Do you want to make a difference in your community? Are you interested in helping Trail and area communities solve employment, skills training and poverty issues? The Skills Centre is looking for new board members this spring. If this sounds like you, give us a call.
We strive to reflect the communities where we live and work. We want you to be able to see yourself in our organization, and that means we reflect the diversity of the people we serve. Our board of directors also needs to include this diversity, and we’re especially looking for new board members from these communities:
<ul>
<li>BIPOC</li>
<li>Indigenous</li>
<li>LGBTQ2S+</li>
<li>People living with disabilities</li>
</ul>
Our board members all contribute to our success at the Skills Centre, and you can be part of the next era by joining our board and making your contribution.
More about this volunteer opportunity
The Skills Centre Board of Directors is a policy/governance board that meets six times each year. The board is responsible for financial and strategic oversight of the organization and delegates authority over operational issues to staff through the executive director. The board has committees for Policy &amp; Planning, Development, Finance &amp; Audit, Bursaries and Human Resources.
<a href="https://skillscentre.ca/jobs/view/volunteer-board-members" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read more about this volunteer position here.</a>
Our annual general meeting and election of directors takes place in June. If you are interested in joining our board of directors, please contact Morag Carter, executive director, at <a href="mailto:mcarter@skillscentre.ca">mcarter@skillscentre.ca</a>.

You can contribute as a board member

Socializing. The people. And, of course, baking cookies. These were some of the highlights for participants in our Community Kitchens program last fall.
<a href="https://skillscentre.ca/how-we-help/poverty-reduction" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Community Kitchens</a> brings people together to socialize and learn different ways to prepare healthy food. It’s a free program for people living with low income. It offers a safe space to share knowledge and techniques, plan and prepare healthy, affordable meals.
<blockquote>“The cooking class was great. It helped me have full meals, let us visit and get to know others, learn new things to eat and prepare. I love it. I&#8217;m going to miss it.”</blockquote>
We asked our most recent participants what their favourite part of the weekly gatherings was, and their responses reflected the quote in the title of this blog: “good food and meeting new people.” Participants talked a lot about the people and social interaction, meeting new people, and socializing. Making healthy food and learning new cooking skills came second.
This shouldn’t be surprising considering that three quarters of the participants are age 50 or older, and more than half of all the participants live alone. Loneliness can contribute to anxiety, depression and other health issues. Programs such as Community Kitchens are important to building a healthy community.
<blockquote>“This program is great for our community to help feed individuals and families. You meet new people and work together to make amazing meals.”</blockquote>
88% said Community Kitchens improved their social connections and their feelings of inclusion and belonging. 82% said it improved their emotional well-being. All participants said Community Kitchens improved their food security.
Participants come with a wide range of kitchen knowledge and approaches, from pretty raw to well-seasoned. Ultimately, most of them, 94%, said that their ability to prepare healthy meals for themselves or their family improved in some capacity.
<blockquote>“I like the fact that we got to cook everything we made and got to pick out what we made each week. Awesome program!!”</blockquote>
We also provide information about other community resources for our participants, such as counselling, support groups, food banks, disability supports, and childcare supports.
One participant shared this with us: “The classes helped me learn to cook, helped my social skills, got me out of the house regularly and inspired me to get a full time job in a fine dining kitchen as a dishwasher. My confidence has improved greatly. My life has direction and it&#8217;s good to be busy and living better.”
Clearly, this program is working.
Community Kitchens is one of our poverty reduction programs, and when the next session starts, we’re thrilled that we’ll be able to host it in our new community kitchen in our new building. The program is funded entirely with donations and through fundraising such as <a href="https://skillscentre.ca/resources/news/view/community-comes-together-for-coldest-night-of-the-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Coldest Night to the Year</a>. If you’re supporting CNOY, this is the impact you are making.
We also have <a href="https://www.myregistry.com/organization/the-skills-centre-trail-bc/4468472/giftlist" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a gift registry</a> to help outfit our community kitchen facilities for programs such as Community Kitchens.
Back in the kitchen, one participant concluded telling us that their favourite part was baking cookies. You can’t argue with that.
A big thank you to our funders that make Community Kitchens possible: Coldest Night of the Year, Trail Safeway, Hamber Foundation, and First Presbyterian Church, Trail.

“Good food and meeting new people”

It’s time for our community to come together to raise money and awareness on the <a href="http://www.cnoy.org/trail" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Coldest Night of the Year!</a> The theme of this year’s fundraiser is to change the tune for people experiencing hurt, hunger and homelessness, because it’s cold out there.
Coldest Night of the Year is an annual walk to raise funds to help people experiencing poverty in our community. The Skills Centre is hosting the Trail event for the fourth year in a row and will have the start and finish of the walk at their new building downtown.
“We’re asking you to join a team of walkers, gather your friends or coworkers and create a team, or support a team with a donation. You can also volunteer at the event. There are so many ways to get involved in Coldest Night of the Year. Don’t simply walk on by,” says Emily Gora, deputy executive director and development manager at the Skills Centre.
<blockquote>“We invite everyone to gather on February 22 for either the 2 km walk that loops around the two bridges downtown or the 5 km walk that goes out to Gyro Park and back. Bring your walking playlist and walk that line.”</blockquote>
“The fundraising goal this year is $20,000. We’re confident that our community will show the support to make that happen. Most of the money stays in the community and supports poverty reduction right here in Trail,” she adds.
You can donate as a business or an individual either by contacting the Skills Centre or going online at <a href="http://www.cnoy.org/trail">www.cnoy.org/trail</a>. Business sponsorships start at $500 and include recognition in multiple ways for your business.
Walk of life
Poverty affects our whole community, and your contribution makes a difference.
The money raised in past years has gone towards poverty reduction efforts such as the Skills Centre’s Community Kitchens program that helps people create healthy food practices for their household; the La Nina shelter; and the Trail Community Action Team’s work to reduce the stigma towards people who use substances in our communities.
You can register online beforehand, or you can register at the event. Check-in for the Coldest Night of the Year walk on February 22 opens at 4 pm, the walk starts at 5 pm, and then there is a light meal for anyone participating.
Go to <a href="http://www.cnoy.org/trail">www.cnoy.org/trail</a> to sign up or make a donation.
See you on February 22nd for Coldest Night of the Year!
The Skills Centre has a long history of providing innovative and transformative community programming especially in support of youth, women, immigrants, newcomers and people living with low income. It also provides regional poverty reduction programming in partnership with five local municipalities.
The Skills Centre’s poverty reduction programming includes:
<ul>
<li>food security initiatives such as Community Kitchens</li>
<li>running the affordable housing directory and a continued effort to ensure that BC Housing supports Supportive Housing in Trail</li>
<li>advocacy for a living wage</li>
<li>the Ending Working Poverty project in collaboration with Tamarack Institute</li>
<li>offering bursaries to women and graduating high school students living with low income</li>
<li>and the development of a Common Access Card that allows people living with low income to access recreational facilities and cultural events</li>
</ul>
Schedule
Date &amp; Time
<ul>
<li>February 22 from 4:00-7:00 pm</li>
</ul>
Location
<ul>
<li>Events start and finish at 1060 Eldorado Street, the Skills Centre new building, in downtown Trail</li>
</ul>
Schedule
<ul>
<li>4:00 pm: Check-in opens</li>
<li>5:00 pm: Opening remarks + send-off</li>
<li>6:00 pm: Light meal served</li>
</ul>

Community comes together for Coldest Night of the Year

The living wage for Trail has increased to $22.85 per hour, a 6% change over last year.
The living wage is the hourly rate that each of two parents working full-time must earn to support a family of four based on the actual costs of living in a particular community. It is different from the minimum wage, which is $17.40 province-wide.
Living Wage BC released the 2024 living wages yesterday. (<a href="https://www.livingwagebc.ca/calculations2024">Read their news release and full report here.</a>)  Although inflation has decreased from historic highs, cost increases for essentials continue to push up the living wage, which the Skills Centre calculates in collaboration with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, BC Office and Living Wage BC.
“The living wage affords a decent, but modest, standard of living without the extras many of us take for granted. It does not cover credit card, loan or other debt payments, savings for retirement or for children’s future education or the costs of caring for a disabled, seriously ill or elderly family member,” says Heather Glenn-Dergousoff, project specialist – poverty reduction at the Skills Centre.
<blockquote>Housing and food costs in particular continue to soar. The financial relief provided by government measures&#8211;such as affordable childcare programs and increases in benefits connected to income&#8211;was intended to help offset rising costs, but is outpaced by the rising cost of rent.</blockquote>
“Rent has been the most expensive item in the living wage family budget since the calculation was first produced, and this year is no exception,” says Iglika Ivanova, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, BC Office senior economist and the report&#8217;s lead author.
“Hundreds of thousands of BC workers earn less than the living wage and face impossible choices like buy groceries or heat the house, keep up with bills or pay the rent on time.” says Anastasia French, provincial manager of Living Wage BC. “Racialized workers and women are disproportionately affected by low wages in a region where the cost of living keeps climbing.”
Last year, Trail’s living wage was up only 2% to $21.55.
<blockquote>“We will continue to advocate for government to address these issues to make life more affordable for everyone, and to make it easier for employers to pay their workers a living wage,” Glenn-Dergousoff says.</blockquote>
Other living wage calculations for 2024 in the Kootenay-Boundary region include:
<ul>
<li>Grand Forks at $20.81</li>
<li>Nelson at $21.82</li>
<li>Revelstoke at $25.50</li>
<li>The Columbia Valley at $22.90</li>
<li>Golden at $26.96</li>
</ul>
The Skills Centre is one of 450 certified living wage employers in BC that has stepped up to pay direct and contract employees wages sufficient to support families.

Trail’s living wage up 6% as cost of living continues to soar

Updates

Community

Wow! We’re so excited to share our vision for our new building in downtown Trail! And today’s announcement of more than $2.39 million from Infrastructure Canada will help make it happen.
Read the news release, <a href="https://partners.blackbean.marketing/skillscentre/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/NR-GICB-Skills-Centre-Eco-Renovation-Project-Trail-BC-EN_JSC.pdf">Canada invests to make the Skills Centre more accessible and sustainable</a>
<img decoding="async" src="https://partners.blackbean.marketing/skillscentre/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/West-White-final-web.webp" alt="" />

Canada invests to make the Skills Centre more accessible and sustainable

Recent Posts

“Good food and meeting new people”

Community comes together for Coldest Night of the Year

Trail’s living wage up 6% as cost of living continues to soar