On behalf of the collaborative partnership between the North Durham Social Development Council (NDSDC), the Community Development Council Durham (CDCD) and the Enhancing Social Planning in Durham Region Collaborative, we would like to take this opportunity to thank anyone who participated in our research to establish the Enhancing Social Planning and Research Capacity in North Durham and Clarington: a community social profile and needs assessment. The Social Planning Enhancement project in North Durham and Clarington is now complete and could not have been such a success without your input and dedication to the communities in which you live, work, and play.  

 In April 2009, the collaborative established an overall goal to increase the social planning and community development capacity of the volunteer sector in Durham Region’s rural and underserved communities, such as Uxbridge, Brock, Scugog, and Clarington. The collaborative envisioned enhancing the research and social planning activities in these communities in order to more effectively respond to changing socioeconomic conditions and ultimately develop more inclusive and engaged communities. 

 As a collaborative we have achieved these goals through creating the community social profile and needs assessment, facilitating civic engagement at Fall Fairs and distributing information in regards to the strengths and challenges identified by representaives of these communites, in the final report, and finally through partnership development in Clarington by holding a networking meeting for organizations who serve Clarington and its surrounding communities.  

 We will continue to move forward with recommendations from the final report and will keep you engaged in our future endeavors. Please comtinue to visit the CDCD website  or the NDSDC website at www.northdurhamsdc.com for updates and upcoming events. 

 Once again, thank you to those who participated in the research process and for being committed to your community and volunteering your time to contribute to our community social profile and needs assessment. Without your insight and experiences the report and community engagement initiatives we have organized as a result of your recommendations would not have been such a great success.