Over the past four months, Ritchie volunteers have embarked on an assignment stemming from our Strategic Plan: finalize RCL’s Mission, Purpose and Value statements. These are significant to recruit volunteers, and engage with our members, and will become even more so as we apply for additional grants to help finalize the construction of our new hall. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback and comments as we worked through this process..
MISSION
To empower Ritchie residents, Ritchie community league members, and Ritchie neighbourhood visitors to:
Cultivate fulfilling relationships with others in the community.
Collaborate to improve our community.
Know and use their civic and democratic rights.
PURPOSE
We believe connection with neighbours improves our well-being.
Societies are healthier, happier, and more effective when people feel like they are part of a community. Community leagues are one of the few places left in our city where strangers can gather and meet new people with low barriers. We want the experience of meeting people to be a source of joy, inspiration, belonging, and curiosity, rather than anxiety, loneliness, or separation. The RCL lands offer a proximity advantage as well, allowing us to help each other with better ease - whether that be helping deliver groceries, shoveling walks, helping care for a neighbour’s children or pets, or social gatherings.
We believe healthy democratic societies require engaged, informed, and collaborative citizens.
With changes in technology fueling the growing division of people online, the need for people to meet together is more pressing than ever. Community leagues provide the structure and space for residents to come together to engage in dialogue, discussion, and learning. The Ritchie Community League is a non-partisan, democratic hub, which serves as an opportunity for real, face-to-face interaction with members of the community to problem-solve, debate, and advocate for the needs of our community, while also building individual capacity for collaboration and empathy. It also functions as a centralized center for resources related to policy, civic law, and government updates that impact our neighbourhood.
VALUES
These values reflect our commitment to our mission. We strive to align all our actions with the following values:
Community
We encourage relationship-building activities between participants of our Ritchie neighbourhood’s community.
We respect each other's limitations and capacities. We welcome diverse perspectives and look for the positive in each other. We celebrate each other’s contributions.
We are stronger and better when our community includes opportunities for all, regardless of race, national origin, ethnic origin, colour, religion, sexual orientation, sexual identity, age, mental abilities, or physical abilities.
Gather
We don’t take for granted the opportunity of having a space to gather.
We foster and create opportunities for people to gather, encouraging collective exploration of interests, creativity, and learning.
We believe in the importance of togetherness and being in the same place at the same time.
Stewardship
We are intentional with how we use the tools and resources at our disposal.
We care for the planet and our environment.
We care for RCL’s gathering spaces with care and intention.
Democratic Engagement
We create opportunities for our Ritchie community to be updated on changes that impact our neighbours.
We engage in our democratic rights and responsibilities and encourage our community to do the same.
We believe democracy is the best model for governance and citizen engagement helps it thrive.
Healthy Dialogue
We believe communities and democracies thrive best when members engage in healthy conversations with each other.
We are open to growing and learning from each other.
We are respectful in our dialogue. Our words and actions strengthen, inform, educate, or empower, rather than insult, undermine, or oppress.
We have courage to listen with curiosity and compassion to each other’s perspectives, understanding that we may disagree with others.
We have courage to respectfully share our opinions, understanding that others may disagree with us.