Committee member

I’m Stephanie Janes, the Lead Regional Network Facilitator with Community Sector Council NL (CSCNL), and my region covers the entire Burin Peninsula. I offer supports and resources, organize networking opportunities, deliver workshops and facilitate other upskilling opportunities for community groups and nonprofits throughout the region. I grew up in Gander and worked in Central NL until moving permanently to Burin Bay in 2021. My husband and I fell in love with this area and bought a summer home for us and our two girls in 2015, a partially renovated old church. I now get to live in the church full time!

I am a graduate of College of the North Atlantic’s Community Studies program, graduating the same year my oldest daughter graduated from high school (when I was 40!). I am currently completing my Bachelor of Arts in Community Studies through Cape Breton University, and hope to graduate the same year my youngest daughter graduates from Memorial, in 2025. I firmly believe it’s never too late to learn. Previously, I have worked in and volunteered at a health foundation, did a work placement in a Volunteer Management department of a health authority, worked as a Program Coordinator at a women’s centre, volunteered with a Cognitive Stimulation Therapy program for dementia patients and spent my two years at CNA as a volunteer Project Manager as a member of Enactus, an international nonprofit that runs social enterprise and community projects at post-secondary campuses in 33 countries. In addition to my recent joining of this steering committee, I am also a volunteer with WILD Outside, a Canadian Wildlife Federation program that teaches youth ages 15-18 the joys of environmental stewardship, community service and connecting with nature.

I have a passion for community support, collaboration and co-creation, nature and rural NL. The combination of these drew me to the Burin Peninsula and this particular area of the community-based sector. I was excited to accept a seat on this steering committee, as I also have a deep interest in movement, healthy cooking, social determinants of health and true health and wellness. My weekdays begin at 5am, when I drag myself out of bed, and head to the Marystown YMCA. Those first few minutes are never easy, but I know I will have a better day, mentally and physically. It is also important to me to age well, and the benefits of physical movement as we age are clearly shown in research – an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. My weekends often include outdoor movement like walking, running (slowly!), hiking, sea kayaking or riding my bike. I love including movement that doesn’t “feel” like exercise when I can, like looking after my vegetable garden, picking berries and apples, or simply walking down to the cove to have a fire and drink a cup of tea. The benefits to our physical and mental health of just spending time outdoors are huge.

For me, my love of community, health and wellness, movement and the volunteer sector all dovetail beautifully into this committee role. I look forward to contributing in a meaningful way to supporting the health and wellbeing of rural NL communities. I am grateful every day for groups like the ERWC and each and every one of its members; these groups and their volunteers are the driving force behind community wellbeing.