Imagine a restaurant review that focused exclusively on the cutlery on the table. “What about the meal?” you would ask. Indeed.
Knives and forks aren’t the meal. They are merely a means to a hopefully delicious end. Sadly, in the social justice world there is too much focus on tools and processes.
What is community well-being and how is it improved? Those curious about this question will find much to engage them in the newly-published Handbook of Community Well-Being Research. It is the first publication of its kind to bring together foundational and leading-edge research to offer a compendium of knowledge, approaches and insights for improving quality of life in communities of place.
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In the spring of 2016, The Regional Municipality of York partnered with Tamarack to launch a Local Deepening Community Initiative called Connecting Lakeside at its Lakeside Residences Building in South Keswick. The conversations hosted as part of the Connecting Lakeside Initiative helped neighbours get to know one another; discover their shared hopes for the building that they call home; and, discover the gifts, knowledge and talents they each have to share. It also created an opportunity for Region staff and community partners to get to know and work with Lakeside residents to facilitate linkages with the broader community, and to support resident-led projects that have made the building an even better place to live.
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As a representative of the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF), I worked with Headwaters Communities in Action (HCIA) -- a diverse citizen-led group that champions community well-being in Dufferin County and the Town of Caledon -- and supported its leaders in the creation of an initial Headwaters Community Well-Being Report for their region. This required the Foundation to move beyond the role of “traditional funder” in favour of "relational funder", where the agency could position itself as a strategic investor in the community. As a relational funder, OTF could actively participate in system-wide initiatives and gain an understanding the nuances of community work.
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| It's official. The City Council of Kitchener, Ontario unanimously endorsed an inspiring new neighbourhood strategy that allows residents to take the lead. |
Our connectedness to one and other is often what is best about being human.
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