Building Community Capacity

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Our Story and Impact

We are a non-profit organization that collaborates with rural, remote, and Indigenous communities and organizations in Canada to identify and bring focus to local issues, build capacity, and develop innovative solutions to social and economic challenges.

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We’ve made it easier to kick-start a project in your community by providing step-by-step guides, handbooks, and resources.

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Let’s connect! We’re here to support rural, remote, and Indigenous communities across Canada, focusing on social and economic development, community revitalization, and supporting vulnerable populations.

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The Shelter Pulse Database Project enabled rural and remote shelters to work together in providing trauma-informed policies and procedures for violence against women shelters in Canada. The experts from the field that gathered to share their knowledge to the Shelter Pulse Database make this new tool invaluable. Under the leadership of the Rural Development Network, many partner shelters contributed to the outcome.


Cindy Easton – Mountain Rose Women’s Shelter Association (MRWSA)

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As a previous participant in the Enabling Housing Choice project with RDN, we are excited to be making progress on key recommendations outlined in RDN’s report – Attracting Diverse Housing Development in Mayerthorpe. This report has been critical to understanding our community’s diverse housing needs, and has equipped us with  community-informed insights on how to address these needs.


Karen St. Martin – Town of Mayerthorpe

Enabling Housing Choice, Housing

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Understanding the significance of having people with lived experience and Indigenous people being at the tables of all conversations – especially those with decision making authority. The value of community, and looking after ourselves so we can serve others. That there is a community of people who I can learn from and share with in my work to serve my community.


Training Participant

National Coordinated Access

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This training was so invigorating, refreshing and very much needed. The intimate setting, I feel, made a huge difference. We left the event with a deeper understanding and a strengthened network. We were reminded to focus on the capacity that we have, not necessarily all we would love to be able to do, and take it in steps. Thank you, thank you, thank you!


Coordinated Access Training Participant

National Coordinated Access

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Creating a sense of home is so much more than just a building and the Innovation Fund gave SHI and the YWCA creative space to think differently about our approach to design. Living in Banff National Park also strongly influenced our commitment to net zero targets. Belonging, security, connection, affordability, community pride-these are all factors that have influenced how we developed the Courtyard project.


Connie MacDonald- Chief Executive Officer, YWCA Banff

Housing

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We are forever grateful to work together on this insight for our project. If not for the support from RDN on this we would not be where we are today! Our dream was to attain transitional, affordable and market housing in our community. This turned into a goal and now a reality. This housing continuum of care will be able to meet people’s needs while recognizing what their housing realities mean in a rural perspective. RDN has walked along with us and been able to connect and answer many questions, concerns and thoughts during this time.


Rebecca Wells – Executive Director, Wellspring Family Resource Center

Housing

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We brainstormed and some said nature and multiculturalism because we are a multicultural building, with people from many different countries and ethnicities here. So we wanted something to represent that, and the mural will make us a landmark in the community as there i s alot of foot-traffic in the community.


St. Joachim Tenant on the Community Mural

Placemaking for Inclusion

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There were people there who don’t normally show up to different functions. Everybody was doing something somewhere and were happy to participate and help others


St. Joachim Tenant on the Mural-Painting Event

Placemaking for Inclusion

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The atmosphere was quite welcoming for everyone. One person said they had been here for 20 years and this was the best event they had seen. The busyness of the room encouraged cliques to break up and this increase mingling


St. Joachim Tenant on the Mural-Painting Event

Placemaking for Inclusion

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It really brought the community together. Overall it was a great success. We also really enjoyed the painting, it was a great opportunity for those who had never painted before.


Senior Tenant, La Société des Manoirs Saint-Joachim

Placemaking for Inclusion

Upcoming Events

Learn more about the diverse range of events hosted by RDN throughout the year, which include engaging webinars, hands-on workshops, insightful presentations, and more.

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Featured News & Updates

Explore our latest news, success stories, and project insights. From achievements to lessons learned, our news section keeps you informed and inspired.

April 3, 2024

Farm-Based Studies On the Rise – New Farmed Toolkit Can Help Schools Build Ag-Based Programs

Success Stories

Rayann Campmans, a Grade 12 student from Picture Butte High School, was inspired to create an agricultural program for her school. The program, which aimed to expose students to farm-based learning, gained popularity and drew 56 students this year. The school applied to the creation of the FarmEd Toolkit, Developed by the Rural Development Network, […]

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March 26, 2024

News Release: Shelter Pulse Database – Supporting the Capacity of Violence Against Women Shelters Nationwide with Trauma-Informed Policies

News Release

Shelter Pulse Database – Supporting the Capacity of Violence Against Women Shelters Nationwide with Trauma-Informed Policies Canada – March 26, 2024  The Rural Development Network and Mountain Rose Women’s Shelter Association are thrilled to announce the launch of the Shelter Pulse Database – an online database of research-based, trauma-informed policies and procedures for violence against […]

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March 6, 2024

City releases more information on Homelessness Estimation Survey

Homelessness

Alberta Provincial Estimations

Following a city council meeting presentation by the Rural Development Network (RDN) about the first-ever homelessness study in the city, more details have been released. According to a release from city officials, the Homelessness Estimation Survey will be launched next week on Monday, March 11. “Continuing to foster and build a caring community is one of our […]

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Partners and Funders

RDN deeply appreciates the support we receive from our partners, funders, and collaborators. Please see the initiatives and projects under Our Work and Programs to view who we’ve been partnering with and funded by.

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What We Do

Check out our current projects and initiatives that support Canada’s rural, remote, and Indigenous communities. Need help in your community? We also offer a variety of services to kick-start your own projects.

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