The Social Planning Council of Ottawa has planned an excellent day of workshops entitled “Understanding Sustainability in the Voluntary Sector�.  There are a number of great workshops that will be relevant to your work in the community.  There is a registration fee for the workshops but there are subsidies available if needed.  We will post the registration form and full agenda shortly. (Thank you for your patience)

WHEN: Wednesday, November 29, 2006, 9AM - 4PM.

WHERE: 2203 Alta Vista Drive, Rideau Park United Church

REGISTRATION FEES: $50 per person ($40 for SPC and OCED members) Limited subsidies are available.

Free Parking and lunch will be provided. The venue is wheelchair accessible.

—joint project of the SOCIAL PLANNING COUNCIL OF OTTAWA and OTTAWA COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NETWORK.

SAMPLE WORKSHOP: 

Sustainability through the Lens of Santropol Roulant:  Experience, Inspiration and Perspective from the Corner of Saint Urbain & Duluth 

Jane Rabinowicz,  Santropol Roulant This will be a participatory workshop focusing on building a more sustainable urban food system and a compelling alternative for a healthier urban ecology and how people can live together and support each other in the city.  Items for discussion will include: 

• The question of scale: growth and tipping points for sustainability 
• A more desirable future: sustainable intentions vs. endpoints 
• The dreaming and doing of an organization with a vision for sustainability! 

Jane Rabinowicz is the Executive Director of Santropol Roulant, an award winning volunteer organization run by motivated and dynamic young people. Santropol Roulant  brings people and groups together across cultures and generations through our innovative meals-on-wheels service and intergenerational programs. It is based in Montreal, Quebec. 

—-This announcement has been referenced from the Just Food Newsletter (www.justfood.ca). Just Food and the Social Planning Council of Ottawa(OSPC - http://www.spcottawa.on.ca/) - both non-profit and non-partisan organizations, generate very intriguing dialogue around the development of sustainable social and environmental communities and relationships in our city. In light of the LOEB closure on Booth St, and the cry from residents for the continuation of accessible food service in their neighbourhood, the idea of sustainable communities seems particluarly topical and relevant. Other workshops include topics such as :

‘Building Blocks for Strong Communities: Results of a Study of Small - and Medium-Sized Organizations in Canada’ or 

‘Financial Tools for Understanding Sustainability’.

Thank you for your interest.