Urban Exchange

Where does the money go?

Food, rent, transportation. How much does the average family need to spend? Fill in the boxes below or leave a comment to let us know what you think – there aren’t any right or wrong answers but we’ll show you some examples when you’re done!

We know that families come in many shapes and sizes – for the sake of consistency, please consider this family of four to be two adults and two school-aged children.

Exchanges newsletter – January 2009

What’s new at Urban Exchange? What’s being planned for the first part of 2009? Catch up on the latest information in the new issue of Exchanges, a newsletter for Urban Exchange participants.

In this issue, we will:

• Show you how new and increased United Way investments reflect Urban Exchange responses
• Give you a sneak peek at findings from Exchange Two: Exploring Our Values
• Introduce you to your new Urban Exchange Manager.

Click here to download the pdf version or read it online.

As always, please feel free to let us know what you think by emailing us or leaving a comment below.

Winnipeggers are generous with money, ideas and time

Last month, the Fraser Institute rated Manitoba as the most generous province in Canada. Our spirit of giving was evident during the recent holiday season, and yesterday’s big announcement – that Winnipeggers raised more than $17.9 million through United Way during the 2008 campaign – is a remarkable indicator of where our priorities are, even in an uncertain economy.

We’re generous with our ideas and opinions, too. So far, more than 4300 people have participated in Urban Exchange, sharing their thoughts on social issues, values, and the quality of life in Winnipeg.

To add to the picture of generosity, here’s a sample of what participants have told us* about giving their time to address the issues that are important to them:

• 76% said they’ve helped raise money for a charitable cause (besides donating money).
• 84% said they’ve volunteered or done voluntary community service for no pay.
• 59% said they’ve walked, run or bicycled for a charitable cause.

(*The figures above are taken from Urban Reflections: Winnipeggers have their say about our city and its direction (February 2008) and are based on the responses of 2893 participants.)

Read more:

The Fraser Institute’s 2008 Generosity Index

Winnipeggers raise $17.9+ million through United Way

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.

Urban Exchange panel members are a diverse group

More than 4300 Winnipeggers have participated in Urban Exchange so far.  That’s enough people to fill the Burton Cummings Theatre, Pantages Playhouse, Prairie Theatre Exchange and MTC Mainstage combined.

The Urban Exchange Advisory Panel is a diverse group – about as diverse as the fantastic performances you might see during any given theatre season in Winnipeg.   They’re men and women with different socioeconomic backgrounds, from all areas of the city.  They’ve reported dozens of cultural and/or ethnic backgrounds.

About 8% of the participants identified themselves as First Nations, Métis or Inuit, close to the actual percentage of Aboriginal people living in Winnipeg (about 10%, according to the 2006 Census – pdf).

More than 1000 youth (ages 15-24) have completed Urban Exchange surveys.  About 250 people ages 75and over have participated, too.

At 96 years old, Wilhelmina Klimpke (pictured above) is one of the more seasoned members of the Advisory Panel.  A lifelong volunteer, Wilhelmina has always believed that it’s important to be involved in her community.  She decided to fill out our questionnaire on social issues when it was published in the Winnipeg Free Press, and she’s continued to participate in Urban Exchange, even staying in touch with United Way staff by telephone every now and then.

Wilhelmina grew up just outside Winnipeg, and has lived in the city with her husband Carl for more than 60 years.  She served time in the Air Force as a parachute rigger and spent some time studying interior design after that.

Earlier this fall, Wilhelmina was interviewed by the Winnipeg Free Press about her involvement with Urban Exchange.  You can read the story by clicking here.

GenNext weighs in: creating better lives for everyone

United Way’s GenNext Council is a group of passionate young adults who want to make a difference in the community. They’re working to spark the same excitement among their friends and colleagues – their hope is to create a network of young leaders who are involved in creating opportunities for a better life for everyone.

“By investing time, skills, money and energy into our community and inspiring our peers to do the same, we can make a very real and lasting difference,” said Colin Ryan, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, BMO Nesbitt Burns and GenNext Chair.

During GenNext’s Red October event, which was attended by almost 200 young community leaders, dozens of people took the time to decorate a graffiti wall with their ideas for how to create a better life for everyone in Winnipeg. The result was a fantastic montage of thoughts, opinions, and concrete ideas.

One participant wrote: “We all need to work together and realize we share the same vision . . . a city for everyone!” Another suggested that we need to “take personal responsibility for the well-being of our children”, adding that it’s “important to take the time to invest in young lives – build relationships and create meaningful opportunities for kids to reach their potential!”

Naturally, some of the perennial favourites popped up on the graffiti wall – a couple of people mentioned bringing the NHL back to Winnipeg, and others wrote about bringing more people downtown at night.

For the most part, though, GenNext participants were focused on creating opportunities for youth. They’ll be acting on their ideas, too. Over the next several months, they’ll be helping out with the homework club at West Broadway Youth Outreach, fixing bikes and skateboards, and hosting a children’s holiday party.

Click here to read more about GenNext’s Red October event.

Your Say: What do you love about Winnipeg? Part 3

When we relaunched MyCityMySay.ca, we asked you to tell us what you love about Winnipeg. (You can find the original article here.)

The response has been very positive. While fictional character Michael Scott from NBC’s The Office may not have enjoyed his trip to Winnipeg (in the episode that ran on 11/14/2008), he didn’t get out to see much of our city.

The next time Michael Scott comes to Winnipeg, he should get a MyCityMySay.ca reader to pick him up at the airport. These next few people obviously know where to look for all the great things we love.

Pam Tonsaker loves Winnipeg because of:

. . . our tree canopy, our post-secondary institutions, our Legislative Building, our Golden Boy glistening and shining brightly day or night, our Open Doors event in May, our ability to get around Winnipeg quickly regardless of where you start, our winters, our blue skies, our ethnic diversity, our Canadian geese, our BDI, our love of curling, our Bombers, our Moose, our Goldeyes, our volunteer spirit, our desire for change, our new airport being developed, our two main rivers – the Red and the Assiniboine, our Forks, our Via train station, our grain farms close to the city centre, our summer thunderstorms, our grain commission, our small towns from which to draw for numerous events and festivities to keep us entertained, our Debbie at the zoo, our grass lands in St. James, our bridge in St. Boniface, our many shopping centres to met and greet friends, our Exchange district and our fabulous architecture, our yummy restaurants, our mosquitoes ( only when they are gone – so love our seasonal changes ), our creativity coming in all types and venues, our world class Human Rights museum to be built here, our MTS Centre, our caring and compassionate ways to help others, and lastly our friends, family and the citizens who call this home and wouldn’t be anywhere else. My Winnipeg, my home!!

Jason is a bit of a sports fan:

I love Winnipeg because of the extremely friendly people in this city. We are very generous and very much caring. I also love how our city supports all types of cultures and everybody loves all the different events. I also love the Blue Bombers, Moose and the Goldeyes.

Gilbert Laberge is a proud member of Manitoba’s francophone community and lists the following things as highlights:

• The pathways and close proximity to Bird’s Hill, Saint-Malo, Assiniboine & Saint-Vital Parks, to name some of the largest.
• The ability to live as a bilingual person without burden.
• The fresh air we breathe in the heart of the continent.
• The lesser intensity of rainfalls around the Forks area.
• The freshness and aromas of the Fall season.
• The tolerance of the multicultural for the French culture.
• A peaceful electoral process.
• The goal of achieving the righting of the right of the poor to a decent life we all deserve.

Jane Brueton likes the size of Winnipeg and the fact that friendly faces are everywhere:

I love the fact that it only takes twenty minutes from my home to downtown; that I can explore every section and part of the city and not get lost and even if I do there will be a friendly face to help me find my way home; that Winnipeggers take pride in their city and their surroundings; that we have so many parks, recreation areas and green spaces within the city limits; that when attending concerts at the MTS Center you are likely to meet someone you know and stop and chat; that although the geese herald winter in the fall there is no sound that is more lovely at dusk and no sight as magical as thousands of birds setting down for night, except perhaps the RWB company in performance!

I love that I live in a multi-cultural city and bilingual city where there is always something interesting and fun to do. I choose to move here, not once but twice and I absolutely love living in Winnipeg. The cost of living, access to the arts and the personality of its citizens are the true gems of Winnipeg, my home.

Finally, Noelle Depape sent in this list:

• Guerrilla Art
• Thanh Huong Restaurant on Sargent – # 6 Beef Satay Noodle Soup
• Wolseley mornings at Tall Grass Bakery and Prairie Sky Books
• A microcosm of the world at Central Park
• The polar bears hanging out at the Leg
• The river skating rink

Thanks again to everyone who’s sent something in. We still have some t-shirts left so if you want to tell us what you love about Winnipeg, please email a photo, video or paragraph to urban.exchange@unitedwaywinnipeg.mb.ca.

We’d love to hear from you!

Your Say: “What do you love about Winnipeg?” Part 2

Earlier this month, we asked readers to tell us what they love about Winnipeg. (Here’s the link to the original article.)

It’s been a lot of fun to read through all of your submissions. As promised, we’re sending t-shirts out to anyone who sends us something (while they last) and we’re posting some of your comments on MyCityMySay.ca. The first batch went up last week – you can read those by clicking here.

Here’s the second batch:

Kelli Adams echoes what many people have told us by highlighting our diversity:

“What I love about Winnipeg is the diverse art, culture and communities we have here. We have a mosaic of people that add depth and beauty to our many communities which can be seen at our many restaurants, public art pieces and murals, community gardens, parks and greenspaces, playgrounds, marketplaces, art galleries and museums, community centres, theatres, grassroot organizations . . . just take a walk, bike ride, bus ride or car ride around our city to see what is offered.”

Tammy Gagne writes:

“I love that you can do almost anything in Winnipeg. Winter, Summer, Spring and Fall, there is always something that you can do. You have to love the nature we have just 1/2 hour out of the city at our wonderful Birds Hill Park and all of our lovely parks in the City as well.”

Cliff Reid says we have it all:

“I love Winnipeg because . . . of the warmth of my fellow citizens. Winnipeg’s great strengths are its central location in Canada and the continent, its history as well as its youthful exuburance, its wonderfully broad and growing diversity of peoples and cultures, as well as its four distinct and glorious seasons. We have it all, and are working hard at fixing what needs fixing and expanding what is already good.”

Wanda Yamamoto says

“I love the size. We’re not too big. We can get around quickly. We have all the events a “BIG” city has, football, hockey, baseball, soccer etc. – something for all of the sports fans. We have excellent cultural events and big name concerts – the Winnipeg Symphony, theatre, etc. for the “cultured folks”. Something for everyone. BIG support from the large corporations who support Winnipegers who cannot afford events by donating tickets to various events.

We have diversity. We can travel the world via Folklorama. We can taste the world’s cuisines through the variety of restaurants in Winnipeg.

We may be a cold city (temperature-wise) but Winnipeggers have BIG warm hearts.”

Thanks to Kelli, Tammy, Cliff and Wanda for telling us what they love about Winnipeg. Your T-shirts are in the mail!

If you want to participate, please send us a photo, video or paragraph that tells us what you love about Winnipeg.

While supplies last, we’ll be sending T-shirts and carabiners to everyone who emails us with a response.

To send us something, please email it to Urban.Exchange@UnitedWayWinnipeg.mb.ca.

Stay tuned for the next batch of great responses!