The BOB team get all sorts of opportunities to work with amazing businesses, social enterprises and other non-profit groups active in the DTES and inner-city. One of those organizations is Tradeworks Training Society. Tradeworks Training Society,  helps foster sustainable independence by providing job-related skills training, counseling, and work opportunities. During the construction of the Olympic Athletes Village in SE False Creek, BOB really go to see Tradeworks in action, as they were teamed up with RONA to create and facilitate the Fab (Fabrication) Shop. Over 100 local residents were professionally apprenticed in carpentry and other skills in the Fab Shop and then placed on the Athlete’s Village construction site as part of the city’s first major Community Benefits Agreement.

The Olympic Village is now internationally renowned and has been awarded LEED Platinum Certification for the entire neighborhood as well as LEED Gold status for all of the buildings included.

And while construction of the 2010 Olympic Athlete’s Village is finished, with the exception of some retrofitting work that will begin soon, Tradeworks remains busy with plenty of other great projects too.

“Tradeworks Custom Products“ provides training & entry-level employment to women in the Downtown Eastside, Strathcona and adjacent neighborhoods.

The Job Shop is another innovative program that Tradeworks supports. Since 2001 The Job Shop has worked with over 600 people to support them in getting back to work.

Pathways provides access to information and knowledge resources for individuals and organizations in the Downtown Eastside. Pathways has worked closely with the BOB SEP team who have enjoyed an excellent working relationship with them.

Tradeworks Women’s Workshop pre-employment program introduces inner-city women to the world of carpentry and registered trades. The program develops essential workplace skills and attempts to get women registered and progressing in a trade of their choice.

Tradeworks Training Society has been offering training and employment programs in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver since 1994. Each program is centered in the belief that mutual respect is key to any relationship, and that a hand up is more lasting than a hand out.

The team at Building Opportunities are thankful to have the opportunity to work with Tradeworks. Check out their site for the great products they offer and numerous opportunities for residents.

Sid Sawyer from VanCity accepting an award from Shirley Chan

BOB was pleased to be a part of two great events that took place this past week. In fact, we were so busy with them that we haven’t had time to blog about them until now! On March 22nd BOB honored our donors and partners with a luncheon at the Shebeen Whisk(e)y house at the Irish Heather. Beautiful crystal awards from Eclipse Awards International were presented to 11 donors (and one BOB team member) while everyone enjoyed the fantastic food prepared by the Irish Heather’s kitchen. The awards, and the respective recipients, were categorized as such:

Foundation Partner Award

Their generous donations provided the foundation from which BOB could grow and develop into what it has become today.

Bell      Millennium     VanCity

Leadership Partners Award

These partners and donors took the initiative, showed leadership and helped BOB to grow. They were crucial in helping us achieve our $100,000 fund raising target through their large donations in the final months.

Joe Segal, Michael Audain, Bob Lee, Vancouver Eastside Educational Enrichment Society (Hendrik Hoekma), VanCity Foundation, Edgewater, VANOC, Alex Lau (Golden Properties)

Bob Lee, with wife Lily and son Derek. Thank you to the Lee Family (including Carol Lee who is not in photo but was at the event) for your continuing generous support.

Community Partners Award

Largely comprised of members of our Board, these partners were the first to give to BOB and played a crucial role in ensuring that support would extend throughout the community. Their, time, intellect and financial make them invaluable and essential partners.

Hendrik Hoekma accepts an awared on behalf of VEEES from BOB's Board Chair Lee Davis

Lee Davies, Linda Coady, Fred Leonard, Chris Gora, Central City Foundation, Michael Geller, Home , Toby Barazzuol, Shirley Chan, Barry and Lynn Fenton, Maureen Collier

Government Partners (Recognized but not awarded fancy trophies!)

Our government partners provided longstanding support, through the Vancouver Agreement and were there with us through all our success.

Western Economic Diversification, MHSD (The Province), City of Vancouver, members of the Vancouver Agreement.

A special award was given to Liz Charyna in celebration of her leadership over the past 3 years at BOB! Congrats Liz!

KALEIDOSCOPE

The winner of Vancouver's Coolest Person 2010 is Jenn Christenson. The award, designed by Eclipse Awards International (A local Strathcona business) was presented to the graphic designer at Kaleidoscope by organizer and MC, Wes Regan.

Then on March 27th BOB and our friends partied it up at Kaleidoscope. This new annual event had its inaugural launch at the Rickshaw Theatre to an enthusiastic crowd. Kaleidoscope celebrates entrepreneurialism while raising awareness of social and environmental issues. Proceeds from this year’s Kaleidoscope went to BOB and the Canadian Mental Health Association, while awesome prizes were donated by John Fluevog ($250 Gift Card to the Gastown store), Steve Cole ($320 worth of tattoo time with him at Sacred Heart Tattoo), Saul Good Gift Co. with a fantastic gift basket and (once again) a beautiful crystal trophy from  Eclipse Awards was awarded to the Coolest Person in Vancouver, which was randomly drawn from ticket stubs. Bands who performed this year included Spoon River, The Left, Rodney Decroo and His Convictions and Boombox Saints. If there was a Kaleidoscope award for best dancer Liz Charyna would’ve won that too!

Spoon River delight the crowd at the first annual Kaleidoscope

Thanks to all our friends and partners for an incredible week and for being a part of all the work the BOB team does.  We look forward to many more action packed weeks and months.

Spirits were lifted, jobs were created, infrastructure was improved, but the most important Olympic legacy may be the demonstrated ability of multiple levels of government, the private sector and members of the community to achieve such a monumental undertaking together.

Two leaders in the DTES with very different roles agree this is a valuable lesson that we can learn from and build on. Rev. Ric Mathews of First United Church and Shirley Chan, CEO of Building Opportunities with Business.

As Reverend Ric Mathews observed, “The Olympics tell us what we already know – if something is a priority we can deliver it. The Games showed us a new kind of collaborative approach to overcoming major obstacles and delivering results.”

Reverend Mathews, a respected leader in the Downtown Eastside, believes that these Olympic Games showed just how we can work together effectively to meet challenges in our communities. “If we can focus three levels of government and find the political will to access $6.9 billion in resources, to bring together diverse stakeholders to the table and work together on a common goal like the Olympics, we can do it for other things too.” Rev. Mathews believes one of those things should be the Downtown Eastside, and Chan is one of the many others who agree:

“An Olympics scale collaboration is particularly apropos now, as the Vancouver Agreement comes to an end with numerous initiatives still underway. By pulling together three levels of government, the private sector and citizens who share the vision of a healthy Downtown Eastside we can continue to achieve meaningful and inclusive transformation here in the Downtown Eastside.”

The Vancouver Agreement, signed between the City, provincial and federal governments in 2000, expires this month (March 2010). The agreement supported local community initiatives to tackle economic, social, health and safety issues in Vancouver’s inner-city, with much focus on the DTES. Building Opportunities with Business was one of the key non-profits focusing on community economic development in the inner-city and Chan, like Mathews, knows firsthand that co-operation and collaboration are crucial to its continued rejuvenation.

The “VANOC Model” stayed true through numerous changes at all levels of government yet the political will to see this massive undertaking through never wavered. The DTES is arguably Vancouver’s most pressing issue, and while much has been achieved here we could achieve so much more with a similar unified and integrated Olympian effort, believe Mathews and Chan. This may be the greatest legacy left by the Games.

Based in Vancouver B.C., Building Opportunities with Business (BOB) is a non-profit organization that is championing an inclusive revitalization process for the inner-city that values existing businesses and residents. BOB is a connector, a resource and a facilitator working to: strengthen the inner-city’s community capacity; identify and build on untapped business opportunities; improve employment opportunities and retention; and increase investment in Vancouver’s inner-city.

On the main floor of 163 East Pender in Vancouver’s historic Chinatown, we have a large room which is available for rent for meetings and events, it is also available as coworking space Monday to Friday from 9 until late. In addition to desks, chairs, tables, couches, we installed several lockable lighted display cabinets. This floor is retail grade, on Pender right across the street from Vancity. As a service to local residents and businesses, we are displaying wares, art, product, crafts, business cards, and marketing material free in these display cases. As you can see their are several empty shelves. Each shelf is over one cubic foot and can hold about 5kg of stuff.

We need your stuff to display. You can display whatever you want, for as long as you want, any sales or leads you may generate you are free to pursue to the fullness of your ability. BOB charges zero dollars for this and many other services. Space is available first come, first served, write coworking@bobics.org or contact a staff member.

BOB would like to congratulate Liz Charyna, Manager, Partnerships & Supported Employment at Building Opportunities with Business on the 3^rd anniversary of her joining the team. Liz is also a Member of the BC Career Development Association (formerly ENET & CMA) and a Facilitator and Community Connector with PLAN Institute for Caring Citizenship. If she wasn’t busy enough with BOB and these organizations she’s also an accomplished dragon boat racer and a dancing machine (Just ask anyone who was at Toby Barazzuol’s recent disco-themed birthday bash!). Liz joined BOB 3 years ago as the Partnerships Development Coordinator, whose role was to enhance access to job opportunities for multi-barriered residents of the DTES.  According to Shirley Chan, CEO of BOB:

“Liz brought with her a positive attitude and quickly established herself as a valuable employee.  She stepped naturally into the leadership role of Manager of Partnerships and Supported Employment and with her team has achieved tremendous results supporting both employers and employees to attain an unprecedented 90% employee retention rate.  Go Liz, go!”

Liz’s incredible supply of positive energy, her leadership qualities and her dedication to her community and city definitely don’t go unnoticed. The entire team at BOB would like to congratulate Liz on all she has accomplished over the past 3 years and looks forward to being a part of her future success.