Minutes from March 9th, 2015
Minutes
Date March 9th, 2015 6:30-8:30 pm
St. Helen’s Centre @ McQuesten
785 Britannia Ave
Mission: “To improve the quality of life for those of us living in the
McQuesten Neighbourhood.”
Vision: We, the residents of McQuesten, are proud of and engaged in our
community. We believe in the assets and strengths of the people, who live,
Work and play in our neighbourhood. Through building strong
Relationships, we work together to ensure our neighbourhood remains a
Safe and healthy place where everybody has equal access to supports,
Opportunities, employment, food and the things that help us live a happy
Life.
Five Core Values
Respect
Inclusiveness
Stewardship
Caring
Asset based on strengths of this community
Present: Amy, Monika, Sylvia, Laurie, Aileen, Sandy, Mila, Sarah, Theresa, Amanda,
Jesse, Anthony, Nicole, Senyo, Angus, Kelly, Dyanne, Laura, Adam, Steve, Amber, Cathy, Joy, Kate, Donna, Susan, Debra, Sherri, Pat, Rose, Casey, Melissa, Rachel, Sarah, Sharon
Regrets: Doreen, Jaclyn
Minutes from February, 9 2015: Correction under Urban Farms reads Beanstalk and should be Bienenstock. Minutes moved by Amanda and seconded by Theresa. All approved.
Agenda: Correction McQuesten Youth Outreach Committee should read as McQuesten Youth Opportunity Creators. Also the date says January 12, 2014 and should read as February 9th 2015. Moved by Theresa and seconded by Cathy. All in favour.
Treasurers Report: To be attached. Moved by Aileen and seconded by Sylvia. All in favour.
McMaster Children and Youth University – Dr. Sandy Raha: They attended the first movie night and had a great time. They built things from marshmallows and had snacks. Unfortunately found out that the age demographic was too young, so they won’t be attending March’s movie night. They will now be working with the Boys and Girls Club to hit the right demographic. Will be talking to students that are in grades six to eight during their drop in times at McQuesten. May 30th is the Learning Fair date for the five groups of students to come out. Looking for a couple of rooms to keep people contained for the workshops and would like to use St. Helens. The event will be at 11:00am and the doors need to be opened at 10:00am. The event will be roughly 4 hours. They will have a booth at The Crawl on May 23rd.
McQuesten Youth Opportunity Creators – Nicole: Their group is now entirely youth led and they had their elections. For their Jobs 4 Jobs they are going out the survey the youth. Went to the Marathon 4 Kids and had a great time. They still don’t have the hard numbers for their grant they still need a couch, shirts, swag prizes, fabric markers, and paint to design the couch. They have decided they are not going to build the couch anymore and looking to get one donated. Meetings are Tuesdays 5 – 7 at SWRC. The McQuesten Youth opportunity Creators are on Fridays from 3 -5 at the rec center. They will be attending Leadership workshops Wednesday to Friday.
City of Hamilton Recreation – Jesse: This is an exciting time and they are at the 100 day mark till the Pam Am Games. On July 11th the games will start. They are making a legacy that is about sports and recreation. There will be a free soccer clinic. On April 25th and 26th will be looking for people to train to become a coach. They will train you for free but you need to volunteer in their area after they get their certification. New books are out for the recreation centers and camps.
Laura – Elections: Still looking for more nominations for all positions.
SPRC – Laura: Got a small grant for the public WI-FI at St. Helens. It was for $350.00 but some of that money might be coming back. Have a paid position for a garden coordinator role. It is 8 hours a week and is supervised by City Housing Hamilton. Staff will work beside them. Job will run May to October and pay $10.00 an hour. Asking for $1600.00. They are willing to give out gift cards that will not affect your housing, Ontario Works, or disability. Everyone agrees.
NLI – Melissa: Into our third week at the NLI and things are going great. Excited for next week when we are at Mohawk College and really get to start working with our projects.
WingFest – Pat: WingFest will be on March 20th from 5 – 7 pm it is a free event and we are looking for volunteers. Need 4 people for the BBQ and 2 runners. It will be on the last day of March break. There will be wings, salads, and activities. Setup is at 4pm and take down will be at 8pm.
Speak Now – Monika: Monika would like to say how grateful she is for Sandy coming here. Mohawk students would like to do a short video on poverty and how it affects our community. They would like to use McQuesten area. Going to start filming during March break and need volunteers to help with food set up and also needs assistance with the food. There is no budget for the film. The John Howard Society has stepped up to volunteer the food. Hoping the video will shift people’s attitudes and allow people to find their voice.
Joint Stewardship Board of the Red Hill Valley – Sheri Longboat: The Joint-Stewardship Board is a commitment between the Haudenosaunee and City of Hamilton for collaborative environmental guardianship of the Red Hill Valley. Grounded in the spirit of shared responsibilities, the Board brings together unique and different knowledge and resources in order to restore and protect the Red Hill Valley for future generations. Looking to protect and enhance the ecosystem and the environment. They are trying to understand the human impacts in the Red Hill Valley ecosystem. They are currently looking at indigenous plants and gardens herbs. Want to educate and give access and community outreach. They are in the design phase for an Environmental Interpretive Center. The center will be a story of the communities that share a history in the Valley. It will use indoor and outdoor classrooms and exhibition space. Want to support ways to connect people with the valley and link to our garden with indigenous people.
Urban Farms and Bienenstock – Adam, Pat, Adam: The draft design for the Urban Farms is complete. Come back on April 12th to see the 3D model. Soil testing was clean. One little area of the ground soil was found to have heavy metals so not going to use that area. People in the houses near the gardens will be able to look out for it. The greenhouse will have a food prep area and a compost area. There will also be a pizza oven outside the greenhouse. There will be 2 windmills that will power the pumps to irrigate the farm. Want to have a marketplace for crafts and food to be sold. They will be planting fruit and nut trees. There will also be a children’s area and a gathering area where concerts and gatherings can happen.
Next meeting is Monday April 13th
