MAKING SHIFT HAPPEN - 2025 PROGRAM & 2024 REVIEW
Program plan and impact report detailing the organization's community sustainability initiatives across the West Shore.
MAKING SHIFT HAPPEN
Conversations | Activities | Events
Building community while we learn how to save money and live more sustainable lives.
2025 PROGRAM & 2024 REVIEW
December 31, 2024
Reimagine West Shore Community Society
Gratitude
We are grateful for the financial and in-kind support of our generous community sponsors, who are helping us Make Shift Happen in the growing West Shore.
"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." — HELEN KELLER
Introduction
Introducing the 2025 Relmagine West Shore Program of conversations, activities, and events intended to keep connecting community members and helping nurture some of the changes we all need to make in response to the Climate Emergency.
Our programming takes place throughout the calendar year and features a variety of local happenings related to the following areas of interest:
- Food Security
- Beyond Blue Box Recycling
- Energy Conservation/Zero Carbon Energy
- Green Transportation
- Nature Stewardship and Conservation
- Conscientious Consumption/Developing a Local Circular Economy
Our 2025 program builds on what we learned in 2024, with collaboration serving as an essential part of building a sustainable community. Relmagine West Shore has been teaming up with municipal and regional governments, other community organizations, individuals, and the business sector to support our grassroots efforts to inform, inspire, and celebrate sustainable and more connected living.
We're Reimagining the West Shore together!
2024 Program in Review
Our team has been hard at work reaching out and bringing people together across the West Shore during 2024.
Here's a snapshot of what Relmagine West Shore has presented to the public so far and what's scheduled for our final quarter of 2024.
WINTER
January – March
- Reimagining Your West Shore: BIG Community Conversation and Launch of our 2024 Program Calendar and sharing the results from our Community Survey (Jan 27/Colwood)
- Stop Getting Wasted (Public Meet-up): Learning how to Go Beyond the Blue Box to keep more waste out of the landfill. (Feb 9/Langford)
- Repair Café West Shore: Repurpose THIS and Fix/Mend THAT! (Feb 25/Metchosin)
- Let's Grow! – West Shore Seedy Saturday: Get set for the growing season with helpful tips and seeds to get you started! (Mar 9/Langford)
SPRING
April – June
- Upcycled: It Takes a Village to Reimagine Our World: Fresh fashion and home décor from Grade 9-12 students together with the latest info and ideas on how you CAN save money and still live a chic and sustainable lifestyle! (Apr 27/Langford)
- Talking Tables/Seasonal SIPS (Sustainability, Innovation, Practices, Solutions): Collaboration with a local eatery to connect folks with good eats and tasty conversations about Making Shift Happen. (May 15/Metchosin)
- Zero Waste Living Workshop: Ever dream of a life where you create no waste? (May 16/Colwood)
- Introduction to Gardening for Pollinators and Other Wildlife Workshops: Discover the wonderful world of 'Naturescaping'. (May 16 and May 18/Colwood)
SUMMER
July – September
- Pop-up at Colwood Music in the Park: Connecting with community about Making Shift Happen (Jun 28/Colwood)
- Relmagine Power | Power Play: Get the Buzz on All Things Electric!: Plugging into clean energy solutions that fit your lifestyle. (Jul 28/View Royal)
- Pop-up at Metchosin Community Day: Connecting with community about Making Shift Happen (Sept 8/Metchosin)
- Get Canned! Hot Water Bath Canning Workshop: Preserve the fresh flavours of the season and reduce food waste! (Sept 12/Colwood)
- Repair Café West Shore: Repurpose THIS and Fix/Mend THAT ... again! (Sept 15/Colwood)
- Talking Tables/Seasonal SIPS: More opportunities to connect with good local eats and tasty conversations. (Sept 18/Colwood)
FALL
October – December
- Relmagine West Shore Annual General Meeting: Looking ahead to 2025! (Oct 9/Virtual)
- Pop-up Sewing Makerspace (Drop-in): (Oct 20/Metchosin)
- Planning Your Year-Round Veggie Garden Workshop: YES! You can grow your own food year-round on the Island! (Nov 2/Langford)
- Green Friday: A Shop LOCAL Tip Sheet connecting holiday shoppers with over 70 local shopping alternatives. (Sharing for Friday, Nov 15/Virtual)
- Swap & Shop @ the Metchosin Arts & Cultural Centre Very Merry Makers Market: Reduce waste, save money, and get your thrifting on ahead of the holidays! (Dec 14 & 15/Metchosin)
2024 Program Impact
We began 2024 with a program of workshops, events and meet-ups informed by a community survey we conducted at the end of 2023. The purpose of the survey was to find out where community members were at on issues relating to the rising cost of living and its intersection with climate change. 177 people took part in the survey from across the West Shore.
We learned that 97.74% of our survey respondents were prepared to introduce simple, easy to adopt changes into their everyday lives if they had a little bit of help to get started, and could see the benefits of their actions. Folks wanted to learn more about Regenerating/Renewing Natural Spaces and Shifting from a Consumer Culture to a Creator, Maker, and Innovator Culture. They were keen to discover Simple Fixes That Can Save $$$ and how to Recycle Beyond the Blue Box. They also wanted to find out how to Produce, Process, and Preserve Local Foods to help reduce costs and their impact on the climate. So, we provided opportunities for people to learn about changes they could integrate into their daily lives and experienced what works and what doesn't, where our plans played out, and where we faced obstacles; which topics gained traction and where we needed to pivot. A snapshot of our project metrics appear on Page 8.
During our first year, we discovered a receptive community eager to come together to share stories and embrace some necessary changes with courage, creativity, a "can do" attitude, and plenty of good humour! We have greatly enjoyed teaming up with like-spirited organizations on events and activities and also contributing to our local economy through this work.
Relmagine West Shore is grateful for the collaborative relationships we have forged with organizations like the Capital Regional District's Climate Action Team, Flourish! School Food Society, South Island Climate Action Network, Metchosin Arts and Cultural Centre Association and others. And we're excited to be expanding our collaborative network in 2025 to include a number of local community food security champions!
Relmagine West Shore has received a great deal of positive feedback on the "look" of our marketing materials, which are intentionally vibrant and often invoke a little whimsy to grab folks' attention and hopefully make them smile as they 'shift'.
The West Shore has experienced unprecedented growth over the past 10-15 years. Since Langford is home to 55% of the West Shore's population of nearing 85,000 people, we set out to deliver 50% of our In-Person programming in the City of Langford. But our best intentions couldn't overcome the challenges of securing suitable (available, affordable, and appropriate) spaces for our offerings. The above chart shows the actual distribution of our workshops, events, and meet-ups for 2024.
In-Person
Relmagine-Hosted Community Conversations, Activities & Events
- WINTER 2024 (January to March): 4 Events | 450 Participants/Direct Contacts
- SPRING 2024 (April to June): 5 Events | 417 Participants/Direct Contacts (including 130 Royal Bay Secondary students)
- SUMMER 2024 (July to September): 5 Events | 471 Participants/Direct Contacts
- FALL 2024 (October to December): 5 Events | 386 Participants/Direct Contacts
Digital Campaigns
Website Activity & Social Media JANUARY 1 TO DECEMBER 31, 2024
- WEB ANALYTICS: 4,346 Unique Website Users, 11,000 Page Views
- SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS: 293 Facebook Followers, 123 Instagram Followers
- E-NEWSLETTER: 177 Subscribers
- GREEN FRIDAY PAGE/MAP: 501 Views
Volunteerism
JANUARY 1 TO DECEMBER 31, 2024
- 102 Event Volunteers
- 3 Board/Director Volunteers
- 1304 Volunteer Hours
Paid Memberships
JANUARY 1 TO DECEMBER 31, 2024
- 21 Individual Members
- 2 Business Members
Questions?
Please contact us at connect@reimagineus.ca
2025 Program Overview
Our Relmagine West Shore team is excited to apply what we've learned in year one to our next round of program planning. We're increasing the number of educational events which equip people with skills they can apply to save money and reduce their impacts on the planet. We're also intending to take part in more large-scale community events where we can go to where people are already congregating to share our offerings and opportunities to Make Shift Happen.
WINTER
January – March
- Cozy Soup Workshop: Learn how to make delicious soups from scratch! (January/Colwood)
- Metchosin and West Shore Farm to Fork Map & Food Calendar: Making local connections between producers and consumers and highlighting opportunities for folks to learn how to grow, process and preserve their own. In collaboration with the Metchosin Agricultural Advisory Select Committee, Metchosin Grown Society and others.
- Repair Café West Shore: Fixing stuff in collaboration with the Langford Residents Association (February 22/Langford)
- West Shore Seedy Saturday – Let's GROW!: Get set for the growing season with helpful tips and seeds to get you started! In collaboration with Flourish! School Food Society (March 8/Langford)
- Introduction to Gardening for Pollinators: Discover the wonderful world of 'Naturescaping'. (March 8/Langford and part of Seedy Saturday)
- Building Incredible Soil: Learn why soil is so important when you're growing your own. (March/Langford)
SPRING
April – June
- Container Gardening Workshop: Discover the fruits, veggies and flowers you can grow in small spaces. (April/Colwood)
- Exploring Citizen Science / iNaturalist: What is citizen science and how can we connect with the biodiversity in our neighbourhoods? (April/Colwood)
- Composting Basics Workshop: What is the recipe for compost success and why does composting matter? (April/Colwood)
- Earth Week – Upcycled 2: Fresh fashion and home décor from Grade 9-12 students together with the latest info on how you CAN save money and still live a chic and sustainable lifestyle! (April/Langford)
- Craftivist 2025: Culmination of a student craft project celebrating sustainable living solutions. Part of Upcycled 2. (April/Langford)
- Kick-off to West Shore Tomato Challenge: Sharing locally-sourced tomato seedlings, promoting food gardening, and stimulating a little local competition! (April/Langford)
- Food Preservation Basics: Learn the basics of how to preserve the summer's abundance. (May/Langford)
- Tomato Challenge @ Luxton Spring Fair: Hear more about the challenge before it's too late! (May/Langford)
SUMMER
July – September
- Pop-ups at Music in the Park Events: Connecting with community about Making Shift Happen and the progress of the Tomato Challenge for 2025 (June and July; Colwood & Langford)
- Canada Days in Langford & View Royal: Connecting with community about Making Shift Happen! (July/Langford & View Royal)
- Pop-Up at Eats & Beats with a Tomato Challenge Culinary Throw-down: Making Shift Happen & Having Some GO LOCAL Pizza Fun (July/Colwood)
- Metchosin Grown! Tomato Tasting: Fabulously fresh and flavourful! (August/Metchosin)
- Pop-up at Metchosin Community Day: Connecting with community about Making Shift Happen (September/Metchosin)
- Tomato Challenge @ Luxton Fall Fair: Connecting with community about Making Shift Happen with Fresh Salsa! (September/Langford)
- Get Canned! Hot Water Bath Canning Workshop: Preserve fresh flavours of the season and reduce food waste! (September/Colwood)
- Repair Café West Shore: Fixing stuff in collaboration with the Langford Residents Association (September 27/Langford)
FALL
October – December
- Relmagine Harvest Supper – A Metchosin and West Shore Farm to Fork: happening to create a harvest meal featuring local ingredients which showcase international flavours, together with live entertainment sponsored by the West Shore Arts Council. All event proceeds to benefit the Goldstream Food Bank. (October/Langford)
- Pop-up Sewing Makerspace (Drop-in): (October/Colwood)
- Planning Your Year-Round Veggie Garden: YES! You can grow your own food year-round on Vancouver Island! (November/Langford)
- Green Friday: A Shop LOCAL Tip Sheet connecting holiday shoppers with sustainable shopping options. (Virtual Campaign Kicking off November 15)
- Swap & Shop @ the Metchosin Arts & Cultural Centre Very Merry Makers Market: Reduce waste, save money, and get your thrifting on ahead of the holidays! (December/Metchosin)
Projected Program Impact for 2025
Relmagine West Shore's 2025 scope of community service will build on our programming successes and growing network of collaborative partners with a special emphasis on local agriculture and food this year - connecting more consumers with producers via a Metchosin and West Shore Farm to Fork Map & Food Calendar in collaboration with the District of Metchosin's Agriculture Advisory Select Committee and the Metchosin Grown Society. There will be more workshops to empower people to grow, process and preserve their own foods. We will again host a West Shore Seedy Saturday in collaboration with Flourish! School Food Society and also will organize a West Shore Tomato Challenge, where we'll offer community members free tomato starts and the opportunity to share stories of their growing journey on social media, challenge VIPs to a pizza cook-off with their locally grown tomatoes, taste seasonal flavours, and invite folks to process their harvest and enter in a sassy Salsa-Making contest at the Luxton Fall Fair in September.
We are excited to continue our West Shore Repair Café, now in collaboration with the Langford Residents Association with the central home base of Langford's Gordon United Church where we'll offer folks access to volunteer support to keep more items out of the landfill. Relmagine will also be building on the terrific foundation we established with teachers and students and will be expanding our efforts to engage youth with Upcycled 2, a showcase of upcycled student fashion, art and home décor and Craftivist 2025, a student craft project to create a fibre mosaic of sustainable living solutions through the eyes of local youth.
We look forward to providing greater access to more practical opportunities to engage people of all ages in helping to make the West Shore a more connected and sustainable community.
As the West Shore continues to grow, we will continue to make every effort to bring our programming to the people. Based on our current planning and getting a much earlier start with booking popular facilities, we expect to achieve our goal of offering 50% of our workshops/events in the City of Langford during 2025!
The above chart shows our expected distribution of workshops, events, and meet-ups for 2025.
In-Person
Relmagine-Hosted Community Conversations, Activities & Events
- WINTER 2025 (January to March): 6 Events | 550 Participants/Direct Contacts
- SPRING 2025 (April to June): 8 Events | 490 Participants/Direct Contacts | 500 Farm to Fork Maps Handed Out
- SUMMER 2025 (July to September): 10 Events | 1000 Participants/Direct Contacts | 500 Farm to Fork Maps Handed Out
- FALL 2025 (October to December): 5 Events | 500 Participants/Direct Contacts
Digital Campaigns
Website Activity & Social Media TO DECEMBER 31, 2025
- WEB ANALYTICS: 5,000 Unique Website Users, 12,000 Page Views
- SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS: 400 Facebook Followers, 225 Instagram Followers
- E-NEWSLETTER: 250 Subscribers
Volunteerism
TO DECEMBER 31, 2025
- 100 Event Volunteers
- 3 Board/Director Volunteers
- 1250 Volunteer Hours
Paid Memberships
TO DECEMBER 31, 2025
- 35 Individual Members
- 4 Business Members
Questions?
Please contact us at connect@reimagineus.ca
Our Finances
Financial Reporting 2024/2025 December 31, 2024
Revenue
| Description | 2024 Budget | 2024 YTD | 2025 Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Account Balance | $ 1,011.62 | ||
| Municipal Grants-In-Aid (Colwood, Langford, View Royal, Metchosin, Highlands) | $ 5,300.00 | $ 5,345.00 | $ 8,467.00 |
| Grants (includes our 2025 Community Gaming Grant Application) | $ 3,500.00 | $ 5,000.00 | $ 13,000.00 |
| Sponsorships (with a 2025 focus on the Farm to Fork Initiative) | $ 5,000.00 | $ 1,245.93 | $ 8,500.00 |
| Donations/Member Contributions (including Event Donations) | $ 2,000.00 | $ 1,257.10 | $ 550.00 |
| Temporary Director Contributions (temporarily carrying program expenses pending reimbursement) | $ 0.00 | $ 5,176.37 | $ 0.00 |
| Membership Dues (25 @ $25; 5 @ $50) | $ 875.00 | $ 500.00 | $ 600.00 |
| Workshop/Event Fees | $ 350.00 | $ 106.00 | $ 500.00 |
| Other Income & Interest | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 |
| Total income | $ 17,025.00 | $ 19,642.02 | $ 31,617.00 |
Expenses
| Description | 2024 Budget | 2024 YTD | 2025 Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Society Legal/Administrative Expenses | |||
| BC Societies Fees (Annual Filings) | $ 100.00 | $ 40.00 | $ 100.00 |
| Directors & Officers Insurance | $ 450.00 | $ 0.00 | $ 450.00 |
| Public Liability Insurance | $ 350.00 | $ 275.23 | $ 630.00 |
| Membership Fees/Dues (WestShore Chamber of Commerce) | $ 350.00 | $ 0.00 | $ 400.00 |
| Miscellaneous | $ 300.00 | $ 16.04 | $ 250.00 |
| Community Outreach & Engagement | |||
| Website (Domain Registration/Hosting and related expenses) | $ 650.00 | $ 552.75 | $ 750.00 |
| Advertising & Promotional Materials (Cards, Flyers, Signage, etc.) | $ 2,300.00 | $ 3,994.30 | $ 3,400.00 |
| Workshops/Events/Meet-ups (Venue, Hosting, Coordination Services) | $ 6,000.00 | $ 5,468.68 | $ 18,930.00 |
| Instructor/Presenter Honoraria | $ 5,000.00 | $ 1,547.50 | $ 4,225.00 |
| Return/Reimbursement of Director Temporary Contributions | $ 0.00 | $ 5,057.39 | $ 0.00 |
| Online Payment Processing/Merchant Service Fees | $ 100.00 | $ 104.60 | $ 75.00 |
| Bank Charges | $ 50.00 | $ 28.80 | $ 50.00 |
| Branded Merchandise | $ 200.00 | $ 404.16 | $ 300.00 |
| Volunteer Appreciation (Food & Beverage, Gift Cards) | $ 300.00 | $ 294.82 | $ 775.00 |
| Contingency | $ 350.00 | $ 0.00 | $ 350.00 |
| Total expenses | $ 16,500.00 | $ 17,784.27 | $ 30,685.00 |
Net Revenue
| Description | 2024 Budget | 2024 YTD | 2025 Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income minus expenses | $ 525.00 | $ 1,857.75 | $ 932.00 |
In-Kind Contributions
| Description | 2024 Budget | 2024 YTD | 2025 Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Event Expenses (Power Play)* | $ 1,497.98 |
*2024 In-Kind Sponsorships: Westhills and Gablecraft Homes provided 20'x20' Tents for the Power Play @ a value of $800 ($400 x 2); Canadian Tire provided two 2-burner induction cooktops @ a total value of $447.98 (which were donated to Women in Need after the event); and Thrifty Foods provided a Gift Card valued at $250 to enable us to provide refreshments for event volunteers.
About Our Leadership Team
Our seasoned leadership team is comprised of positive change-makers who care deeply about the West Shore. We are proven leaders who understand the value of collaboration and have the know how to deliver engaging events and special initiatives in support of grassroots climate action.
Please support our quest to build community as we adapt to life's changes TOGETHER.
Cindy Moyer
PRESIDENT
Her local community non-profit work includes the leadership of Climate Action West Shore (CRD EcoStar Award winner) while a director with the WestShore Chamber of Commerce.
Gwen Snyder
TREASURER
Gwen ran the Royal Bay Bakery, a successful and award-winning family food enterprise in Colwood, for over 20 years, and has served as a director on multiple non-profit boards.
A significant edible landscape in Gwen's Garden provides an organic source of ingredients she transforms into healthy products she loves to share. Gwen cultivates authentic connections, striving to build an inclusive community culture that leaves no one behind.
Shannon Carman
VICE-PRESIDENT & SECRETARY
Shannon has a background in communications, as well as experience in administration (Metchosin Farm, Ragnarock Studios, Coast Collective) grant writing, bookkeeping, and social media.
She has served on various executives, including as the Chair of the Healthy Communities Advisory Select Committee for Metchosin Council. Shannon grew up on the West Shore and is now raising her two young daughters here.
More Gratitude
We are grateful for the collaborative relationships we are forging with other community organizations who share our passion to Make Shift Happen in the growing West Shore.
connect@reimagineus.ca RelmagineUs.ca
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