Building Referral Networks
Transcript
00:06That model of needing one another
00:09to build your community
00:11and be the best resource
00:13for individuals in your community,
00:15whether they're learners or doctors
00:18or children or seniors.
00:21We collaborate before collaboration was cool.
00:25If we're partnering with others, it's a true partnership.
00:29And when we say we're going to do it,
00:31I think you could go to Lloydminster and say,
00:35"What do you know about the Learning Council?"
00:37And they would say, "They do what they say they're going to do,
00:41"and they'll listen to the community.
00:42"They'll listen to the learner.
00:44"They'll listen to their partners,"
00:46because it really is about all-encompassing
00:49everybody that's part of our community.
00:52Staying connected with your community,
00:55attending community meetings,
00:59things like interagency,
01:01we definitely have a presence there.
01:05We know that there are many other resources out in our community.
01:10And so we get to know those resources and refer them
01:13and not just say go call this agency.
01:17We can take people and walk them across to Alberta Works
01:20or to the off-campus learning connection
01:24or to Grand Prairie Regional College,
01:26which is right next door to us.
01:28This type of things, so they're not getting stuck in the maze of
01:33"Who am I supposed to go see, and where are they?"
01:36And, "Oh, I just can't find them. I'm not going to do this."
01:40There are so many people that we see
01:43and want to join our programs on a regular basis,
01:45we don't have the capacity.
01:47So building supports to help the people
01:49that we can't specifically bring into our programs,
01:53whether it's through referrals or getting them into something
01:55that will let them start learning and start meeting their needs
01:58so they don't lose that initiative.
02:02I realized there's lots of people who didn't know
02:06that Flagstaff Adult Learning existed or what we did really.
02:09And so, to realize it wasn't even about
02:11the things going on in the office, per se,
02:14there was more to it.
02:15There was being out and meeting people and making connections.
02:21I realized that as much as that seems scary
02:24at some points that really,
02:26just from living in the community for the years that I had,
02:30I had some of those things in place.
02:32I just needed to use the connections that I already had
02:37through friends, through church,
02:39through whatever community organizations, hockey, whatever,
02:44and start talking to people.