by Hans Peter Meyer, team lead for #WeareYQQ
Where is Here is a cultural mapping project. It鈥檚 also the name of a symposium that the Comox Valley Art Gallery is hosting in downtown Courtenay July 20-22.
The #WeAreYQQ / LIFT Project just came on as a sponsor. Why are we interested in 鈥渃ultural mapping?鈥� Because I see a good fit. Where is Here is doing an inventory of our talent resources. We鈥檙e interested in leading, inspiring, and fueling Comox Valley talent to think bigger, to act collaboratively, to grow our economy.
CVAG鈥檚 Sharon Karsten says cultural mapping is a key piece in the larger community economic development puzzle.
鈥淥ne of the first questions you have to ask is, What do we have to work with? What kinds of people do we have? What are their talents? How can we leverage these to grow a bigger knowledge or creative economy?鈥�
Several years ago Qualicum Beach did a similar project. The Town faced similar economic challenges to the Comox Valley 鈥� including a dependence on the 3Rs of retirement, retail, and recreation. The QB inventory led to a number of initiatives. Some are now fueling growth in the Town鈥檚 knowledge sector economy. I can see the same thing happening here.
Karsten says mapping is a way to get the ball rolling.
鈥淢aps are notorious for how they connect people. Where is Here is going to bring people out of the woodwork. It鈥檚 going to help them connect and build on each others鈥� strengths.鈥�
The symposium becomes a focal point for this work. It鈥檚 an opportunity for our community to learn more about how cultural mapping can benefit our community. The organizers have attracted a number of key thinkers in the field, including the people who helped Qualicum.
Downtown Courtenay is a specific focus for Where is Here, but Karsten says the project is really about the whole Valley.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e interested in cultural or economic development and the future of the region, we want to see you here,鈥� she says. To register go to bit.ly/29eijuc
Even if you can鈥檛 make the symposium you can still play an important role. Search for the #whereishereCV and #WeAreYQQ tags on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Use the tags and for your own observations about the value of a talent-driven economy.
Every time you 鈥渆ngage鈥� with these tags you鈥檙e raising the visibility of our Comox Valley talent economy. By being part of the online conversation, you are part of the solution.
I鈥檓 thrilled about Where is Here. I strongly believe that our cultural assets 鈥� our innovators, entrepreneurs, artists 鈥� are the future of our economy here in the Comox Valley. It鈥檚 good to see Karsten and CVAG making this shift happen.
