This summer, Revelstoke will be the smallest Canadian city to host 100In1Day.
The international event asks citizens to reimagine the future of their municipalities.
Kate Borucz, the North Columbia Environment Society’s (NCES) executive director, wants to see people come out of their shells at the event on June 2.
“It feels like a lot of people in Revelstoke have one thing. Ya know, they’ll be like, ohh, I mountain bike, or I ski, or I’m in the arts. But to have those different areas integrate is the point of this. I want to incorporate all of them,” said Borucz. “We want to define Revelstoke’s culture. And that’s environment, it’s art, it’s history, it’s recreation, it’s tourism.”
The NCES applied for funding to bring 100In1 to Revelstoke in December and received word in January from the Evergreen Foundation, which funds 100In1Day in Canada, that their application was successful.
The event here will coincide with events in Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto, as well as numerous other municipalities. Nationally, the one closest to Revelstoke’s size is William’s Lake, said Borucz.
Borucz said she was hesitant to approach the North Columbia Environmental Society board of directors with the idea to bring 100In1Day to Revelstoke. She said that’s because for the most part the global event (also on June 2) takes place in large metropolitan centres, and though it’s centred around community engagement, does not directly address the environment.
“I was worried that they would be skeptical because of the lack of environmental, or sustainable living initiatives that are involved,” said Borucz. “But we implemented a new strategic plan in 2017, and one of our new plans was to connect with all aspects of community. Not just the environment, but the history, the culture, and the arts.”
Borucz also said 100In1Day is just one way the NCES thinks it can get its name out in the community.
As part of the planning for 100inDay, on Feb. 26, Borucz held a workshop at the community centre.
Representatives from School District 19, See Revelstoke, the Chamber of Commerce, the Columbia-Shuswap Invasive Species Society, and Everything Revelstoke gathered to share ideas, and to start a conversation about how each of those organizations might be able to participate.
According to Borucz, Parks Canada, StokeFM, Big Mountain Kitchen, and Birch and Lace, have also expressed interest in participating.
Some of the questions asked as part of a brainstorming session were: What do you love about Revelstoke? What do you think is missing? What would you like to see in Revelstoke?
Participants said they would like to see Revelstoke retain its small-town charm and become more diverse and inclusive.
The next brainstorming session the NCES will hold is slated for mid-March.
A stipulation for the Evergreen funding is that the organizing committee holds between six and eight workshops before the event.
The international event that the NCES will be bringing to Revelstoke grew out of a grassroots movement of design students in Bogota, Columbia, in 2012.
According to the Evergreen Foundation, it started as a single day of “interventions” with the intention of “maximizing the potential of their city.”
@Jnsherman
jake.sherman@revelstokereview.com
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