Glenn's blog

I just read in the latest Pivot newsletter (Issue 2, Fall 2009) that they co-hosted (along with VANDU and VPD) a "Downtown Eastside Policing Dialogue".

As they describe it:

Local residents, police officers, and advocates from community agencies gathered at Chapel Arts on September 22, 2009 to share their experiences and record visions for the future.

It's pretty astonishing (and a serious example of how dedicated the people involved in organizing this event are to finding solutions) that all of these people were able to get in a room together, let alone talk to each other.

The story continues:

More than thirty residents showed up. We invited them into the cafe-like venue. Tables were equipped with plenty of paper, pens and markers and adorned with vases of flowers. Music played as participants seated themselves at a table and helped themselves to coffee and refreshments. The discussion was divided into three phases. The first phase focused on envisioning a safer Downtown Eastside. The second phase invited participants to share personal stories about moments when they did feel safe. Finally, the third phase asked them to generate ideas about resources that could make the streets safer. At the end of the afternoon, residents, officers and advocates debriefed and identified important themes.

I haven't been able to find any information about the event online at all. Likely there are some concerns about anonymity of the people involved in the event, which makes perfect sense. I would though, like to hear more about it. Will the outcomes be used to influence policy? Was this event planned as a foundation for more dialogues?

I'm looking forward to hearing more about future events like this that Pivot and other groups have planned. We can really use any opportunity to bring people together to learn about each other and envision a better future together.

For more information about Pivot, visit their website, and be sure to check out their latest campaign, Homelessness is Over.

Today I saw a poster for "after homelessness..., a theatre work being put on by Headlines Theatre. This isn't just any ordinary play, though. As they describe it:

Headlines Theatre is in collaboration with people who have been homeless and various agencies working on the issue to create an interactive Forum Theatre project. after homelessness… will ask questions about what it takes to create housing that is safe, appropriately supported and affordable, in the context of having been homeless and the mental health issues that are often attached. A Community Action Report, generated from the interactive Forums, will suggest policies that will be received and considered by Government and Agencies.

Headlines Theatre performs works which engage and involve the spectators, transforming the audience into "spec-actors." This is a style of performance that originated with Augusto Boal's "Theatre of the Oppressed," specifically "Forum theatre."

In Forum theatre, the actors can be stopped at any time by other actors or audience members, who then take on the role of an actor and attempt to navigate the situation using a different approach. It's an impressive form of re-imagining the world and interactions, and I expect that people involved can reach some pretty sublime realizations about their own situations. And possibly even ways to transform those situations into something better.

This particular performance will be focused around the issue of homelessness in the Vancouver area, and aims to "create a vehicle for people living the issues to help develop policy and plans to ensure that housing that is created is safe, appropriately supported and affordable."

The project, in addition to the performance, includes 3 days of community dialogues. The dialogues, along with the outcomes of the interactive performances, will be used to produce a "Community Action Report" which will be used by agencies in determining their policies. Unfortunately, the dialogues all take place during the day on weekdays, so I won't likely be able to attend.

Headlines has received written agreements from the Mental Health Commission of Canada, BC Housing, the City of Vancouver, the Greater Vancouver Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness, RainCity Housing and Coast Mental Health to use the after homelessness… project and the resulting Community Action Report as part of their respective research for national, provincial, regional and local strategies on mental health and homelessness. (source)

That they've gotten the city and these other organizations to agree to use the "Community Action Report" is pretty amazing, and it will be even more amazing if they actually follow-through and take the suggestions into account in a meaningful way.

Real people who are dealing with issues of homelessness, people who are actually a part of the community that the city and these organizations claim to be helping, will actually be involved in constructing recommendations. This is going to be a hopeful and potentially powerful experiment in community engagement, and I'm eager to see how it all works out.

Performance details:

November 21 to 29, 2009
Preview November 20 • Tickets 2 for 1
Firehall Arts Centre 280 E. Cordova Street, Vancouver, BC Box Office: 604.689.0926
Tickets: $10 + $2 advance purchase fee

December 1 to 6, 2009
Holy Trinity Cathedral 514 Carnarvon Street, New Westminster
Box Office: 604.871.0508 Tickets: $10

Free vouchers available at various housing support centres

After reading the wonderful example of dialogue and engagement in the DTES yesterday, I came across this example by Kennedy Stewart of how not to conduct public engagement.

Every year the city asks the public how they think council should raise and spend money and every year the public is invited to input into the budget making process. Robertson has just announced a series of eight public consultation meetings and a website where “residents and businesses are encouraged to provide their views on City budget priorities and closing the budget gap.” Apparently, no topic is off limits and citizens can explore a range of possibilities through which the city can “prioritize services and keep property taxes down” - including providing input on topics such as “library hours, book and DVD purchases for libraries, hours of operation at community centres…”

While this appears to be an effort to bring the community into the decision, Kennedy points out some serious flaws in the process.

He notes that the process was announced on a Friday:

Friday is always the best day to announce news you want no one to hear. And no one did.

He then notes the schedule of the consultation meetings:

The first of the eight meetings occured three days after the date of the buried media release, the final meeting two weeks later. This schedule provides no time for citizens to hear about, prepare or organize to attend these meetings.

There is also a poorly publicised online space where people can post their ideas. To be fair to the city officials, Kennedy's criticism of this because it isn't highly trafficked or well-used doesn't necessarily indicate that the process is flawed. I think that the online portion could be more publicised (as could the whole process) but it is there, and it does work. It remains to be seen if they actually listen to any of the comments.

The meetings are set up at reasonably convenient times at community centres around the city. However, I don't know how many people they will be expecting, since I hadn't heard of the process until yesterday when I read Kennedy's post – the first day of the meetings. My neighborhood meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, which is fine for me, since I don't have any children to worry about. I am also far less dependent on city services and can bear higher property taxes more than a family with children who may not be free to drop everything with a single day's notice.

It would seem to me that if the city council were really, genuinely trying to involve the residents they would plan a process that provides more advance notice and would work to better promote these events in each community. Based on the feelings I now have about the process, I am far less inclined to believe that anything that is said during the "consultations" will be listened to. It feels like a show, and is the exact opposite of empowering.

[Note: view the city's page on the budget consultation process.]