Dear Woodcreek Neighbours,
Thank you for your interest in making Woodbine and Woodlands a better place to live! This is how positive change happens. People with ideas and motivation get together to make things happen.
Our next Community Betterment (CB) meeting is scheduled for:
Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at 7:15 pm
Woodcreek Community Association – Room 11
1991 Woodview Drive SW
Please spread the word to interested neighbours. We will also be advertising on the Woodcreek Community Association (WCA) website and via Facebook. We are hoping to exceed our attendance number from the first meeting.
At its core, our CB Initiative is about helping people get to know and build trust with their neighbours. As familiarity and trust increases amongst neighbours, the next step in the CB evolution is sharing contact information and establishing a group communication platform. See CB Initiative Backgrounder.
At the first CB meeting on October 21, we heard other ideas as well. For those interested in enhancing the tree canopy along our medians and boulevards, David Varga, a fellow WCA board member is leading our tree planting efforts with the City of Calgary. Feel free to reach out directly to David if that is an area of interest. We will also make time at the next meeting to address other exciting CB areas of interest such as median, boulevard, park, and green space maintenance, enhancement, clean ups, etc., and are looking for leaders to take this on in parallel to the tree work David is leading.
This second CB meeting will be more formally structured than the first meeting in anticipation of larger attendance and the desire for tangible takeaways and a coordinated action plan.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out by email or telephone to discuss your ideas, suggestions, and any questions you may have prior to the January 15 meeting. Please RSVP no later than January 8.
Cheers,
Don Lauweryssen
WCA Board Member
403-710-8485
Community Betterment Initiative Backgrounder
Objective: Enhance the Quality of Life for Residents of Woodcreek (Woodbine and Woodlands)
How: Develop and rollout a Community Betterment Program that encourages residents to get to know their neighbours and build relationships and trust through regular communication and information sharing.
What is Community Betterment? Actions and activities that makes living in your home, on your street, in Woodcreek feel better, more enjoyable, cleaner, tidier, more beautiful, and safer.
Examples of Community Betterment Activities:
• Building trust by taking time to get to know your neighbours and sharing contact information. Making it acceptable and normal for neighbours to be able to ask for help when needed.
• Open communication channels via email, Facebook, WhatsApp, cell numbers, or whatever system works best for neighbours on your street.
• Establishing communication groups via email, Facebook, or WhatsApp Groups restricted to people living on your street or cul-de-sac. This normally requires one or two volunteers to be the group monitor(s)/block captain(s).
• Share information in a communication group that makes living on your street better and safer including best practices about crime prevention and reporting. Share “eyes on the street” information, not just about crime but new or unusual things to be aware of.
• Organize neighbourhood activities such as a Neighbour Day BBQ and games, Christmas and Halloween related events, Park and Playground cleanup work bees, etc.
Communication Platform: WCA is contemplating establishing a Community Betterment Facebook Group that is closely monitored and restricted to confirmed residents of the 7,000 homes in Woodcreek (Woodbine-Woodlands). Communication on this platform would be for broader community betterment information sharing. Street and cul-de-sac level micro-group platforms will be determined by each micro group and could be whatever works best for folks living in that defined area.
Expected Benefits: Research shows that a wide array of benefits accrues to neighbourhoods where residents know each other and are in regular communication. Examples include reduced anxiety and social isolation, lower rates of crime through better education on prevention and reporting, increased happiness through greater social engagement, better problem solving, and increased support from nearby neighbours when issues or concerns arise.
Exclusions: Commercial or political discussions, and/or any topics that could be considered potentially hurtful or controversial will not be allowed on Community Betterment Communication Platforms.
Click here to the Woodbine Community News home page for the latest Woodbine community updates.
Click here to the Woodlands Community News home page for the latest Woodlands community updates.
