Skip to content

Qualicum Community Education and Wellness Society to host discovery café

Society to share results of community survey
web1_170517-PQN-M-wellness-walkdoc-sub-may13WEB
Universal Access Qualicum Beach and QCEWS teamed with the Oceanside Division of Family Practice and the Regional District of Nanaimo for the annual Walk with Your Doc event in Qualicum Beach Saturday, May 13. From left are Dr. Cathy Edge, Jack Orange (in chair), Darwin Fraser, Dr. Kevin Letcher, Dr. Peter Haslett in the red, Hilda Orange and Katie Halliday. — Holly Carnegie Letcher photo

Curious about the results of the recent Discovering Community Survey?

All who live, work, play or study in Qualicum Beach are welcome to the Discovering Community Café on Saturday, May 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre. The survey was organized by the Qualicum Community Education and Wellness Society (QCEWS).

In the morning, the group will look at the results and identify project ideas that flow from the identified needs.

After lunch, in a conversational café format, people will gather around topic tables and begin the work of organizing and action-planning for the delivery of the projects that they want to see happen.

Working collaboratively, QCEWS embraces opportunities to improve the quality of life for all community members. Their work is organized around several “tables” which focus on: Intergenerational Lifelong Learning, Food Security and Sustainability, Community Wellness, Universal Access and Community Development.

A light nutritious lunch will be served by the group’s Food and Sustainability team. RSVP requested for lunch, so there is enough food for all, email to: info@qcews.com.

The Intergenerational Lifelong Learning table brings all ages together to engage in wide varieties of enjoyable activities that build relationships and share new learning. One upcoming opportunity this fall will be the Musical Mentors program, a volunteer youth led organization which is linked through QCEWS to offer another accessible opportunity for children aged 5-12 to receive free private lessons in voice and musical instruments. An early sign-up for September 2017 will be released shortly. If interested in hearing more about the program or wanting to join the waitlist, please email Reece Koch at rmck1@live.com.

The Food and Sustainability table has been busy with its Root Bags Days, where students at local schools learn firsthand about the value of growing and harvesting food.

The Community Wellness table with its wellness partners group brings together a cross section of health and wellness practitioners, with the goals of assisting community members to reach their full potential, offering ways to supply health and wellness care to all in the community using a collaborative, holistic approach. Some of their work can be viewed at the QCEWS website: www.qcews.com, under the “Wellness” tab.

The Universal Access Qualicum Beach table is working together with the town of Qualicum Beach, residents and community organizations to increase awareness of accessibility needs concerning physical, emotional, social and mental health.

QCEWS also announced this week that Accessibility Week in Parksville Qualicum Beach has been scheduled for June 19-26. On Friday, June 23 at 10 a.m., QCEWS will be walking around Qualicum Beach with Mayor Teunis Westbroek, experiencing all of the accessibility improvements made by the Town of Qualicum Beach.

Building community access for exercise with an accessible gym is also being explored. On May 31 at Qualicum Commons, there will be a demo from 2:30-3:30 p.m. for accessible gym equipment, with anyone interested invited to attend.

The public is also welcome to join in the next UAQB meeting. It will take place Wednesday, May 24, from 2-4 p.m. at Qualicum Commons Room 1, 744 Primrose Ave, Qualicum Beach. For more information, contact pathways2wellness@bell.net.

Another project of QCEWS Wellness and Universal Access Tables is the just-completed Domes family’s “Aktiver Zyklos” (Active Cycle) in Europe. Just completed, this cycle has taken place in cold and rainy days, but the family was greeted with warm hospitality from the host families along the 1,233 km Eurovelo trail in Europe. Their cycle tour initiated the fundraiser supported by QCEWS, to purchase and provide for the community two adapted “tandem Huka cycles” as resources to be borrowed, enabling those needing the specialized bikes to get out and enjoy exercise in our amazing outdoors. There is an opportunity to contribute to this goal at www.qcews.com.

Submitted by QCEWS