May 25th, 2015
Neighbourhood Connections
In my role here at Extend-A-Family (Neighbourhood Community Connector), I often get the question, “What is it that you do, exactly?”. This question both excites me and makes me nervous! I love to talk neighbourhoods and the integral role of belonging in our lives. AND I struggle helping people see past ‘party/event planning’. Below is a short piece written for a magazine published and delivered within a community in Cambridge (Neighbours of West Galt). It is my attempt to describe how the process has been unfolding in this one particular neighbourhood.
When I think of neighbourhoods, I have visions of volunteers, BBQs, green spaces at parks, crowds of people and the electricity in the air that comes when people gather together for the joy that community brings! The neighbourhoods of West Galt are no exception – there is an energy and vibrancy that sets my community development heart on fire. Here at Extend-A-Family Waterloo Region (EAF), we are so grateful that the folks of the Blair Road Neighbourhood Association (BRNA) have been so willing and eager to work collaboratively with us, as we explore how to encourage individuals we support (those with a developmental and/or physical disability) and their families to engage in their local community. As all great partnerships do, it started relatively innocuously. A co-hosted evening during one of Extend-A-Family’s Open Space nights at Melville cafe, where a local graphic artist and self advocate, Andre Campbell, spoke to the crowd about his writing process and the inspiration for his graphic novel. From this initial event, there have been numerous other co-hosted events. The central theme of each? Bringing neighbours together, regardless of ability. Fall Fun Day, Warming a Community: A Winter Walk-About in support of Cambridge Self Help Food Bank, and the Winter Family Fun Day are all events we have hosted together. These, in conjunction with EAF’s Open Space, our casual drop-in evening at Melville’s on Monday nights from 6:30pm-8:00pm, are all opportunities for people living in the neighbourhood to come out and meet others. These events also offer the opportunity for people to give back to their community when they are not typically asked to do so. This opportunity to serve others is a necessary part for a reciprocal relationship amongst community members. To help and be helped is a crucial part of being a citizen. Being known in your own neighbourhood is a gift to be treasured. When people notice you are not there and miss you, that is an international symbol of belonging. And belonging is what this partnership with the Blair Road Neighbourhood Association is all about.
I was thrilled by the opportunity to submit an article to this magazine – Tara Mondou, the neighbourhood association’s chair coordinated this, of course! – and hope that in reading it, many from this community will become part of the exciting journey happening in their own ‘hood!
To learn more about Neighbours of West Galt, check them out on Twitter @NOFWG or email Sandra Peltier, Publisher speltier@bestversionmedia.com to receive your copy of this truly grassroots publication that celebrates the community of West Galt.