About the CSPC

History of Castlegar & District Social Planning Council
Mandate: …

HISTORY:

  • Began in 1999
  • Formerly known as Castlegar Child, Youth, and Family Committee
  • Initial membership was mainly social service providers
  • Slowly expanded to reflect the need for broader voice on community issues and information sharing about program and services and about activities happening in the community
  • By 2002, membership was up to 40 organizations and individuals. Not all members attend meetings regularly, but everyone receives minutes.

WHAT WE DO…

  • The Council meets 3 times per year from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. at The Station Youth Centre on Columbia Avenue. About 15 - 20 members attend regularly.
  • The CSPC sends representatives to regional committees as appropriate
  • The CSPC has initiated several projects over the past six years (eg. Support to Families project (BC Housing), the Community Wellness Assessment project, the Volunteer Driver Project, 2005 All Candidates Forum on Community Sustainability, and the Food Security Project, to name a few). The Council has also written many letters to relevant government personnel (local and provincial) voicing concerns on behalf of the community.
  • The CSPC is a convenient avenue for hearing the day-to-day concerns of citizens as we have a high networking profile in the community
  • A broad representation of the community is available through CSPC
  • We can increase the City’s awareness of the needs of citizens, and the City can convey messages to the citizens via the CSPC.
  • Community needs can be explored and possibly met in a more timely fashion (emergent issues could be dealt with immediately)
  • More people are available to input on community issues to find appropriate, workable solutions
  • We can hold each other accountable for addressing community issues
  • We can readily collaborate and join with other community groups to bring issues of interest and concern to the City Council (eg. Sports groups, Arts Council, etc.)
    • Collaborative, not confrontational
    • Based on respect, trust, accountability, and opportunity
    • Work from shared values and a common vision

Click here to visit our Members Page and learn more about joining the Castlegar SPC.

Important Principles of Community Social Planning

These principles, when applied together, can provide a useful “ideal” set of community participation standards:

  • Seeks to identify change and respond to it as an opportunity and a challenge.
  • Seeks to understand and to facilitate inclusive citizen involvement.
  • Seeks to create win-win situations that contribute to the well-being of the community.
  • Works to ensure that the decision-making process is inclusive, clear, and accessible to the community.
  • Uses education to bring people together. 
  • Builds and/or resotres community faith in itself to affect positive change.
  • Listens as often as talks, practises collaborative problem-solving and consensus-based decision-making.

WHAT IS COMMUNITY SOCIAL PLANNING?

Community Social Planning is a local, democratic system for setting priorities, arriving at equitable compromises and taking action. It supports community needs and interests in social, cultural, economic, and environmental affairs. It is a process for building community well-being.

Community social planning is also about celebration; acknowledging and recognizing the human and natural assets that give meaning and worth to the community.

SPARC BC, 1993

OUR GOAL IS SUSTAINABILITY

What is Sustainability?

Sustainability is about living and working in ways that meet and integrate existing environmental, economic, and social needs without compromising the well-being of future generations. The transition to sustainable development benefits today’s society and builds a more secure future for our children.

The Sustainability Report, 2005