Following the Community Futures public forum meeting in November 2009 in  Drumheller, Jordan Webber stated that the feedback has been very supportive so far and the overwhelming support they received from the community has enabled them to progress the Drumheller Health Training Initiative to the next step, business planning.

   Their vision is to bring post-secondary education to Drumheller initially offering a two year certificate program in the healthcare field, with a view to possibly extend this to encompass other education programs.  They are also hoping to develop the old Drumheller hospital as a base for the program.
    In January, Dr. Jon Ohlhauser, former President of the Prairie Bible Institute, an educational centre located in Three Hills, became available to work with the project as a key educational advisor.
    Dr. Ohlhauser has worked for a number of post secondary education institutions and brings his expertise in the education delivery area.
    “His knowledge and experience are invaluable,” explains Jordan. “He has a history of moving those [other institutions] forward.”
    Dr. Ohlhauser is so far volunteering his time for the program but his role is anticipated to increase in the future confirmed Webber.
    In mid December, Community Futures submitted an application for a Rural Community Adaptation grant, in the amount of $400,000, 10 per cent of which will need to be cost-shared by the project stakeholders.
    Webber confirmed the majority of the cost sharing is already designated and added, “This is a very regional project so we would want to give opportunities for regional municipalities to have a part of some of the matching funds.For instance, we have a number of municipalities around us, more or less in Delia that we have been working with very closely, and we would offer that to stakeholder groups such as community organizations.”
    Webber is hoping to get a decision on the grant during February.
    In the meantime, Community Futures will be starting the business planning phase at the end of January and are hoping to hold another public forum soon after.

For more info…
A new website was launched specifically for this project and can be found at www.cfbigcountry.ca/health/
Or contact Jordan Webber on 403-823-7703 .

    In part one of our New Year,  New You feature in last week’s inSide Drumheller, you will have hopefully found a few ideas to get you started on becoming a healthier person and what is available in the valley to help you achieve this.
    This week we are looking at ways to improve your mind and spirit, would it be spending more quality time with the family, getting out of debt, being more organized, bettering yourself or having more fun. 
    The key to success is looking at what you really need to improve, tackling one area at a time, and stop proscrastination:  do what you need to do and do it now, set some time aside in your busy schedule to free yourself from this burden.
    In the valley, you will find plenty to help you on your way to bettering yourself and your quality of life.
    Learn something new: this will open your horizons, help you forget about your busy life, make you feel good about yourself, improve your confidence and your mental health too.  In the process, you will meet new people and it might even help you get a better paid job!
    The Drumheller and District Further Education council offers an array of courses, from learning a new language, to cooking classes, improving your computer skills, finding or developing a new hobby, for instance photography.  There’s even a course on public speaking and confidence.
    If you are unemployed, you may even be able to get assistance, Annette Nielsen, program co-ordinator for the Drumheller and District Further Education told inSide Drumheller, “we work together with MH Enterprises and Alberta Immigration to help finance people to get their education and start their career.”
    Join the library and make time to discover new authors.  Did you know you can reserve books online via the library system and have access to 153 libraries?
    Start a blog: it’s free, easy to set up and a great way to explore subjects you want to, it can also be a way to keep in touch with those people you have meant to contact for some time. Even the Mayor of Drumheller has one, so what are you waiting for?
    Learn to play a new musical  instrument, or create a band with friends. Concentrating on music is a great way to forget all your problems, it’s like taking a little vacation, and you will get a great feeling of accomplishment.
    Learn a new board or card game, with your family or friends, a cheap, easy way to relax while learning a new skill. Why not play scrabble with your kids?  A perfect way to have family fun and improve literacy skills.
    Have a culture day where you and your family or friends visit all the museums and art galleries in the valley, find out about Drumheller’s history, and discover new artists.
    How about trying quilting? Not only do quilts make a wonderful personal gift but it is also a great way to socialize,  Bit’s and Pieces offers several options to get you started.
    As well as offering classes, you can drop in anytime you want for advice or help and they also run a free social evening on Wednesdays.
    Tara Semchuk, owner of Bit’s and Pieces explains why people may want to try it, “People get personal satisfaction out of it, some prefer to work on their project at home in solitary and find it relaxing, others like to come and sit in to do their projects and the socializing and meeting people and learning new tips and techniques.” 
    Bit’s and Pieces is also involved in Victoria’s Quilts whose mission is to provide handmade quilts to people with cancer in Canada at no cost to the recipient. “We have had lots of feedback on the comfort that people have got from the fact that complete strangers care about them” explained Tara.
    As you can see the advantages of learning something new are many.