The Town of Okotoks is asking locals to weigh in and help evaluate the social well-being of the community and identify any issues or gaps that need to be addressed.
The recently launched Social Needs Assessment is intended to "enhance the social well-being of our community by identifying key issues and ways to strengthen community connections," according to a release from the town.
Community and social development team lead Sian Anderson says they're hoping to hear from a broad range of people.
"Right now we're looking to hear from as many people as possible on what their experience in Okotoks is. What does it mean to live here? What does it mean to access services here? Do you have employment here? Do you have the housing you need? What are all those different pieces that make the community a place you want to live and can live? We'll hear all the different perspectives and from there we can pull those together and start to look at what our strategies are, moving forward."
There are a few ways to participate in the assessment.
At the moment, the Town is looking for volunteers to host Community Conversations, described as "relaxed, semi-structured discussions with family, friends, colleagues, or members of your social circles."
Registration is open until September 30, and those who sign up will be provided with training and resources to host the conversations, which will take palce between October 11 and November 1.
Anderson says other engagement opportunities are in the works too.
"We're also doing some focus groups, so we are working with various different organizations in the community to try and meet people where they are at, so we will host a range of different groups or different people in the community. Maybe one with older adults, or one at the food bank. Different areas in the community trying to reach people where they are at. We're not saying to everyone, 'You have to come to us.' We will come to you."
The Town is also planning to hold broader focus groups that will be open to anyone wanting to participate.
Anderson says the Social Needs Assessment page on the Shape Our Town website will be a good palce to check in as the assessment moves forward.
"It really is a great resource to keep track of what is happening and see the opportunities to engage there too, because we'll have different design labs and things like that later on as well. So even if at this point there's not the ideal palce to get involved, there'll be other steps too where we can hopefully hear the voice of everyone who wants to be heard."
The Town will use the feedback it collects to develop a plan to address the social needs of the community and support its community vision:
The Town of Okotoks is resilient, where people, businesses, ideas and sense of community thrive. Grounded by the Sheep River valley and supported by thoughtful planning and design, a strong local economy and a vibrant civic culture, Okotoks offers exceptional quality of life at every stage of life. Respect for each other and the natural environment makes Okotoks home.