Building a Future for Alberta

The Alberta Recreation and Parks Association is excited to provide the leadership for the Vision 2015 project. Our common goal is to ensure a future for our province with healthy people, sustainable environments and strong communities.

To make this happen, organizations, businesses, communities and government will need to work together to develop and implement common goals and strategies. Not an easy task given the vast size of the entire Quality of Life Sector.

Foundations for Action

The publication Foundations for Action: Enhancing the Quality of Life in Alberta is a key outcome of Vision 2015.

Download a copy of Foundations for Action now!

The Foundations for Action Bulletin Series

Bulletin 1: Nexus of Change
Bulletin 2: Quality of Life
Bulletin 3: Historical Trends in Recreation & Parks
Bulletin 4: Trends & Implications for Recreation & Parks
Bulletin 5: Strategic Challenges Facing Recreation & Parks
Bulletin 6: The Recreation & Parks Vision and Plan
Bulletin 7: Leadership Renewal in Recreation & Parks
Bulletin 8: Recreation & Parks Strategic Mapping
Bulletin 9: Promising Practices in Recreation & Parks

The Vision

By 2015 Alberta has a sustainable society that lives and promotes a culture of wellness, creativity and stewardship. Alberta citizens will be benefiting from a new culture of wellness for themselves, their communities and the environment. There will be a new, multi-lateral infusion of funds that ensure all citizens of the increasingly diverse province have access to affordable services.

Society will shift:

From extraction of commodities	To value-added processing
From consumption of seemingly infinite resources	To stewardship of scarce resources
From a homogenous society that values conformity	To diverse communities that respect nonconformity
From local communities of place	To global communities of interest
From recreation as discretionary leisure	To recreation as necessary for wellness
From disease focused health care	To wellness focused holistic health
From discrete policy envelopes	To integrated policy paradigms
From top-down governing	To governance as shared accountability
From quality service for customers who pay	To quality of life for all citizens
From individualism and privatization	To communitarianism and social engagement
From social capital involving small, tightly knit communities	To creative capital involving diverse cosmopolitan communities

Frequently Asked Questions

How was this project initiated?

Leaders from the Recreation and Parks field identified a need for an exciting long-range vision that would respond to the changes happening in the field, communities and province. After further investigation, leaders realized others sectors were also grappling with similar challenges. With a similar vision, it was obvious that a collaborative strategy was needed if common outcomes and goals are to be realized.

How did ARPA become a lead agent in the project? Who sanctioned ARPA to continue to lead the project?

The initial strategy came directly out of the 2001 visioning process initiated by ARPA with insightful input and support from others in the Quality of Life sector. Leaders from across the Quality of Life sector endorsed ARPA’s continued leadership of the initiative.

What is the Foundations for Action report and why is it so important to the project?

The Foundations for Actions report was drafted by the Vision 2015 Steering Committee, a committee created by and operating under the auspices of ARPA. The information is based on the synergistic and collaborative efforts of a group of Alberta individuals and agencies in the Quality of Life sector who understand the need to chart a bold course for change.
Although the report encourages collaborative action from the Quality of Life sector in Alberta, there are specific strategic challenges identified specifically for the Recreation and Parks field.

Why should any individual or agency other than those already involved have interest in or a responsibility to participate in the project?

Bold new action is required by all. Governments and not-for-profit organizations can no longer work in silos to meet the needs of individuals and communities and it is going to take individuals from many fields focused on new ways if we are to achieve the desired outcomes.

How will you get other organizations involved?

ARPA is currently pursuing funding to develop a comprehensive engagement strategy across the province. This web site will be the primary media used to communicate information and share resources. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of every sector to make the effort to collaborate as broadly as possible when developing outcomes which affect others.

Is it intended that various levels of government will be involved in this initiative?

Absolutely, the various levels of government and the many different departments and arms length organizations involved in improving the quality of life for all Albertans will be encouraged to respond to the initial Foundations for Action report and become engaged in future initiatives. To date, the Alberta Government and numerous municipalities have provided support, interest and encouragement to this initiative. 

Contact

For more information on Vision 2015 and Foundations for Action, please call 780-415-1745 or email arpa@arpaonline.ca.