The publication of the first issue of a five community newsletter has some interesting implications. It will be the first time that over 50,000 residents will be able to learn of some projects and/or events happening in other communities north of McKnight besides our own. One could say that awareness of our community might be broadened a bit by such a publication. In many cases we rarely know what is actually happening in our own community, let alone what other communities in the far northeast are doing. With this publication, the possibilities for experiencing community are endless. Such a situation doesn’t mean we don’t experience community now. We do meet people all the time. At work, worship, play, and other leisure activities, we interact with people. What I am getting at is less than 10% of our community gatherings are in our own local neighborhoods. We go elsewhere. Why is this the case? The answer is this. We do not have a place we can meet in large numbers for whatever reason. Most other areas in the city have easier access to a major recreational centre. At present, we do not enjoy such an amenity in the far northeast! There is something else about our six communities. We have a wonderful multicultural mix, unlike anywhere else in the city. However, members of an ethnic type have a tendency to mix, and feel more comfortable with their own kind. And so the story goes. But there is a way out of these conditions which do isolate us from other families on our street and in our neighborhoods.
Across the street, to the west of the new Saddletowne Shopping Centre, and in the very heart of the communities in the far northeast, there are 47 acres, the site of the multicultural recreational leisure centre. It is hoped to be in place as early as 2010. Unlike most, this centre is being planned and designed from the grassroots community. Over the last six years, all five communities participated in focus groups, surveys, questionnaires and interviews. Even today, there are multicultural groups working together on this project, to provide the best for future citizens, their children, and children of their loved ones.
The Northeast educational, recreational leisure complex will offer a variety of services, and be a terrific way to bring our communities together, as well as develop a sense of respect and tolerance for those who may have a different ethnic origin from our own, but have the same needs as we do. This publication, Community-Connection, will be a great way to keep us informed on how things are progressing with our leisure centre. Don’t hesitate to call me at 285-2621, if you would like to help out with our local campaign, or provide us with valuable assistance of any kind. Remember, we first learn what community is by actively building it in our neighborhood. Get involved in making our five communities great places for you and your children!
