For eight weeks this summer, a steady stream of kids visited playground Green Shacks in East Edmonton to enjoy recreational programs based on Aboriginal culture. Some 512 kids from communities including Abbottsfield, Rundle Heights, Bannerman, Overlanders and Belvedere participated in the Flying Eagles program. At the Abbottsfield Playground, more than 12 kids (some days a lot more) gathered each weekday to bake bannock, make dream catchers, bead and craft.

During one of the last beautiful days of the summer, I had my own chance to visit  one of the Green Shacks, having my own day at summer camp (of sorts). Together with Gord Stewart from the Aboriginal Relations Office, I went for a brief visit to Abbotsfield to see the Flying Eagles program in action. Judging by the level of fun and excitement from the kids who were participating in activities that day, getting children from across Edmonton to learn about Aboriginal games, crafts, stories and other activities has never been easier. By the time we arrived, kids had already created some paper craft teepees and were about to practice their aim with some archery and try their hand at preparing bannock over the fire.

The Green Shack is the centre of activity for the program. The rear wall of this shack ominously predicted the end of summer. However, we were in denial on that sunny day.

Inside the Green Shack at Abbotsfield were shelves full of craft supplies. When they ran out of room on the shelves, drawings started to line the ceiling and hung from the rafters.

The Flying Eagle program is operated by the City’s Community Services department. It is a drop-in recreation program that teaches life skills and creates awareness about Aboriginal traditions and culture among children ages 6- 12 years.

Practicing their archery skills.

Spearheaded by the City and community partners, the Flying Eagle program is designed around the Aboriginal teachings of the Medicine Wheel in which the Eagle – the messenger of prayers to the Creator – is located in the east, the program service area.

One of the Green Shack Recreation Coordinators takes time to talk with one of the participants.

Preparing bannock over the fire. For some of the kids, this was an activity that was part of their family life during celebrations or camping trips. They shared stories about how they had prepared it in the past as well as their favourite way to eat bannock.

According to Vicki Schneider, Program Manager with East Playgrounds who helped organized this year’s program, “The kids all had some great summer fun. The biggest success was their exposure to the Aboriginal culture and the opportunity we have to share the beauty and positives of the culture with all children.”

The program which has been in operation since 2004 will continue next year. Maybe if I’m lucky I’ll get another chance to spend a day at summer camp.

Last month Service Canada for Youth held a Job Fair at Canada Place. Job seekers were encouraged to wear job interview appropriate clothing and bring resumes. Despite the rain outside, Canada Place was full of life and energy as enthusiastic youth and adults circulated several booths including UPS and Fairmont Hotel in hopes of acquiring a position. With re-application and recruitment for the City of Edmonton Youth Council (CEYC) imminent,  the opportunity to be apart of the Job Fair was very much welcome and appreciated.

A group of motivated individuals, CEYC can offer youth aged 13-23 with a chance to provide feedback and input to City Council, municipal government and various civic committees on issues affecting youth as well as work on their own youth related projects. Once a year CEYC forms a working group known as ‘recruitment’ and new members are sought out through mediums like word of mouth, media advertising and opportunities such as the Job Fair. Interested individuals are encouraged to visit the CEYC website for more information on Youth Council and to apply online by September 26:

While a volunteer opportunity such as being apart of CEYC allows you to help the public, meet new people and hone new skills, the same can be said for a summer job. Unfortunately most employers view a summer job as spending time and effort training somebody, keeping this employee on for a short time and being forced to find a new individual and training them for the long-term. Fortunately, for post-secondary students and individuals a like who have long standing commitments such as school that a year-round job interferes with, a summer job is still an option!

Canadian Job Bank, another initiative set forward by Service Canada, is an excellent job search site that puts scam-infested sites like Kijiji and Craigslist to shame. What especially sets apart this site from the rest is the Student / Youth Job Search section that allows students and youth to browse through a compilation of legitimate jobs that last only the course of the summer. Jobs range from working for companies like Nintendo Canada or as a sales associate for a clothing store.

The City of Edmonton is also active in providing students and youth with public job opportunities through student recruitment. Programs like the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) and Summer Temporary Employment Program (STEP) allow students to gain valuable work experience.

Both a volunteer opportunity and a summer job can provide youth with boundless opportunity and a chance to make a difference in the community.

While National Aboriginal Day was officially on Monday, celebrations have been happening all week long and will continue until Sunday, June 27th. These events are a chance for all Canadians to celebrate the cultures and contributions to Canada of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. This year’s theme is “Power of Youth, Wisdom of Elders. Setting aside a day for Aboriginal Peoples is part of the wider recognition of Aboriginal Peoples’ important place within the fabric of Canada and their ongoing contributions as First Peoples.

Recognizing these contributions is important to the City, and with the support of the Aboriginal Relations Office (ARO) we try to do so all year long. The ARO publishes an annual newsletter called The Bridge that highlights some of the special initiatives and partnerships the City has undertaken throughout the year to help build and sustain relations with urban Aboriginal people.

One of the great stories we highlighted this year was about Kerry Kaboni, the first ever woman supervisor for Playground & Utilities.

Groundbreaking Achievement
Kerry Kaboni, first ever woman supervisor for Playgrounds & Utilities

It’s been 18 years since Kerry Kaboni started working at the City and her sense of commitment to the place grows stronger every year. “I took advantage of the education and training that the City offers to employees to compliment my previous education. I kept pushing for something better and eventually I made it,” she beams.

Kaboni is the first ever woman supervisor for Playgrounds/Utilities at the City.

Three years ago, and after 15 years as a provisional seasonal worker, she moved to the full-time, permanent position that has her leading a Playground and Infrastructure Maintenance team of 14 people. Together they do playground inspections and repairs, minor landscaping, park furniture repair, chain link fence repair and bollard/bumper post installation.

We first met with Kerry back when there was still ice on the City Hall fountain. While the ice rink has transformed into a pool for the summer months, Kerry is still responsible for supervising crews that provides maintenance throughout the year, whether it be operating a zamboni or the safe installation of playground equipment.

A Canadian certified playground inspector, she also assists in park/playground development with City of Edmonton landscape architects, planners and community project managers in ensuring equipment and amenities in City parks are safely installed. She also works closely with community recreational coordinators to establish community needs.

Kaboni began her journey with the City in 1992. She worked as a seasonal employee from April to August each year and studied during the other months. “It was a friendly place for students,” she recalls. When she decided to go on to university, she found her employers quite willing to accommodate her. “Even today, I am still grateful for that and I feel I still need to give something more back to the City.”

Kaboni completed a Commerce degree in Human Resources at the University of Alberta. “When I graduated, I didn’t have visions of grandeur. I often say I grew up in steel toe boots so if I ever did pursue HR jobs, I wasn’t sure how I’d fit into the office attire,” she jokes. That said, she has a desire for new experiences. “I’d like to take on new challenges. I want the management that hired me to see that I’m not just willing to stay where I am but that I’m willing to go other places and move around.”

Married for eight years and a mother of one son, Kaboni wants her life to be an inspiration to her son. “I’m big on schooling. If you were to talk to my son he would tell you that his job in my house is to get an education” she says laughing. That is no surprise given her family’s history of outstanding academic achievement. “My entire family has been an inspiration. I saw all of my family go on to higher learning. I have relatives who have been successful in a variety of prestigious careers.”

Born in Lansing, Michigan, USA, and a member of Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve in Ontario, Kaboni lost her mom at age 13. She has taken one major positive from that painful experience, “It brought us closer to our dad and made us more focused” she says of herself and her three sisters.

“I think everything happens for a reason. I was put on a path and I just can’t wait to see tomorrow.”

This week is a busy one around Edmonton. Not only is it the beginning of bike month, but it’s also Environment Week and the National Commuter Challenge. I’ve been out with the ETS Community Relations team at several events, promoting the new bike racks featured on additional bus routes (maybe you came by and entered your name in for a draw of a new Dahon foldie bike). Folks from the Office of Environment (Karen and fellow blogger Colin) were there with information about the CO2RE program, as well as well as Chris from Sustainable Transportation, answering questions about all of the different alternative modes of transportation like carpooling, cycling or walking (who would have thought that walking would ever be considered an alternative form of transportation?).

What always comes out of events like these (what do you expect when you put a transit guy next to environment and sustainable transportation) is a conversation about Edmonton’s current transportation situation and its longterm sustainability. Did you know that Edmonton has one of the highest car dependence rates in Canada and citizens are spending more time in their cars, driving longer distances? This is one of our city’s biggest challenges that we’re always trying to address across all departments, be it through services provided by ETS, programs provided by Transportation, Environment, or Community Services (think Walkable Edmonton or LocalMotion), or through policy like our Transportation Master Plan.

But how are we as residents of Edmonton trying to spend less time in our cars? What is helping us make different decisions when it comes to deciding how to get around the city? When are we choosing to take transit, carpool, walk or ride a bike? These decisions are part of an every day challenge that we all face when trying to make our city more sustainable. Sure, participating in events like the Commuter Challenge are great ways to start, but what happens once the week is up? What about all the other weeks of the year?

We’ve begun to ask Edmontonians for their stories about how they choose to travel every day using more sustainable modes of transportation. James, an employee in our IT department, was the first to share his story, explaining how transit, in particular the recent expansion of the LRT system, has helped him reduce his dependency on his vehicle. Instead of driving to work, now he can take the LRT decreasing the time it takes him to get to work by up to 50%. But hey, don’t take my word for it. Hear it from the man himself.

This is the first of what will become a series of videos and stories about how different Edmontonians are choosing alternative transportation modes. We’re calling it The Every Day Challenge, building on the principles of events like the Commuter Challenge, except we plan for this project to be ongoing; our end goal being a city where our first choice for transportation is always the most sustainable one, be it taking transit more, walking, cycling, carpooling, or any other alternative mode that lessens our dependence on the single occupant vehicle trip.

Stay tuned to the blog as we post more stories from Edmontonians like you who are already making these choices. You can also check out the event and discussion on Facebook (this one is hosted by the Transit Rider’s Union of Edmonton) or add your thoughts to the growing conversation on twitter (official hashtag #yegEDW, but also check out what people have been saying at #yegtransit #yegbike #yegwalk). Coming up next, tales from your not-so-average pedestrian and a self-professed fair-weather cyclist who still managed to ride all but three months of the winter.

Happy belated youth week everyone! For those of you who didn’t hear about it Youth Week is the one week in a year dedicated to telling youth how truly awesome they are.

Checking out the new promo materials at the Edmonton Public Library table.

Sometimes the fun required a bit of work. During the launch on Saturday by Stanley Milner Library, participants had to work for their refreshments, powering the smoothie bike.

As you can imagine, Youth Council had some pretty big plans. The biggest thing I participated in was the Youth Council’s first ever Youth Excellence Awards, which is basically another way of recognizing youth who are doing the right things and have great stories to share. We kicked off the afternoon with games (Wii, hula hoops, and some seriously awesome chalk murals), free food, and for the first time ever (at least that I’ve seen) bike-generated smoothies! I even got to try my hand at a little public speaking, by giving out a few awards.

Mayor Stephen Mandel congratulates one of the winners during the Youth Excellence Awards.

Mayor Stephen Mandel and Councillor Kim Krushell with one of the winners of the Youth Excellence Awards.

We handed out nineteen awards in five categories: arts and culture, science and technology, volunteering and community, environmental leadership and strength of character. Each winner walked away with a big pat on the back from the City of Edmonton and one hundred dollars.

Over all the Youth Week kick off was a big success and recognised a lot of great young people who are doing lots of really cool things for the community.

DJ_CreeAzin was one of many performers helping celebrate the kick-off of Edmonton Youth Week. It was a concentrated week full of fun, interactive activities that highlighted our issues, interests, abilities and diversity as young people. Celebrations in Edmonton were part of an international event held in numerous cities and provinces across Canada and around the world.

What could be more Albertan than a snow storm hitting the city two days into my car free trial? What could be more frustrating than injuring my knee two weeks before I commit to going car free? But a little bit of snow wasn’t about to stop me (or the many other Edmontonians who kept walking and cycling during this short reminder of winter weather).

Spring snowstorm photos: Tom Young

To be honest, I thought I would have an easier time with this whole experiment. I have lived in Edmonton without a car and managed just fine with public transit and my bike in the past so I was quite surprised when I added up my mileage and discovered that, although I had not personally driven anywhere, I had accumulated the same amount of car kilometres as I had cycling kilometres. I was even more surprised, this time pleasantly, to learn that my bike and walking trips had saved me $50 regardless of whether I would have normally used the car or taken the bus.

Overall, I avoided four trips in the car as the only occupant (I car pooled instead); three car trips were completely avoided (including walking to and from the Muttart bedding plant sale with an armful of plants); and I avoided seven bus trips (walking or biking instead).

Here’s what I found most interesting though: spending time walking and cycling increased the time I spent with my husband because we would arrange to meet and then travel home together, something we wouldn’t do with either the bus or the car. And showing up on my bike to visit my three-year-old niece inspired her to practice riding her bike in the basement. We would have gone outside except for the snow on the ground. It also improved my mood and when I got home from each trip I was more willing to do other activities, like cleaning, because of my increased overall activity level.

So how much did I reduce my footprint by? Well, I started with a footprint of 7.4 tonnes of carbon dioxide. If I was to consistently maintain the reduced car trips that I did for the past two weeks my footprint would be 6.5 tonnes of CO₂. The reduced number of trips on public transit would further reduce my footprint by 0.1 tonnes for a total of 6.4 tonnes.

Not bad. If I was to pay an organization to offset this amount it would cost between $140 and $240 depending on which organization I chose. I’m going to keep trying to reduce my footprint though, rather than offset it. Mission #2 is no meat.

If you are looking for some resources or events relating to reducing car trips in Edmonton check out the 2009 Local Motion project in Parkallen and Park(ed) Day on June 19^th.

With the Works Festival, Street Performers Festival, Taste of Edmonton, and Cariwest Festival just around the corner, soon Churchill Square will be a hub of summer activity. But it’s not just the festivals that draw in the crowds. Working in City Hall I get a chance to see how Churchill Square is used on a daily basis.

Last week I was photographing the celebrations of National Compost Week at City Hall and I noticed that the square seemed particularly busy. All of the tables alongside City Hall pool were full, there were long line ups at the hot dog stand on the corner across from the Art Gallery of Alberta, and the square was full of people eating lunch, reading, playing basketball, and people watching.

Even though I like the excitement of the summer festivals… there’s always something interesting to see at the Works, I like to see if any of the returning street performers might recycle old jokes, Taste of Edmonton provides a tasty lunch, and my mom is from the Caribbean so I have a special connection to Cariwest… it’s really that every day use of the square that I like best. Maybe it’s because I don’t have to wait for the event to happen, I don’t have to buy tickets or tip anyone, I can just walk right down to the square and find a spot in the sun (or shade depending on my mood) to read or eat lunch, have a meeting with my colleagues, or if I’m feeling particularly athletic, shoot some hoops (one of my women I work with will even play in heels). Even in the cooler months I’ve taken a minute or two to stop in the square to collect my thoughts after a meeting or taken photographs of the sun glinting off of the City Hall pyramid (and I’m not the only one who likes to take pictures in Churchill Square).

Public spaces like Churchill Square are there for citizens to use, so it’s great to see the square bustling with activity on ordinary days when there are no big events or festivals to draw us in. And with gorgeous weather forecasted for the remainder of the week, it’s a perfect time to get outside and visit the City’s public spaces, be it a nearby square or community park. Let the weather serve as your incentive. These places are meant to be gathering places, so find a reason and gather there.

The city of Edmonton Youth Council, in cooperation with the wonderful staff of City Clerk’s Office and Councillor Iveson, recently put on the second annual “Mock Council Meeting”. This event, originally established to educate on the procedural matters of City Council, was again a huge success and featured 3 items on the agenda: A business revitalization funding request, an administrative inquiry into the possibility of a 24-hour transit system, and finally a city-wide ban on trans fats.

Here are some of the photos from the event.

Next on the horizon for the Policy Subcommittee is an exciting fact-finding project about youth in Edmonton. The details currently in the works, but we hope to launch an Edmonton-wide survey of junior high and high school students to find out what youth want Edmonton to look like in the future. It could be very useful to not only our other subcommittees, but to City Council as a whole!

In other news, Youth Week is kicking off with the Youth Excellence Awards presentation on Saturday May 1^st, so be sure to stay tuned for more tales of inspiring young Edmontonians! Get more information online at www.edmontonyouthweek.ca

We made it!

After four long years of construction the next major milestone on Edmonton’s road to urban sustainability is just ahead. While City Councillors and local media had a sneak preview last week, the official grand opening of at the new LRT Stations at Southgate and Century Park is scheduled for Saturday, April 24 2010.

Last stop, Century Park! The South LRT extension is the most recent milestone on the City of Edmonton's path to building a more sustainable community.

Everyone is invited to attend the ceremonies at both locations. The Southgate ceremony starts at 10 am on Saturday; Century Park is at 10:30 am. We are closing the northbound lanes of 111th Street temporarily at both stations to accommodate spectators, transit enthusiasts and citizens of all walks of life. After the ceremonies the Edmonton Transit System (ETS) is hosting a community fair at both locations. The more the merrier – please come down and join the party.

Bus service to both locations is available, despite the road closure. Alternatively, take the LRT to South Campus and jump on a shuttle bus to Southgate or Century Park. LRT service is free from 9 am to 6 pm. LRT to Century Park won’t be available until 11 am, after the ceremonies.

Immense Modes (right), a public art project at Southgate Station. The extension from Health Sciences to Southgate and Century Park covers 7.631-kilometres. This will serve communities of southwest Edmonton and provide new connections to business areas like Southgate Mall..

Parking is also available at both venues. At Southgate, the administration at Southgate Centre Mall has graciously offered mall parking – for one day only! – to all patrons of the Southgate grand opening and community fair (please note: LRT parking will not be available at Southgate after April 24). Motorists can park at Southgate, take in the opening ceremony and check out the community fair inside the LRT station pedway and at the Southgate Mall centre food court.

At Century Park, motorists can park at the new temporary Park & Ride lot that’s opening 1,100 new stalls the same day, April 24. After the opening ceremony the ETS Community Fair continues until 5 pm at a nearby pavilion, with entertainment, tours, displays and a mini farmers’ market.

Free LRT service to both new stations begins at 11 am. Partygoers can jump on the train to shuttle back and forth between the parties at Southgate and Century Park, free of charge.

When the South LRT opens in a few days, passengers will be able to ride in the same seat from Clareview to Century Park through a total 15 stations, covering 20 kilometres in 34 minutes!

In the midst of all the merriment we’d do well to remember that four years is a long time to endure a major construction project, as residents, businesses and commuters of the 111th Street corridor can attest. The City of Edmonton owes its gratitude to all the people who put up with major disruptions for such a long time. Their contribution to the successful completion of the South LRT is invaluable. This is their celebration, and a testament to their patience and goodwill.

Continuum, part of a series of sculptures at Century Park Station. Explore the station and check them all out.

But the South LRT is also the product of a massive amount of work. So the City of Edmonton also thanks the hundreds of consultants and contractors who built the South LRT, and the taxpayers of Canada, Alberta and Edmonton for making their work possible.

Bottom line: the South LRT belongs to Edmontonians. Please use it. In 2007 the complete 7.6 km extension was projected to double LRT weekday ridership in Edmonton from 50,000 daily riders to 100,000. We are on track to meet that goal; help us get there.

Regular LRT service to Century Park begins Sunday, April 25 2010.

The notion of walking 10,000 steps everyday can be daunting for many. The mere thought of such a large number can be enough to stop you in your tracks! Pedestrian beware. It’s that negative self-talk that is the culprit stopping us before we even get started!

Before you get stopped in your tracks again, let’s think this through . . . are you an able bodied individual who uses walking as a regular mode of transportation to get from point A to point B?

If you answered yes, then your body is capable of walking 10,000 steps. Maybe not all at once, but over the course of the day adding up all your steps may surprise you.

Goals are important when starting any new fitness routine. Events like the upcoming Little Big Run can act as a catalyst to help us get active after a long winter.

You may not have realized it, but your body is half way there. Physically you have the capacity to step, so now you just need to shift your brain (the other 50%) into its “Can do” gear, put the dimmer switch on your negative self-talk and away you go!

To help arm you for walking success, here are a few pointers to sustain you for the long haul!

Set a goal and keep your eyes on the prize!
Walking for health is great but, adding a measurable goal or purpose to your activity creates a short term incentive to strive for. For example, register yourself in a 5 km walk/running event this spring like, The Little Big Run (LBR), Sunday, May 30. Ready – set create a plan!

Get to it . . . Plan a strategy, create your plan!
On average people can walk a 9 minute kilometer or a 15 minute mile pace. Based on this info, you can realistically expect to complete a 5 km walk in about 45 minutes. Start slow and increase your walking time over the 6 weeks leading up to the event.

Here’s a sample 6 week progression that will get you to a 5 km walking distance (assuming that you will be committed to doing a training walk four times per week).

Week	Mon.	Weds.	Fri.	Sun.
1	15 min	15 min	20 min	20 min
2	20 min	20 min	25 min	25 min
3	25 min	30 min	30 min	30 min
4	30 min	30 min	35 min	35 min
5	35 min	35 min	40 min	45min
6	40 min	45 min	40 min	LBR

Stay on track!
Be consistent and pick 2 – 3 enjoyable walking routes. Make a date with a friend or family member/s to go for regular walks. This is a great way to keep you motivated and accountable to your program.

Patience!
Don’t expect to get there in a day or a week. Give your body time to adapt and gradually build up your endurance to walking the longer distances.

Walking with friends, family will help you to stay motivated and accountable.

To learn more on how to create a successful walking program, at Active Edmonton’s next free event, Wed. April 14, at City Hall from 12:10 – 12:55 pm. Visit www.edmonton.ca/activedmonton for details. If you joined us for our Annual Winter Walk or Yoga in City Hall, this is the natural next step to help you to continue to live a healthy lifestyle.