Vital Signs Survey Opens with Focus on Diversity and Inclusion
VICTORIA, BC – Starting today, residents of Greater Victoria are encouraged to share their opinions and weigh in on the most pressing issues facing our region via the Victoria Foundation’s 2021 Victoria’s Vital Signs survey.
This year’s survey, which has been streamlined into a shorter, more concise questionnaire, features a particular focus on issues relating to inclusion and diversity, an overall theme for this year’s Vital Signs program. Respondents will be asked to weigh in on their experiences with prejudice and discrimination and to rate their overall sense of belonging and safety in our community.
For the second year running, the survey also contains questions specific to the COVID-19 pandemic, the results of which will give insights into how our region and its residents are managing the stresses of the ongoing pandemic. How these results compare to those from 2020 will reveal the long-term effects of the pandemic now that it has been over one year since COVID-19 reached our region.
To help make the survey results as relevant and representative as possible, the Victoria Foundation is putting a special call out this year to broaden the diversity of the participants.
“We would love to see all areas of our region represented, all ages, all cultural backgrounds, all genders; residents from all walks of life,” said Victoria Foundation CEO Sandra Richardson. “Paying particular attention this year to the incredibly important issues of inclusion and diversity, we want to make sure everyone feels invited and encouraged to take part and have their voices included and heard.”
Along with the special focuses, the Vital Signs survey asks respondents to weigh in on the 12 Vital Signs issue areas critical to our wellbeing, such as Housing, Safety, Health & Wellness, and the Economy. The information provided will be incorporated into the 2021 Victoria’s Vital Signs report, to be released this fall.
The final report will be a combination of public opinion and statistics that provides a snapshot of livability and wellbeing in Greater Victoria. The Vital Signs survey runs until July 1, and residents can find a link to the survey on the Victoria Foundation website at victoriafoundation.ca.
Vital Signs is a national program coordinated by Community Foundations of Canada that leverages community knowledge to measure the vitality of where we live and supports action towards improving our quality of life. Started by the Toronto Foundation in 2001, today hundreds of communities across Canada and around the world use Vital Signs to mobilize the power of community knowledge for greater local impact.
Victoria’s Vital Signs was launched in 2006 as an initiative of the Victoria Foundation’s 70th anniversary. This will be the sixteenth consecutive year the Foundation delivers the program. The Presenting Sponsor for the 2021 Victoria’s Vital Signs is Coast Capital.
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Background
Established in 1936, the Victoria Foundation is Canada’s second oldest community foundation and the sixth largest of nearly 200 nation-wide. The Victoria Foundation manages charitable gifts from donors whose generosity allows them to create permanent, income-earning funds. The proceeds from these funds are then distributed as grants for charitable or educational purposes. To date the Victoria Foundation has invested more than $250million in people, projects and non-profit organizations that strengthen communities in B.C. and throughout Canada.
Media contact:
Kyle Wells, Communications Manager
Victoria Foundation
C. 250.213.7131 E. kwells@victoriafoundation.bc.ca