At last week鈥檚 (Nov. 27) city council meeting, the City of Courtenay learned that Langara College has been awarded a $355,000 research grant to support a three-year project aimed at exploring the participation of racialized and immigrant communities in public recreation services in British Columbia.
Several community partners will be involved in the study and provide resources to the project over the next three years. This includes the City of Courtenay, the B.C. Recreation and Parks Association and the South Asian Community Hub.
鈥淓nhanced access to public recreation for these communities could lead to better community integration, stronger community bonds, increased sense of belonging, and greater social cohesion,鈥� said lead researcher and Department of Recreation Studies Chair Yue-Ching Cheng.
The key objectives of the research are understanding how immigrants and understanding if and how immigrant and racialized communities' views on recreation differ from those of Canadian-born public recreation users, identifying barriers to accessing public recreation for these communities and establishing a sustainable, co-creative process for developing public recreation initiatives that strengthens the community.
鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping that our research will help to create a framework or tools that can help municipal staff work with and empower all under-represented groups in their communities,鈥� Cheng explained.
鈥淥ur community is growing, and this means our residents鈥� needs are evolving, too. This project will help Courtenay Recreation understand the barriers that immigrant and racialized community members may face when accessing recreation programs and services,鈥� said City of Courtenay Mayor Bob Wells, 鈥淲e are committed to inclusion and want everyone to feel welcome in our facilities. Our team will be sharing what we learn with other Comox Valley local governments, so this project will benefit the wider region as well.鈥�
鈥淲orking to look at ways to enable community connection and belonging through serving people we aren鈥檛 currently serving or are underserving is a priority within our strategic plan, and across the municipalities we represent.鈥�, said Katie Fenn, BC Recreation and Parks Association CEO.
The project is part of the Langara College Applied Research Centre鈥檚 social innovation program.
