The project’s geographic focus is the community area of Point Douglas as defined by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority – Carruthers Avenue to the CP Railyards, and McPhillips Street to the Red River. Not to be confused with the City of Winnipeg defined neighbourhood with the same name, this community is often referred to simply as “the North End” by local residents.
A neighbourhood with tremendous community spirit, Point Douglas residents share a pride for their community that is genuine and steadfast. As with any neighbourhood, Point Douglas has its share of challenges that the many non-profit organizations and grassroots volunteers in the area continue to work on.
The Winnipeg Boldness Project was created to address the challenging issue of early childhood outcomes, as 56% of children in the neighbourhood of Point Douglas are reaching kindergarten at a point where they’re not ready to learn. This is caused by a number of complex, systemic factors that can negatively affect a child throughout their education and far into adulthood.
While Point Douglas does face challenges, more importantly we know that the families that live here know what’s best for their children and know what they need to find solutions to this complex issue. That’s why, when beginning our work in the community, we spent an entire year speaking to residents, parents, volunteers, and leaders in the community in order to get to the bottom of the issue and build community-led solutions that will work for families.
Acting as our compass throughout this journey, we work with four guide groups comprised of local residents, volunteers, workers, executives, researchers, and knowledge keepers. These guide groups meet on a regular basis to provide community-based insight and feedback around our research and prototypes, while helping to maintain a strong community voice in all aspects of the project.
Our four guide groups are:
Click here to see a full list of members for each individual guide group.
