The Alberta Active Creative Engaged Communities (ACE Communities) initiative, spearheaded by the Alberta Recreation and Parks Association (ARPA), is a new program designed to enhance quality of life in rural Alberta by strengthening community leadership, collaboration and innovation through recreation, parks, arts, culture and heritage. This program is designed to strengthen leadership capacity to build creative, healthier, more active communities through recreation, parks, arts, culture and heritage.

The ACE Communities Program is comprised of six strategic priorities: 

• Goal #1 COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP:  Enhance creative development and strengthen local capacity by using a variety of province-wide strategies that will nurture existing, emerging and undiscovered leaders to implement the community-led innovation that will result in active/creative communities. 
• Goal # 2 ACTIVE/CREATIVE COMMUNITIES NETWORK: Engage, coach and connect 20 rural and diverse communities/regions to work as partners along with other engaged communities in becoming Active Creative Communities. 
• Goal # 3 YOUTH ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES: Create youth-friendly communities by enhancing opportunities for youth leadership, physical activity, creativity, youth connections, training, education and rural careers. 
• Goal #4 RESEARCH: Amass the Alberta-relevant intelligence needed to support active creative communities and deepen the understanding of matters important to the quality of rural living. 
• Goal #5: AWARENESS & SUPPORT: Build understanding of the potential offered by active/creative communities at local, regional and provincial levels. 
• Goal #6 MANAGEMENT & EVALUATION: Ensure effective Project Planning, Management and Evaluation