The 7th Atlantic Summer Institute on Healthy & Safe Communities was a success!
Held from August 21-24 at Holland College in Charlottetown, PEI, participants engaged in curriculum programs to explore what it means to be active and lead active communities in Atlantic Canada. The ASI brought together people engaged in education, social development, justice, crime, disease and injury prevention, and health promotion in the Region.
This year’s motivational theme was “Inspiration to Action: Leadership for Active Communities”, and the Circle of Health was used as the Institute’s framework.
Program Highlights included:
- Four Curriculum Specialization Workshops
1. Gender and Community Leadership
2. Young Women and Community Leadership
3. Building and Using Evidence for program and policy
4. Strengthening Community Action
- Keynote Speaker, PhD and triathlete Nathalie Boivin
- Atlantic Community Showcase profiling innovative projects in the Atlantic Region
- Multicultural Gala Dinner at Confederation Centre of the Arts, featuring music by Teresa Doyle and Todd MacLean, drumming by the Lone Cry singers, and a drum circle led by Chris Vessey and Fouad Haddad
- Children’s Program – fun, educational and free to registered participants
- A one-day pre-Institute Foundations Workshop
The closing ceremony included a moving presentation by the young women involved in the first ASI Young Women and Community Leadership program, who created a “zine” to creatively showcase their thoughts and feelings about leadership. In addition, the Children’s Program kids performed a song for the adult participants, and participants were informed that a documentary about the ASI would be created by filmmaker Eliza Knockwood.
Social media was used to communicate with and among ASI participants during the 3.5 days, and at the closing ceremony, our new bilingual ASI website was launched.