Community development is the process of helping a community strengthen itself in order to improve people’s lives. It addresses issues that have been identified by the community, and builds upon existing skills and strengths within the community.
Vancouver Coastal Health has a group of staff across our region who specialize in community development. These community developers help Vancouver Coastal Health, other organizations and residents work together to achieve our common goals of keeping people healthy and improving access to care.
What we do
Here are some examples of our work:
Studying the barriers that prevent young males from accessing youth health clinics, in collaboration with university researchers and youth
Improving shelter and housing opportunities and making food supplies more dependable by working with BC Housing, service providers and residents on community kitchens and urban agriculture
Working with seniors to campaign for a new seniors' centre in South Vancouver
Addressing the increased use of crystal methamphetamine among gay men by working with residents, service providers and businesses in the neighbourhood
Helping a group of parents with children with developmental disabilities start a support group
Addressing the high rate of diabetes among South Asian immigrants by bringing together community members and service providers to discuss issues and set priorities
Helping former drug users do peer outreach by delivering a workshop to build their facilitation skills
Developing opportunities for intercultural exchange with new immigrants to create more inclusive communities and provide health-related support services
Contact us
For more information on how we can help you, please contact Karen Clarke at karen.clarke@vch.ca or toll free at 1-877-892-2231.
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