by Tina Kelly, Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea –
A dozen – the number of years the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea has been welcoming visitors. Twelve years of bringing the wonders of the Salish Sea to eye level. And the plan is to continue doing that and much more for many years to come. Ten years, in fact, is the timeframe of the soon to be finalized Strategic Plan.
The seed of this plan sprouted in 2019 as the Centre celebrated its 10th anniversary. Just as the volunteer Board of Directors started to focus in on the plan’s creation, the pandemic struck and like other organizations or businesses, time and resources shifted to weathering the lockdown, safely reopening, navigating ever-changing protocols and creatively adapting visitor experience. It was time to focus on the now, not the future.
Now the planning is back on track. Last winter the first of two surveys was launched. Striving to foster and maintain strong connections within the community it serves, public input – through community consultation – is important to the Centre. A tremendous thank you is extended to the 330 community members who responded to the earlier survey; you have already influenced the creation of the 10-year plan.
The 2021-2031 draft plan reviews and rejuvenates the Centre’s mission, vision, key directions and goals. Not a small undertaking. Finalizing the strategic plan has one more step: your input from one last survey will help refine the plan and move it from draft to (almost!) done.
This new survey is brief and focuses on specific components of the plan, including key directions and a new vision statement. A vision statement is meant to be a source of inspiration and motivation for the future. The vision should capture the role of the Centre for the next 10 years in one sentence.
Think big. Think memorable. The Centre’s proposed new vision statement is:
“A place of connection and discovery that inspires personal action to protect our Salish Sea bioregion.”
Anyone with input to share is encouraged to participate. The Centre is hoping for responses from diverse audiences: neighbours, teachers, parents, youth, donors, business owners, scientists, volunteers, members and more.
Do you have 10 minutes to spare between now and August 15 to help inform the aquarium’s future? Share your input and share the survey. Visit www.salishseacentre.org/future. (For anyone interested in reading the full draft Strategic Plan, it can be found at this address as well.)
The Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea is a non-profit aquarium and education centre located on the traditional territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ people. For more information visit www.salishseacentre.org.
