What is Greater Saint John’s Vital Signs®? 

Greater Saint John’s Vital Signs® is an annual check-up through which The Greater Saint John Community Foundation measures the vitality of our city, identifies significant trends, and assigns grades in ten areas critical to Greater Saint John’s quality of life.

The report card data is a compilation of numerous research sources, much of it local that will help the community make connections between issues and trends in different areas. The findings are presented in a reader-friendly format to make them as accessible as possible.

Greater Saint John’s Vital Signs® also has national implications. We are part of a national Vital Signs® initiative led by Community Foundations of Canada (CFC); our community foundation is one of many across Canada issuing a Vital Signs® report. Every year our findings will also inform a national report issued by CFC. The national report will explore one critical issue raised in reports across the country and will also track local, regional or national trends.

Which indicators will you measure?

The Greater Saint John Community Foundation will consult with a wide range of community groups to ensure our indicators capture the area’s unique issues and attributes. The indicator groups are: Gap Between Rich and Poor, Safety, Health and Wellness, Learning, Housing, Getting Started, Arts and Culture, Environment, Work and Belonging and Leadership. Some examples of core indicators to be included:

• Low birth weight rate

• Unemployment rate

• Water consumption

Why are you launching this program?

Because our community foundation works with a wide range of community groups, we are familiar with many local issues.

Measuring our community’s vitality in critical areas will increase the effectiveness of our grant making, help us to inform our donors about issues and opportunities in the community, and assist us in making connections between individuals and groups to address those issues.

Are you working with other organizations in the community?

Greater Saint John’s Vital Signs® is an initiative of The Greater Saint John Community Foundation: we have engaged the Saint John Human Development Council to gather valuable research information from numerous sources in the community.

Where did the idea for Vital Signs come from?

Saint John’s Vital Signs® is based on Toronto’s Vital Signs®, a nationally recognized report developed by the Toronto Community Foundation. Community Foundations of Canada, our national network, is working on Vital Signs® with several other community foundations, including those in Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Medicine Hat, Red Deer, Waterloo region, Sudbury, Ottawa, Montréal, and Saint John.  To see Vital Signs reports that were published in 2006, 2007 and 2008 in Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, and Victoria, visit www.vitalsignscanada.ca, www.saint-john-foundation.nb.ca, or www.sjhdc.ca.

Each community will choose its own indicators, but there will be some common themes and core indicators upon which Community Foundations of Canada will base its national report.

How is Vital Signs® different from other indicator initiatives?

Different indicator initiatives exist across Canada. Some track specific issues at a local level, such as a police department monitoring crime levels. Others analyze national data from a particular perspective, such as sustainability. All play an important role in helping us better understand our communities.

Greater Saint John’s Vital Signs® will build on existing initiatives in four valuable ways:

Collate broad range of data:  We will develop a distinctly broad picture of the community using relevant national data and identifying local research on a wide range of subject areas.

Engage the community:  Vital Signs® will reflect the community because it will involve the community at various levels, from determining the report’s indicators and exploring research sources, to assigning grades.

Create a national report:  Because community foundations across Canada are participating in this project we will be able to use the national report in two key ways: first, to explore in-depth one critical issue raised in Vital Signs® reports, thereby focusing attention on it, sharing success stories and encouraging deeper discussion and debate; and secondly, to track trends across the country or from various communities.

Publish reader-friendly research: We are committed to publishing a reader-friendly document that appeals to a wide range of readers looking for a snapshot of quality of life and of community vitality.

How will Vital Signs® add value to current research?

Another benefit of Vital Signs® is its ability to draw public attention to the indicator work already taking place in our community.

By consolidating new and existing data Vital Signs® makes a wide range of information easier to access. 

When will you produce the Vital Signs® report?

Greater Saint John’s Vital Signs® will be published on an annual basis, usually in early October.

How can I get more information?

Write:

Jane Barry                                                                  Randy Hatfield

The Greater Saint John Community Foundation        Saint John Human Development Council

PO Box 20061                                                          PO Box 6125, Station A

Brunswick Square                                                      Saint John, NB  E2L 4R6

Saint John, NB  E2L 5B2

Email Jane:                                                                 sjfoundation@nb.aibn.com

Email Randall:                                                             randy@sjhdc.ca

Or visit the Web site:                                                 

www.saint-john-foundation.nb.ca

www.sjhdc.ca

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