Urban Exchange

Happy Holidays from Urban Exchange

Happy Holidays to everyone who’s participated in Urban Exchange!

2008 has been a great year. Here are some of the highlights:

In January, we introduced Urban Exchange to Winnipeg’s Francophone community during a lunchtime event at the Norwood Hotel.

In February, we released Urban Reflections, a report on the social issues that are most important to Winnipeggers.

Also in early 2008 – we introduced a new questionnaire to Urban Exchange Advisory Panel members. Exploring Our Values is the beginning of a conversation about the ideas and beliefs that we care about most deeply. More than 1500 people have completed Exploring Our Values and it’s now available to the general public – if you want to join the conversation, please click here.

In the spring, we got to know some fascinating EAL students from Red River College. After a series of class discussions about Urban Exchange and Winnipeg, Natalia and Thérèse ended up joining us for their three-week work practicum. (We’ve since been back to RRC for another conversation – the result was that several new students told us what they love about Winnipeg. The smiling chap in the photo to the right is one of them!)

In June, we hosted a series of focus groups where we asked panel members to tell us about their experience with Urban Exchange so far. What we heard was encouraging. Participants have appreciated the chance to talk about what’s important to them. Their impressions of Urban Exchange are mostly positive. What they’re hoping for – more than anything – is that their contributions of ideas and time will make a positive difference in Winnipeg.

Over the summer, we sent out a new issue of Exchanges, the Urban Exchange newsletter. One thing people told us during the focus group sessions was that they’d like to hear from Urban Exchange more often – the newsletter is one way that we’re going to stay in touch.

This fall, we relaunched MyCityMySay.ca – another way for Urban Exchange to stay in touch. More importantly, it’s a way for you to stay in touch with Urban Exchange – and other panel members. Please comment on the stories we post here. There’s an RSS feed you can subscribe to so that new content comes to you when it’s available. And feel free to suggest your own story ideas.

What’s coming up in 2009?

Well . . . to some extent that depends on what you and the other panel members suggest. Some of the things that we’re working on include:

• A short questionnaire (5-7 minutes long) that focuses on people’s perceptions, attitudes, and expectations regarding youth and youth issues. Other potential questionnaire topics include poverty and neighbourhoods.
• Analyzing and reporting the findings from Exploring Our Values. More than 1500 people have completed the questionnaire so far. While the results we’ve seen are absolutely fascinating, we’d love to hear from more people before we produce a report. (If you haven’t had a chance to complete Exploring Our Values, you can get started by clicking here.)

If you’ve participated in Urban Exchange in 2008 – in any way – we want to say thank you very much.

Your contribution is essential as we work toward lasting change and better lives for everyone in our community.

We hope to hear from you in 2009!

Destination Winnipeg sells city as “Incredibly Cool”

While most Winnipeggers know what Winnipeg has to offer, the rest of the world isn’t necessarily up to speed. Not yet, at least. In a new promotional campaign, Destination Winnipeg is talking about Winnipeg and “why it’s even cooler than you think”. As part of the campaign, they’ve launched a new website – IncrediblyCool.ca – that highlights some of the reasons to move here.

There’s a lot to love about Winnipeg, and we’ve spent a lot of time talking about that since we launched this site. Readers have weighed in, listing our cultural diversity, the arts scene, the cost of living, the size of the city and the weather (yes, the weather) as their favourite things about living here. IncrediblyCool.ca echoes those ideas on its Top 5 page and adds to the list in Winnipeg Quick Facts.

To many a Winnipeggers’ delight, Winnipeg has been mentioned in several popular movies and TV shows (NBC’s The Office was the most recent to do it). The Incredibly Cool campaign uses this phenomenon as a hook in its video “Does Winnipeg REALLY Exist?”

Enjoy:

(Note: please keep in mind that the sites we link to at MyCityMySay.ca do not represent the views of United Way of Winnipeg – please see the Disclaimer for more detail.)

Your Say: “What do you love about Winnipeg?” Part 4

This is the fourth and final batch of readers’ submissions in the “What do you love about Winnipeg?” contest, and they’ve all got something in common. Students from an EAL class at Red River College sent them in after Urban Exchange staff joined them for a fantastic discussion about social issues.

Most of the students came to Canada within the last couple of years. All of them are working on their English language skills so they can join the workforce and do the things that they’ve trained for in their home countries.

We’ll kick things off with Elham, who could do without the mosquitos and the cold winters, but loves Winnipeg anyway:

Winnipeg is a gorgeous city in many ways except for two things. The first problem for me is the mosquitoes in the summer season and the second one is the cold temperature in the winter season (-45 degrees with the wind-chill). But as I said, there are many nice things in Winnipeg. For example, I have noticed that Winnipeg people are very friendly and helpful; also I feel this place is very safe and quiet. In addition to that, I have found there are more opportunities in education and work; even though I have some language difficulty (English). Another good thing in Winnipeg is the nature. It is so beautiful (the sky, rivers, parks….etc). In my opinion not only these things make Winnipeg a beautiful city but also there are more.

Agata just arrived, and has already grown to appreciate Winnipeg’s art galleries, among other things:

I have been in Winnipeg only for five months. I have not visited all the places in this city, I know downtown thoroughly and more or less the area where I live nowadays, that is St. Boniface. In my life, I always pay attention to the nature and the art. I am very glad, that in Winnipeg there are many parks and squares with seasonal flowers. It is very amazing to me that I have almost every day a possibility to watch some wild animals, like squirrels, wild geese and ducks, and most of all deer. I was very surprised when I first saw some deer on my friends’ yard, a place in the city not in the forest. The second important thing I love about Winnipeg is that there are many small art galleries in this city, especially Downtown. This fact enables me to meet the art every time I walk through Winnipeg’s streets. Even though I have no time to come in, I have a possibility to look at some pictures through a window.

It makes me happy that I can find in Winnipeg the places where I like to spend my spare time.

Jiao has been here a while and likes the fact that Canadians have a lot of support through government programs when we need them:

I have lived in Winnipeg since ten years ago. I love Winnipeg, because this place is nice and clean. Specially, the people who live in Winnipeg are the kindest in the world. The most I like is the benefits in terms of education, health and employment. For example: from nursery school to high school, we don’t need to pay any tuition. The people who are pregnant will have maternity leave from work for one year to take care of their baby, and the people who lose their job, they also get unemployment benefit. The people who retire will get pension from the government and so on … Winnipeg is a nice place to live in!

Miae has this to say:

If somebody asks me what I love about Winnipeg, I will answer like this:
First of all, if I am willing to learn English, to live here, to open a business, and to get a job, I believe that Manitoba will support me through many ways. I will also get many opportunities from the backing of Manitoba.

Second, I like the sky and the city of Winnipeg because the sky is like emerald that seems to fall down to me.

In addition, the city is always quiet and that enables our children to keep studying. These are the reasons why I love Winnipeg.

Finally, here’s what Svetlana loves about Winnipeg:

I like Winnipeg. My family came in Canada three years ago. I was surprised because people were friendly, and spoke slowly and nicely. When I came to Winnipeg, I didn’t feel comfortable because I didn’t speak or understood English, but everyone helped me. I was very grateful about it. I would like to tell some words about Winnipeg. I know the city has more spectacular and attractive places such as, The Forks, Assiniboine Park, Kildonan Park, a museum and other interesting buildings. Winnipeg has 4 seasons. Each season has some beautiful characteristics, colors and magnificent smell. I enjoy all the seasons because Winnipeg changes every three or four months. In my opinion, Winnipeg will develop, and in the future will have more interesting places for tourists. I like Winnipeg because I like changes.

And here’s a bonus submission! Red River College EAL instructor Rita Prokopetz has been participating in Urban Exchange since it started – here’s a list of the things she loves about Winnipeg:

Assiniboine Park, Art Walk, Ambassador Program and the Aboriginal Centre
Business Service Centre, Business network and Blue Bombers
Chinatown, Central Park, Chamber of Commerce, Centennial Concert Hall, Convention Centre, CanWest Global Park and Clean Team Project
Downtown Biz, Dalnavert Museum
Esplanade Riel and Exchange District BIZ
Fort Whyte, Forks, Fringe and Folklorama
Grain Exchange and Goldeyes
Human Rights Museum and Hydro (green building – work in progress!)
International Centre, In For Lunch, Imax
JAR International Airport, Jazz Winnipeg and Johnston Terminal
Key from Change for the Better
Legislative Building, Little Italy, Lower Fort Garry and Little Mountain Bluefest Event
Millennium Library, Mint, Market Square, MTC, Medical Laboratory, Museum and MTS Centre
North Main and NSI Film Festival
Oak Hammock Marsh and Outreach Patrol
Planetarium and Prairie Theatre Exchange
Quotidian events, projects and plans
Red River College, Red River Corridor, RWB, River Spirit and Rh Institute and Dr. Bowman
Shuttle Service, Safe Walk, Symphony and Gallery and Winnipeg Opera
Taste of Manitoba, Technical College and Thunderbird House
United Way, University of Winnipeg, University of Manitoba and Upper Fort Garry
Via Rail and Virtuosi Concerts
Walking Tours, Western Canada Aviation Museum, Women Enterprise Centre, Winnipeg Adult Education Centre, and Winnipeg Art
Explore Manitoba Centre
YMCA – YWCA and Young Sculptors at Work
Zoo and zesty ethnic restaurants

Thanks again to everyone who has written in to tell us what they love about Winnipeg! It’s been a fun and interesting conversation.