LIFT

Literacy Programs

Lift delivers two provincially supported literacy programs for our region:

CALL (Community Adult Literacy and Learning)

Volunteer tutors are recruited, trained, and provide 1:1 tutoring for adults in a community-based setting.  Learners are recruited, assessed, and matched with tutors.

LOC (Literacy Outreach Coordinator)

The LOC supports the Literacy Council and community activities that raise awareness about the importance of literacy.  LOC participates in provincial literacy initiatives and is responsible for the annual update of the Community/District Literacy Plan.

Community Development Projects

LIFT supports and develops a number of community development initiatives that address critical service gaps or strengthens community-based groups working to improve their community. Lift currently sponsors qathet Community Justice, SUSTAIN the peer-based and peer-led community of drug-users, and the Powell River Community Action Team that is working to address the opioid crisis in our region.  We also are co-leading the development of a Poverty Reduction Strategy in partnership with First Credit Union and the City of Powell River.

qathet Community Justice

qathet Community Justice (qCJ) endeavors to restore relationships where conflict or crime has caused harm for an individual or community, and encourage the inclusion of all people through respectful communication. It represents a collaborative effort to engage in constructive and meaningful conversation, and develop effective responses to challenges faced by the community. This program also commits to educating the public about restorative justice approaches, the principles of diversity and inclusion, and to supporting its’ members to restore balance and harmony using these approaches.

SUSTAIN

SUSTAIN (Substance Users Society Teaching Advocacy Instead of Neglect) is a harm reduction peer-led project. We are dedicated to our commitment of reducing stigma, advocating for the human rights of people who use drugs, and empowering individuals to live their best quality of life. We are working together to create a well-supported peer network in Powell River, through discussions, groups, workshops, training, and leadership development. We value lived experience of our peers to inform and guide the SUSTAIN project goals, activities, and outcomes. We focus on overdose awareness and prevention, harm reduction, skill-building, and advocacy.  We connect with community organizations to share information and increase access to support and information about the overdose crisis. We aim to decrease stigma by increasing a sense of belonging and connection between our peers and the larger community.

Community Action Team

Lift is the financial lead agency for the Powell River Community Action Team. On December 1, 2017 the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions launched an Overdose Emergency Response Centre (OERC), the provincial hub for regional and Community Action Teams (CATs) collaborating on targeted local strategies. The purpose of the Powell River CAT is to act as a platform for collaboration, discussion and decision-making related to the opioid overdose response within the Powell River Region. The Powell River CAT provides a robust response to the needs of those most at risk of overdose. As of June 2019, the CAT with Lift’s operating power, has opened the firt Overdose Prevention Site in the Vancouver Coastal Health region outside of Vancouver.

Poverty Reduction Advisory

Lift is working with First Credit Union to  is co-lead the development of a Poverty Reduction strategy for the qathet region. We have joined up with the national Cities Reducing Poverty Network and have the direct support of Vancouver Coastal Health and the three local governments (City of Powell River, qathet Regional District and Tla’amin Nation).  We have set up an advisory group to establish clear poverty reduction goals for our community based on both evidence-based approaches as well as local knowledge and conditions. By establishing a Poverty Reduction Framework, it enables the community to align our goals, coordinate our efforts, share promising practices, and work towards achieving common goals. It also creates a “unified front” with our communications to provincial and federal poverty reduction officials.