ASK Salt Spring: Answered - EP 15 - Alexander Fischer-Jean - SSI Chamber of Commerce

Episode Date: July 7, 2023

Damian Inwood talks with Alexander Fischer-Jean about the new Ambassador Program

Welcome to the Cheer.fm podcast, Ask Salt Spring Answered. After many Ask Salt Spring events, we sit down in our studio with Gail Baker's guest and review some of the key points discussed. Hi and welcome to episode 15 where our Damien Inwood talks with Alexander Fisher-Jean, the Operations Manager of Salt Spring Chamber of Commerce, about the new Ambassador Program. Right, I'm here with Alexander Fisher-Jean, who is the Operations Manager of the Salt Spring Chamber of Commerce. And we've just been in a session with Ask Salt Spring with Gail Baker. And the topic today was the Ambassador Program. So tell me a little bit about the Ambassador Program. Oh, thanks for having us, Damian.

The Ambassador Program was an initiative with the Salt Spring Mental Health Network and the Salt Spring Chamber of Commerce. And it's to bring, I guess, mental health ambassadors to the downtown core to really just to help. It's not limited to just mental health. The ambassador program expands to it can be helping someone with a stroller into the back of their car or finding available parking on a Saturday market day. It's a welcoming, it's directions, it's to bring help and I guess a greater some of the volunteers have already been in contact with, you know, the people who are homeless and who spend their days at Centennial Park or on Propane Beach. Is that a major focus of this to help businesses and people feel safer?

Is that part of the process? It is, yes. You know, the program just started two weeks ago we've had a couple of volunteer shifts go out um yes the the concentration the focus really is going to be on the ganges downtown core we won't be adventuring all the way to fernwood or all the way down to fullford um it's it's where we want to improve the vibrancy, the safety, and just a greater sense of community in Ganges. So yes, it's focused in the downtown core. And I think a lot of the discussion revolved around basically just talking to people and getting to understand their problems or difficulties or whatever and treating them as human beings as

opposed to just people that some parts of the community might be frightened of or whatever exactly um you know anyone can be going through something uh depression or you know their life events that can that can change um the outlook of someone's life. And to be able to be there for someone, to recognize someone, to have that familiar face for someone to perhaps go to and talk to, it's tremendous. And we want to build those relationships with anyone. It's not just individuals who are marginalized. It would be for anyone. And it's not, again, focused solely on the mental health. It is an ambassador program to show kindness for Salt Spring. Right. Now, this has come together with virtually no budget. I gather

$5,000 was sort of the startup for this. How can people help if they want to help financially? Yes, we did receive a very small grant from the CRD to launch the program, and that would just cover starting up costs, the purchase of beverage backpacks, the training, some of the background checks and such for criminal record checks. There's a couple of startup costs. But yes, if you wish to donate, it would be tremendously beneficial to the program and to the initiative. You can reach out to our email addresses, ssiambassadors at gmail.com, or you can always stop by the salt spring chamber of commerce office talk to myself again my name is alexander and i can um uh move this forward yes now so far i think

you've got seven to eight volunteers um what is there a capacity for the program at this point or no limit to how many volunteers you could have. There is no limit. The many hands makes light work. The more help we can get, the more shifts we can schedule, the more availability of just someone being there. With this just starting up two weeks ago, we can only cover so many hours in a day or in a week. And if you want to volunteer we would greatly appreciate your help okay um now it's interesting actually i i sort of associated the green vest with the

the yvr ambassadors in a way um but it's much more than that here obviously where they're just telling people how to get to their flights and stuff at YVR. But it's not to the extent of, say, the Guardian Angels in New York City where they are actually taking a very kind of hands-on approach and interventionist approach to problems that they seek, right? It's correct. We chose the color green because the color palette does go for kindness, for approachability, for neutrality. So, yeah, the blue vests are going to be the Visitor Information Center volunteers roaming around, and then the green vests are your ambassadors roaming around.

And, yes. So there are other, I wasn't aware of the blue vest part of it that's a different program we do have visitor information center volunteers that have a different color vest and they're going to be giving directions more they're talking about activities events guiding towards washrooms and public washroom facilities, kayak rentals. They're a visitor information center volunteer. This is really a mental health ambassador. And because that scope is so large, it can be from supporting the RCMP office in responding quicker to something that would not be necessarily minor,

to have that less official look. You know, it's not an individual in a uniform. This is a civilian, closed, friendly face that's recognizable and that may just be, you know, there to give a snack or a bottle of water. Could be a shoulder to cry on. Could be someone to vent and share some of your challenges that you're going through that day. It doesn't have to be always so serious, but they may be able to respond quicker as

they're a roving ambassador. And then when something is of that escalated nature, we have someone who is trained and that could also contact the RCMP quicker as they are the ones who are on the lookout. Okay, and I gather that some people have had training in administering naloxone, which of course is the drug that you use to combat overdoses of fentanyl, and some will be carrying a kit. So that's quite an interesting and very valuable service, I think. Yes, depending on the volunteer and their past experience, their training levels, some of them will be carrying it,

some are more comfortable just administering and such. There are kits readily available in the community, the health unit, all RCMP officers carry one as well. So they are already available and can be administered by those who have the appropriate training and are confident in doing so. Okay, and I think, you know, this is obviously a brand new program, but it's had a very encouraging start, I think, hasn't it? Because some of the volunteers who were here today were telling us about stories of people that they'd met and how well they'd been received everywhere they went. It is extremely well received by the community, by both business owners and by individuals, the residents and the population. Both see it as a benefit, the business owners. That's why the Chamber is heavily involved, because we represent

the businesses on the island, and we want to improve life on Ganges and the safety and such. So this is why the Chamber's contributing and participating, but it's the individuals who recognize fellow ambassadors as friends, as someone who they know, who they feel comfortable in opening up to and perhaps seeking help from them. It's not a stranger. Right. And once again, the email address was ssiambassadors at gmail.com for anybody who wants to get involved or pop into the Chamber of Commerce office and talk to Alexander. Thanks very much, Alexander, for coming in today. And it's been great to talk to you. And you're listening to cheer.fm. I greatly appreciate it it thank you so much for having me