Greetings from the RedWAY BC Project Team!
We hope this article answers many of your questions and clears up any confusion about the status of the RedWAY BC Website Project and this newsletter. We've included info about recent funding challenges, the steps we're taking to overcome them, and our progress towards establishing a new non-profit Society. So please take a few minutes - then decide how YOU can support RedWAY BC Project.
1. We're still here!
2. Current funding status: 2 Proposals Approved!
3. Administration of 1 Contract, Other Contract?
4. Next Steps to Success - Establishing our Society
5. Get Involved - 16 Ways to Support RedWAY BC
6. Project Contact info
1. We're still here!
Our deepest apologies for not updating the website at www.redwaybc.ca nor publishing any issues of the RedWAY BC News e-zines in October nor November this year. Our Project Team has worked without any funding for most of the year because our last short-term funding contract with Western Diversification (WD) ended in March 2005. I've kept this e-zine going through my own company, Spiritlink Communications, with the blessings of our Youth Advisory Council to keep the news flowing in the community. Hopefully when the website Project resumes RedWAYBC News can provide marketing support again for the initiative.
We are at a critical point for our RedWAY BC Website Project as we've been working hard to assess our past, focus on the present and plan for a future supporting Urban Aboriginal Youth initiatives and programs. We recognized the need to invest time this summer to develop a strategy for the RedWAY BC website and RedWAY BC News to work together to provide long-term employment and capacity development opportunities for Urban Aboriginal Youth. Now we need your support to carry these plans forward.
Thank you to everyone who has provided us with guidance, speaking opportunities and letters of support as we've been developing our long-term strategy. We always welcome your comments and letters of support. We're focusing on manageable growth, transparency, and accountability; we will offer training and technology tools to further develop communication services for our community.
2. Current Project funding status: 2 Proposals Approved
Our Project team volunteered to keep the RedWAY BC website alive since March 2005. That means no core funding for the last 9 months. Without a formal office space, we've worked at our website project host agency First Nations Employment Society (FNES) and home offices to maintain the website. Spiritlink Communications has continued to publish and expand the e-zine RedWAY BC News with the intent of promoting the initaitive and gathering content for free for the website team, hoping to work again to support the website project at www.redwaybc.ca - in whatever new form it takes.
We incorporated your feedback and worked hard this summer with rewarding results: the RedWAY BC Website Project Team was awarded two contracts to provide resources to take us to the end of March 2006. Proposals to the new Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation (MARR) and Canadian Heritage's "Urban Multi-purpose Aboriginal Youth Centres" (UMAYC) initiative were approved, and funding was expected to be available in October 2005. This support would enable us to begin transitioning the website out of FNES while developing a new Youth-driven society.
We expected two contracts were to be administered by FNES, our long-time host agency,this winter:
1. The MARR funding would allow us to develop and deliver a 2-day training program so Aboriginal Youth can learn and demonstrate skills necessary to prospect, prepare and conduct a professional sales presentation.
2. The UMAYC funding would serve as the website project's core funding, including being able to: 1) set up a new Downtown Eastside office with 3 computer workstations; 2) pay Project employees and between 10 and 12 Aboriginal consultants like an accountant, web designer, and Youth reporters/writers; 3) cover 6 months of hosting fees for the Project website www.redwaybc.ca and this e-zine RedWAY BC News; 4) host monthly Youth Advisory Council meetings and workshops again; and 5) further develop a sustainability plan for the two products (the website and e-zine) and our Society.
Unfortunately, we received a letter dated October 20th, 2005 notifying us that:
..."FNES is not able to provide a letter of support to remain as host agency for six months or provide funds for a business plan, reports or proposals as requested. In addition, FNES will not sign contracts with the Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation or Canadian Heritage due to the amount of resources that will be required for the administration of contracts by FNES staff.
Please be advised that your services to Youth in the community are commendable and the FNES Board of Directors wishes our* Society the best in your future endeavors."
< *Note: We think the last statement was supposed to read... "wishes your Society the best in your future endeavors>".
3. Administration of Contracts
As of December 2nd, FNES had not officially notified Canadian Heritage nor the BC Association of Friendship Centres of that decision not to support the RedWAY BC website nor RedWAY BC News anymore. On a positive note, we were able to work quickly with another agency to secure the other proposal. Knowledgeable Aboriginal Youth Association, known as KAYA, stepped up to the plate to administer our Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation contract for RedWAY BC. Big thank you's to the Executive Director, Kelly L'Hirondelle and the whole Youth Board of KAYA for administrative support. And extra big thank you's to Doug Gauld and Priscilla Sabbas at MARR for being flexible and proactive - we'll promise we'll deliver incredibly informative and stimulating workshops for Aboriginal Youth. (Watch for news releases and an invitation for Urban Aboriginal Youth to get involved later this week!)
Regarding the $60,000 UMAYC contract from Canadian Heritage, our Project team and community champions are holding our breath in the hopes that the Board of FNES will exercise their right to subcontract the approved funding directly to the new RedWAY BC Communication Services Society, or Spiritlink Communications (as RedWAY BC News' publisher) so that there is no extra burden for the administrative team of FNES. There is still time for us to meet our outcomes and deliverables if this contract is signed before the holiday break.
4. Next steps - Establishing a Society
The RedWAY BC website project needs your support to step forward. We believe a Youth-driven Society can continue enhancing communications for our whole community. We are now moving more quickly than expected to establish a new Society, called the RedWAY BC Communication Services Society. The Society was original incorporated in 2004 until long-term partnerships could be established. We were expecting Youth could develop organizational capacity under the umbrella of a host agency to solidify relationships with other Youth groups; now we'll strive to accomplish these tasks on its own, under the umbrella of the community.
The goal of the RedWAY BC Society is to continually develop our communication services to be better able to aid youth in transitioning to Urban environments. The purposes include to:
• to encourage and promote the diverse cultures and talents of Aboriginal Youth:
• to assist youth in learning about and producing high quality marketing and communication products
• to create a safe space that supports self-determination of Aboriginal Youth so that they may freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development;
• and, to support youth in learning how to use technology for their benefit.
These activities will also assist in educating about and eliminating stereotypes of Aboriginal people in order to foster an accurate portrayal of Aboriginal people; while creating opportunities for meaningful partnerships and alliances. Watch for more information about becoming a member of the RedWAY BC Society in the new year!
Get Involved - 16 Ways to Support the RedWAY BC website and the e-zine
Here are 16 ways you can get involved today to support the RedWAY BC website project
1. Encourage your friends, family and co-workers to subscribe to RedWAY BC News by adding their name to the "Subscribe" box on the homepage so we can continue to gather content for the website
2. Send in a profile of success for a Youth or Youth leader from your community
3. Help us coordinate a visit to your workplace so we can do a "How to use RedWAY's website tools to promote you" workshop for your co-workers, committee or Youth group
4. Provide office space so we can set up a small, inviting space in the DTES
5. Hire Spiritlink Communications to administer a survey through our e-zine survey feature
6. Stake your claim as an "Ask an Expert" Partner & provide answers to a monthly question for our e-zine readers 7. Donate or pre-pay for delegate passes for our Youth reporters to attend upcoming events & conferences
8. Send us a letter of support and your suggestions so we can be more effective
9. Share your our advertising space in newspapers, time on radio, & promotional materials
10. Donate gift certificates for food or restaurants to support our monthly Youth Advisory Council meetings and training sessions
11. Provide in-kind contributions for office supplies, computers, services or administrative support
12. Hire our innovative Youth to provide marketing services and administrative support for your own projects or programs, upcoming conference, or working group
13. Share your knowledge and expertise by providing a training program for our Youth Advisory Council members in areas like leadership, media relations, Board Development, social responsibility, environmental support, public speaking, employability skills, crisis intervention, proposal writing, personal development...or hire us to create a new Youth-friendly module!
14. Purchase a portion of our "Smoke Signals" section of the e-zine - we'll save you time and money while we teach you how to create your own monthly communication strategy!
15. Advertise your next program, job posting, job fair or performance on our website and in this e-zine
16. Become a RedWAY partner or sponsor - the most direct way to show your support immediately for our Project.
We've got incredible rates to help you connect immediately through our readers...including discounts for nonprofits and additional discounts for Aboriginal companies or organizations. Plus, we've created 4 levels of innovative partner packages to attract service providers, conference organizers, and consultants who would benefit from increasing Aboriginal Youth participation in their workplace, at their events and in their programs. (See the "Become a RedWAY Project Partner" article in this issue).
Consider how you can lead the way to giving our Youth the opportunity to work towards a brighter, more connected future. As a new social enterprise, we can also design your brochures, logos, business cards, websites and communications strategy - contact us for more information and samples of our work.
We are creating a strong social economy by supporting the interwoven network of nonprofits, service providers, volunteers and agencies that is the foundation for a healthy community.
If you have any comments, suggestions or contacts for our team, please contact us by email at kristin@redwaybc.ca or phone our Interim Project Manager, Kristin at 604-783-8304.
We look forward to continuing to improve communications in our community - and we'd like your support to keep highlighting the success stories in our community. Contact us to come visit your offices over the holidays!
Blessings for a safe holiday season and prosperous new year,
In honour and respect,
Kristin Kozuback
RedWAY BC Interim Project Manager
Phone: 604-783-8304 E-mail: kristin@redwaybc.ca
Sienna MacMillan
RedWAY BC Youth Advisory Council Liaison
Phone: 604-779-7995 E-mail: sienna@redwaybc.ca
(Back to TOP of page)
