Programs & Initiatives
Overview
The Alberta Recreation and Parks Association is pleased to oversee a variety of recreation and parks programs and initiatives in the province. Click on any of the program and initiative names below for more information.
Active Creative Engaged (ACE) Communities is a community development initiative to enhance quality of life in rural Alberta by strengthening community leadership, collaboration, and innovation through recreation, parks, arts, culture, and heritage. ACE Communities works with a network of leaders in partner communities around the province to address each community’s unique plan.
Communities in Bloom is committed to fostering civic pride, environmental responsibility, and beautification through community participation. ARPA is proud to manage the provincial edition of this nation-wide program. Communities are invited to participate in the provincial edition within their population category.
The goal of Communities ChooseWell is to recognize and empower Alberta communities to offer innovative programming, promotion, participation, and community partnerships towards achieving a healthier Alberta. As part of the Government of Alberta’s Healthy U campaign, Communities ChooseWell helps support, empower and recognize communities across the province for efforts to promote healthier living to their residents.
HIGH FIVE® is Canada’s only quality assurance program for recreation and sport programs for children aged 6-12. HIGH FIVE® provides a range of training, assessment tools, and resources to ensure that organizations can deliver the highest quality programs possible. From frontline staff to supervisors to policy makers, HIGH FIVE® offers tools to ensure all recreation programs have healthy child development principles in mind.
Everybody gets to play™ enhances the quality of life for Alberta’s children and youth in low-income families by seeking increased access to, and participation in, recreation opportunities. Using the Community Mobilization Toolkit, orientations, and one day workshops, communities from across the province are better able to identify, reduce, and eliminate barriers to recreation for children living in low-income families.
SOGO Active and ARPA are pleased to deliver a national active living program aimed at Alberta’s youth. SOGO Active is unlike any other youth fitness program because it gives Alberta’s youth the tools to design and control their own individual “get active” plan. Seed grants are available to assist with developing sustainable, youth-led programs.
ARPA is proud to team up with Kids at Hope to offer this ground-breaking approach to working with youth in Alberta. An innovative concept which states and demonstrates that all children are capable of success, NO EXCEPTIONS! Kids at Hope is not another program; it is first and foremost a belief system, supported by a cultural strategy, and then enhanced by programs. Kids at Hope empowers organizations to transform their cultures through professional, personal, and volunteer development workshops, seminars, institutes, and classes.
Facility Inventory Tracker System (FITS)
FITS is a comprehensive inventory and tracking system that provides an evolving portrayal of the state of community recreation infrastructure and facilities across Alberta. This database allows the recreation industry to work collectively towards strengthening community facilities throughout the province.
The Active Living Alliance for Canadians with a Disability (ALACD) is all about promoting inclusion and active living lifestyles for Canadians with a disability through communication and collaboration. ARPA is proud to be a key partner in the Alberta Initiative of the ALACD.
The Alberta Recreation and Parks Association is committed to developing a Service Excellence Program (SEP) for assessing and developing a process that will help define, monitor, and recognize outstanding performance in community recreation, sport, fitness, active living, parks, environment, arts, culture, tourism, and community development. SEP audit and assessment tool allow every participating agency or organization to rate themselves against best practice guidelines and qualitative or quantitative indicators.
