Phase 2: Identify Local Community Partnerships to support Oasis Programming

One of the key pillars of the Oasis program is bringing community organizations and services to a shared space within the community. Therefore, it was important for us to engage community partners early on in the expansion process. Community partners were identified in a number of ways; many partners working with the original Oasis building were invited, as were those located in close proximity to some of the new sites. Additionally, we had already begun engaging residents at some of the new sites and included some of the community partners they had mentioned regarding programs and activities they were interested in.

We recommend hosting a community partner consultation early on in the development of an Oasis in order to develop a local network. Think of community supports that would benefit or interest members, in fact, it might be best to seek guidance from Oasis members in who should be invited, and have them present at any meetings that take place.

Contact Local Community Partners

Fourteen local community organizations were invited to a consultation lunch and presentation in November 2018. These organizations included the Kingston YMCA, Kingston Alzheimer’s Society, Kingston VON, Providence Care, and Kingston Seniors’ Association, among others. Representatives from each organization were sent an invitation (see Appendix 2a) to invite them to learn about the Oasis program and brainstorm ways their organizations could be involved.

Host Community Partner Consultations

Our research team held an initial community partner consultation in early November of 2018, this agenda of which can be found in Appendix 2b. The purpose of our initial meeting was to describe the Oasis program in detail and to explore possible opportunities for collaboration and resource-sharing between community organizations in Kingston. The presentation given by our research team can be found in Appendix 2c. The structure of the meeting was conversational, rather than a formal presentation. Because of the pre-existence of Oasis at Bowling Green II, many organizations were already familiar with the program; however, the evaluation and expansion of Oasis was described and then we opened the floor to the organizations for ways they would like to connect into the program. Organizations like the Canadian Hearing Society and Alzheimer’s Society are able to offer resources and information through information sessions and presentations should Oasis members be interested in learning about these topics.

This initial consultation could be held in a public meeting area or even onsite at the building. We suggest including Oasis members in suggesting who should be invited; there will likely be a diverse group of individuals from the community, which will foster interesting discussion. This meeting does not have to be formal and could be structure more as an interactive brainstorming as to how the community could best get involved and support Oasis.