A showcase of ARPA's current programs an initiatives, first shown at the ARPA Annual Conference and Energize Workshop.

1. Welcome to the
PROGRAM SHOWCASE

2. Alberta Recreation and Parks Association
The Alberta Recreation and Parks
Association (ARPA) is a provincial
charitable not-for-profit
organization with a voluntary board
of directors dedicated to the
promotion of recreation and parks
and their benefits to the quality of
life of all Albertans.

3. We couldn’t do it without the volunteers!
ARPA Working Committees and Task Groups:
• Education and Professional Development
• Children and Youth
• Parks and Open Space
• Infrastructure and Utilities
• Conference Hosting
• Communications and Marketing
• Awards and Scholarships
• June is Recreation and Parks Month
• Community Sport Development

4. ACE Communities
Active. Creative. Engaged.
A four-year community development
initiative to enhance quality of life in
rural Alberta by strengthening
leadership, collaboration, and innovation
through recreation, parks, arts, culture,
and heritage.
ACE Communities is driven by ARPA
and delivered in partnership with
Canwest, EnCana, and Rural Alberta’s
Development Fund.

5. ACE Communities
Active. Creative. Engaged.
Key Components:
• Enhancing leadership for community
building
• Creating a network of ACE
communities
• Applied research and learning
• Management and evaluation to capture
the learnings
• Youth engagement strategies
• Social marketing

6. ACE Communities
Active. Creative. Engaged.
Flight 3 of ACE Communities began in
fall 2009.
To date, there have been 30 Partner
Communities supported through
three flights.
Additionally, ACE Communities is
offering support to 30 associated
communities as an extended
component of Flight 3.

7. ACE Communities
Active. Creative. Engaged.
ACE Communities has updated the
Benefits Catalogue to reflect more
recent research, and will preview
this resource at the ARPA
Conference.
The 2009 Benefits Catalogue now
references over 700 studies
documenting the benefits of
recreation and parks.

8. Communities in Bloom Alberta
People, Plants & Pride... Growing Together
A volunteer-based program
committed to fostering civic pride,
environmental responsibility, and
community beautification.
Communities in Bloom is dedicated to
improving quality of life by
encouraging active and engaged
community participation, and
promoting the value of green spaces
and sustainable development.

9. Everybody gets to playTM
The Everybody gets to playTM Community
Mobilization Tool Kit is designed to ensure
recreational opportunities and their many
benefits are experienced by children from
low income families in your community.

10. Everybody gets to playTM
Success stories can be found online at
www.everybodygetstoplay.ca along with a
resource library of facts sheets, reports,
and other supplements.

11. HIGH FIVE®
HIGH FIVE® is Canada’s
only quality assurance
program for recreation
and sport programs for
children aged 6-12.

12. HIGH FIVE®
Over 950 people in 44
communities throughout
Alberta have attended
HIGH FIVE® workshops
since 2007.

13. HIGH FIVE®
In 2009, HIGH FIVE®
integrated research and
aligned with the Canadian
Sport for Life model.
Coming soon to
Alberta… the HIGH
FIVE® Sport Workshop.

14. Kids at Hope
Kids at Hope inspires,
empowers, and transforms
organizations and entire
communities into
environments where children
experience success.

15. Kids at Hope
Originating in Phoenix, AZ
and available throughout the
United States, Kids at Hope is
now being offered for the
first time in Canada through
ARPA.

16. Kids at Hope
Inaugural Kids at Hope Ambassadors:
• Town of Hanna
• Municipal District of Opportunity
• Bert Church High School
• Paddle Prairie Métis Settlement
• Berwyn Community Services
• Redcliff Action Society for Youth

17. Kids at Hope
Inaugural Kids at Hope Ambassadors:
• City of Airdrie
• SYC After 3 Youth Enhancement
Program
• City of Red Deer
• Bashaw Youth Drop-In Foundation
• High Level Youth Activity Centre
• Wainwright Military Family
Resource Centre

18. Sogo Active
Sogo Active wants Canadian youth from coast to
coast to get more active and have fun!
This program connects youth and community
groups to organize activities and lets youth track
physical activity online and earn incentives.

19. Sogo Active
Through this program:
• $20,000+ in seed grants have been distributed
to community organizations to help youth
become more physically active

20. Sogo Active
Through this program:
• Nearly 1,000 youth from 80 community organizations
registered in 2009
• Approximately 100 Alberta youth will be given the
chance to carry to Olympic Flame in the 2010
Olympic Torch Relay

21. Sogo Active
Congratulations to those offered Team Torchbearer
positions for the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay:
• Sogo Calgary (representing ARPA, City of Calgary, Boys and
Girls Clubs of Calgary, Calgary YMCA, and Child and Youth
Friendly Calgary)
• Stony Plain’s Youth Ambassadors for Prevention and
Promotion (YAPP)

22. Communities ChooseWell
During the 2008-2009 campaign, 162 communities
participated in Communities ChooseWell.
At the end of the campaign, the Town of Penhold and
the Municipality of Strathcona County were recognized
as the Overall High Achievers.

23. Communities ChooseWell
A new e-learning module titled “Empowering Albertans
to ChooseWell” was developed to provide community
leaders in Alberta with a rationale to take action to
improve the wellness of their community.
Paul Brown of The Bear (100.3 FM) livens things up by
providing narration throughout the module.

24. June is Recreation and Parks Month
In 2001, June was designated
“Recreation and Parks Month” by
declaration of the Provincial Benefits
Charter and government endorsement.

25. June is Recreation and Parks Month
Community Event Kits include prizes, posters,
and tattoos.
Awards celebrate Champions of the Recreation
and Parks Benefits Charter.
An online calendar is available to promote and
share your June events.
Community Passports motivate children to
experience nature in their community.

26. June is Recreation and Parks Month
During Recreation and Parks Month in 2009:
• Over 3500 Children and Nature Activity
Passports were distributed
• 60 celebratory events were posted in the
online calendar
• 83 new people signed the Benefits Charter

27. Facility Inventory Tracker System
ARPA’s Facility Inventory
Tracker System (FITS) is an
online database that collects,
analyzes, and reports on all
aspects of community
recreation facilities.

28. Facility Inventory Tracker System
With assistance from the
STEP program, outreach for
the enhanced FITS system
was conducted in over 60
communities in 2009.

29. AfterSchool Recreation
“What students do in the
afterschool hours – that critical
block of time between the final
bell and when many adults
come home from work – has
profound impact on their
physical, social, emotional and
academic development.”
AfterSchool Recreation Initiatives Final Report, 2009

30. Children and Nature
This initiative aims to get
Alberta children playing in
nature for the betterment of
their mental and physical
health.
Updates are available through
a dedicated Children and
Nature listserv.

31. Community Sport Development
Led by the Community
Sport Development Task
Group, ARPA is developing
a municipal Canadian Sport
for Life strategy to help
Albertans develop a lifelong
relationship with physical
activity.

32. Energy Assessments
ARPA received a grant from
Alberta Tourism, Parks and
Recreation to initiate the
Recreation Facilities Energy
Assessment Program: Phase 1.
This program is being led by
ARPA’s Infrastructure and
Utilities Committee.

33. Youth Development Through
Recreation Services Symposium
This yearly event gathers everyone
from front line youth workers to
policy makers in order to:
• Share promising practices
• Engage in networking opportunities
• Learn first-hand about youth
development and its application to
recreation
• Return home with practical and
applicable resources

34. Youth Development Through
Recreation Services Symposium
This yearly symposium
attracts delegates from all
over Canada including the
Northwest Territories, the
Yukon, Nova Scotia, and
Ontario.

35. Youth Development Through
Recreation Services Symposium
The 2010 YDRS Symposium
is scheduled for March 15–
17th, 2010 in Banff, Alberta.
The theme is “Building Youth
Friendly Communities.”

36. Parks Forum
The Parks Forum, held every two years, is spear-
headed and organized by ARPA with noteworthy
financial support received from Parks Canada and
Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation, along with
a variety of corporate and community partners.

37. Lieutenant Governor’s Leadership for
Active Communities Award
This program recognizes the
achievements of the groups and
individuals who are leading their
communities in strategic change
that results in increased citizen
engagement, high levels of
participation in active living, and
recreation and sport leading to
healthier people and communities.

38. Lieutenant Governor’s Leadership for
Active Communities Award
The Awards now have been
established as a legacy awards
initiative that will take place on a
biennial basis. The next awards
event is scheduled for 2011.

39. Foundations for Action: Vision 2015
Shifting to action for a better quality of life for all.
Foundations for Action is
ARPA’s guide to help you and
your communities shift to a
brighter future.

40. Foundations for Action: Vision 2015
Shifting to action for a better quality of life for all.
You can use Foundations for Action to:
• Be a catalyst, champion, and
communicator
• Shift the way you think, act,
and work together with others
• Make a difference in your
community
• Inspire others working in the
quality of life sector

41. Recreation for Life Foundation
A non-profit charitable
organization that receives and
manages bequests, sponsorships,
endowments, and trusts.
Special events include the Annual
Recreation for Life Golf Tournament
and biennial Recreation Industry
Awards of Excellence.

42. Recreation for Life Foundation
The Recreation for Life Foundation:
• Operates with a volunteer board
of directors
• Seeks corporate sponsors and
other private funders for priority
ARPA programs and services
• Offers annual and planned giving
opportunities

43. For more information on any of ARPA’s
programs or initiatives, please visit:
www.arpaonline.ca