Author: Trevor Prentice
It was always our intention to be involved in our community in some way once our family settled down. In fact, an active community was one of the things we were looking for when deciding where in the city to live. The neighbourhood we have since moved to has an official community league that manages a community hall, ice rink, sports, runs events throughout the year, and a number of other projects. This, and a recent conversation with a co-worker who lives in a newer neighbourhood in the city, has led me to wonder which neighbourhoods in the city have official community leagues, and how new leagues are created.
The Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues website informed me that there are apparently 157 community leagues in Edmonton! Given how many people are involved in keeping my league running relatively smoothly, it’s hard to imagine how many people are working (primarily as volunteers, in my understanding) all over the city to make our communities better places to live!
157 community leagues is pretty great, but the 2014 census showed 239 neighbourhoods in Edmonton with over 1000 people living in them. Many people must live in areas without these great opportunities to get to know their neighbours, interface directly with city officials, and create and take advantage of extra facilities, at least in the capacity of a community league.
If you are in such a situation, where you live in a neighbourhood that has yet to establish an official community league, you may be interested to know that the city offers a $5000 Emerging Community League Grant to help get things started. Additionally, on an annual basis, community leagues in Edmonton are eligible for an Operating Grant from the city, the amount of which is based partially on the size of the neighbourhood.
An even easier way to get started, to test the waters, and to generate some interest in a new community, is to plan and host a “block party”. With the city’s permission, a street, park, or back alley can be closed off for you and your neighbours to have a BBQ or other event. The City of Edmonton website has lots of information and advice on getting started.
So get involved and take some initiative; build or help grow a community, your neighbours may be cooler than you think!
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