Place-based Community: How do we build a sense of belonging?

To kick-off their Fall 2014 semester, University of the Streets Café is hosting a series of public conversations in conjunction with Just Watch Me at the Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery. For three consecutive Wednesdays, starting September 10, we will consider what it means to be a Quebecer today. Together, we will explore questions of identity on a national, individual, and local level.

Part 3 of 3 – September 24, 2014

Place-based Community: How do we build a sense of belonging?

In our individualized society, people are more likely to build community around their interests and orientations rather than where they live.  Technology has made mobility and communication so easy that physical space can almost seem irrelevant.  But what does this mean for our local communities?  When people don't feel connected to the places they inhabit, the impact can be felt through such diverse issues as neighborhood safety, environmental sustainability and the viability of small businesses.  What motivates some residents to invest in the vitality of their local community more than others?  What can be done to instill a sense of pride and commitment to one's neighbourhood?  How important is the availability of communal space in this equation?  In this public conversation, we will talk about challenges faced, strategies tried and successes achieved in the quest to build meaningful and inclusive local identity in today's diverse and “hyper-connected” world.

This conversation was organized in collaboration with the Peter-McGill Community Council.

Guests

Jenna Smith is a born and raised Montrealer. She is the founding director of Innovation Youth, an inner city outreach centre for teens and their families, specializing in nutrition, education and community development. She is also the president of the Peter-McGill Community Council. Over the course of the past 20 years, she has either studied, lived or worked in downtown Montreal, and as a result has come to see this busy, effervescent neighbourhood as a place to call home.

Carlye Watson began her career working in the community sector of the Peter-McGill district in 2000.  Through her current work with the Peter-McGill Community Council, she accompanies community organizations doing collective projects for the families and youth of the district. Though she has never lived in the neighbourhood and spent several years outside of Montreal, she has developed an attachment to the physical places and spaces of Peter-McGill.

Moderator

Eryn Fitzgerald spends more time downtown than anywhere else. As Concordia’s Community Relations Coordinator, she is always looking for better ways to build community in Montreal’s busiest neighbourhood. When it comes to home, however, she still has trouble remembering the names of her fellow apartment dwellers and convincing them to attend her dance parties. Eryn looks forward to hearing what others are doing in their little world and how it has impacted their lives.

When:    Wednesday, September 24, 2014, from 7 to 9 p.m.
Where:   Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery, 1400 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W.