Saving for a rainy day let alone saving for future retirement are luxuries few can afford on low and modest incomes. The current system is set up to benefit higher income earners who are greatly rewarded for their contributions in the short and long term to TFSAs (Tax-Free Savings Accounts), RRPs (Registered Pension Plans) or RRSPs (Registered Retirement Savings Plans), of which only 65% of Canadians contribute to.
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What do you do when you have children craving adult attention in a neighbourhood with disconnected adults fearful of ‘trouble-making’ youth? A school in Wisconsin, USA conducted a community survey and learned that the community did not know anything about the school. What the neighbours did identify in the survey was that there were young people running around the neighbourhood causing trouble. The survey results prompted the school to ask: How do we extend education beyond the walls of the school and utilize the gifts and the assets of the neighbours, organizations and institution in the community?
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Disruptive times have many pieces shifting at the same time. We can feel overwhelmed by the changing demands of our workplaces as our offices become more digital; navigate different generational perspectives; and respond to increasing complexity. Likewise, there are significant shifts in the political and work environments - in our social and digital relationships and increasingly in changes we are experiencing in the natural environment.
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The release of the Canadian Income Survey for 2017 came with a welcome piece of news for those working in poverty reduction: fewer Canadians and especially fewer children were living below the official poverty line and the low-income measure in 2017. In fact, Canada has already reached its 2020 target of a 20% reduction in poverty. While there is still significant work to be done to reach a 50% reduction in poverty by 2030, and to ultimately eliminate poverty, it is clear that the work being done by every level of government and by community-based roundtables is having an impact.
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The cost of childcare accounts for a significant expense in families. It is a barrier to employment and a barrier to prosperity for many households. Families are faced with the decision of whether it is truly worth it to work. Some opt to not work at all due to the cost cancelling out or even making them worse off financially. This takes them out of the workforce for longer which can make it more challenging in getting back into it. It can take them out of higher education opportunities because of the sheer double cost associated with fees on top of fees. And some are faced with less than ideal childcare arrangements. It trickles out to whether they can pay the rent, it affects the quality of food they eat, whether they go deeper in debt or can save for the future, to having negative consequences on the country’s economic growth.
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This past month the Tamarack Institute was joined by Max Hardy, a citizen engagement expert from Australia. During his webinar Max outlined some principles and practical steps we can take to ensure that we are meaningfully engaging and empowering ordinary citizens in our community change work.
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