Weekly Evidence
Opening Seminar Reflections
After a cold holiday break, I was excited to meet all the new participants in UNIV 203 during the first week of January. I think my biggest learning that day was during my initial presentation on "High Rise Cooperatives." Unfortunately, I was the only person to pursue this topic, but I was keen to apply my personal objectives for a innovation that leveraged the power of shared resources and built community. I had to spend the majority of my time researching the topic as I did not have the benefit of a subject matter expert to leverage. I felt that my presentation was not up to my standards due to this disadvantage. Upon reflection, I felt that I would be better served to move to a more foundational issue such as "Food Distribution" so that I could apply my core beliefs to the innovation.
Week 1: Jan 8-14
The Spagetti Challenge
Week 2: Jan 15-21
Red Bull "Wingfinder"
Although I felt that this exercise would generate superficial results based on my personal bias against corporate sponsorship, I was surprised by the accurate read of my personality. Differences in our team's personalities were apparent and the concept to have a moderator was discussed, but perhaps should have been more formally documented so that one person would not have to bear the full responsibility. Understanding oneself and how one fits into a team is a crucial component of an effective and meaningful life.
Week 3: Jan 22-28
Team Charter
My concerns about being the sole "virtual" student (that I would be missing key decisions and information) were brought to the forefront this week. Our first weekly team meeting (set up last week) did not occur, leading to an incomplete team charter, and a lack of a united direction for the innovation. Strong commitment and communication by all team members will be critical to success
Week 4: Jan 29 - Feb 4
Stakeholder Review
|
One of the most compelling lessons about the innovation process occurred when we shared our findings with the other groups during the stakeholder review and engagement workshop. Although I had read about cooperative process, I now appreciate how having open cooperation (rather than competition) between teams truly amplifies the learning process. This reinforced my belief that experiential learning provides a more robust framework rather than simple lectures or reading.
|
Week 5: Feb 5-11
This week I finished reading The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi. The book envisions a near future America where severe drought and political crisis have left the South in ruins. The story parallels current events and illustrates the issues of water usage, and potential for crisis. I began to ponder how I, and by extension, my team's innovation, would fit into this future world. I began to understand how the concept of fictional prototyping might be applied. What steps would need to be taken to ensure food and water are distributed equitably among Texan and Mexican refugees, local inhabitants, and humanitarian workers? I then considered the present day Syrian refugee crisis and the human cost involved. In this regard, fiction has the power to humanize those dealing with the unimaginable, by making us emphasize with the struggles of those in a completely different time and place.
Week 6: Feb 12-18
While investigating options for community garden locations, I ran into numerous challenges. Pubic schools were challenged with having students available over the summer months and integration with curriculum. I then pursued public housing but was blocked with privacy concerns from administration. In speaking with my Grandmother in Winnipeg, I was inspired to consider churches with their large tracts of land and strong commitment to community causes. I randomly called many locations, and was fortunate to be able to connect with Pastor Collins of Deer Park United Church. Although he was open to the concept of a community garden, his experience was that it would be too small scale (box plots) and a larger scale garden would be more efficient. He confirmed my belief that the City is quite stringent on which lands can be used for growing--they wouldn't even permit wildflowers on a hill behind his parish! Our conversation turned more to the need of those in his local community. They provide a food hamper program out of their location that has witnessed increased demand from 75 people two years ago, to over 140 hampers this year. Many individuals and families had expressed that the items from the food bank did not last the recommended 1-2 months or had used up their seven food bank visits per year. Items in the church hampers are mainly perishable fruits and vegetables, coming from the Calgary Community Kitchen and supplemented by purchases from the grocery store. He agreed there was a definite need to assist the growing number of economically challenged Calgarians. This conversation provided me my first real insight into the quiet giving that operates in our city and the real life struggles of our neighbors. I was nervous to conduct my first interview, but Pastor Collins was very supportive and provided me the confidence to reach out to other resources in the city.
Week 7: Feb 19-25
I was pleasantly surprised to receive a delayed response to one of the phone messages I left last week. Joy Gregory, an active volunteer with St Vincent de Paul Society, was enthusiastic to share her views. She discussed the disparity between various neighbourhoods and what they were able to contribute based on the generosity of their donors. United Way designated "community hubs" in 2017 and acknowledged the tipping points communities of Bowness, Forest Lawn and HIllhurst where there is a large component of social housing and group homes. Free food markets currently operate out at the Genesis Centre and Hillhurst but social stigma associated still prevents people from participating. She also agreed that as simple as community garden appears, the economics of growing food vs low cost of buying highlights economic realities. In addition, one must consider that families who are food insecure are stressed out already and often deal with other social and mental health issues. We agreed that growing your own food had its inherent benefits, but one could not rely on a bountiful harvest given the climate in Calgary. She has experience with BowWest Community, Hillhurst and Hawkwood community gardens and understands the unique struggles they have experienced. She commented that the Alex Centre's community garden is now designated "for educational purposes only" due to the above noted concerns. Even the Calgary Food Bank had pursued this concept at one time, but abandoned it with complexities involved and the fact that it would distract from their primary mandate. Grow Calgary's vision to grow food locally does not seem to be well integrated with other outreach programs. This conversation was extremely impactful to my learning as I now understand that so many others have attempted to make a difference before me, but in the end, what seems to such a simple concept is always more complex. Could there be a way to provide food sources to those in need, without stigma, in a easily accessible manner?
Week 8: Feb 26 - Mar 4
I was invited by Joy to attend a round table discussion with many of the key players that provide food to those in need. They are trying to build a more collaborative environment and define what success would like for the City of Calgary. With ever increasing demand and upwards of 150,000 households affect in our city, the ultimate goal should be that their agencies were no longer required. They all agreed that food security is about lack of income, and neither food literacy nor food banks are solving the root cause. I was amazed to learn that only one in five individuals who need food will actually go to the food bank. Much discussion centred around the intake process and how it alienated individuals, but provided insightful data into who was in need of food and why. This completely changed my thoughts surrounding food access: no longer did I think labour should be a prerequisite for community and food. Rather, I now realize that labour should be optional, and community will build around the sharing of food. It was discussed that spending on food is the first to be cut, but the hardest thing to ask assistance for. Most revealing was that the food bank does accept referrals from agencies beyond their stated seven hamper policy, but many were not aware of this. The discussion was heated on the need to even have a cap with one in four clients being "working poor" and one in ten chronically food insecure. The food bank is almost like using an emergency room and it requires great bedside manner.
In researching rental properties in Ottawa for my upcoming summer job, I came across a google map that highlights local services. I was awestruck! In tandem with discovering a Calgary 211 service for numerous resources, my innovation is solidifying towards building a map that displays food services in close proximity in an easy to access format. I have built a prototype and believe it would be easier to adopt than a brand new app. I am considering how to spread the word to increase awareness with social workers and existing agencies.
In researching rental properties in Ottawa for my upcoming summer job, I came across a google map that highlights local services. I was awestruck! In tandem with discovering a Calgary 211 service for numerous resources, my innovation is solidifying towards building a map that displays food services in close proximity in an easy to access format. I have built a prototype and believe it would be easier to adopt than a brand new app. I am considering how to spread the word to increase awareness with social workers and existing agencies.
Week 9: Mar 5-11
I was very fortunate to connect with Chloe McBean, the contact centre manager for 211 services in Calgary. She provided stats from 2016 on various topics they handle. We had a great discussion how to increase the awareness of 211 services in the city and specifically how to help those who are facing food security issues.
|
Week 10: Mar 12-18I was able to meet up with Stasha Huntingford, a social worker who experienced and worked with the homeless, over coffee this week. We discussed community building, unseen challenges and unaddressed issues, and other issues surrounding dignified access to food. A major issue brought up was the difficulty that distance poses to those attempting to access services. Gas and transit money eats into limited incomes, and walking long distances takes up valuable energy and time. This can be further exacerbated by gentrification in poorer communities. A necessary step towards dignified food was choice building--allowing individuals to choose what types of food best worked for them. She also mentioned that connecting with traditional foods was a great way to build community and reduce social isolation. This also highlighted some of the faults of the current food hamper model: the focus is placed making the donor feel good rather than the individual or family receiving the hamper. Talking with Stasha reinforced my view of the distinction bettween a sympathetic and an empathetic charity model, and how more work needs to be done to shift the status quo towards the latter. Many of the issues Stasha brought up cemented my belief that the local food map was a necessary tool to change the way people interacted with their communities and with food. In order to get the information out there, she suggested getting the map connected with AHS, the Distress Centre, the City of Calgary's Street Survival Guide, as well as into the hands of independent food access organizations.
|
Week 11: Mar 19-25
I have been wanting to visit the Hillhurst Community Centre's free market for some time and finally decided to pursue this on my own, despite repeated requests to have my group join me. The Market collects donated food and provides it, without qualification, free to individuals or families living within the surrounding communities. The market dispenses tickets, based on household size, that can be exchanged for one's food of choice. Individuals are also invited to linger and chat or sign up for one of the community centre's other activities. This signup booth might be a great place to provide a link to the online food map. One individual I chatted to remarked how they were always happy to make connections and meet new people here.
I was able to talk to one of the key volunteers about her experience organizing the free market. Heather provided practical insights into how one could build similar markets in other communities. When asking about potential corporate donations for giveaway, she revealed that many larger chain grocery stores give very infrequently, while smaller chains and independents like Cobs' Bakery give more frequently. Their largest and most frequent donor was the Food Bank through its FoodLink program. Food approaching its expiry date was already being channeled to them through LeftOvers, meaning that that niche was already filled. Factors critical to a successful free market included volunteer time, space, and connections to food providers. Because many of the community members who accessed the service came on a regular basis, it is important to ensure the service is sustainable. This led to her main critique of the online food map: that without proper descriptions of eligibility and intention, the market would become overused, and they would have to institute stricter controls on who could use it. While these descriptions are in place, it is something to consider when including services on the map.
However, the map also may alleviate some of the growing pressure on the Hillhurst Market and other services throughout Calgary. Heather told me that one of their guests drove all the from Forest Lawn to go to the market. While I do not know this person's specific circumstances, it is my hope that the map will help build communities and reduce local demand by informing people of services near their to where they live. If we as a group could also create another free market in one of our communities, we could increase local supply and provide another reliable source of food for Calgarians. As Heather said, "Having more free markets around Calgary would be the dream."
I was able to talk to one of the key volunteers about her experience organizing the free market. Heather provided practical insights into how one could build similar markets in other communities. When asking about potential corporate donations for giveaway, she revealed that many larger chain grocery stores give very infrequently, while smaller chains and independents like Cobs' Bakery give more frequently. Their largest and most frequent donor was the Food Bank through its FoodLink program. Food approaching its expiry date was already being channeled to them through LeftOvers, meaning that that niche was already filled. Factors critical to a successful free market included volunteer time, space, and connections to food providers. Because many of the community members who accessed the service came on a regular basis, it is important to ensure the service is sustainable. This led to her main critique of the online food map: that without proper descriptions of eligibility and intention, the market would become overused, and they would have to institute stricter controls on who could use it. While these descriptions are in place, it is something to consider when including services on the map.
However, the map also may alleviate some of the growing pressure on the Hillhurst Market and other services throughout Calgary. Heather told me that one of their guests drove all the from Forest Lawn to go to the market. While I do not know this person's specific circumstances, it is my hope that the map will help build communities and reduce local demand by informing people of services near their to where they live. If we as a group could also create another free market in one of our communities, we could increase local supply and provide another reliable source of food for Calgarians. As Heather said, "Having more free markets around Calgary would be the dream."
I was super excited (and nervous!) to serve as the discussion leader at the Global Challenges Dinner this week. As with any event surrounding the Global Challenge, the conversation left me energized and filled with new ideas. It was important to me to both facilitate and let flow freely the discussion. To prepare for the event, I came up with a list of three questions I wanted to ask to serve as jumping off points (What each person thought was the greatest challenge to global food security, how to engage more people to become stakeholders in global and local food security, and what tips each had to create a successful innovation), as well as memorizing each person's name at my table and a little bit of background. This preparation increased my ability to draw connections between people and ideas. Over time, the conversation split and reformed and split again as people engaged in different topics, both large and small. The fluidity of the conversation also brought up my second question without me even having to ask it! Through freedom to explore one's interests within the context of the larger challenge, the best results can be obtained.
Week 12: Mar 26 - Apr 1
This week I went to a waste-saving cooking class put on by Alternate Root YYC. This class provided lessons on how to use food approaching its expiry date, as well as how to preserve food for longer periods of time. This event demonstrated how cooking and sharing food is a great way to make connections and learn new skills. Although each of the students were keen to learn, the event reminded me of the factors in demand for success at the Community Kitchen: the need for experienced teachers as well as a source of food to teach with. In this case, the instruction was provided by volunteers and the food was sourced from ugly or near-expired local farm crops. Perhaps I could utilize these same sources for a local free market? Many of the people I talked to at the event had not heard of Community Kitchen or other services, which again reminded me of the information gap within the city. By expanding the circle of knowledge within the city, we can provide individuals and organizations with the tools they need to thrive.
Week 14 - April 9
I was shocked to read this report on how much food is actually wasted in Canada and how other communities are building free markets
www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-april-5-2018-1.4605392/how-bad-is-canada-s-food-waste-problem-among-the-world-s-worst-report-finds-1.4606012
www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-april-5-2018-1.4605392/how-bad-is-canada-s-food-waste-problem-among-the-world-s-worst-report-finds-1.4606012