Join us in the living room space we will be making cozy on Saturday October 14 in front of the City Hall! Heather Majaury, the coordinator of the Festival of Neighbourhoods and David Alton, the facilitator of the Lived Expertise Working Group will be your hosts for the day.
Session 1:
Spaces, Places, & Faces: Festival of Neighbourhood
A Lively and interactive facilitated POP UP PARK LIVING ROOM session helping visitors to think outside the box when it comes to park planning. Get Creative & Brainstorm.Have fun considering what park lands and shared living space means to you and your neighbourhoods. What works for one part of the city may not be what works for another? Share ideas about where to go now. Walking Paths, Nature Areas, Food Forests, Playgrounds and other Activities for All Ages. Contemplate our joy, connection, collective health and well-being and the mutil-layered use of shared spaces and conscious places. Consider how to realize more Propinquity in Kitchener Parks now and in the future through a playful approach to good conversation
LUNCH & LEARN with The Social Development Centre
Bring your lunch and hang out at the POP UP PARK LIVING ROOM. This is a casual time to visit our installation and learn about the Social Development Centre Waterloo Region. Sit and chat with hosts David Alton: Coordinator Lived Expertise Working Group and Heather Majaury: Festival of Neighbourhoods Coordinator. They will share interesting anecdotes and share what programs and opportunities there are to get involved with the SDCWR. As we emerge from COVID there are all sorts of ways to benefit from and be a part of the Social Development Centre. It’s a great way to meet people, exchange ideas, connect with change makers and thought leaders throughout the region. Learn about Festival of Neigbourhoods, The Civic Hub, Eviction Prevention, and the Lived Expertise Working Group, Electricity Subsidy Support and most recently our Ride for Refuge. We are a space where you are invited to find your place.
Session 2:
Homelessness, Parks & Community
Canada is facing a growing homelessness crisis. What does that mean for our park spaces? You have likely already seen people living in tent communities in parks across the City. Meet Lived Expertise Consultants at the POP UP PARK LIVING ROOM, to ask your questions and learn from the people directly supporting unsheltered communities. Put faces to the homelessness crisis and learn how you can play a role in getting people housed. Parks are shared spaces for all residents of the City, but that doesn’t mean navigating the complexity of this crisis isn’t challenging for us all. This session is a safe space for visitors to ask questions, build understanding, and imagine solutions together. Explore a human rights approach to housing and how unsheltered communities, advocates and city staff are striving to meet it.