What is Community Compass?
Growing Futures in Recreation & Parks
Community Compass works towards making careers accessible to all, creating connection, impact, and stability in our families, businesses, communities and in our province. Community Compass provides direction for individuals from equity deserving groups seeking careers, while supporting employers in attracting, and retaining diverse staff through building inclusive and equitable workplaces. Through Community Compass, the recreation and parks sector will be revitalized, and sustained, creating a healthy future for all Albertans.
Our Mission
We aim to raise awareness about opportunities in the recreation and parks sector, support job seekers by showing pathways to employment, and help the sector foster a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive workforce.
Our Vision
We will create a sector that values and celebrates the contributions of individuals of all backgrounds and identities.
Why is Community Compass Important?
The recreation and parks sector plays a critical role in enhancing the social, mental, spiritual and physical well-being of individuals, families, and communities across Alberta. In fact, according to the 2022 Alberta Recreation Survey 99% of Albertans surveyed believe that recreation and parks improve their quality of life.
However, the recreation and parks sector has experienced challenges in attracting and recruiting individuals into the sector, hindering the ability to meet the demand for recreation and parks services. A key step in addressing these labor challenges is to ensure employment in the sector is accessible and welcoming to groups who have historically been underrepresented in recreation and parks spaces.
Working in the recreation and parks sector allows people to give back to the community, and providing a strong sense of purpose. This combination of community impact and personal fulfillment makes this sector an appealing career choice.
To address the priorities of Alberta’s recreation and parks labour shortages, and promote diversity, Community Compass will focus on three key areas:
1. Employers
Recreation and parks settings are an important place to adopt practices that support equity, diversity and inclusion. We will help equip employers with training and resources to create inclusive practices for attracting, hiring and retaining staff.
2. Equity Deserving Groups
Marginalized groups have historically been underrepresented in recreation and parks spaces. We will help bridge the gap between equity-deserving groups and career opportunities in the recreation and parks sector by providing targeted support, mentorship, and training.
3. Career Awareness
The recreation and parks sector offers a diverse range of opportunities and pathways; there are positions for all skill levels and interests. We will actively promote jobs and careers in the recreation and parks sector, raising awareness about this wide range of opportunities available.
Foundational Resources
The more we are able to learn and build awareness around equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), the more equipped we will be to grow the future of the recreation and parks sector.
If you are looking to begin your EDI learning journey we encourage you to check out the following foundational resources:
Let’s Connect!
Interested in being involved or learning more about this exciting NEW project?
Contact Patrick MacQuarrie, Community Compass Program Manager, at pmacquarrie@arpaonline.ca or 780-415-1745, ext. 301