Squamish, British Columbia
Helen Brownrigg, Manager of Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver’s Squamish office, has seen how youth programs in a small community can benefit by becoming part of an area-wide organization. She sums up her viewpoint this way, “Vancouver took [Squamish] on knowing that we weren’t going to bring them huge amounts of money or matches … Yet now we look at the growth – it’s huge for a small town … It’s hard to argue with success.”
Squamish, British Columbia lies between Vancouver and the renowned Whistler resort. Located in the scenic Coast Mountains where the Squamish River meets Howe Sound, the district is nurturing an emerging tourism and outdoor recreation industry, and a new private university. The erratic logging trade is the historical foundation of this community of 15,000. Despite the ups and downs of a resource-based economy, the community sustained its own Big Brothers Big Sisters organization for 20 years.
“I really saw how vulnerable small town agencies can be,” states Helen, who was the organization’s sole part-time caseworker. “The board was the main concern. Several members believed that, because we’re small, we don’t have to follow all those national rules. We can do what we want. [Safety issues] don’t touch us.”
Retaining board members was difficult and turnover created inconsistencies in management philosophy. The board’s business acumen was not balanced with human services expertise, leading to priorities that often differed from Helen’s concern with meeting national standards.
Helen also experienced unreasonable demands on her time, lack of an office space, financial constraints, and limitations on the agency’s ability to meet the community need.
“We all agreed that we wanted to serve more children. To make that happen for our community, I eventually had to tell the board that if they want growth, it will have to come through other ways of working,” reports Helen. Early in 2000, she found the situation to be increasingly untenable, and began to research alternative approaches. Her best hope came when the Big Brothers Big Sisters Provincial Resource Centre suggested she approach Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver to explore how they might work together. Much to her relief, Helen’s inquiries met with a positive response from the Greater Vancouver agency, and an exploration of joining that area-wide organization began.
Not everyone was so enthused with the notion of joining the Greater Vancouver agency, however. “It wasn’t the easiest thing to put [this idea] on the table,” admits Helen. She reports that some board members put up strong resistance, mostly because of a reluctance to give up local control of the program. The issue led to the resignation of two board members. But negotiations continued, thanks in large measure to the Greater Vancouver office’s non-threatening approach, the assurance that money raised in Squamish would stay in Squamish, and the leadership of Helen and several championing board members.
The board eventually recognized their agency’s limitations and the advantages of joining a larger and more established agency, and approved a proposal to join Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver. In November 2000, Squamish formally closed its organization and Vancouver began offering services in Squamish. Squamish effectively became a field office, fully integrated with Vancouver’s organizational structure. Helen was employed to deliver services in Squamish, and thus, Greater Vancouver further extended its already existing area-wide approach.
Although Squamish is just 45 minutes up the highway from Vancouver, subtle cultural differences exist between the two communities. These differences sometimes made the road to integration a bumpy one. Both offices wrestled with how Vancouver could best support Squamish in its most vulnerable areas, while honoring the strengths of its smaller town approach. Their different perspectives were bridged only when both offices examined what each had to offer and how they could best complement one other. It took some time, but now the two offices ensure they accommodate the Squamish context as well as the urban Vancouver circumstances.
Helen also reports encountering a few hurdles related to establishing a clear definition of her role, and shared expectations among all parties in the Vancouver and Squamish offices. She is confident these hurdles have now been overcome. Initially Vancouver utilized the same model as its other field offices (for example: in Surrey and Richmond), in having Helen’s role focus on case management. They have since customized an approach for Squamish: now Helen’s role also involves tasks that broaden community support and that tailor new program options to Squamish’s environment. Her next challenge is to establish a Squamish advisory committee to ensure the office’s local roots remain strong.
Helen believes that the association with Greater Vancouver Big Brothers has definitely had benefits. “Big Brothers and Big Sisters in Squamish will carry on with appropriate staff in place, and standards being met, even after I’m gone,” Helen assures. She has found other advantages such as increased public profile, a physical office space, and the ability to utilize the expertise of Greater Vancouver staff, including other caseworkers with whom she can case conference. Squamish has also obtained previously untouchable United Way funding. Helen sees the ultimate benefit as the ability to match many more children through programs that have diversified beyond traditional one-to-one matching.
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