Safety First

A Safety Manual is an important document for a Village. It outlines safety procedures, practices and emergency information that is critical to village operations. As an intern I got the task of taking the existing village safety manual and updating it, as well as creating a digital copy. This week my energy was mainly focused on this task of creating a comprehensive safety manual for the village. My work included creating new safety documents, re-writing safe job procedures and compiling it all in one concise document. I must admit, although this has not been one of my favorite intern tasks thus far, being able to produce a finished product for my supervisor felt really great. Taking on the safety manual was a big job, and I know that for the other two administrators (who work really hard at answering day to day questions, and working on all other village matters) finding the time to sit down and do this task can be nearly impossible.

Another project I am currently working begins by looking at questions of sustainability or viability for a smaller community. I know that in our orientation week we focused alot on identifying issues that rural Albertan communities face. Interestingly enough, in the classroom I felt like responses to these issues were clear and much more tangible. Being present in the community you hear about the issues, and you are able to identify them, but instead of just listing off possible responses or 'solutions' for lack of a better word, I find myself totally stunned. All the dimensions of community sustainability are linked to one another in incredibly complex ways, and in ways that you didn't even know existed before being involved in the community.  For me, being in the community, and truly witnessing these intiricate dynamics has been a very valuable learning experience. It has also opened my eyes to the fact that in attempts to create strong and viable communities, focus becomes pinned on long term goals and future aspirations; however the process of striving towards sustainability and the reality of bringing awareness and creating movement around this topic is too of critical importance and should be acknowledged. This brings alot of questions to the surface for me as to what shape this project will take, and in what way I will emabrk upon it.

In other Intern news...I just wanted to give a quick shout out to Prairie Fun Days! Hay Lakes is stop number 8 on the fun days tour. On August 20th and 21st people can either take a day or two and make their way through, visiting all 11 stops of the fun days tour, or swing by the Hay Lakes stop which will take place at Telegraph Park. Throughout the day there will be activities going on at Telegraph park.|You can come and particpate in craft making, take a look around the park and get a feel for what the historical park was like, hunt out some geocaches, or take a look at the solar-powered scout cabin. Also there will be a lunchtime BBQ available as well as refreshments throughout the day! If you can't make prairire fun days, Telegraph park still offers some really great activities, with a stocked trout pond, hiking trails and a beautiful campsite.