Intergenerational Care and Learning

Desired Future

Rossland’s affordable and multi-faceted education system provides a diversity of programs and opportunities and an essential foundation for cultural and social activities. Local education facilities continue to provide access to affordable, high quality K-12 education and the development of basic life skills. Residents and local organizations work together to provide support and care for children, seniors and other populations with special needs. Community activities and programs encourage intergenerational interaction and enhance well being, while Rossland’s built environment and institutional structures encourage lifelong learning for every member of society.

End-State Goals

End-state Goal 1: Organizations and residents work together to meet the health and social needs of community members, especially children, the elderly and people with special needs.

End-state Goal 2: Residents of all ages have access to learning opportunities outside of the public education system, such as early learning opportunities, basic life-skills development, literacy training, and lifelong learning opportunities.

End-state Goal 3: A high-quality kindergarten through post-secondary system exists within Rossland and offers a diversity of programs that meet the community’s needs and expectations.

End-state Goal 4: Schools, public spaces and community facilities are accessible, welcoming, and well-utilized by residents and visitors of all ages and abilities

Student Enrollment (IC-1)

Rossland annual school enrollment from 2002/2003 to 2009/2010

What are we measuring?

The number of students enrolled in elementary and secondary schools in Rossland

Why are we measuring it?

Declining enrollment is an ongoing challenge for Rossland schools, due to current provincial public school funding formulas, which are enrollment based. Maintaining adequate enrollment is one of the components of Rossland’s progress toward End-state Goal #3.  End-state Goal #3 sets the goal that a high-quality kindergarten through post-secondary system exists within Rossland and offers a diversity of programs that meet the community’s needs and expectations.

How are we doing?

Overall enrollment in Rossland schools has been steadily declining since 2003. Since 2005, Rossland enrollment has declined by 9%, district wide (School District 20) enrollment has declined by 13% and provincial enrollment has declined by 3%.

Data Sources

School District 20
British Columbia Ministry of Education
 

Volunteerism (IC-2)

Number of Volunteer Organizations or Associations
in which Individual is an Active Participant in 2011

What are we measuring?

Community members’ self-reported number of volunteer organizations or associations they participate in as an active member, including school groups, church social groups, community centres, ethnic associations or social, civic or fraternal clubs and number of times per year they volunteer.

Why are we measuring it?

Volunteerism is considered reflective of a healthy community.  This indicator will help measure the achievement of End-state Goal #1:  Organizations and residents work together to meet the health and social needs of community members, especially children, the elderly and people with special needs.  This indicator is repeated in Sense of Community (SC-2) as it also relates to the End-state Goals in that Focus Area.

How are we doing?

Most people in Rossland volunteer. The survey re- sults show that 84% of Rosslanders participate in at least one volunteer organization or association, 62% participate in at least 2 or more and 35% participate in at least 3 or more. This compares well to Fernie where 70% of people volunteer.

Except in the 45 to 54 age category, women uniformly volunteer more than men, with 90% of women offering their time to at least one organization while only 80% of men do so.  Volunteering is fairly consistent across age groups with peaks in the percentage of people who volunteer in the 45 to 54 age category and the 65 and up age category, particularly those that volunteer for more than one organization.  The non-volunteers (16% of Rosslanders) are spread fairly evenly across age categories, except in the 45 to 54 age group, in which only 5% of individuals do not volunteer.

In examining the number of times a year that individuals volunteer, the largest number of respondents, 30%, volunteer once a month while 22% volunteer once a week and 19% four times a year.  Women volunteer on a more frequent basis than men.  The number of times people volunteer a year is fairly stable across the age categories.  Individuals in the 15 and 24 and the 25 to 34 age groups are more likely to volunteer at least once a week, while those 45 and over are more likely to volunteer once a month.

This is baseline data.  In future iterations of the State of Rossland report in which a survey is undertaken we should be able to report on trends for this indicator.

Data Sources  

State of Rossland Survey