Irwin Park as an example of Community Engagement

In a lecture on February 12, 2009, our Sustainability and Community Relations class talked about the practical benefits of having the community members engaged. These benefits are additional resources, better decisions, more appropriate results, speedier development, and sustainability. One example of community involvement I have witnessed embody all five of these characteristics is the Westshore Centre for Learning in partnership with Irwin Park, in Langford, BC. (Below: a picture of the community members at Irwin Park).

The Westshore Centre for Learning is a school set up for people who did not achieve their high school diploma the traditional way due to various factors including bullying, lack of interest, gangs, anti-social behaviours, as well as other reasons not mentioned. The history of Irwin Park is that in the 1970’s it was actually called Humpback Campground, and was a campground made by one man and his family who created a campground around two man-made lakes (also made by he same man). The campground no longer exists; however, the remnants from the campground such as septic tanks, the man made lakes, paths, and one house still exist on site. The Westshore Centre for Learning teamed up with community partners such as the Rotary Club, the City of Langford, and University of Victoria, to go restore the once campground back to a natural habitat.

As seen above, additional resources within the community were present to help the students of the Westshore Centre for Learning in their project to return Irwin Park to a natural, healthy habitat. The students provided the man power, the Rotary Club provided funding, and the University of Victoria and the City of Langford provided other support to get invasive species removed and encourage healthy growth of the ecosystem. The Westshore Centre for Learning also has a specific program for aboriginal peoples, and with the help and expertise of the local knowledge of the aboriginal peoples in using the land sustainably, the team was able to devise a plan for the park.

Better decisions as to the parks future usage could be made, as it was local people who were involved. Mostly residents in the area who enjoy walking, recreation, and taking their dogs for walks in the park currently use the area. There is a plan to develop the area; however, development has not yet started due to economic downturn. Also, those students from the Westshore Centre for Learning who were not aware of the park and how to maintain an ecosystem were informed and learned a great deal about ecosystem management while participating in the project. Those who were not previous local masters are now through being engaged and involved in the project.

Because the project was done by local citizens, and more importantly with the help and support of the City of Langford, in which the park is located, the design of the project is in tune with the values and future of the area. Also, as so many different interest groups were involved on the project, future involvement will be speedier to resolve any conflicts and ensure all parties involved are considered. Because all parties that could be involved have already been considered in the past, there will be no parties that are left out due to limited knowledge of the interest of that particular group. This will lead to speedier decisions regarding the use and management of the park area.

And last, but not least, sustainability. Citizens now feel a sense of pride in the park, and after committing to the restoration of the area, will be much more likely to participating in on-going management of the park. After putting so much effort into something, people do not want to see their efforts wasted, and will continue to be involved to maintain what they have already built and accomplished. People involved feel attached to the park and have a sense of pride and ownership.

The project of Irwin Park has now moved to include more members of the community, including Royal Roads University. A team of students from Royal Roads University's B.Sc. Environmental Science cohort will be working with Westshore Centre for Learning, as well as the City of Langford and the Rotary Club to develop a baseline environmental study of the park, to facilitate future planning and development around the area. The baseline study will include various parameters of the park indicating the level of health of the ecosystem, including fresh water indicator species and water quality.

In addition to all of these above things, another very positive aspect of the management of Irwin Park and the participation of Westshore Centre for Learning is that many people who have come from troubled pasts were involved in the project. The people involved in the project learned new skills that they can use to be hired such as removing invasive species, planting trees, building fences, etc. Their self-confidence and self-esteem has increased as a result of being involved in a project that gave them a sense of pride and self-worth. Now, these people have the skills and attitude to contribute positively to their communities in the future, and thus the sustainability of the community is also increased through personal growth. (Left, students learning crucial skills to park management).

Some of the students from Westshore Centre of Learning that were involved in the Irwin Park project have developed even more of a sense of ownership, and have expanded the community of which Irwin Park is involved via the internet. Facebook, an online community that connects people from all around the world, has a group called Friends of Irwin Park that has been created by one of the students that is accessable to any other facebook user across the earth. Now that is a sense of pride and ownership.

It is amazing how becoming engaged and involved in a successful project can have so many wonderful positive effects not only on the community, but also on each individual who was involved. Developing a community project that encourages the involvement of community members can have a profound effect on the future of the community. People are proud to be part of their community after contributing to something successful, and engagement continues. From the example of Irwin Park, community engagement on a successful project can lead to a lifetime of engagement. And having the community engaged is the key to maintaining a sustainable community.

For more information or a link to Irwin Park and information on Westshore Centre for Learning’s involvement in the project, please go to http://www.irwinpark.ca/