Impacts of COVID Web Series: Community Connections, November 26th 2020
/FWD Impacts of COVID Webinar November 26th: Community Connections
The beginning of the evening was warm and friendly as people trickled into the virtual room. Once again, Joanna introduced FWD and the nature of independent facilitation. Independent facilitation focuses a lot on community and how to strengthen communities, so we were all very excited to gain some new strategies to do in our digital COVID world. After some introductory remarks, we dispersed into some breakout groups to introduce ourselves to each other, and to discuss some ways that we have managed to stay connected with our communities.
Joanna introduced our guest speaker, Brendan Johnson, Executive Director of the Guelph Neighborhood Support Coalition (GNSC). Brendan spoke on what GNSC does and how it supports communities, and in particular works towards inclusivity and building supportive relationships that bring a sense of belonging. The coalition is made up of 15 neighborhoods and 11 partner organizations who create “healthy, inclusive communities that reflect diversity” and “reduce the impact of poverty and promote equity of access to resources and supports.”
Brendan recounted a story from the beginning of the pandemic about the North End Harvest Market, an initiative that came forth from a desire to provide healthy food to the community. The North End Harvest Market is a non-means tested farmer’s market that enables people to shop for free and have choice over the food they access while promoting health and community. When the pandemic struck the market was shut down because it was held in a school space that was no longer open to community initiatives. Volunteer Barb up and worked with the networks of the school, their insurers, and public health to create a plan to enable the market to continue safely and accessibly. The team found volunteers and created a new delivery system that was even able to support increased demand due to food insecurity created by COVID. The team is looking forward to solving new problems relating to helping keep volunteers safe and warm as the weather gets colder.
Brendan emphasized that the best way to solve problems in the community and the reason he is sure the GNSC will continue solve problems going forward is because they cultivate relationships of love and kindness. He attributed this community problem-solving mentality to the values that GNSC holds. He shared some ways that GNSC meets their values goals such as by anticipating barriers before they exist (e.g. offering a ride so that those without the means don’t need to ask for one), and having AGM meetings that welcome the whole community with food and fun.
He finds that communities work best when they are values based. He spoke about how intentionality, vulnerability, and hard work keeps people coming back to the GNSC community because everyone cares, and recognizes that sometimes that means working through conflict. As a community minded organization, he emphasized that GNSC tries to find lots of ways to say yes, and open the floor for people to share their voice and talents, and this includes children. Johnson recounted an experience where a foodshare was created spontaneously though community coming together people find creative, collaborative solutions. Community is not about control, but is about celebrating ideas and seeing how they can become reality.
He focused on the human impacts of community, saying at one point that we should “ measure how much love we have created together”. He spoke about the philosophy GNSC holds about encouraging others to live their values, say yes, and identify their gifts, where then the role of the GNSC and community to ask “How can we help you share them?” Understanding that there are limiting factors, GNSC folks are open to having a warm conversations, and have lots of programs and opportunities for people to join in the community.
After a bit of Q & A Joanna translated Brendan’s work into the facilitation metaphor of a map vs. a compass, where a compass allows us to find our way even when we get lost or off track as it gives us a point to move towards. She saw that knowledge about our own values can provide that compass point even when we lose our way on our map, or during difficult times like COVID. Along those lines, facilitators knows that there are lots of different pathways to the same destination.
Joanna then shared the framework of “Relationship Circles,” which helps us to recognize that we have all sorts of relationships in our lives: Intimacy, Friendship, Participation, and Exchange. This framework can help us understand the relationships in our lives and how those relationships have changed over COVID. This led us into a group discussion on the topic of changing relationships.
We closed the night with by sharing a pre-COVID resource “75 Actions that Build Community” and discussing how to adapt the ideas to pandemic times. We found that it was definitely possible to do so though activities like: sharing food (fresh ingredients or prepared goods like jam or cookies) with neighbors instead of inviting them over for a meal, attending political meetings online, banging pots for frontline workers, having outdoor distanced chats, and more.
For a recording of Brendan’s talk, and some great community resources, please keep scrolling down.
Join us next week for the final Impacts of COVID webinar on Personal Connections with Susannah Joyce, the founder of Realizations. Afterwards, FWD will be sharing “60 Resources to Stay Connected During COVID” with everyone who attends. It’s totally free so click here to register now .
Watch below for a recording of Brendan’s presentation
Community Connection Resource page
A sustainable society is a community that shares a belief in humanity.
Emile Haddad
Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition
http://guelphneighbourhoods.org/
75 Actions that Build Community
https://www.centreforwelfarereform.org/uploads/attachment/384/actions-that-build-community.pdf
How to Create a Community
Article
Alone Together, in Community Resilience
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-31/how-to-build-community-while-social-distancing
GUIDEBOOK
Community Engagement during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond
A Guide for Community-Based Organizations
31 Ways to build community in your neighbourhood
https://denverdweller.com/31-ways-to-build-community-in-your-neighborhood/
Community Building
Author: Tamarack Institute
Published: Week of April 21, 2020
Here are 5 community building stories and ideas sent in by Tamarack Institute members in response to COVID-19
1. All Hands on Deck: How Community Engagement is Changing in the midst of COVID-19
2. Enging and Celebrating Canada's Volunteers
3. Community Engagement with the Virtual Peer Input Process
4. EPIC Generosity in Nova Scotia
5. Finding Comfort (and Value) in Fresh Past
Start a meetup group about something you are passionate about
Create a block directory. If you don’t yet know your neighbors, this is the perfect way to get started. It doesn’t need to be fancy. Just drop off a sign-up sheet in everyone’s mailbox and, once they return it to you, you can email the final version to everyone.
Host a backyard movie night. Treat the neighborhood to your favorite movie. But keep it PG rated–it will be outdoors, after all. Borrow a projector and screen from a local Non Profit or some libraries even carry them. Try it as a drive in if you have a big enough yard. People can sit in their car and listen to it on their radio if the host is using an FM transmitter
Treat your neighbors to a front-yard concert. Music has always been something that brings people together. Still this one’s a little tricky and depends on the neighborhood. Many would welcome a guitarist strumming on his front steps but perhaps not a full band. You have to know your neighborhood and, of course, be aware and respectful of noise levels. Check out Boulder’s Mapleton PorchFest for inspiration.
Organize a block party. I didn’t learn most of my neighbors’ names until we had our first block party. After that one party, it seemed there was a lot more interaction on our block. This one does involve a little work, but if you share the coordinating duties with other neighbors and keep it simple (at least that first year), this is an easy way to get to know your neighbors. Try doing this online, using a video platform
https://denverdweller.com/31-ways-to-build-community-in-your-neighborhood/
Start your own neighbourhood community group or help build up an existing one. Could be done with a Facebook group or even an app like https://ca.nextdoor.com/ If you are in Guelph you could use this resource http://guelphneighbourhoods.org/starting-a-neighbourhood-group/
Volunteer - Guelph https://pinnetwork.ca/, https://guelph.ca/living/volunteer-opportunities/,
Orangeville https://www.orangeville.ca/en/things-to-do/volunteer.aspx, https://www.volunteerdufferin.ca/i-want-to-volunteer/, or http://canadian-universities.net/Volunteer/Ontario-Orangeville.html
Center Wellington - https://www.centrewellington.ca/en/living-here/volunteer-with-us.aspx
North Wellington - https://www.nwhealthcare.ca/volunteer-opportunities-1 or http://www.canadian-universities.net/Volunteer/Ontario-Arthur.html
Video - What is community engagement?
What is Community Engagement ? - Bing video
Video - The importance of Community Engagement During a Crisis
The importance of community engagement during a crisis - Bing video
Perhaps a way to start to think about how Covid has impacted people who have different life experiences than you do is to read some experiences/perspectives.
Perspectives on the Pandemic
https://liveworkwell.ca/perspectives-pandemic
Finally, Brendan shared this resource for learning about the land we live on: