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The Pilot moves into a Program

The Rec North Update – May 2018 briefly shares some of the successes of our Community Recreation Leadership Program Pilot, and explains our plans for the Program’s launch this fall/winter.

A huge thank you to Arctic Inspiration Prize… your financial support and belief in the power of recreation made this program’s development and pilot possible.

Thank you to the three territorial governments for your support and encouragement along the way.

Most of all, thank you to the 24 participants from 22 communities… you helped us figure out how to create training that is meaningful and relevant to our Northern communities and recreation leaders.

Please continue to connect with Recreation North through our website for upcoming news about the launch of the Community Recreation Leadership Program.

 

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Doing the recreation training online was enjoyable…

Kelsey Hassard from the Village of Teslin, Yukon is a participant in the Community Recreation Leadership Program Pilot that began in October 2017. After completing the learning required to earn a Certificate in Northern Recreation Leadership, Kelsey shared some of her thoughts about the training experience.

I’m Kelsey Hassard, the recreation programmer for the Village of Teslin. I have held the position for just over a year now but I was born and raised in Teslin. It is good to be back in my home community helping out and making a real difference.

I wanted to take this training because I have no previous training in recreation. I thought the Community Recreation Leadership Program would really help me to understand my work and to do my job well. I really enjoyed the online aspect of the training. As a kid, I was home-schooled for two years so I am used to using an online platform for schooling. It was much more convenient than having to drive into Whitehorse each week or leave the territory for a longer period of time to get training. Continue reading “Doing the recreation training online was enjoyable…”

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The recreation training fit easily into my work schedule…

A Pilot of the Community Recreation Leadership Program that began in October 2017 wraps up in May 2018. Grace Bowers from the Town of Faro, Yukon is among the first of 25 individuals from communities across the NWT, Yukon, and Nunavut to fulfill the learning requirements and earn a Certificate in Northern Recreation Leadership. Below, Grace shares a bit about herself and how the training has helped her in her job.

I’m Grace Bowers. I was born and raised in Faro, Yukon but, as many Yukoners do, moved away for 15 years. But there’s something special about the Yukon. So in 2008, my son and I started coming back regularly to visit. Last year, we decided to move back permanently because Faro is where we belong.

In May 2017, I began working at the Faro Recreation Centre as a programmer. During that first month, I was invited to join a presentation about a pilot program for recreation leaders at the AYC (Association of Yukon Communities) convention being hosted in Faro. I was very excited, but also nervous and intimidated. I was worried about all the training and the time that it would take when I already had a pile of program planning on my to-do list.

Continue reading “The recreation training fit easily into my work schedule…”

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Meet the First Recipient of the Northern Recreation Leadership Certificate

Rob McPhie from Haines Junction, Yukon is the first participant to complete the Pilot of the Community Recreation Leadership Program

A Pilot of the Community Recreation Leadership Program began in October 2017. Since that time, 25 individuals from communities across the NWT, Yukon, and Nunavut have participated in up to 14 learning events delivered by seven northern trainers. Rob McPhie from Haines Junction, Yukon is the first of these learners to complete the Pilot and receive his certificate. We asked Rob to write something about himself and about the impact that the training has made on his work.

Continue reading “Meet the First Recipient of the Northern Recreation Leadership Certificate”

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Recreation North – What’s been going on with the Pilot?

Risk Management delivered in Dawson City in October 2017.

In October 2017, Recreation North launched the pilot of the Community Recreation Leadership Program with its first learning event, RF101 Introduction to Recreation Foundations. Since that time, 25 individuals from communities across the NWT, Yukon, and Nunavut have participated in more than 10 learning events delivered by seven northern trainers. All of the learning events (or mini-courses) were delivered online while some were also offered in-person. Online delivery of learning events allowed participants to train without interrupting the regular flow of their work and family life.

Feedback received from learners about the program has been positive. Assignments are helpful and applicable to learners’ jobs; trainers are supportive and understanding; and the connections made to other recreation leaders has been beneficial in many ways. Learners expressed surprise that so many of the challenges they faced were also faced by recreation leaders in other communities. This led to the learning events being used as a platform for exchanging ideas on how to overcome these challenges. Continue reading “Recreation North – What’s been going on with the Pilot?”

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New community recreation training program open for applications

Recreation is essential for individual, community and environmental health and wellbeing. Recreation in the North is a Means to a Greater Beginning (as described on CPRA’s website). The Community Recreation Leadership Program was developed, with generous support from the Arctic Inspiration Prize, as a meaningful and relevant training program to strengthen recreation capacity across the North. 

Recreation North’s training program is a series of short learning events developed and delivered in the North, by the North, and for the North. Participants gain knowledge, skills and experience in the recreation field while living in Northern communities. Training is delivered online and through practical assignments. This means training costs less and fits with work and family commitments.

The Program is for emerging recreation leaders living in Yukon, NWT or Nunavut who have little or no formal training or education in recreation. An emerging leader works or volunteers, or may want to start working or volunteering, in community recreation.

A Pilot of the Community Recreation Leadership Program will run from October 2017 to May 2018. The Pilot, a small-scale “test” of the Program, will offer training for 25 participants. Participants who complete 10 learning events earn a certificate. Find more information here.

 

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Recreation North’s New Brand

Effective June 2017, the partnership of the three territorial recreation and parks associations will be formally recognized as Recreation North. Through their commitment to strengthening recreation capacity and leadership, the associations will foster personal health and community well-being across the North.

Recreation North is led by the Recreation and Parks Association of the Yukon (RPAY), the NWT Recreation and Parks Association (NWTRPA), and the Recreation and Parks Association of Nunavut (RPAN). The partnership, formerly known as the Tri-Territorial Recreation Training (TRT) Project, was honoured to receive $600,000 from the Arctic Inspiration Prize in January 2016.

Continue reading “Recreation North’s New Brand”

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Recreation North – Our Story

Read, Means to a Greater Beginning; Communities Coming Together, the story of Recreation North and the tri-territorial recreation training project.

It begins, “When David Clark left Rankin Inlet to play hockey, he couldn’t have known he would someday return to become the community’s recreation coordinator. In a career spent championing the efforts of others, the potential he sees in his community is still a source of excitement.”

The full story is found on the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association’s website.

 

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2015 Arctic Inspiration Prize Winner

INNOVATIVE TRI-TERRITORIAL TRAINING PROJECT FOR RECREATION LEADERS SHARES ARCTIC INSPIRATION PRIZE

An innovative collaborative from Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut was one of three finalists sharing the $1.5 million Arctic Inspiration Prize awarded last evening. Their unique tri-territorial training initiative was designed to enhance individual, community and environmental well-being through the power and potential of recreation.


Continue reading “2015 Arctic Inspiration Prize Winner”