Social status and friendship = a pair of opposites

We choose our friends.  And, I’d like to be able to call anybody my friend, even if they are from a different social rank.  Why is this so hard? Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett offer up some insight in the The Spirit Level: Why greater equality makes societies stronger. The big idea Collecting internationally comparable […]

17 ways the Community Kitchen at Saanich Neighbourhood Place = good collaboration

My timing was good.  The day I visited the Community Kitchen at Saanich Neighbourhood Place, there were oodles of cookies, strudels, zucchinni/spinach quiche and soup being prepared.  All of which I like very much.  I was there to learn about community kitchens. There are 3 community kitchens currently based out of Saanich Neighbourhood Place (SNP), […]

Victoria summer connections and collaborations

Summer is a wonderful time to admire the different ways people find connection.  It’s summer where I live.  And, as summer can be so short, here are a few pictures I snapped this weekend (and last) around Victoria, in homage to summer and being together in the outdoors.  The pictures almost speak for themselves.  Just […]

I dreamed the world had all agreed… to put an end to war

I dreamed the world had all agreed to put an end to war.  The lines are from Ed McCurdy’s song Last night I had the strangest dream.  Written in 1950, this classic anti-war song continues to inspire and give hope to those in the peace movement.  McCurdy was an American folk singer, songwriter, and television […]

It's time for a Centre for Social Innovation in Victoria

I’m a fan of the Centre for Social Innovation in Toronto.  It’s a dynamic model of collaboration for public good.  We could use one like it, here in Victoria, for Southern Vancouver Island. Last year, I wrote here about the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI), and their executive director, Ashoka Fellow Tonya Surman.  (Ashoka Fellows […]