The Community Foundation of Whistler's Vital Signs project is expanding its purview in a big way in 2019.
Inspired by the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, Vital Signs is hosting a series of monthly talks—or Vital Cafés—at the Whistler Museum looking at some massive international issues and how they relate to Whistler.
"What we're trying to do is inform. A better-informed community is a healthy community," said Carole Stretch, Vital Signs project lead.
"We want people to understand differing points of view in the community, to meet other people, and to empower them to participate ... we've done bigger conversations with more people, and what we really, really want to do is get different people into the conversation."
The idea is to host the events as smaller sessions between 10 to 15 people, Stretch said.
While the Vital Signs report is very much looking at the intricacies of life in Whistler, the Vital Cafés project will examine the bigger picture before boiling it back down to the bubble.
"We want to talk about the big issues, so things like hunger and poverty and education, good health, wellbeing, decent work and economic growth, things like that—sustainability, reconciliation. There's a long, long list," Stretch said.
The first Vital Café is set for Tuesday, Jan. 22 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Whistler Museum.
The inaugural event's theme is "Thinking Like a Mountain," in which guest speakers Kristina Swerhun and Leslie Anthony of the Whistler Naturalists will lead a discussion on ecology-based thinking (admission is free, but those interested in attending should register in advance at eventbrite.com/e/vital-cafe-thinking-like-a-mountain-tickets-54602242778).
"We're inviting a local organization or people in to talk about an aspect of one of these issues, very quickly, just to start the conversation, and then what we're going to do is try and get people to relate that to their personal experience, because personal experience is when you start to really understand," Stretch said.
"We'll relate it to Whistler, but also then talk about what each individual has in their control. What is it that we can individually do?"
The second Vital Café, themed "Yes, there IS poverty in Whistler," is set for Feb. 19, and a third, focused on learning and education, will take place March 19 (find more info at whistlerfoundation.com).
"We're hoping we're going to be documenting these, and at some point in the year we'll be looking at producing something coming out of this," Stretch said, adding that whatever comes from the new project will complement the Vital Signs report, released in October of 2018.
Find the report at whistlerfoundation.com/vital-signs.
