Wednesday October 12, 2022 | COLWOOD, BC
Posted by Island Social Trends
A vibrant community hub is being explored as a shared ventured by the City of Colwood, The Village Initiative, and the SD62 (Sooke) School District at the future South Colwood Elementary School site in Royal Bay.
SD62 serves families in Colwood, Langford, Sooke and the broader west shore region.
The land for the future elementary school site in Colwood was purchased by SD62 back in March 2020 and is a priority ask for capital funding from the provincial government for a school. The proposed school design would include designated space for non-profit groups such as THRIVE and BGC (Boys and Girls Club) South Vancouver to better service the needs of community members.
The BC government provided $8.3 million and the school district kicked in $1.2 million to purchase the land between Latoria Boulevard and Metchosin Road. It’s the fifth school site that was purchased by the province in the Sooke school district during 2019-2020.
MOU with Colwood:
Sooke District 62 and City of Colwood signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 2021 to work in partnership on projects of common interest and benefit to the community. A recent example of this partnership is the refresh underway for a new multi-sport surface at Dunsmuir Middle School.
To strengthen the collaborative partnership and further stretch public dollars for the enhancement of community services, The Village Initiative with the support of THRIVE Social Services and BGC South Vancouver Island will join in as the third stakeholder. By designing and building a school site with community in mind, a range of services can be offered to better serve our communities.
Thrive & BGC:
“We at THRIVE and BGC South Vancouver Island are excited about the possibility of serving more children, youth and families with even better services thanks to this unique partnership with SD62,” said Scott Bradford, Executive Director, Thrive and Dalyce Dixon, Executive Director of BGC South Vancouver Island.
“By utilizing spaces, places and shared resources, we demonstrate our commitment to utilizing every resource at our disposal across the community. The non-profit sector is a significant contributor to the health and well-being of our communities so a greater working relationship with our schools make such good sense,” say Bradford and Dixon.
Partnering:
“By partnering with THRIVE and BGC South Vancouver Island through The Village Initiative, we can create a dynamic space that is more responsive to community needs at the future South Colwood Elementary School,” said SD62 Board Chair Ravi Parmar today in a news release.
He says the school district “has a great relationship with the City of Colwood as we do with all of our local municipalities”. Continuing discussions lie head for creating “vital mixed-use spaces that support the health and well-being of the community through increasing access to a wide range of programs and services”.
“The City of Colwood is excited to explore these opportunities to make the new elementary school in Royal Bay more than just a school, but a vibrant hub for whole community, learning, health and well-being,” said Colwood Mayor Rob Martin in the news release today.
===== ABOUT ISLAND SOCIAL TRENDS
Island Social Trends is an online news portal with deeper insights about business, community and politics in the west shore of South Vancouver Island. Online since mid-2020 (previously in print as MapleLine Magazine 2008-2010, Sooke Voice News 2011-2013, and West Shore Voice News 2014-2020).
Publisher and editor of that full series of publications is Mary P Brooke.