What if, we used a “belonging lens” to look at our world and began to see our social problems as a compass leading us directly to the values and relationships that need strengthening? When you really think about it, at the heart of any given social problem, you will find a group of people who feel “pushed out” and values that have been eroded.
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How does a community lead change on its own terms? The Winnipeg Boldness Project, a research and development initiative in Winnipeg’s North End, is working to do just that. Guided by community wisdom and inspired by Social Lab approaches, their story is an example of what is possible for communities that are inspired to lead change.
I recently had the opportunity to attend a workshop co-hosted by Public Agenda, non-profit organization based in New York City in partnership with the City of Toronto. Public Agenda, “helps cities, states and countries integrate the principles, practices and tools of sound public engagement.”
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It was in 2004 at the first Tamarack Community Change Institute (CCI) that I first met colleagues from New Zealand. They had travelled the globe to spend a week with Canadian changemakers and to share their perspectives, wisdom and questions. For many of us attending the CCI, this seemed quite exotic, but little did we know that a bond had already been formed and the individuals from New Zealand were keen to learn about Tamarack, our way of working and community change.
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“It takes a village” is a phrase that I’ve heard repeated at different fora and conversations in the western world. I heard it used again by Allison Hewitt on the Social Innovation & Poverty Reduction Strategy panel at the recently concluded ‘Cities Innovating to Reduce Poverty’ Eastern summit that took place in Mississauga from September 18 to 19, 2018 and it got me thinking deeply about the original meaning of the phrase and how it applies to the work that attendees at this summit do.
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The Cities Innovating to Reduce Poverty Eastern Regional Summit took place in Mississauga from September 18 – 19th bringing together 206 learners from more than 29 cities and communities from across Eastern Canada. This included government and public sector staff, elected officials, community agency leaders, and interested residents collaborating to learn from one another on how we end poverty in Canada.
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