Fast Forward to Flourishing: Collectively stewarding the conditions for our community to thrive

What becomes possible when we care for public education together?

This question brought 80 people from across the Foothills region together on October 15 for Foothills School Division's second Fast Forward to a Flourishing CommUNITY gathering in Okotoks. The gathering brought together educators, parents, municipal representatives, public safety professionals, business leaders, community organizations, non-profits, and post-secondary partners, each bringing valuable perspectives and experiences to the conversation.

Facilitated by Dr. Jessica Riddell of the Hope Circuits Institute, the day invited participants to identify the relationships, connections, and shared responsibilities that help young people, schools, families, and communities flourish. 

And the conversations were inspiring.

Participants engaged in thoughtful discussions, shared experiences, challenged assumptions, and explored possibilities for strengthening the connections between schools and their communities.

Looking for the glimmers

Acknowledging that challenges exist and accepting that hope requires trust, vulnerability ,and dynamic emotions and states, participants were invited to recognize and name what is already working.

What are the moments when young people experience belonging, purpose, and connection? Where are relationships making a difference? 
 What conditions make those moments possible?

Dr. Jessica Riddell encouraged participants to look for these moments—glimmers—and consider how they might be strengthened and expanded. One participant encouraged the room to extend this practice of noticing glimmers in their everyday to promote a greater sense of positivity. 

Public education as a shared responsibility

Welcoming those in attendance, FSD Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Chris Fuzessy emphasized that public education must be understood as part of the larger community.

“Public education also has to be a member of the larger community,” he shared.

While student outcomes remain important, he invited participants to consider a deeper question: What are the conditions from which strong outcomes emerge?

Dr. Riddell expanded on this thinking by inviting participants to consider public education as civic infrastructure—an essential part of community life that is strengthened through relationships, participation, and shared responsibility. Understanding public education as an ecosystem, participants explored how schools, families, businesses, community organizations, and individuals each contribute to the conditions in which young people can flourish.

Flourishing, in this understanding, is not something one person or organization can create alone. It emerges through the relationships we build, the opportunities we create, and the ways we care for one another.

Participants considered their individual and collective roles in stewarding a flourishing community through three spheres: what they can control, what they can influence through relationships, and what they care deeply about but cannot carry alone.

The conversations reinforced a powerful idea: supporting young people is a shared responsibility.

Schools play an essential role, but they are part of a much larger network of relationships, opportunities, and supports.

Fast Forward to a Flourishing CommUNITY invites us to consider how those connections might be strengthened and how we can work together to create the conditions for young people, schools, families, and communities to flourish. The possibilities shared throughout October 15 will help inform the next stages of this work as Foothills School Division continues to explore how public education and community can flourish together.

Foothills School Division extends its sincere appreciation to the Board of Trustees for trusting in this work, Dr. Jessica Riddell for her exceptional facilitation and for bringing the Hope Circuits approach to a K–12 setting, and the Town of Okotoks for generously providing the gathering space.

Gratitude is also extended to the 12 table facilitators and the many community members and partners who contributed their time, experiences, perspectives, and curiosity. The willingness to engage in meaningful conversations, ask difficult questions, and imagine new possibilities reflect the strength of the communities we share.

The conversations have begun; the possibilities are growing, and the work of flourishing together continues.

To discover how FSD is working to flourish forward, explore the Division’s website: foothillsschooldivision.ca/ff-flourishing-community.

Learn more about Dr. Jessica Riddell and Hope Circuits at jessicariddell.com