Priority Areas
In the fall of 2006 the United Way of Saskatoon and Area convened six "community conversations" with people from neighbourhoods across the city to work together to collectively learn what is important to the community and what role the United Way should play.
At their 48th Annual General Meeting, the United Way officially released the information gathered during the community conversations and announced their community identified priorities for the next five years.
- To address the root causes of poverty and alleviate its impact. Under this heading people talked about the need to address the growing gap between rich and poor, housing and homelessness, unemployment, health disparities, hunger and child poverty.
- To create a community where everyone can participate fully regardless of ability/disability, age, race and where they live. Under this heading people talked about the need to engage youth, making the community accessible for differently abled peopled, recognize the important role of the arts and recreation in our quality of life, respect for our community's cultural diversity and the need to confront racism.
- To support access to literacy and skills training and creating opportunities for people to learn from each other. People felt that we should work with kids in school and ensure greater access to education.
- To create a community where families feel safe. This includes reducing crime, establishing closer links between the police and the community, making youth feel valued, and reducing drug and alcohol problems.
The United Way of Saskatoon and Area is currently in the process of determining investment strategies for addressing these priority areas.
