I thought I would take a moment to share some final reflections on my most excellent road trip.
Let me start with some rather obvious observations. We serve a very large region – northwestern Alberta. In our travels we stopped in many communities. Each was defined by its topography (everything from mountains to plains), its history, and its economy. The region, and the communities within, were principally reliant on five industries, but each in differing measure: energy, forestry, agriculture, supply chain and transportation, and tourism.
All I talked to believed that it was vital to the success and future of their community that post-secondary be present and play a larger role. They want this to include a physical presence, where possible.
Communities want to be heard and provide meaningful input into how we can best support their aspirations. They want to be partners.
Every leader I talked to wants to work with us. But most know little about us. In general, there is relatively little knowledge about the nature of our programs and our aspirations for northwestern Alberta. In some communities few, if any, learners enrol in GPRC. We are simply not relevant to some of the communities we serve.
It became clear throughout my visits and meetings that we need to figure out our stewardship model. We need to do better. The exact nature of the model is unclear, but it will likely need to differ by community.
Let me close with a few personal thoughts on the trip. A full week in, we are figuring out how to be RV people – I would now give us a solid C+. All in all, we like it. We can see ourselves venturing out more and more with the RV.
As a final observation, wildlife truly abounds in our region. But it is seldom observed where you expect to see it. On this trip we saw more bears, moose, and caribou than I have seen in my entire prior life. We are blessed to be in a region filled with beauty and wonder.
We learned and had fun.
Your friend,
Glenn