partner communities: Calling Lake, Camrose, Drayton Valley, High Level, Hinton, Irricana, Lethbridge, Paddle Prairie, Wainright, and Wood Buffalo. They have taken great action to strengthen and broaden leadership, and to get more people engaged and active in their communities.
A full report on the Alberta Active Communities initiative will be available at the end March.
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 January leg of Ignite Tour kicks off next week
The ACE Communities Ignite Tour will continue to make its way through three more Flight 3 communities beginning next week. The tour will run January 19th in Vulcan, January 20th in Longview, and January 21st in the Alexis Nakota Sioux First Nation.
In each of these communities, a formal presentation will be made to local elected officials by Ian Hill, an internationally recognized humanitarian, social entrepreneur, business leader, and award winning philanthropist. He will address meetings of diverse attendees designed to "ignite" each community as they embark on their collective, collaborative journey to improve quality of life.
For more information on the Ignite Tour, please contact Carolyn Mead, ACE Communities Liaison, at cmead@aceleaders.ca.
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| New recreation facility in northeastern Alberta to have strong environmental focus
Whitefish Lake First Nation Number 128, located in northeast Alberta near Lac LaBiche, is constructing a unique "first of its kind" new environmentally-friendly public recreation centre. It will be known as the Goodfish Lake Recreation Centre, named for the community of Goodfish, Alberta.
The recreation centre will be constructed
as a "monolithic dome," which requires less energy to heat and cool than
other structures, and will be the first of its kind in Canada. There are currently more than 2,000 monolithic
domes in over 45 countries around the world. Many such domes are
constructed as multi-purpose recreation centres, but none anywhere that have been built to house a hockey arena.
The facility will contain an NHL-size ice surface with 2,500 fixed seats that can play host to a variety of large-scale events; an educational space; a child minding area to accommodate the day-care needs of community members using the facility; a large common area and community kitchen and café that can be used for social gatherings; meetings, and cultural events; a suspended walking track and fitness centre; and an elevator connecting the lower lobby to the upper floor fitness area to make the building entirely accessible.
For more information on this facility, please contact Melvin Steinhauer, President of the Goodfish Lake Community Development Foundation, at 780-614-3603.
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 Don't miss out on Early Bird Registration for the 2010 YDRS Symposium!
Early Bird Registration for 2010 Youth Development through Recreation Services (YDRS) Symposium will only be available until January 31st, 2010!
The 2010 YDRS Symposium will be held at The Banff Centre from March 15-17th. This year's event will be focused on the theme of Building Youth Friendly Communities through these three streams: - Youth and Nature
- Leadership
- Building Connections with Youth
To register online today, please visit: www.regonline.ca/2010_youth_development_through_recreation_services
For more information, please call 780-415-1745, email ydrs@arpaonline.ca, or visit the event website at www.ydrs.arpaonline.ca.
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| Farewell to Jennifer Finnigan
It is with mixed emotions that ARPA announces Jennifer Finnigan, Children and Youth Program Coordinator, will be leaving ARPA to return to the City of Edmonton. Her last day will be Friday, January 15th.
Since joining ARPA in 2007, Jen has successfully implemented HIGH FIVE across Alberta. With over 40 HIGH FIVE Trainers, it is estimated that HIGH FIVE has now benefited over 20,000 children in Alberta since it was piloted in 2007. In addition, Jen has worked alongside the Children and Youth Committee and its YDRS sub-committee to host the 2008 and 2009 Youth Development Through Recreation Services (YDRS) Symposiums. She has been integral in the preparation for the 2010 YDRS. Along with these initiatives, Jen has coordinated Everybody gets to play™ and the recently launched Kids at Hope pilot.
Jen's passion for improving the quality of children and youth programs, as well as reducing access barriers, will undoubtedly be carried forward into her new career with the City of Edmonton. While ARPA is very happy for Jennifer and wishes her a very successful career with the City of Edmonton, we will certainly miss her at ARPA!
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 Sogo Calgary youth to carry Olympic Flame this month
Sogo Calgary will be carrying the Olympic Flame in the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay. Through their participation in Sogo Active, the Sogo Calgary team was selected to carry the Olympic Flame on January 19th in Chestermere. Sogo Calgary was also awarded ARPA's Award of Excellence in Youth Development at last October's Annual Conference.
The following youth and leaders will collaboratively carry the Olympic Flame over a distance of 1 km:
- Boys and Girls Club of Calgary: Chantelle Gill, Zach Hebert, Bryce Motley, Keghan Young Pine
- City of Calgary Neighbourhood Services West: Amanda Seliga, Casandra Spencer, Ashley Young, Kathleen Engel (leader)
- Calgary YMCA: Sam Taylor, Adil Damani, Elisea De Somma, Walter Pang, Sheena Paris, Kaitlin Gordon (leader)
- City of Calgary - Village Square Leisure Centre: Ann-Marie Giannetti, Jonathan Magat, Heather Wicksted (leader)
- ARPA: Gus Adolf, Jake Cox, Rachel Hoppins
The youth representing ARPA were selected by their communities, Irricana and Trochu. Congratulations to Sogo Calgary and to the 80 youth across Alberta who are carrying the Olympic Flame through their participation in Sogo Active.
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 Reminder to submit nominations for the Recreation Industry Awards of Excellence
The inaugural Recreation Industry Awards of Excellence (RIAE) gala, scheduled to take place April 15th, 2010, is presently seeking nominations in all awards categories. The intent of this program is to honour achievement, excellence, creativity, and innovation by Alberta's corporate sector in enhancing personal health, community well-being, and quality of life that is directly linked to recreation and parks development.
The nomination deadline for the first edition of the awards program is February 26th, 2010. Nominating an individual or organization can be completed in three simple steps: (1) Complete the nomination form; (2) Provide three letters of support; and (3) Provide an overview of the nominee including reference to the project, work, or services that support the nomination (max. 500 words).
For more information on this initiative, or to download a nomination form or sponsorship package, please visit www.awards.recreationforlife.org.
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Secure your spot for the Sobeys Recreation for Life Charity Golf Tournament
It's never to early to start planning your golf season! Registration is now open for the always much-anticipated Sobeys Recreation for Life Charity Golf Tournament. The tournament is scheduled for Monday, June 14th, 2010, and will once again take place at the Derrick Golf and Winter Club.
 The tournament registration form, brochure, and sponsorship package are now available for download from the RFLF website (click links for PDF download).
The Texas Scramble-style tournament will kick-off at 11:30 a.m. for brunch and registration, followed by a shotgun start 1:30 p.m., and dinner at 6:30 p.m. The registration fee is $250 per golfer, or $50 to attend the dinner only.
Please visit www.golf.recreationforlife.org for more information. |
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Upcoming ARPA Events
ACE Community Building Workshop
Date: January 23, 2010
Location: Manville, AB
Registration Contact: Candace Dueck (cdueck@mannville.com)
ACE Communities Webcast with Ian Hill
Date: Friday, January 29th
Time: 10:00 a.m. (MST)
Youth Development Through Recreation Services (YDRS) Symposium
Date: March 15-17, 2010
Location: The Banff Centre, Banff, AB
URL: www.regonline.ca/2010_youth_development_through_recreation_services
Recreation Industry Awards of Excellence
Date: April 15, 2010
Time: 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Location: The Citadel Theatre, Edmonton, AB
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REConnect is a monthly e-newsletter produced by the Alberta Recreation and Parks Association. For more information on this publication or ARPA, please contact Mandi Wise, Communications Coordinator, at mwise@arpaonline.ca.
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