Building Community Capacity

Greater Halifax is made up of more than 196 distinct communities, each exploring different avenues for growth. Some are focused solely on residential growth, while others are fostering a blend of residential and commercial activity. The Partnership can’t possibly work in all areas of our region simultaneously, so we have prioritized to work in areas where we believe we can have the greatest impact on building community capacity.

African Nova Scotian Communities within Greater Halifax

The Greater Halifax Partnership works with many organizations in the African Nova Scotian communities that represent the more than 10,000 African Nova Scotians living and working here.

Ujamaa

Ujamaa is a collaborative and sustainable development initiative supported by some of Nova Scotia’s most influential leaders from the African Nova Scotia (ANS) Community and the Greater Halifax Partnership (The Partnership) to empower the ANS community to reach its full potential.

Ujamaa takes an integrated, unified approach to community development with a focus on the sustainability of the ANS community.

Here are some examples of what we’ve been doing:

• The Partnership, Black Business Initiative (BBI), Nova Scotia Community College, and the Nova Scotia Department of Labour and Workforce Development recently partnered to open a satellite office in Preston. It provides all HRM residents with easy access to information sessions, business counseling and advice, training workshops, project and organizational development, and other services.

• We’ve worked closely with the communities of East Preston, Upper Hammonds Plains, Beechville and the Africville Genealogy Society, providing support services including community consultations, organizational development, project planning, proposal development and partnership facilitation.

• Over the past year, we have hosted four roundtables on infrastructure, tourism, land development and profiling of African Nova Scotian artisans and vendors. We’ve held more than 20 community meetings and we are in the process of surveying members of the African Nova Scotian (ANS) community on their needs. 

• In partnership with BBI, we sponsored the Afrikan Village Bazaar at the WTCC on February 15th, 2008 with more than 25 vendors and close to 200 people in attendance. The event was an opportunity to showcase African Nova Scotian sculptors, painters, poets, authors and retailers.

• We’ve created a reference group of 15 individuals representing the ANS community, and created a project charter to support and direct us on the creation of a multi-year process that would lead to consistent financial commitments, as well as a broad-based approach that addresses economic, social, health, justice, training, and community issues.
  
  

Spryfield and Sheet Harbour

Working with the United Way and the Spryfield and District Business Commission, we are building the business case and working to attract new investment and jobs in Spryfield. In partnership with the Sheet Harbour Chamber of Commerce, we are also building the business case for this community. We continue to work with stakeholders on various projects, including the waterfront/streetscape concept plan.   We have taken a similar approach in the Preston area. 

We believe that individuals, organizations, community groups and businesses working together to improve economic growth and social vibrancy makes all of Greater Halifax stronger.