Community economic development is a unique way to help communities take a leadership role in defining their future and achieving sustained development. Keeping pace with the changing world requires that we constantly re-examine the social, cultural, and economic structures that make up our way of life. Given the enormous challenges facing us today, it is critical that we work together in the process of building strong and vital communities.
Community Futures North Okanagan strives to identify projects that will benefit the community and builds community partnerships to implement different initiatives.
Community economic development reports available include:
Interior Marine Manufacturing Group of BC (IMMG-BC) – Marine Manufacturing Cluster Project
In March of 2009, three marine manufacturing companies in the Interior joined together to formalize their collaboration
and form the Interior Marine Manufacturers Group of BC. Working with Okanagan Partnership, Community Futures is providing
guidance and assistance for the development of this marine manufacturing cluster in the Okanagan. Funding for this project has
been received through the Rural Economic Diversification Initiative of BC.
The group has crafted a project charter and identified a number of priorities to work on together in an effort to secure a sustainable and prosperous future including market development, supply chain management and opportunities, product diversification and skill development.
Vision North Okanagan
Vision North Okanagan is a group of regional residents and professionals who have a passion for community economic development.
The inaugural meeting of Vision North Okanagan was held in February of 2009 and the group has since developed a strategic plan
identifying major ideas, challenges, issues and opportunities of focus. The Vision North Okanagan Council meets monthly and has
a number of action teams working on a variety of initiatives that are aimed at economic development and enhancing the quality
of life for citizens of the region. For more information about Vision North Okanagan visit
www.visionnorthokanagan.ca.
Our Okanagan – Connecting the Valley. Creating Opportunity.
Working in collaboration with Okanagan Partnership, the Community Futures network of the Okanagan Valley is leading the
development of a web based portal called Our Okanagan. This service will allow businesses to link together, source local
suppliers, post job openings and identify local products Okanagan Valley as well as provide information on a myriad of
business resources and opportunities. The goal of this portal is to provide a valuable resource to bring the Okanagan
Valley together in collaboration and celebration. For more information, visit www.ourokanagan.ca.
The Rural Economic Diversification Initiative of BC, Southern Interior Development Initiative Trust, Okanagan College and University of BC-Okanagan have contributed funding to the Our Okanagan Project.
CF supports the following projects:
SharED Program
SharED is a program in the community which offers executive directors and managers the opportunity to share expertise, experiences,
best practices, and problem solving strategies and exchange 'just-in-time' information and training. SharED provides executive
directors/general managers with the opportunity to access leadership, management ideas, and advice from both their colleagues and
from guest speakers.
In many cases, not-for-profit organizations are operating their agencies just like small businesses. They have concerns about human resources, accounting/financial cash flows, strategic planning, research, marketing/communications, etc. – the very same issues faced by businesses.
Members of SharED have the opportunity is shared strategies on all sorts of operational issues, to access to skill enhancement/training for executive directors/general managers, the discover best practices between organizations, to access to professional business advice, to create partnerships and linkages, and to develop networking opportunities.
This is a practical method for executive directors/general managers to receive training, access professional advice, to develop networking skills, and to learn new strategies. The meetings will rotate between a facilitated roundtable discussion on issues the participants initiate, and guest speakers on issues identified by the membership.
