Social Development

Social Development

 

What is Social Development?

Social development includes activities that work to improve and sustain the health and wellbeing of the citizens (the people) of their communities.

Municipalities have often focused on economic sustainability as this was the original key purpose for local government. Environmental sustainability has also attracted municipal focus in recent years as municipalities have begun to recognize and address issues of concern in this area. Increasingly, local governments are also turning their attention to social sustainability, recognizing that there are many aspects of civic life outside of the economic and environmental areas that contribute to quality of life for citizens. Social sustainability includes those things that support the wellbeing of the people that live in our communities and includes things like income security, food security, housing security, equity, access, social inclusion, and resiliency. Social development focuses on social sustainability and is about improving the wellbeing of every individual in society so they can reach their full potential. It is within this context that the City of Terrace has brought on a Social Development Coordinator.

What is the Social Development Program?

The City's Social Development Program (SDP) is new and evolving. Work will be completed in the upcoming year to understand our community, its existing assets, and its continued and emerging needs. Within this understanding, the City will clarify the role and major functions of the SDP.

As a starting point, the SDP aims to raise awareness about social conditions in Terrace and to engage citizens and community partners in planning for action on social issues that will improve the wellbeing of the whole community. 

Major functions of the program

The Social Development Program sees its major functions as being to:

  • Develop social policies, strategies, action plans, facilities, and services to increase social equity and wellbeing in Terrace;
  • Bring together community members and partners in order to build relationships and create opportunities for positive social change; 
  • Listen to concerns and ideas emerging from the community; 
  • Promote awareness of the issues that impact our community;
  • Identify, support, and build on our existing social assets, community capacity, and partnerships; 
  • Research issues, seek and disperse resources, develop tools, and generate knowledge and information on social needs and issues as well as approaches to addressing these needs and issues; 
  • Enable community members to use research and information to improve the quality of community life; and
  • Engage as a partner in initiatives that improve social health and wellbeing in Terrace and area.

As the Social Development Program evolves, areas of focus and progress in the planning and delivery of initiatives and programs will be highlighted here on our Social Development page. We will also work to gather the observations, concerns and ideas of our citizens to help inform our efforts. Stay tuned for updates!  

 

Contact the Social Development Coordinator

Linda Stevens
lstevens@terrace.ca
250-641-7037

Current Initiatives and Activities

 

 

Taking Action

 

 

Contact the Social Development Coordinator

Linda Stevens
lstevens@terrace.ca
250-641-7037