What do you care about? Many of you responded to Vital Signs surveys telling us about areas you want to learn about, contribute your thoughts to or ask questions about.
That鈥檚 why I鈥檓 looking forward to a series of Vital Conversations coming up next month. Vital Conversations are an extension of the annual Victoria鈥檚 Vital Signs report, which measures the vitality of our region, identifies concerns and supports actions on issues that are critical to our collective quality of life. Each of them is an opportunity for the public and subject experts alike to come to the table to talk, listen and learn from one another about an issue that鈥檚 vital to our community well-being.
First up is a session at the University of Victoria鈥檚 Ideafest on March 7 entitled Living with Disabilities in Victoria.
An estimated one in seven Canadians live with physical and/or cognitive challenges that can limit their activities and their ability to participate in society.
Funded by the Victoria Foundation, researchers from the School of Public Health and Social Policy set out to uncover how Victoria residents with disabilities navigate the challenges of everyday life and the supports and services that are available. Their findings serve as the starting point for a panel discussion on living with a disability in Victoria.
The second event, taking place on March 14 at Camosun College鈥檚 Lansdowne Campus, will explore youth mental health in the region. Developed in part by a youth advisory committee and in partnership with Coast Capital Savings and the Children鈥檚 Health Foundation of Vancouver Island, the session will look to provide an opportunity for youth with lived experience to share their stories and perspectives, as well as hear from experts in the community. Both the challenges and areas of promise will be explored.
And on March 15, the Victoria Foundation, with support from the Community Action Initiative, will host a community dialogue about moderate alcohol consumption. 鈥淗ey Victoria! Let鈥檚 Talk About Your Drinking!鈥� will include an engaging presentation about the business, health and culture of alcohol, and engage attendees in a workshop to talk about one of society鈥檚 biggest pastimes.
Participants will explore Victoria鈥檚 favourite legal drug and unpack our drinking culture: Why people love it, the myths and evidence on how it affects our health, our communities and our economy.
The tables are set with a place for you to join in the discussions.
For more information about these events and more, visit the聽Victoria Foundation website at victoriafoundation.ca or our聽Facebook page at TheVictoriaFoundation.
