Welcome to the 2010 Economic Assembly blog and information centre. Keep up to date with all Assembly related news and information here!
February 10, 2010 by 2010ea
Welcome to the 2010 Economic Assembly blog and information centre. Keep up to date with all Assembly related news and information here!
Just a few comments from yesterdays event.
Good format and speakers were relevant – although Dixon’s presentation was not as important as the other presenters.
The 4 pillars of sustainable prosperity are social, cultural, environmental and economic. We need to ensure we have local representation from all 4 pillars engaged at any of the future events.
The issue, as business people know, is that quality is free. If you solve defects before your product goes out to consumers, then you pre-empt expensive remedial work and build customer loyalty. Kids are no different. Remedial work is expensive and ineffective. You fix at-risk kids for cheap when you attend to them early ( 0-5), before they head out into the workplace and discover their loyalty lies with the unemployed
Given the critical importance of early child development to later school success, and to reducing health and behaviour risks such as depression, chronic heart disease, obesity, diabetes, autism and substance abuse – we need to work together to make sure every child and every family gets the supports they need to be the best they can be.
The increasing size and cost of the service sector is caused in large part from the fallout of a poor start in life and in NS, 25% of the workforce is employed by government – many of them unfortunately chasing their tails trying to pick up the pieces.
Communities are where families live and families choose to live in a place that has services that are accessible, affordable and high quality. Why does Sweden, Norway, Finland continue to succeed because they have a free market society that ensure equity from the start for every child through a publically funded system that supports families in each and every neighbourhood and village.
We need to wake! up the Village is gone! and families are isolated during the rasing of their children and the stresses of working 2 and more jobs to keep their lives afloat is showing up at the school door as children already behind and the fact is they never catch up. Start by recognizing the foundation of human development is the start and that to achieve an innovative and thriving economy you better at least recognize the need to shine a light on this.
So….
The 3 things we need is a CATALYST – making our communities the best place to raise healthy brilliant children
LOCAL COLLABORATIVE MULTI SECTOR LEADERSHIP
LOCAL ONGOING FACILITATED PROCESS – TO SET VISION AND GROW ALL ASPECTS OF OUR SOCIETY.
Thanks for the event and all the effort to put this together.
Best Regards
Jim Mustard
I believe that we were missing a vital part of the quad counties at yesterday’s Economic Assembly 2010. Correct me if I am wrong, but I did not see ANY representation from our First Nations community. I think this is an issue that is imperative to the Economic Assembly’s success.
*I would also like to SECOND Mr. Mustard’s comments raised above.*
Matthew
If you’re from Antigonish and want to drive a sustainable economy closer to home, come check out the Community Engagement Meeting on May 18th at the Coady International Institute. http://is.gd/c7sXU