Change is like a friend you haven't seen in ages… it needs to be embraced before you can both laugh about the good old days.
- Shane Koyczan
Prévoyance is the ability to prepare for the unexpected in a world of uncertainty while maintaining your principles.
It is a concept introduced to Canada by the great explorer Champlain. There is no English equivalent. Pity. We could use more of this ability today.
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Fifteen years ago, there was no easy way for large sections of the community to share their opinion without calling a meeting, voting, or going door-to-door. The terms "social media" or "smartphone" weren't part of our vernacular, largely because they didn't yet exist. The first Blackberry smartphone was introduced to the market in 2003 and the first iPhone was released in 2007. Facebook was launched in a college dorm room in 2004, while YouTube arrived in 2005 and Twitter just one year later in 2006.
Today, our smartphones, tablets, wearable technology and the apps they run connect us to the cloud and to each other in ways few would have imagined just 15 years ago.
In the July edition of Engage! we challenged you to submit up to ten photos that were inspired by the theme of "Possible" to bring out imagery that could inspire others.
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Civic Commons is a term that refers to the facilities and shared spaces where a city's residents "celebrate, learn, rest, play, make key decisions, express collective aspirations and provide for themselves and one another. "The civic commons is also increasingly being recognized as an important factor in the quality of life of citizens and the ability of cities to attract and retain the talent and investment needed to support their overall economic vitality.
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Remember the story of the Little Red Hen who tried to engage her friends to help her to plant wheat and then harvest it, make flour and eventually bake bread? She could not engage them until, of course, the bread had come out of the oven and was ready to eat.
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We Can Design Belonging, a report recently released by the Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation, researched the experience of belonging for residents of Kitchener, Waterloo and Woolwich and outlines an approach to improving people's sense of belonging in their region.
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