The Latest

Creating a Sense of Village in Your Neighbourhood

There is a growing understanding about the richness of life that has been lost with our fragmented and isolated lives, and attention is now being given to restore the historic nature of neighbourhoods. The close proximity and frequency to run into neighbours is what builds social capital - that relational fabric in a community. Sociologists have been sounding the alarm regarding our plummeting social capital; the absence of it is impoverishing our lives and communities.  It is what builds civil society. This social connectedness is a primary contributor to a person’s sense of wellness and it is shaped by our local, daily life.

How do we combat the trends of ‘living above place’ versus being rooted, the trend of valuing the private over the common, and of the increasing isolation, fragmentation and speed of life? How do we live out our values – not as professionals – but as neighbours?

Read More

The Rise of Localism

Place matters. The place where you live is becoming increasingly more important.  A recent article in Yes! Magazine explored the importance of localism, a growing trend in the US and Canada. 

Read More

How to Get Things Done in Your Community

Three tips if you aim to create impact in your community: Collaborate in networks! Build bridges with people who are different from you! And first and foremost, Just do it!

Paul Born got a chance to lead a workshop in Berlin, on community conservations, with Engagierte Stadt team members, in May.

Engagierte Stadt is a program, supporting 50 cities in Germany that start community conversations in their own cities to foster citizen engagement and strong cooperation between the economy, administration and the civil society. The Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, and six foundations, provides financial advising as well as accompanying support.

Read More

Cultivating the Power of Residents to Build Community: Lessons from Kitchener

Over the past three decades, there has been a shift in how we connect with one another. Today, people report fewer informal social ties, decrease in tolerance and trust, and an eroding political and civic engagement atmosphere in our communities. Robert Putnam’s book Bowling Alone: the Collapse and Revival of American Community suggests that our overall experiences of being in community have been steadily declining since the 1960s. Research by Holt-Lunstad et al. suggests that social isolation has serious negative consequences for our health and well-being – the impact is likened to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Building communities that bring residents together and help them feel a sense of belonging and connection are more likely to live longer, be healthier, be happier, and act for the common good.

While municipalities have traditionally focused on the built components of a neighbourhood -  paving sidewalks and roads or building houses, parks and arenas - cities across Canada are now realizing that city building also includes the people who live, work and play in each neighbourhood. 

Read More

Civic Leadership and Community-Based Leadership Programs

Wicked, persistent problems that diminish the quality of life in our communities often frustrate leaders accustomed to achieving change within their own organizations and institutions. While they know that homelessness, blight or hunger cannot be addressed as quickly as the strategic challenges they resolve within their company, hospital or university, they understandably wonder why progress on civic challenges is so elusive. And if these leaders travel or talk with colleagues from across the globe, they may also wonder why some communities make progress on wicked, persistent problems and others don’t. 

Read More

Fostering Connection, Sharing Stories, and Creating Community

“People become the stories they hear and the stories they tell.”

_{- Elie Wiesel}

Over the past several weeks I have had the opportunity to learn, and be inspired by, examples that illustrate how powerful the simple act of engaging in heart-felt conversation and listening can be when it is is rooted in compassion and curiosity.

Read More