Our vision

A vibrant community where there is continuous improvement in the quality of life and where people are able to enjoy all the basic necessities and to participate fully in the process of development.

In this vision:

• there is tolerance, respect and discipline in the community
• all residents can feel secure and safe
• there is a spirit and a practice of cooperation and volunteerism
• residents can all enjoy mental, physical, spiritual and emotional health and wellness
• skills and creativity are encouraged, and entrepreneurship is nurtured and facilitated
• there is a good understanding and appreciation of history and heritage, and an active promotion of culture, contributing to pride and self-esteem
• natural resources are conserved and managed, the environment is clean and healthy, and residents have equitable access to resources
• there is a strong, resilient and diversified economy
• the community is aware of the existing and potential impacts of external threats, including climate change, and equipped to adapt to and mitigate those threats

Our strategies

In order to realise this vision, we pursue five complementary, overarching strategies.

1. We identify and leverage all available economic resources in order to enhance and diversify livelihoods, especially by:
   • supporting our traditional economic sectors (agriculture and fisheries) through training, the promotion of climate-smart techniques, enhanced access to diverse markets and strong producers’ organisations (cooperatives)
   • pursuing the development of our unique community-based tourism sector
   • nurturing our artistic talent and turning it into income and employment opportunities
   • developing sports as an opportunity to generate revenue and enhance livelihoods
   • exploring new and emerging sectors and opportunities, including those that enhance our resilience to climate change
   • supporting all our economic endeavours with appropriate technology
   • facilitating access to finance

2. We nurture and protect the potential of all citizens, especially by:
   • ensuring that our children have access to quality education at all levels, from early childhood to tertiary and vocational
   • raising awareness and constantly creating learning opportunities
   • supporting the acquisition of technical, management and financial planning skills
   • engaging citizens in science and decision-making
   • promoting sports and arts as essential ingredients of human development
   • providing health education and encouraging self-management of healthcare
   • facilitating access to health services, including through a community-managed Medical Assistance Fund

3. We build environmental resilience, quality and sustainability, especially by:

• ensuring that there is integrated land use planning and effective development control in our terrestrial and marine space, with a comprehensive physical development plan and a set of planning guidelines for the Laborie watershed and the marine area
• promoting good environmental practices, including those that help us to adapt to climate change
• identifying and implementing measures to protect and restore our coast, especially in response to climate change and sea level rise
• managing waste effectively
• encouraging beautification of public and private spaces

4. We promote and nurture cultural identity, self-esteem, community spirit and artistic expression, especially by:
   • promoting and supporting research, documentation and interpretation of local history
   • identifying the monuments and sites requiring conservation, actively engaging in their management, and supporting architectural preservation
   • conducting projects and activities that increase local pride (e.g. street names)
   • placing arts and culture at the centre of community development though training, festivals, events and active cultural groups

5. We believe in and we practice participatory governance, especially by:
   • designing and implementing activities that promote social cohesion
   • building and constantly strengthening our community institutions
   • facilitating and promoting collaboration between these organisations
   • establishing and nurturing diverse partnerships (with government agencies, businesses, civil society organisations, and external institutions – including twinning arrangements with other communities and organisations)

• developing and setting up mechanisms to facilitate community-based and co-management of local (public) resources

• actively promoting volunteerism
• giving young people a strong voice and a central role in the life of the community and its institutions
• ensuring that women and men, girls and boys, have equal opportunities to contribute to the life and growth of their community
• engaging our diaspora in all community development processes

Our priority projects

As needs and opportunities arise, we design and implement projects that can accelerate the realisation of our vision. During the triennium 2020 – 2022, we will:

• complete, and facilitate the implementation of, an integrated physical development plan that covers the Laborie village and bay
• sustain our collective efforts to develop community-based tourism, optimising the local business opportunities and social benefits to Laborians while offering the visitor a unique and positive experience
• design and support the implementation of a management plan for the Rudy John Beach Park, with the option of a co-management arrangement between the National Conservation Authority, the Laborie-Augier Constituency Council and the Laborie Development Foundation
• implement a pilot smart community project that will introduce a range of technologies and management systems to enhance economic, environmental and social resilience, with the promotion of renewable energy and a community portal
• participate in the Pilot Recycling Plastic Waste in the OECS (RePlast OECS) project, an OECS-wide plastic waste collection and recycling system
• conduct a comprehensive coastal study of Laborie Bay, to inform strategies for building coastal resilience against impacts of climate change and other risks
• design and implement projects that reduce our vulnerability to climate change
• create a community arts training and development centre that supports all artists and cultural groups and offers opportunity for training, exchange, rehearsals and production
• design and launch a community history project that documents the social, economic, political and environmental history of our community

How we make it happen

In order to realise our vision:

• all our community institutions play their part in the implementation of the strategies, focusing on their respective mandates and capacities – they are all encouraged to develop their own strategies or plans to optimise their impact on the community
• the Laborie Development Foundation, constituted at the federation of active community organisations, serves as the local facilitator for strategic planning and the reference point on community governance; supports the growth of other community organisations; implements a communication and public awareness strategy; designs and executes special and priority projects; monitors progress towards the realisation of the vision; and co-manages selected community assets
• using the provisions of the Physical Planning and Development Act, we will request the establishment of a local Physical Planning and Development Advisory Committee that will assist in development planning and in the review of planning applications

Review draft of 22 March 2020. Download as a PDF. For questions and comments: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.