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HB NEWS THRIVING CHILDREN AND FAMILIES THE VISION OF OUR KIDS NETWORK INTERIM DIRECTOR SHARES GOALS FOR ORGANIZATION Inside Halton conducted a Q&A with new interim executive director of Our Kids Network, Elisabeth Wells. Here's what she had to say: What is Our Kids Network? Our Kids Network (OKN) is a Halton-wide partnership of agencies and organizations serv- ing children and youth. ur vision is all chil- dren and youth thrive. We area collective impact organization, and we build the capacity of com- munity organizations that sup- port children, youth and pact. families. As a Halton-wide nership, we work collectively ‘a mobilize knowledge sources to support Halton pro fessionals in their work. OKN known for its Halton specific re. search and data, and our strong relationships in the community. What is the importance of an organization such as OKN in a community’ The network i is important to table, working towards our vi- sion that all children and youth thrive. As a network from across aereren sectors and co: ty or; tions, we can identify gaps oand “issues effecting chil- dren, youth and families and work collectively to organize ac- tion on these issues at the com- munity level. We provide the support to en- able that work to happen effec- tively at the community level; for example, by using data and evidence to identify and act on problems, by partnering and teaming up on important ini mae tives, and by co-ordina' ef- forts among partners. set ie the role of OKN to conduct and share research, promote and help sus- ionships, develop re- sources to help partners achieve their outcomes, and provide Graham Paine/ Metroland Elisabeth Wells is the new interim executive director of Our Kids Network. knowledge translation that edu- cates and informs partners in their work, leading to action and measurement rogre: uld you expand on the work OKN is doing towards Indigenous reconciliation? digenous reconcilia- tion strategy provides leader- ship, tools and resources to in- crease professionals’ knowledge about Indigenous literacy. A key spect of our strategy includes to develop that capacity to better support the network and effec- tively move research and knowl- z Hdl euL | Z upport ton to ii increase their Teens literacy and build their capacity (to) apply this knowledge in their work with children, youth and families in Halton. For example, our website of- fers a large library of resources for professionals that supports Indigenou: is literacy, including information about the 94 calls to action from the Truth and Rec- onciliation report, Indigenous history and culture, and territo- owledgments just to Co ld we geta general over- view of where OKN is headed under a new interim execu- tive director? OKN is known for its research and data, and our strong rela- tionships in the community. My goal is to continue to build on those strengths, focusing on re- search and knowledge transla- tion to build our community's capacity to support children, youth and families. I am looking io work collaboratively with community partners and identi- fy opportunities for us to collec- tively make an impact on the well-being of our children and youth. s a strong research framework and we will continue edge into action. We willfocus on i ips to facilitate con- nections and collective actio! across multiple sectors, we will 5 advance awareness of evidence 2 and knowledge by continuing to 4 ES conduct and share research that 2 guides the network in planning = and action, we will increase ac- — cess to OKN data, resources and > tools and we will facilitate pro- 8 fessional learning and skill de- velopment by continuing to pro- vide engaging training and learning opportunities and workshops for professionals, ul- timately moving research into practice. Is the research conducted by OKN available to everyone? OKN collects, analyses and shares data across the communi- ty. We also help people interpret and use it effectively so they can make well informed decisions about programs and services for children and youth. We believe that data and information should be open, free and accessi- ble to everyone in our communi- ty so that everyone can work to- wards our vision that all chil- dren and youth thrive. For exam- ple, the OKN Data Portal is an interactive database containing a large inventory of community- level data that is accessible to ev- eryone. COMMUNITY CHAMBER BUSINESS AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED Drumroll, please. The winners of the Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce 2021 Busi- ness Excellence Awards have been revealed. Here are the recipients: * Community Excellence Award: Douglas Brock of Caledon Labs and Williams Mill Art Stu- dios + Association of the Year: Dis- tress Centre Halton mn (Dara Eisner icy) + Environmental Excellence Award: Kaia Hair Studio (Jessica Patterson) + New Business of the Year: Balo Balloons (Brandi Balanowski) + Employee of the Year: Lindsay Petch (Paul C. Armstrong Insur- ance Brokers) + Small Business of the Year: Quinta Quinoa (Jamie Draves) + Large Business of the Year: Su- perior Glove Works Ltd. (Heather en) + Hometown Hero Award: Kori Arsenault thee winners were recognized at annual awards gala at The on at North Halton on March 30. DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN 83 Mill St | 905 873 1867 GIDDENS OPTOMETRY ‘We are open but due to the current virus situation we are seein patients by appointment only. if you are planning a visit (for routine eye examinations, and repair, contact lens pick up etc), please contact us in advance and we will arrange an appointment time for you. This will help to ensure we keep. OPTOMETRY) & METRO PLAZA 371 Mountainview Rd S | 905 873 1861 Dr. Ben Giddens Dr. Andrea Kozma Please phon Dr. Stephanie Britton eordyouy