It's been a blast!

Wow, it’s hard to believe that 16 weeks have flown by. It seemed as though I had a lot of time to get things done throughout the summer, but now that it is all said and done I am starting to realize that 16 weeks is not enough time for the internship.  I feel like I just started yesterday and am a little sad to be leaving Forestburg.  My experience in this community has been great, from all the people at the village office I have seen on a regular basis to the people who lead the volunteer organizations.  All of these people have shown me what it means to work hard, to have pride in your community, and they have shown me how great living in a rural area/village can be.

While I am excited to leave rural Alberta to attend school in a large urban centre in Saskatchewan, I know I will miss the people I have worked with this summer and I will miss living rurally. I will trade in the quiet sounds of nature for the sounds of vehicles traveling on the highway outside of my city apartment, I will miss the friendly faces that know who you are (or that you are Paul’s girlfriend), and I will miss the relaxing lifestyle.  This internship has allowed me to grow personally and professionally and has taught me a lot about some of the challenges faced by rural municipalities and the organizations that work within them.

I would like to thank Forestburg for having me this summer, for the ACSRC and LaB Office both working through the U of A, and the other interns for the support and information they provided throughout this experience.

Washer Toss is Harder Than it Sounds!

Even though this summer is winding down and I am finishing up some paperwork, I am still learning something new everyday. A major learning opportunity for me this week was provided by the wonderful staff at the local retirement home, Big Knife Villa.

I spent half of the day on Wednesday seeing what goes on at the home, looking at activities or events they would like to offer the residents, and possible grants that could help cover the cost of some of the activities.

The seniors residence has activities throughout the day and I was able to join in on a game of Washer Toss. While this game may sound simple it was definitely a challenge. There was a mat on the floor with areas marked and if your washer landed in the area with a 2 you got two points, if there was a 3 you got three points, etc, etc.  Who would have thought a game such as this could be so much fun yet involve so much skill? After a few very disappointing rounds I was able to figure out the proper technique to throw the washer and ended up coming in 3rd.  I was only 1 point away from 2nd place and about 13 points away from first. It was great interacting with some of the residents but I don't think I would want to play any more games with them because I am sure they would beat me by a larger margin next time.

This was a great experience and a change from being in the Office.  The Villa is always looking for volunteers, especially drivers to take residents to different appointments.  The Villa is involved in the community as well.  The third Wednesday of every month they have a luncheon that anyone can attend. The cost is $10 and there is a variety of salads to enjoy and there may even be homemade buns!

Bigger isn't always better

A canola field just north of Forestburg.

Lately I have been contemplating what I have been doing.  I haven’t been reworking policies, I haven’t made any major changes to the village, and I haven’t been a superhero saving the village of Forestburg.  I have, however, been interacting with people in the village, searching and applying for grants, and helping with whatever needs to be done.  This internship is not about the big changes, it’s about the small things that go on. I have noticed that sometimes things in a rural area move at a slower pace than in a larger urban centre and it’s this slower pace that has shown me that the small things matter. Whether it’s a friendly hello, an update on a sick neighbour or friend, or even a wave while you’re driving, I find that the small things that happen make living and working in a rural area so enjoyable.

It finally clicks!

Okay, so now I understand what is going on.  I have always had the belief that volunteers are important, and in rural areas that is no different. But after my latest project I have realized just how valuable volunteer run groups are.  I have been researching sports field policies and procedures to determine what Forestburg can do, and during this research is when everything clicked!

Larger centres have a full time employee dedicated to field bookings/scheduling, being a go-to person for the sports organizations in the town or city. Forestburg had an organization that did that task. So the job was always done, but by volunteers, not a full time paid employee. How is it that a group of people who donate their time can complete the job that a full time employee does elsewhere? This is why volunteer organizations are so valuable in a place like Forestburg.

In other news I found it funny on Monday as I was watching the morning news and there was a discussion of all of the construciton projects occurring in Edmonton.  For a moment I thought I was immune to construction season until I arrived at work and found this...

There was construction right outside of my office, but by Tuesday afternoon the road was almost back to normal, just waiting to pave it again. I found it interesting how long it takes for something to happen in Edmonton, yet here within two days the road was functioning again.

Adaptation and Patience

Not only has this Rural Capacity Internship been about a job and working with a rural municipality, but for me it has been about living in rural Alberta as well. After leaving the Town of Beaumont (a town that is listed as being rural) and moving to the big centre of Camrose for school (a place considered rural by most people in larger centres), this summer has truly opened my eyes to what living in rural Alberta really means. You don't have to be a farmer to see what it truly is like to have a rural lifestyle.  I have encountered a few things over the past 3 months while living in rural Alberta that initially seemed odd to me, but have now become a way of life.

I am working in the Village of Forestburg but living in a smaller village close by called Heisler. I initially thought Forestburg was small with its population of 895, but have realized how small a "small" village can be.  Heisler is classified as a village, even though its population is approximately 150, which does not meet current classification standards to be called a village, but it has been a village for such a long time that there is no use in changing it to the Hamlet of Heisler, or something else. This weekend there is a large event in Heisler, one that will double, if not triple the current population of the village. This event will bring the town to life with people both young and old and families.  The campgrounds have all been booked and there is great anticipation for this event.  Heisler, Alberta is the host for the 2011 Bantam and Peewee Baseball Provincials. 8 teams will compete (4 from each category) to determine who is the best this year.  Rumour has it that one of the Heisler teams is undefeated and could blow the competition out of the water! So if you want to check out some sports this weekend come to Heisler, where you can also see Canada's Largest Baseball Glove!

Another aspect of rural living is "The Wave".  Now it's not the wave they do at sports events but it's the friendly hello wave.  It's easy to do, whether you are carrying in groceries to your house and you see a vehicle drive by, when you are on the highway driving and someone is out cutting their grass, or whether you are just cruising the back roads and pass someone.  Everyone does the wave in rural Alberta, yet in Edmonton or any larger city there is no wave, and if you do a wave you get weird looks.  I find the wave has a way of welcoming everyone which is really nice.

The art of having a conversation has been something that I have really noticed in my experience living in rural Alberta. Whether you are just passing on a walk around the village or dropping something off to a neighbour you always have to plan for at least an extra hour of time.  If the task takes 2 minutes, you should plan on it taking at least 1 hour, but it could take up to 3 hours. Everyone enjoys talking, whether it's about the weather, what's going on in the village, or what people like Paul and myself are doing in a small village. Even on a walk around the village there isn't the typical "Hey, how's it going", "good" conversation, but more of the "Hey, how's it going", "good, how's everything with you" "It's great but these mosquitoes....".  A simple 5 second conversation in the city or a larger town can go on for 1 hour in rural Alberta, as you complain about the bugs and the rain, and the heat, while you are standing in the road, getting eaten alive by the bugs and some colour on your skin from the sun, but those things don't seem to matter when you are meeting people and just chatting.

I have enjoyed all of my experiences in rural Alberta, but one thing I have struggled a bit with is limited hours. In larger centres everything seems to be open when you need it, yet living in Heisler and Forestburg has allowed me to plan ahead for what I need, and if the store is closed by the time I get there then it must mean I don't really need what I went to get.

The other night I realized how challenging it can be living in a rural area, especially if you are sick.  The doctors office in Forestburg is open on Tuesdays and Fridays for the month of July, so you better be sick on one of those days or have an appointment because the doctors are usually busy.  The Daysland hospital is about 20-25 minutes down the road from Heisler and there is always a doctor available there. Another part of rural living is that you need to plan out when you get a prescription filled.  I am used to being able to get a prescription filled whenever I need it, but in Forestburg there is no pharmacist on site at the drug store on Wednesdays, which seemed very odd to me, but did not seem to phase anyone else because it's been like that for a while. If you are sick and need prescription drugs on a Wednesday you can either wait until Thursday or make a trip up to Daysland.  I guess these are all things I used to take for granted but now realize that you have to learn to adapt to where you are and you need to have patience because things don't occur at this exact moment, like they do in a larger centre.

I am now realizing that my time living in Rural Alberta is winding down.  It saddens me a bit to think of all the little things that I found strange before have now become a part of my daily life, part of my thought process, and I am interested to see how things will change when I return to school in September and learn how to adapt to life in a large city.

A Video

I continue to meet many different people in Forestburg and am learning a lot about the village.  I find it especially interesting to hear what type of grants volunteer organizations are looking for based on what they would like to accomplish in the future.  It's really neat to see how the organizations view themselves as making a difference in this community both at the present time and looking toward the future.  I find it amazing that there are so many volunteer organizations, and many people who are part of one organization are also involved in one or two more.  It really shows the pride that people have in their community.

Here is a video I made of pictures of the New Multi-Purpose Facility. The first event in this building was the Forestburg Grade 12 graduation and the grand opening will be later in the summer.  It will be exciting in the winter when the building will be full of hockey players and hockey parents!

Don't Forget To Stop And Smell The Roses.

Wow!  Looking at a calendar this internship has flown by.  It's hard to believe that it's over half way over.
I have being enjoying myself at work, working on a few different things for the village. I have searched for and found a few grants that some volunteer organizations can apply for next year or in the fall, and I am still waiting to hear back from a few organizations to see if they need any assistance.
Yesterday I was sent on a little adventure to take pictures of Forestburg.  Some of these pictures were of places in the village that I deemed to be of importance from the view of an outsider, while other pictures will be sent to the Communities in Bloom National Office, showcasing what Forestburg has to offer. I enjoyed exploring the village with a camera in hand and discovered why this community has received so many Communities in Bloom Awards.
There is a great sense of pride that a lot of people in the village have about their flowers, their lawns and even other areas.  One couple was out watering their front flower beds and i asked if I could take some pictures of their flowers.  They allowed me to do so and then directed me to their backyard where there was a significant amount of flowers with different figurines and even an herb garden.  They were so proud of what they had done and so were other people I encountered.  It was great seeing how excited people were about their gardens and how proud they were to call Forestburg their home.

To see some of the photos I took check out the village of Forestburg website.

Contemplating Canada

In a little bit of down time at the office between phone calls and while on my lunch break I have been following the visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Canada and seeing what their experience of Canada will be like. To be honest, I am a little jealous of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the stops they are making along their visit to Canada, but the one place I wish I could have been was at the Canadian feast they had with various foods from across Canada.  I was rather surprised when I discovered what was being served from Alberta.  It wasn’t beef, bread made from Alberta wheat, or even corn from down south. 

 

Alberta has been known for its beef for a number of years so to not serve the royal couple beef really confused me. In Kendra’s little world, beef is an essential protein in Alberta and could probably be considered to be indigenous to the prairies (although this assumption could be wrong, it is what I have believed since moving to this province). So why was the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge not served beef?  

 Because they were served yak!

This is a picture of a yak.

I was a little embarrassed, not because the couple was not fed beef, but because I had no idea that yaks existed in Alberta.  I thought Yaks existed in India and areas with high altitudes as a form of transportation, but after a brief search online I found the blog for the ranch that produced the yak consumed by Will and Kate.  Here’s the blog for Springridge Ranch that you can visit.

This is what the cross between a cow and yak looks like

So from my understanding this is not pure yak, but is a yak crossed with black angus to produce yak-cross beef.  If I am completely wrong in this assumption please let me know. All of this talk of yak makes me want to buy some and see what it tastes like, but it is currently available only in Calgary or from the producers website.

Here are some
Yak Jerky Sticks
you can buy from
Springridge Ranch.

Now don't get me wrong, but I am not meaning to offend anyone by criticizing the lack of Alberta beef on the menu, I was just surprised by the fact that yaks are edible and that there are some bred right here in Alberta.

The Sweet Life of a Rural Capacity Intern

With the long weekend coming up and everyone getting ready for Canada Day I decided to reflect on a few of my experiences thus far, specifically one task I was asked to complete. 

Here are some facts about interns that you may not know.

• An intern must always be willing to get fully involved in things

• An intern should be willing to get their hands a little dirty

• Sometimes the task an intern has to complete may be physically strenuous, but it usually isn't. 

• Nothing can get in the way of a Rural Capacity Intern trying to help out a community.

Today I was asked to complete a very challenging task, at least it was challenging for me.  I had to lift two fairly heavy boxes and take half of the contents from one box and half the contents from another box and put the contents together in a third box.  I know this is challenging but I am fortunate enough to have attended university so I was able to figure things out with little assistance.  Another reason why this task was challenging was because of the contents of the boxes that I was dealing with. The contents of the boxes have been known to cause diseases, pain and suffering in young children and adults, and even changes in personality and temperament in the young and old.  It was definitely a dangerous task, but I knew I could do it. 

Here are some pictures of the substances I was dealing with.

Have a happy Canada Day!

Solar Farms in Ontario

It has been a while since I last posted, but here is an update on what is going on.

I am still contacting organizations in Forestburg and meeting with people to determine if they need any sort of help.  Some people know they need help, others say that they need help but know of other organizations needing more help than they do, and some organizations do not require any form of assistance. I don't have too much to write about Forestburg for this past week because I ended up taking a last minute trip to Ontario for a funeral.

Ontario is where I spent the first seven years of my life, until my family moved to Alberta, but I have a lot of family in Ontario and a lot of my relatives have farms.  When most people think of rural areas they don't think of rural municipalities, but more of farms with crops and livestock. While driving in South- western Ontario between Sarnia and Petrolia my uncle pointed out a farm that was like none I had ever seen before.  It was a solar farm.

This is the solar farm. Rows and rows of solar panels.

This solar farm sells energy to the Hydro Company which then sells the power to those in the area.  A few farmers have also invested in solar panels on their farm while others have created a co-op to help cover the initial cost of the panels, with the aim of dividing the money that comes in when the excess energy is purchased. Solar energy is sustainable and even though the initial cost is significant, the reward over the next few years and decades are worth it.

Most farmers  are not able to use an entire field for solar panels, nor would they have the funds to "plant" the solar panels, but having a solar farm is an interesting concept.  The field that these arrays are "planted" in is what some locals called "not good farming land" because it was usually flooded in the spring and lacked drainage needed to grow any sort of crop.  I guess if you can't plant anything at least you can harvest sunlight.

Here is another picture from my trip, nothing related to work, or rural areas or anything like that.  It's just one of my favourite spots to visit when I go home to Ontario to visit my relatives.  This is the Bluewater Bridge, and it may look like any other bridge, but an interesting thing about it is that it connects Canada(Sarnia, Ontario) and the USA(Port Huron, Michigan).  I did not bring my passport to Ontario with me on this trip so I couldn't cross over to the States, but about half way through the St. Clair River is the border between these two countries, and the land on the other side is the United States.  I appreciate the water and am always amazed that Sarnia has a Coast Guard, but it has to in order to protect this border.

The Bigger Picture

A lot of major news events have occurred this week including the Air Canada strike and Canada post strike, the Vancouver Canucks losing game 7 and allowing the Boston Bruins to hoist the Stanley Cup, and the rain.

I hope I get a lot of
strawberries, but right
now I only have 4.

The rain has definitely been nice because the fields were dry, gardens were dry, and there was always a fear of fires starting and spreading quickly.  There are hopes that this rain will have come at just the right time and just the right amount to create the perfect growing season for a good crop, but I feel that farming always involves a little bit of hopes.  I know that I am really hoping for this rain to help the rhubarb and strawberries grow in my backyard.

While the weather can be an interesting topic to discuss, one major discussion that has occurred lately has been the Canada Post strike.  The post office in Forestburg has remained open, and was only affected by the strike when mail delivery was stopped in Edmonton and Calgary, which is where the mail passes through at some point in time. That meant for a fairly slow day at the post office, but the regular visitors still stopped in just to see if they had any mail. This has not really had a significant impact on people, but I am now beginning to question the impact that the Canada Post lock out will have on rural areas.  I know people in larger, more urban centres have not been significantly impacted by this postal strike/lock out, and while some people expecting checks from the government can go to a government building to pick up their check, I have been struggling to find, if I was hypothetically anticipating a check, where to pick it up.  Government buildings are not listed in an online database to know where I could potentially pick up my hypothetical check, but thank goodness I was able to find on Google a news article stating that I can call Service Alberta to arrange a pick up location. 

From anywhere to anyone... as long as
we're not on strike.

Now this may seem all fine and dandy, but talking to people who work in municipal offices, the lines to contact Federal as well as Provincial offices have been “experiencing a larger than normal volume of calls at this point in time.  They will now hang up and you can try again later.” Okay, so that may be an issue, but now where do I pick up my check?

Again, the news sources I have read all state you can receive your check or drop off important mail at “the nearest provincial office” due to their “inter-office mailing system”. So this got me wondering, if I lived in Forestburg where would the closest provincial government office be?

Stettler Alberta Service Centre 1hr 11mins

Camrose Alberta Service Centre 1hr 17 mins

Coronation Library 1hr 29 mins

Wainwright Alberta Service Centre 1 hr 56 mins

Red Deer Alberta Service Centre 2hr 14 mins

Leduc 2hrs 23 mins

Edmonton 2hrs 31 mins

Drumheller Alberta Services Centre 2 hr 37 mins

View Larger Map

So these are locations of government offices, not very close to Forestburg at all.  After some further investigation and almost an hour of my time I found a news release from the government with a link to a list of locations you can drop or pick up government mail and checks.  I was relieved to find out that there are 2 locations in Flagstaff County that were not included in my initial search. These places are:

Killam Mental Health Centre 40 mins

Sedgewick- Flagstaff Building 50 mins

So according to Google maps, if I were to require an assistance check I would have to drive a little under an hour to get my check.  Now this may not be so bad, except for the fact that these offices are open during business hours, on week days, and not everyone has a car. 

I know this may sound like I am complaining a bit, but after considering some of the issues faced by rural Alberta, it is important to recognize why something so simple could be an issue. I did not think that a postal strike would have such an impact on people, and I feel very fortunate that it has not impacted me, or that the ways it could have impacted me have been minimal due to allowances by different departments or different organizations.  This postal strike has really opened my eyes to the problems faced by people in rural Alberta and I am now aware of the expectations of people in rural Alberta from the government to be able to drive and travel in order to meet their personal needs.

Things are Bumpin' in the Burg

So another week has flown by, and again I have found myself enjoying my summer job.  Last Thursday, June 9, Meaghan and Odessa came on a little adventure to visit me and check in.  Here is a photo collage I made of Forestburg and some of the wonderful sights around the area.

This collage includes pictures of the grain elevators, the power plant on the Battle River, some of the mining machines at Diplomat Mine Interpretive Site, and the municipal office that I work in. All of these are places I see on a regular basis and are the places that I showed Odessa and Meaghan on their trip here.  After an afternoon of touring we headed down main street to the deli for a snack.  Meaghan and I chose the basic ice cream while Odessa was feeling adventurous and went for the Ice Cream Sandwich. 

Odessa demonstrating how to properly eat an ice cream sandwich.

If you think that's impressive you should check out her blog about video making and traveling Alberta.

I hope everyone is having a good week and I will post again later this week.

Another Week Done

This is me officially graduated.

Wow, another week has literally flown by in my summer internship in Forestburg.  This week was exhausting, not because of work, but because of the convocation celebrations throughout the weekend for the Augustana Grad Class of 2011.  It was an exciting weekend and it’s official that I am Kendra Kerrigan, B.A.. So that was exciting!

This week was great with myself contacting a few more local organizations and setting up meeting times with them to determine where they could use my services.  I have enjoyed hearing what people in this community want, and other than specific organization wants like a treasurer or other executive members, a major “want” is a summer event.  It seems as though the village almost shuts down for the summer.  Businesses still run, everyone still works, some organizations still have meetings, but as of right now Big Knife Villa (the seniors lodge) is the only organization with something going on (monthly lunches open to the community for a small fee).  The next major events aren’t until the summer is almost over in August or September.  I asked about a Canada Day BBQ or some event and everyone keeps telling me that they have to go somewhere else for Canada Day celebrations.  Luckily there are numerous communities in the area that have some sort of parade or celebration during the summer, but Forestburg does not.

I am still meeting with organizations to determine what they want or need, but right now I am thinking that a community BBQ to bring the community together with booths for organizations to recruit volunteers and make themselves visible could be in the works for the summer (pending approval and the overall cost). Talking with the organizations so far I have realized that there is no volunteer recruitment strategy.  They wait until someone comes to them looking to volunteer rather than actively seeking out community members.  I know recruitment takes time and effort, of which most people’s time and effort are directed towards the organization they are involved in because their resources are really stretched.

This week has been full of learning opportunities and meeting great people and I am really excited to actually start working with the various organizations.

Purpose

 

This week has been a success, not that any of the past weeks haven’t been successful, but this week has been what I would consider my most productive week, making it successful . I feel like I am finally finding my purpose.  Here is a song about someone else finding their purpose. 

* Sorry for any words that may be offensive to some in this song, it was used for entertainment value and its purpose is not to offend people.

Initially I struggled with being an intern, not really knowing what I was doing, who I would be dealing with, or what was expected of me.   There are a few things that I feel helped me to find my purpose.

1. Getting to know people

Having the opportunity to find out what goes on in the village, what has went on, and what has impacted the people here, has really helped me gain a deeper understanding of Forestburg.  Most of the people working in the office have only been working here for a few months although some have lived in the village for a few years, but the information they have about the village has helped me find where I will fit in.

2. Having a job description

I was confused as to what I would be doing, but I have created a job description for myself which has helped me to know what I am expecting of myself. I feel that the job description will help me to be able to recognize my own boundaries and limitations while still helping others.

3. Getting out into the community

This was what inspired me to write this blog.  I was out and about and was approached by a member of the community who is involved with many community groups. We had a lovely chat on main street and she was really excited to meet me and for me to help her groups.  Knowing that this is something that people want, even if it is only one person, showed that it is a possible position that could grow and be useful in the community.

 
While these have helped me find my purpose, maybe they will help you, and if not, I am sure you will be able to find your purpose through some other means. While having freedom to create my own job title and the ability to do what I want, rather than having a set list of things on how to complete a task, has been a struggle, but I feel that with this sense of purpose I will be able to complete everything that has been set in front of me.

Superhero Interns

It’s amazing how a village office can be impacted by provincial and national occurrences.  Since being in the village I have realized how interconnected the world we live in is.  Whether it is about Slave Lake or the possibility of a Canada Post strike, the Village of Forestburg has been affected by these events, whether it is through finding where to donate for Slave Lake or getting the newsletter, water bills and tax notices out on time before a strike is announced.

Many people believe rural Alberta is “out in the middle of nowhere” and that it doesn’t have “big problems like the big city”.  I initially believed this as well, but if anything, rural villages, towns, and areas have problems like in the big city and although they may not appear to be as big of an issue, it could be a big issue because there are less people to deal with the problem, less man power to completely fix things, and the entire community is depending upon one, two, or (if you’re lucky) three people to take control of the situation.  This is a lot of stress for one person to deal with.

This is my GANTT Chart

While it is great believing that, as an intern, I could “change the world” or have a lasting effect on the community I am working with, I have realized that it’s not about a big project, it’s not about the GANTT chart, in fact it’s not even about research.  Today has changed my view on my intern experience.  Most of these municipalities don’t need big events and research about anything and everything.  What they need is people to work for them. Whether it is updating the website, answering the phone, or responding to e-mails, all of these tasks need to be completed to allow the municipality to function.
 
Today I was working quietly at my desk when I was asked to fold newsletters. (Click here to see the INFOrestburg newsletter and past newsletters) I do not mind folding newsletters, especially when I get to talk with my co-workers and find out the latest news or major changes that have occurred over the past five years, but as I was folding newsletters I realized that many rural municipalities need people to work for them, as I have heard so many times lately they need “warm bodies” and “boots on the ground”.

As interns, we can all enter our communities expecting to re-write policies, change the way things have been done, plan a major event, or be the person in the community that everyone knows, but we can’t all be superheroes.  Most communities don’t need superheroes, they already have them.  Superheroes are the people working in the municipal office, the people running local businesses, and even the volunteers that run different events, programs, and activities for the community.  They don’t need an intern to come in and do that for them.  What they need is someone to do the simple tasks that need to get done, the tasks that may appear pointless and mundane, the tasks that no one notices when they have been completed, but if the task is not done there will be a major  problem and people will notice.

Just your average superheroes interns.

* Referring to superheroes was inspired by the blog of Mr. Gordon Naylor to view his blog, which is highly recommended, click here!

Everybody Loves Mondays!

While some people do not enjoy Mondays, I find Mondays entertaining.  There is always something new to do and lots of different things going on. This morning I arrived to find a Veggie Tales movie on my desk.  Initially I thought it was something to watch, but I decided to leave it to the side and finish up some loose ends from last week.  While I was working I also stumbled upon a zamboni and was reminded that I have to leave my toys at home.  I am learning how to behave in an office setting, so now I only play with my zamboni at lunch time and during my coffee break.

Here is a picture of me playing with my zamboni.

It looks much better once you have "liked" it.

 

In other news, there has been some work on a Facebook page for the village and it is up and running.  You can find it on Facebook by typing in Village of Forestburg into the search bar.  

*I do not own a zamboni or Veggie Tales movie.  These are items that were left by the cleaning staff by accident, and although I would love to keep them, I will return them to ensure the children in Forestburg are happy.

What Am I Doing in Forestburg?

 After a nice long weekend in rural Alberta it was nice to get back into the routine of getting up early and going to work. Who am I kidding?  Although the long weekend was nice, getting up and going to work is not as painful as it is for some people.  I actually enjoy going to work and since I enjoyed my first week at work I am sure I will enjoy the rest of the summer.

Forestburg

Forestburg is a village located approximately 80 km south east of Camrose with a population of 895 in the last census conducted.  It has a pleasant main street with many essential buildings like the municipal office, grocery stores, restaurants, churches, a bank, and the locally owned hardware store.  There is also a school in Forestburg, as well as a seniors lodge and a brand new arena.

 What I Am Doing

What I am doing for the summer is helping out the village in determining whether there is a need for a volunteer liaison position within the town.  Although there are less than 1000 people living in this village, there are over 30 organizations within the community that are powered by the work of volunteers. I am going to be in direct contact with the organizations in the village in the hopes of creating a bond between the village and the organizations within the village.  The purpose of this position is to aid the organizations in any way possible.  This town has a large amount of volunteers and these volunteers are very important to the town.  Whether it is through their involvement with Communities in Bloom, coaching and leading sports, or even building the new arena complex, volunteers are definitely an asset to this community and the village recognizes the importance of these people. Most volunteers in Forestburg have families and full-time jobs aside from volunteering and sometimes the volunteering requirements may be overwhelming.  The village wants to retain all of the volunteers it has and this position is here to help these people whether it is by providing manpower to their organization for planning an event, helping keep up to date financial statements, or even helping prepare reports or grants applications.

So that is a run down of what I am doing in Forestburg this summer.  I will keep you posted on what events or happenings are going on next week.

A Phone, A Desk, and A Computer: Everything an Intern Needs

Today marks the start of my summer placement in the Village of Forestburg!

My desk, chair, phone, and computer.

I arrived at the office and was warmly greeted by everyone.  I was shown my office which is probably the biggest office any intern will have during their summer placement.  Not only do I have a desk, a phone, and a computer, I also have access to a very large conference table, 10 rolling office chairs that are made of leather and have high backs like the executives in television shows, a dozen green chairs, an almost unlimited amount of office supplies, a kitchen located on the other side of my office and a bathroom.  I hope the amount of furniture in my office has lead you to picture how big my office is.  My office is located in the Council Chambers, which is nice and quiet and allows me to research and update my blog in a very quiet environment, except for the ringing of my telephone every once in a while. I think that is enough discussion about my office, but I will add pictures to show you the sheer size.

This is my office.  This is the view I have from my desk.

Some of the many chairs that I can sit on if I so choose.

I was really excited to arrive at work this morning.  I was interested to see what I would be doing this summer, who I would be working with, and what my experience will lead to. The plan for my summer placement is to have me contact the local volunteer organizations and determine if they need help writing reports, applying for grants, updating their books, or planning and hosting events.  The Village of Forestburg recognizes the importance of its volunteers and wants to help them in any way possible because the volunteers have given so much support to this village that the village wants to ensure the volunteers have the support they need.


I am still really excited to be working with the Village of Forestburg through the internship provided by the Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities (ACSRC) through the University of Alberta, the Augustana Campus, and the Learning and Beyond Office.

The Adventure Begins

This summer is definitely going to be a learning experience. Myself, along with the other interns arrived at Augustana at 9 am, ready to learn about what we will be doing this summer, the expectations of the different people we will be working for and a very tentative schedule for parts of the week.We know there is some sort of scavenger hunt occurring tomorrow, so we will have to wait and see what the rest of the week holds for us!

All of the interns learning about Camrose

Training week was definitely an adventure.  Many hours were spent researching in the library, playing with video cameras and learning how to make a movie, and getting to know the other interns.  A high light from training week for me was the scavenger hunt because it was the part of training that was the least like school.
Here are some photos from the scavenger hunt.

 The A-Team (ie. The Best Team!)

 Getting creative during the lunch break.

 Getting creative as a biker gang.

 Something sustainable- rain water collection

Something unsustainable: Throwing out grass clippings