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“SAFE AND HEALTHY COMMUNITIES” .By Lama McGrath and Bonnie McGi'll-Ploeg Women's Institutes have been interested in safe and healthy communities since theirinception in l897. Today. it is their main focus. Our challenge to members is to initiate 400 Branch projects by 1997. or too District projects. that will make our communities safer and healthier. The "Safe and Healthy Communities" Semi. nar. held November 24 and 25 following the FWIO annual meeting in Guelph, provided op- portunities for participants a to learn about resources available in theircommunities; to get excited aboat working with other community members who share similar concerns: and. to network as a group to avoid duplication and overlap of services. In addition to presentations by several guest speakers. many informative displays surrounded the conference room. The first speaker was Katherine Pigott from the Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition. As a Community Animator. she is available to assist groups with the planning of projects that will promote a safe and healthy community. She suggested following the ACT formula A A for awareness, C for connecting and T for tak .ing action. Dominic D'Arcy. “The Singing Policeman“ from Ottawa. entertained us with song's and stories. He has produced a video that shows teens how to cope with dnigs by putting power in their own hands. One of his song“ messages was ofa united Canada. We were a flag-waving “bunch” as we sang the "Canada Song." Anne Bernhardt talked of the Teen Esteem Program in Brantford. In this program. female role models from varying backgrounds encoura age young girls. ages l l to 13. totalk about the real world, goal setting. careers and educational opportunities. Dr. Trevor Hancock. Public Health Consult- ant. advises all levelsofgovemment in Canada. plus the World Health Organization. about healthy communities and sustainable developâ€" ment. He spoke about involving youth in the solution. For example. allowing a youth group to decorate their own drop-in centre may help preventvandalism ofit. He used a groupvision- ary exercise which can be used to find a common shared vision of a safe and healthy community. He advised us to pick ashort-term. achievable project first. then move on to other projects to achieve long-ten-n goals. Above all. he emphasized. don‘t get discouraged! The Executive Director from The John Howard Society of Waterloo-Wellington. John Bilton. spoke about their work with people (primarily men) who have been in trouble with the law. The role oftheir volunteers is to visit. counsel and support. The Society is also in- volved with the VIP (values. influences and peers) Program for Grade 6 students and a program to help male batterers overcome their anger. The wrapâ€"up speaker was Kathy Simpson. Rural Community Advisor (RCA) with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture. Food and Rural Affairs. Kathy explained that RCAs are available to help groups with rural develop- ment. She reinforced the idea that the Women‘s Institutes have been promoting safe and healthy communities for years. She led us through an exercise which helped us to define what pro- jects could be implemented and how to get them started. Seminar participants gained knowledge. re sources and enthusiasm. Now. we need to bring groups of people with common interests to- gether to get projects off the ground. 1mm illiG/‘rtl/l H tile Heathen/rip (.mruimiim fur the Ft‘di‘rtrtt‘il ll'tll'lt’lt'l Irirttmlei ithtttri/i‘ii. Ell/ll biraii iiiiLl Bttlllllt‘ .tlt'Gilerlmga rl’t’ lilE'Ittht’fl iijilie Sill‘l‘l' Alzipti' Wt. Elevated [0 New Heights Working together With the entire community, the Selina Women‘s institute Branch raised enough funds to have an elevator installed in their local hall. The SD/tna Community Hall IS now more accessible to seniors an d the disabled. The Selina Wt Access Committee - tit are Chris Votsey (Contractor), is ictwect a! the opening to the elevator, Irom left to ng Alfna Langmaid, Lais Via/lawless. Harvey Yeltowlees. Jean Taylor (Chair). RW. Bruyne son (Architect) and Viola Ashton. Submitted by Betty Giant. PRO. Selina Wt, Duii‘iam West ACWW - “Working with Women Worldwide” By Peggy Knapp Council: The Associated Country Woman of the World (AGWW) Council dates have been set tor June 2 - 11996.3th Marlott Hotel in New Orleans. Louisiana. Open day will take place on June 3, with the actual Council meeting to take place trorn June 4 to 6. Conferences: I invite all at you to participate in one of the two Area Conferences to be held in Canada in 1996. Both are in October, the first will be hosted by the Women's Institutes at British Colum‘ bia and Athena in Edmonton, the second by the Women's Institutes of Newtoundland and Labrador in Gan- der. The Triennial World Conference. hosted by South African Societies, will take place in April. 1998, at the University of Pretoria, with the theme “Shaping Tomorrow‘s World." Canada's Proiect in Uganda: The support across Ontario for our own Canadian Project in Uganda has been overwhelming. The FWIO Provinicat Office has now received $4,800 to be used to establish a pig- gery. in which older AIDS orphans may work to produce meat and to purchase stock to increase the size of the goat herd and provide a deâ€" pendable source of milk tor the babies and younger children. May I share with you a couple at illustrations to show the care and concern of our members: A cheque arrived at the cities trom a member with the following notation in the lower left-hand corner - “for milk for the babies." One Area Convention was able to pay tor “halt a goat." and across our province donations have been handed to meat slipped into my pocket. Sometimes, I have not even known the name at the donor. Many thanks for the kindness and generosity in response to the first Canada Area ACWW Project. Peggy Knapp ii- the Anni-inter] Cuiiritrji' Wtinien rtf the World Art'ti President frir Canada. You can write in llt!’ irt 6i Waildlriml Glen DR. Guelph ON NIG 351. Home 8‘ Country. Winter'QS 13