Community Facilitators: Want to help someone? Shut up and listen!

The title said, “Want to help someone? Shut up and listen!”.  The title got my attention.  It comes from a recent TEDx presentation delivered by Ernesto Sirolli, in New Zealand.  The title drew me in.  The content kept me. Sirolli has worked for 40 years in the field of economic and community development.  His orientation […]

11 Ways to Commit to Restorative Justice Practices

When relationships don’t  matter, we are more inclined to do bad things.  There has been a lot of media in my neck of the woods this fall, around broken relationships, and doing bad things. I think there is no time like this time, to focus more on our relationships to each other, as a measure […]

A Thanksgiving Story

[There’s a place in my neighbourhood called Mitchell House.  It provides transitional, semi-independent residence, for young men aged 16-21.  Graham Kelly is the manager of Mitchell House, part of the Threshold Housing Society.  This is his story.  I first read Graham’s story in my neighbourhood’s monthly newsletter, dropped off at my door this week.  I […]

Bruce Saunders and Movie Monday: Bringing Community to my Neighbourhood

Watching a movie can be so much more.   I’m a huge fan of Bruce Saunders weekly Movie Monday showing at the Eric Martin Pavilion Theatre, here in Victoria.   I’m a fan not just because of the movies shown at Eric Martin, though they tend to rock.   It’s a community event, where neighbours and nearby citizens […]

This Week in Virtual Tools, Collaboration and Learning

Living the virtual life, large?  Spending hours a day online can be more than watching the latest Gangnam Style video (though fun!).  Over the past week, my online work has been a fortunate mix of client activities, virtual learning, monitoring the networks, participating in a community event, and more. Diverse participation in the virtual ecosystem […]