Sam Odrowski
Most people recognize that children are the future and their well-being is an important part of a healthy community.
There are many great resources for children in the area but more work needs to be done to help kids succeed, said Tanis Fretter, chair of the Rainy River District Best Start Network.
“We have all these great services and programs in our community and yet we’re not necessarily seeing a change in health indicators or outcomes for our children and families,” she noted.
“Despite all this good work we’re doing, it’s not really moving the markers that we want to be moving,” Fretter stressed.
To move those markers forward and create a brighter future for local youths, about 60 people from the community gathered at the Copper River Inn here Friday to brainstorm and begin developing a plan.
The Best Start Network hosted the event and welcomed everyone who would like to help create a stronger future for children here.
Fretter was happy with the response the event generated and pleased with the level of participation shown by the community.
“I think we achieved what we wanted to today,” she smiled.
“We got a response from the community, found people who are interested, who are passionate about children [and] families in the community, had the conversations, and then came up with some really tangible, concrete ideas in terms of next steps that we can take as our guide to move forward,” she noted.
Members of the Best Start Network have been meeting monthly to discuss ways to improve services for children, but felt reaching out to the community at large could be more effective in achieving that goal.
“Really for something to be successful at a community level, you need to have the energy and passion of the community,” Fretter reasoned.
“So we decided to take it to the community and look at what the community feels like are the most pressing issues and areas that we can really make some change on.”
Some of the topics touched on Friday included reproductive health trends, addictions, school success rates, vulnerability rates of children during school, and the recently-released homelessness report for the district.
The group didn’t land on one single area to improve but had a lot of meaningful conversations about the value in having a connection to the community, the importance of relationships with members of the community, and the benefits of supporting children and families, Fretter said.
One of the ideas discussed was the need for a “navigator,” an all-encompassing guide to all of the children- and family-related services in the community.
“That was a common thread today,” Fretter noted. “People said it would be really helpful for not only service providers but also families to know where to turn when they need help.
“This will definitely be something that is on the agenda at a next [Best Start Network] meeting . . . because we did hear loud and clear today that this is something that the people in this room feel our community needs.”
The day-long event also proved to be a great networking opportunity for members of the community with similar interests in the future of their town.
“We mixed people up at tables so I think a lot of people made some new connections and met some new people,” Fretter said.
“I think that there’s power in conversation, and there’s also power in realizing that other people are concerned or passionate in the same way you are,” she added.
The Best Start Network now is going to assess the level of engagement each participant of the event would be willing to commit to moving forward to determine their capacity in effecting change.
A strategy for creating a stronger future for children is in the midst of being drafted, and will act as a tangible plan the group can follow to create a positive shift in the community.
“I hope that it is something that paints a clear and positive direction that the community can clearly get behind,” Fretter said.
She was grateful for the level of participation shown at the event, and is hopeful the group will be able to strengthen outcomes for local children and families.
“We really appreciate the response that we got and just feeling positive about a hopeful next step; that we might be able to do something different and new,” Fretter remarked.
