The%20Community%20Employment%20Innovation%20Project

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• The Community Employment Innovation Project
• CEIP in New Waterford
• Implementation Challenges and Project Highlights
• Angus Gillis
• Chair, New Waterford Community Board

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The New Waterford Board

• Fall of 1999 meetings held in town where concept
  of community board was discussed and outline of
  CEIP was delivered to attendees.
• November 1999 Steering Committee struck to
• draft constitution and bylaws,
• secure incorporation under Societies Act of NS
• draw boundaries of community service area
• December 1999 Interim Board elected, constitution
  and bylaws completed and boundaries drawn

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The New Waterford Board

• Interim Board chose name of New Waterford and
  Area Social and Economic Action Society of (NW
  and Area SEAS)
• Official community sanction given at public
  meeting on April 5.
• Strategic Planning Process begun by committee of
  board
• Strategic Plan approved by PIC in August, 1999.
• SEAS held first AGM April 2001

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Benefit of local board

• Local approval
• Know your areas needs
• Youth
• Seniors
• Employment
• Limited abilities
• Tourism and culture
• Design your own application and evaluation
  process

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Problems forming board

• Acceptance by some in community
• No legal or accounting on board
• Lack of capital seen as negative

6
Challenges

• Maintaining involvement of community members in
  CEIP and forging and maintaining effective
  partnerships between potential project sponsors,
  funders and unions. ( Ex. Beautification
  project)
• Attracting interest of business community
• Lack of expertise on board in terms of experience
  and training in CED and business issues.
• Dealing with Project Sponsors who fail to follow
  or execute proposals as written or who fail to
  manage workers safely.

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Challenges of note

• Getting cooperation of unions in CEIP projects
• New Waterford is a union town
• Several projects required prior union approval
  before they could go ahead and receive board
  approval.
• There is a great deal of potential for unions to
  view CEIP workers as replacement workers it is
  significant that this has been avoided
• Expand project base
• Not only more projects but good quality projects
  are needed
• The CEIP embodies a new way of approaching
  social programming for communities but it
  presupposes the communities are capable of
  responding.

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Accomplishments

• Approved approximately 51 projects which give
  placements to about 212 CEIP participants.
• Highlighted Projects
• New Waterford Youth Centre
• New Waterford Beautification Project
• Breton Education Centre Project
• Open Door Homeless Shelter
• CNIB

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Benefits of Projects

• Participants
• New transferable skills
• Some acquired permanent position
• Life changing opportunities through contacts made

• Community
• Social problems addressed
• Positive attitude reflected in community
• No community except community projects