What caring could look like in Bathurst and Finch
An Incredible Edible garden in the United Kingdom
Let’s get caught up.
It’s been 6 months since our last update and we have much to share. If you are new to this blog, you can read the previous updates here.
Beginning in January 2021, UpSocial searched the world for innovative programs that responded to the question we developed during our November workshop. That question was:
To meet the need for greater inclusion in Toronto’s Bathurst and Finch neighbourhood, how might we better use shared and public spaces to foster belonging across intercultural and intergenerational lines?
Our research team examined programs across the spectrum - from organizations that developed outdoor activities that attracted a diverse community, to those that led intergenerational programs, to those that focused on inviting in intercultural cohorts. We knew it was unlikely we could answer all elements of the question with one program, but our quest was to produce a good cross-section that, if applied together, could answer the question as a whole.
Towards the end of the research period, we decided it would be good to check in with the cohort to see if we were on the right track. With more than 90 programs examined for fit, we needed the community to help up focus.
In April, we came together to look at our best - read: closest fit - Top 25 programs. Our UpSocial crew described the elements of each and sought feedback - go/no-go - approach. It was super helpful. Surveying the cohort for direction meant we could narrow our list to a Top 14 and develop case studies on each to present in our June Selection gathering.
This stage of case study development is very exciting. We speak directly with program founders to better understand the hows and whys behind their approach. We spoke to innovators from as far afield as the Czech Republic, France and Spain, and from as close as can be: right here in Toronto. It’s amazing how you can run a challenge project in a city as large as Toronto and uncover some magical programs taking place right under your nose.
We distributed the cases to our Challenge Cohort and asked them to evaluate them based on “fit” and “desire” but also according to some dispassionate elements:
Potential impact on the neighbourhood
Ability to be implemented in the neighbourhood
Potential for deeper (systemic) change
Potential for growth outside the neighbourhood
After individual evaluations were completed and analyzed, UpSocial took a Top 10 to the June Selection meeting and as a cohort, we discussed each one in turn. Our aim was to get to a top 3.
It’s a fine balance at these critical moments, allowing everyone to speak while also nudging people forward. And it’s fun! Many assumptions I had made going into that meeting about which 3 would make it through, were completely blown out of the water. In analyzing the individual evaluations before the selection meeting, very different programs were top of mind for people.
Naturally our cohort composition was also a deciding factor. Our resident participants are mostly older people with a great desire to engage in intergenerational activities. They were less enamoured with programs that resembled outdoor festivals - activities that require different skill-sets and may seem more inaccessible.
With all that in mind, the final 3 were decided. It was a close 4th and 5th for a couple, and I know there was some disappointment for certain community members - but their disappointment did not deter their enthusiasm for the next stage of testing and implementation.
Without further ado, the three programs are:
Post Bellum, Czech Republic
Link Generations, U.S.A.
Incredible Edible, U.K.
Now we move into the next phase. While we know that the programs work in their respective countries, and we believe they can work in the community of Bathurst and FInch, we now have to co-design a testing period to try them out. We are in touch with Post Bellum and Link Generations' founders and they are very eager for the next stage. Incredible Edible uses a volunteer movement-based approach with considerable resources available for anyone to start up a local chapter, so we won’t necessarily engage with their program founder.
On the local side of things, we need to invite more people and organizations to learn about the possibilities and support the testing. We will aim to have an open online and in-person gathering in early Fall.
We have some great leads in the community partners already engaged and a rockstar resident group. We are sourcing some additional funds for implementation and hope to have some pilots up and running by the end of the Fall.
That may be ambitious. But why not?
One thing is for sure, we can’t wait to get started!
If you’d like to learn more about the programs or about our process, please get in touch. I’m happy to share more about how we got this far and what comes next.
Click here to view the Top 25 programs we presented in the April meeting.