Getting to Hello: A Strategy For Facing Unfamiliar Territory

Picture this – You are in a foreign land, and feeling uneasy. You’re crowded around a table, with people that you barely know. The conversation feels awkward. The food is different. You’re confused. Not in control. You ask yourself, what’s next? Yesterday, I did a workshop, on cross-cultural conflict management, for my local Inter-cultural Association. For […]

Microhousing Victoria – Bridging the gap in affordable housing

As a neighbourhood (volunteer) representative, I participate in the Victoria Community Associations Network (VCAN). VCAN meetings are held bi-monthly, at Victoria City Hall. Last night’s VCAN meeting included a short presentation about Microhousing Victoria. They are a recently formed nonprofit society, intent on providing an “intermediate” affordable housing option. The presentation was given by Board Member (and architect) […]

A Care Grid Vision – Applying Principles of the Electricity Grid to Elder Care

What to do… What to do? When it comes to the elder care time bomb, we know the cost of caring for the elderly; the graph accelerates sharply as we approach the end. The chart below is for Canada. The scenario is common around a good chunk of the ‘Western’ world.  These scenarios are unsustainable. […]

Superheros in Cross-Cultural Conflict Management

An icebreaker activity I often use in training workshops is ‘Superhero’. I learned this activity via Thiagi. Here’s how it goes… I divide participants into small subgroups of 3-4. I ask them to identify a superpower that would help them be more successful in the training topic. I give them a few minutes to share […]

Stepping Stones: Leading and Keeping People Out Of Poverty

Last weekend, I spent some time conversing with a few folks in “Tent City”, an encampment of homeless people that has formed on a park-oriented parcel of Crown land, here in Victoria. Tent City is adjacent to the Provincial Court House; a sad irony, if one speaks of social justice. Below is a picture of […]