The Rural Voices Initiative supports formal and informal community groups, including community health tables, community advisory groups, health centre or society boards, and health partnership tables. The initiative helps communities discuss local health and wellness concerns, identify shared priorities, and take action.

If your community health and wellness group needs support to identify a priority area for action, RCCbc can provide:

• facilitation training or on-the-ground support for community conversations
• financial support for venues, refreshments, child care, and travel over 50 km
• connections to health, social, academic, non-profit, and government partners across BC

If your community group already has a priority it is ready to move forward on, RCCbc can provide:

• up to $2,000 in flexible funding to support action on local priorities

At RCCbc, we often say: “If you know one rural community, you only know one rural community.” Every community is different, so these discussion groups focus on what matters most to you and the people around you.

Here are some examples of what communities have chosen to talk about and take action on:

• Transportation for health services
• Recruiting and keeping healthcare providers
• Creating and supporting local primary care clinics
• Building connections (like walk-with-your-doctor programs, coffee socials, health and hygiene initiatives, and town halls)
• Food security projects (such as community gardens and greenhouses)

The Rural Voices Initiative is not about collecting feedback for outside organizations. It’s about creating space for communities to lead their own conversations, identify what matters most, and turn ideas into action to improve health and wellness.

We can support this work using strengths-based approaches—focusing on what’s already working well in a community—along with tools like Appreciative Inquiry and the Partnership Pentagram Plus model.

In 2024, RCCbc hosted the Rural Voices Gathering in partnership with First Nations Health Authority and Health Quality BC. The multi-day event brought together individuals and groups from rural and remote communities across BC, including First Nations, and Métis Chartered Communities, to share experiences, build connections, and shape the future of rural health and wellness in British Columbia. 

Following positive feedback and strong interest with over 900 registrants, RCCbc identified a clear desire to continue these collaborative, community-driven conversations on smaller scales. Working with a network of trained facilitators and engaged communities across the province, the Gathering has now transitioned to the ongoing Rural Voices Initiative.