Acute Propinquity Dysfunction, Your Neighbourhood Too?
Signs your neighbourhood is suffering from the Acute Propinquity Dysfunction: Empty Streets No one is outside hanging out Rarely do you see people walking biking jogging conversing Everyone you know is only ever seen inside a car or a building There are no living breathing human beings spotted on the streets
These Boosters can Help!
Organize a neighbourhood (Winterlude) snow man show Create an online arts & crafts group Shop and make deliveries for neighbours who cannot leave their homes Start a Book Club Walk & Bike when you can Cross Country Ski & Snowshoe in your snow covered green spaces & walking paths
Book a Covid Safe Virtual Living Room or our physical COVID Safe LIVING Room to you at your next public event? Let’ chat heather@waterlooregion.org.
Register your activities and let us know how you are boosting PROPINQUITY in your neighbourhood!
2024 Connect the Dots Community Based Summit: Big Success
About 80 people from Kitchener attended this year’s community summit. Over 30 grass roots collectives from neighbourhood organizations to various affinity groups shared common interests about social concerns. There was representation from municipal and regional offices who also participated by hosting information tables on the day of the Summit. It created a real opportunity for people who share common geographic locations but who may be different in other key ways. It offered the opportunity to exchange knowledge, compare circumstances and build both common ground and connection.
City of Kitchener Love My Hood attended as did the City of Kitchener’s Lived Expertise Working Group and the Region of Waterloo’s Plan to End Chronic Homelessness participants. This offered Kitchener residents a chance to connect to active working groups, and offices connected to the municipality that are directly engaged in improving our shared quality of life while addressing the most pressing issues of our day in a more relaxed environment than other mechanisms for civic engagement that more formal.
At the Summit we were able to share thoughts, opinions, and shared desires related to two core questions.
Question One: “I we us they belong when…?”
Question Two: “How do we make where we live a kinder place?”
I we us they belong when…?
When considering belonging feed back included important points like safety which seemed to be improved by indicators of familiarity such as knowing our neighbours’ names. This connected directly to the Festival of Neighbourhoods propinquity pillar which extends a commitment to creating and feeling a sense of kinship amongst strangers in our neighourhoods through gatherings that neighbours create. There were various themes that emerged in the conversations related to belonging. These included equity, being heard, and ownership.
Equity
People fed back that when basic needs are met it contributes to knowing you belong. This relates as well to ensuring that resources are shared equitably. Through an equitable approach basic needs can become more accessible to those who are most in need. This can have real impact on how people feel they are included. Two of the Festival of Neighbourhoods pillars are Inclusion and Belonging. This was an important sentiment reflected in the comments by several of the tables participating.
Being Heard
On the matter of inclusion and belonging there was significant feedback that spoke to the heart of the matter through these comments. “When voices are listened to with an intent to understand, people feel heard and that contributes to that feeling of belonging that also helps you know you are welcome. All of this gives us a sense of ownership; that we belong to a place we call our place. When you have that feeling of belonging you feel invested in where you live. We feel most welcomed when decisions are not imposed.”
Ownership
There was a strong belief in trusting bottom-up decision-making. It was felt this invoked trust of the grass-roots. And supported individuals as well as collectives with common interests in gaining some sense of control over their lives. It was considered that gaining this control aligned with the values of self-determination which then helps everyone have a stake in the city.
Connecting
Different tables from different neighbourhoods were expressing their lived experiences with each other and neighbours had the opportunity to share what they were experiencing directly with various members of local government from both Kitchener and the Region who attended the event. We were very pleased to have representatives from all levels of government who live in Kitchener attend the event and address the crowd. This included federal, provincial, regional and municipal representatives. The Festival of Neighbourhoods provides a real opportunity for elected officials who are our neighbours to connect with regular folks from all walks of life and create rapport that otherwise might not occur.
Well-Being
A big topic that came forward was housing and the challenges that some Kitchener Neighbours are experiencing around mass renovictions occurring in vertical villages. Some buildings can have hundreds of individual units which if they were stretched out as single houses on a street would be considered quite expansive or large neighbourhoods. One of the areas of concentration for the Festival this year was looking at challenges for people who live in these tall neighbourhoods to foster shared senses of well being. Another important pillar of the Festival.
Those who are experiencing vulnerable circumstances were able to communicate very tangible and real concerns that related to both the belonging question and how we create more kindness when we know we are experiencing a growing affordable housing crisis in the city. One of the questions brought forth was, “How could local City Councillors be more responsive to citizen’s concerns?” For example people expressed wanting to have connection with Council before landlord tenant hearings.
There were specific concerns expressed regarding the special needs for safety, security, supports and housing for seniors, citizens on fixed incomes, single parents and persons with disabilities. There was a general call for councilors to take steps now to preserve our affordable housing supply to meet these distinctive and varying needs while creating more options to fill identifiable gaps. The general sentiment that was voiced by several tables on the day of the Summit was for all political parties in power to uplift people over profits.
There was a direct ask and assertion that people attending the summit wanted council to pass a housing protection bylaw as soon as possible. Because otherwise citizens are facing a risk of homelessness. We were told that we need mechanisms to stop renovictions. This would be one way to help people feel more of a sense of trust and safety in their neighbourhoods. There was general support and agreement that a balanced approach to current challenges was desired where we can assess what is going right and what is currently going wrong so our city can make the changes that would increase belonging and kindness where we live.
How do we make where we live a kinder place?
Generally, people wanted to open doors for everyone experiencing homelessness and there were desires for more commitment to actions. There was understanding that some of us might need to put ourselves out of our comfort zones when considering actions that would support equitable approaches to these challenges. There were lots of suggestions for doing things together that would be multi-generational and working toward lessening polarity where us versus them stances seems to be more common than people would like. There were also suggestions for decolonizing language and holidays to create more inclusion and a desire to support and help each other wherever possible. Listening was equated to showing and acting intentional with mutual respect.
Inclusion
There were concerns about the loss and erosion of public third spaces that are inclusive, and accessible where everyone can meet. There was an expressed desire to encourage accepting people as they define/see/name themselves. What was striking throughout the event was the sense of care people were bringing with them and we hope that those who attended were inspired to take the spirit of such welcoming and kindness into their neighbourhoods to transform strangers into potential friends.
Options
One neighourhood shared that they do not have a community centre, and that more meeting places with resources that encouraged gathering and connecting were valued and desired. It was affirmed that when neighbourhoods lack these resource there can be challenges. The spirit of the desire to remove obstacles once a larger enough group agree on a project was important to support so that no one can go back on agreements.
Ideas
People shared ideas that would help improve where they lived. These included picnic tables, yard sales, and gardens. They discussed the need for more security cameras at some housing complexes. They saw the value in creating giveaways for clothing, furniture, and food, to help offset costs for those neighbours struggling to make ends meet but also to help everyone redistribute and save along the way. The idea that sharing is a way to generate a spirit of kindness was fulsome.
Desires
Some people talked about peace and how they would like women’s and men’s circles where they lived so they could talk about and address mental health needs. People exchanged information about different funding options and grants through the city for different ideas and agreed that when they could draw from the wisdom of those who have tried things and succeeded or failed that they would be able to consider concerns like liability.
Connecting
Getting the word out for encouraging and inviting neighbours to gather remains a barrier. This is especially true with vertical villages whether they be condos, rentals, or other kinds of housing. Because vertical neighbourhoods are private property, there are identified barriers to connecting effectively. Some community neighbourhood organizers do find that good old newsletters remain one of the best ways to connect with new people and stay in touch. There were discussions about the role of tenant’s unions when addressing challenges like en- masse renovictions as well as increasing accessibility which contributes to both a sense of belonging and can become a way to increase kind approaches to the lack of adequate housing at some addresses.
There were suggestions to make more use of the existing spaces we do have, such as faith sites– like churches in our neighourhoods. There was a call for more funding for the operation and continuance of programs that people enjoy and value with services that connect people. There was a general consensus that more funding for grassroots activities could be really helpful. People stated they wanted more public showers, washrooms and laundromats to support people who are not housed and that we need more shelters with wrap-around services; anything that meets basic necessities including a guaranteed basic income. Generally, anything that increases more human interaction within the community was considered positive. Contributing to both belonging and a part of creating a kinder neighbourhood, ensuring better disability access.
The Festival of Neighbourhoods has a beautiful tradition of a long view group shot of everyone who attended. This year we carried on this wonderful tradition. There were many serious conversations shared with a real commitment to cherishing the community we call home knowing we can always improve what we are doing to create greater belonging and kindness in whatever we do and wherever we focus our efforts. This year the top three themes, where serious suggestions were made to increase belonging, while creating a kinder future included; 1. Housing 2. Creating, using, and sharing third spaces better 3. Dinding new strategies to connect more.
Neighbours Book An Information Table at The Summit
Have you held an amazing gathering in your neighbourhood this year and you want to share your success? Are you a grass roots organization that wants to get to know more neighbours and share your information or knowledge? Want to network?
Are you a grassroots program or social enterprise that addresses issues related to trends in rapid neighbourhood change across Kitchener, greater vulnerability of residents in underserved areas, rise of homelessness, intensification and infills with the high pace of developments.
Does your initiative address equity, encourage interaction across diversity, and value inclusion? Become a Summit Table Presenter. Does what you do bring people together!
Just contact heather@waterlooregion.org. Set up is at 11:30 the day of the event in the City Hall Rotunda. Express your civic pride and your desire to make a difference be a part of the conversation.
Connect the Dots Festival of Neighbourhoods Community Summit
Join the Festival Of Neighbourhood’s Community Summit, November 24th Noon until 3pm at the City Hall Rotunda. To register click here.
Trends in rapid neighbourhood change across Kitchener. Greater vulnerability of residents in underserved areas. The rise of homelessness. Intensification and infills with the high pace of developments. All of this has called for a thoughtful response from our Festival and we have been learning a lot. We are taking careful consideration about our role in our civic future. Now it’s time to hear from you.
In 2022 Councillor Paul Singh/Ward 6 Kitchener expressed the intrinsic value of Festival of Neighbourhoods and its capacity to work with grassroots when he stated that “We [the city counsel] cannot possibly replace what you [neighbours] can do for yourself in your neighbourhoods.” With this in mind, and after reaching our 30th year milestone in 2023, we paused our regular operations to take stock of our accomplishments and consider our future direction. And now we want to share our findings with you.
This year we considered challenges for Vertical Villages and Tiny Home Neighbourhoods when confronting an epidemic of loneliness in mixed use neighbourhoods where a variety of housing is in conversation. We considered the relationships and tools needed to support ongoing mentorship when it comes to creating inclusive gathering and how to encourage peer planning and support for those new to organizing. We focused on how to support people with ideas, dreams, and desires, but who are not quite knowing where to begin, or how to get started. We have been considering and enacting new ways to engage neighbors in building capacity for more inclusion, propinquity and well-being while nurturing a kinder future where everyone belongs.
What makes our neighourhoods great? What could be improved? How do you wish you could connect better with your neighbours especially if your neighbourhoods is experiencing rapid change or you are new to the area where you are now living? Come and share with us, and your neighbours, your thoughts and ideas around these important questions.
Join the conversation and connect the dots through participating in interactive roundtables about making a difference where you live. The Festival of Neighbourhoods is empowering our grassroots to grow while asking: “What does it take to transform strangers– into neighbours– into friends? What does it take to make space for everyone?” Help us get a clearer picture by helping us join the dots of belonging, inclusion, propinquity, kindness, and well-being for everyone.
With uncertainty comes potential and opportunities to make a real difference. If you or your neighbourhood has hosted an inclusive gathering come and share with us your challenges and successes. The summit is an opportunity to connect, network, share, and learn from each other. It helps us set goals and look forward to possibilities while building upon successes. We want to meet you and hear from you. Come and be a part of it! To register for this year’s Festival of Neighbourhoods Summit click here. Attendance is free!
Festival of Neighbourhoods on CKMS!
Festival of Neighbourhoods was featured on CKMS’s “Welcome to the Civic Hub” podcast every Monday in September where we were able to give some of our community leaders the opportunity to speak about their neighbourhood and the various events that they have planned.
Check out the podcasts below!
Episode 034 – Heather Majaury from Festival of Neighbourhoods
Episode 035 – Mukul Verma of the Doon South Neighbourhood Community
Episode 036 – Martin de Groot and Cindy Ward of the Schneider Creek Porch Party
Episode 037 – Debbie Chapman of the Cherry Park Festival
The Five Pillars of the Festival of Neighbourhoods
This past year we established Five Pillars of the Festival of Neighbourhoods. These are the goals we do our best to help neighbourhoods to begin to work on, work toward, or achieve over time. These include:
Winners $20,000 City of Kitchener Capital Improvement Fun Announced at this Year’s 30th Anniversary Gathering
This is the first year since 2019 where Festival of Neighbourhoods was able to hold its draw for the City of Kitchener Capital Improvement Fund. Two lucky neighbourhoods Olde Berlin Town and Mill Park were the happy recipients this year and we are excited to see what projects they are able to realize with this help. But they were not the only winners. Central Frederick Neighbourhood Association won $250 in our Early Bird Draw for making sure they registered their inclusive gatherings before September 15th. The Trudy Beaulne Inclusion Award went to Cedar Hills Community Association this year and there were three neighbourhoods recognized for being Pros of Propinquity: A Better Tent City, Victoria Hills, and Stanley Park. A special thank you goes to our Jury this year which included Joanne Johnson from Paulander, Brad Ullner from the Social Development Centre Waterloo Region Board of Directors and Dan Lajoie from the Independent Living Centre. Of special note, the Paulander Princesses inducted all winners as honorary members of the Paulander Princesses along with Regional Chair Karen Redman and Kitchener Centre MP Mike Morrice.
Celebrating our 30th Anniversary November 19th
Don’t miss this year’s 30th Anniversary Celebration on November 19th from 1-3pm at Kitchener’s City Hall Rotunda. We are so happy to be back in the swing of things to enjoy this milestone with all of our neighbours. You can RSVP for the celebration by clicking on the link on our right sidebar and just fill out the form.
Whether you are a new neighbourhood group just considering how to start your journey with creating more propinquity where you live, or you are a group that’s been around awhile, or you are well-established association this is a time to mingle and get to know each other just a bit better. If you are interested in having a display table to share your journey this year just connect with heather@waterlooregion.org. And she will help you make that happen.
We are thrilled this year to reinstate our draw for two $20,000 capital improvement fund projects. Those neighbourhoods who registered their inclusive gatherings before Halloween are eligible for the draw. We haven’t been able to offer this opportunity since before the pandemic. All you need to do is make sure someone from your neighbourhood attends the gathering and your neighbourhood will be added to the draw. These funds can be put towards all sorts of interesting projects like park benches, picnic tables, accessibility improvements to already existing structures, improvements to green spaces, outdoor fitness equipment, murals and the list goes on. Feel free to talk to us about your ideas if you are eligible to win these funds.
We are also presenting two special cash awards this year. The Trudy Beaulne Inclusion Award and the Pros of Propinquity Honour. Both of these awards support winning neighbourhoods with a gift of $500.00 that can be put toward activities and projects in the next year. Come and celebrate with us. Bring the whole family it will be an amazing time to connect. Kitchener is a great place to live. Let’s make it even better!
Two Summer Positions Open
Summer Job Positions open, 8 weeks, 35 hours per week, at 15.50/hr, between June 5th – Sept. 1st Are you outgoing, diligent, wanting to learn, and like people? The Social Development Centre Waterloo Region and Festival of Neighbourhoods have openings for youth seeking experience in community organizing and social development. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from all equity seeking groups. Please respond before midnight on June 2nd. See more detail in the job posting describing the two positions and get in touch with heather@waterlooregion.org if you have any questions.
2022 Annual Celebration Nov 20 In-Person!
This will be the first time we are meeting in person in the same physical space for Festival of Neighbourhoods November Celebration since 2019. This year we are meeting the Propinquity Challenge all over the place!
Propinquity is one of the main factors in interpersonal attraction. It refers to the physical or psychological proximity between people. It can mean kinship between people or a similarity in nature between things.
We are through the worst of a global pandemic and things are returning to a more conducive environment for re-establishing a sense of propinquity where we live, work, raise our families, and go to school and celebrate!
We are looking forward to seeing you in person! This is a new beginning for the Festival and we want to celebrate with you together.RSVP here.
This will be the first time we are meeting in person in the same physical space since 2019. What a relief that is!
We also recognize that safety precautions are always good when it comes to public health. Therefore we will have masks and sanitizer available for attendees but you are not required to wear masks. It is suggested if you are concerned. It is always an option and we want to ensure that you are given the tools you need to stay reasonably safe and comfortable in shared spaces especially if you are concerned that contracting any viruses may be of serious consequence to your health.
Book A Table for the This Years Celebration
We are offering information display tables to any of you who would like to be able to showcase and express all you have done this year and over the pandemic to keep propinquity alive and growing. You can share and talk to others who are participating and display images of your events and activities. You can show us the geographic boundaries of your neighbourhoods by exchanging with others who are doing the same. Show us your neighbourhoods attributes, parks, community centres, green spaces, businesses, etc. Show us what’s missing that you wish you had. Will you need access to power? Let us know.
First come, first served. Email Heather.Majaury@waterlooregion.org.
Pop Up Park Living Room Oct 15
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.
