October 16, 2013 - 8:06am
Residents are invited to an evening of stimulating thought and discussion as Vancouver Island University’s (VIU) Powell River campus hosts two visiting scholars from VIU’s World Leisure Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Leisure Management.
Dr. Nicole Vaugeois, a VIU Tourism professor and BC’s regional Innovation Chair in Tourism and Sustainable Rural Development, and Dr. Katherine King, Visiting Scholar from Bournemouth University, UK, will visit VIU’s Powell River campus on Monday, Oct. 21.
Vaugeois and King will give two free public lectures at 7 pm on topics of relevance to the community, including how Powell River can position itself for prosperity.
In a lecture entitled “Planting seeds of Insight: Creating Resilient, Attractive and Sustainable Coastal Communities for Tomorrow’s Generations”, Vaugeois will explore amenity-based rural development (ABRD).
“This concept is emerging as one approach to rural revitalization both internationally and within the Canadian context,” explains Vaugeois. “In short, the approach advocates for the identification and use of natural and cultural amenities within a region to attract people, ideas and appropriate investment.
“This infusion of human, intellectual and financial capital is assumed to drive economic and social development of rural areas. ABRD is gaining attention by rural policy makers within Canada at various levels but what does it mean for rural and remote areas like Powell River that have high amenity values? How can they utilize their attractiveness to achieve resilience and sustainability?”
Vaugeois has been the lead investigator for the Federal Government in ABRD and has many interesting insights to share on its potential for the coastal region. The session will provoke discussion around potential future scenarios and suggest opportunities for coastal communities like Powell River to position the region for long term prosperity.
King’s presentation is entitled “Connecting Young Adults to Natural Environments Through Mountain Biking”.
King is a Lecturer in Leisure Studies in the school of Tourism at Bournemouth University in the UK. Her research interests focus on the geographies of sport and leisure. Her particular interests include youth leisure, lifestyle sports and sport and leisure in rural environments.
About 20 students in VIU’s master in sustainable leisure management program will join Vaugeois and King on their visit to Powell River.
“The students are taking a class in sustainability,” says Vaugeois. “While visiting Powell River, we will talk to community non-profit groups, schools and government organizations about ways they are trying to address sustainability. It will help my students learn about the complexities of addressing sustainability challenges.”
Following the visit, students will write papers on one sustainability issue they learn about in Powell River or on the Sunshine Coast, and find three other examples around the world where communities have successfully addressed that challenge.
“We’ll give back the ideas to the communities we visit as a way of sharing knowledge,” says Vaugeois.
Last year, Vaugeois and her students visited the southern Gulf Islands, and the Pacific Marine Circle route the year before that.
“Case study field trips are a great opportunity for students to bond and visit communities throughout the VIU region,” adds Vaugeois. “Many of them figure out where they would like to complete their four month master’s internships, which is a requirement of our master’s program.”
The free public lecture gets underway at 7 pm at VIU’s Powell River campus.
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MEDIA CONTACT
Janina Stajic, Manager, Vancouver Island University P: 250.740.6288
E: Communications@viu.ca Twitter: @VIUNews
Tags: In the Community
