From The Hotline, Summer, 2008

United Way Campaign to kick off in the fall

by Michelle Laurie
Local 258 IBEW President

I am honoured to have recently been elected as Chair of the Board of the United Way of the Lower Mainland for the coming year. As you will know from my previous columns, I believe very strongly in supporting United Ways in our communities, as they look to see the needs in each of our communities and work with agencies and organizations to find solutions to those needs.

United Way is the only charitable organization that the Canadian Labour Congress has partnered with – and that partnership exists because we have the same values and goals with respect to healthy, fair and inclusive communities. Labour understands very well the need to advocate and lobby to achieve results, and United Way has also embraced its advocacy role in our communities as it utilizes or undertakes research on the causes of crisis and need, as it brings together people and organizations through funding projects designed to prevent crisis and overcome the needs.

In British Columbia, a province that is in the middle of a great economic boom, we still have the highest rate of child poverty in Canada – and children live in poverty because their parents are poor. This is shameful, and United Way of the Lower Mainland has set children as one of its priorities, meaning that we are supporting programs that ensure more children are ready to start school when they are six (currently one in four are not ready), and that young school children have programs that keep them engaged and teach them to cope with issues that face them in a positive manner. Our third major priority area is seniors – our goal: a community that allows seniors to maintain an independent life, while ensuring their security and well being are maintained.

Many members of IBEW Local 258 have now taken the Union Counselling Program courses – this program is a product of the partnernship between Labour and the United Way, and focuses on members helping members to access services when they are in need. In the coming months, these Brothers and Sisters who have taken training will be coming together to discuss ideas about broadening the program within Local 258.

Union Counselling courses benefits members

Each year the CLC Winter School runs from mid-January to mid-February and during the course of the four weeks over 1,000 union members attend.

The CLC Harrison Winter School is also where the CLC Labour Participation Department of United Way of the Lower Mainland offer the Union Counselling Program training courses. Each year, two weeks of Union Counselling Level 1, a week of Union Counselling Level 2, a week of Unions in the Community and Critical Incident Stress training is offered.

Close to 100 union members take the Union Counselling courses each year then head back with renewed enthusiasm and eagerness to continue their involvement in their unions, workplaces and communities. Many United Way Labour volunteers also attend the CLC Winter School as facilitators and help to raise the United Way profile at the school.