Creating Synergy in Airdrie

Money, facilities, communication…. I wasn’t overly surprised to see these come up as priorities at a session that I facilitated recently for the arts and culture community in Airdrie.

After all, these are the things that often surface when speaking to people in the arts, recreation, and even sports sectors. I have seen many communities attempt to solve their challenges by building a new rec centre or arena only to falter later as they attempt to find the people to fill it or the money to sustain it.

So when a fourth priority arose during my recent discussions with Airdrie, my heart did that happy little thump. But maybe I should first go back a step.

My trip out to Airdrie began with an invitation by the city’s Community Development Department to help facilitate a visioning session. This session was for members of the arts and culture community but also included other interested participants like city council members, city staff, and volunteers.


Like many smaller communities who live in the shadow of major centres (in this case, Calgary), Airdrie was at a tipping point in terms of their identity for the arts and culture sector. The community had a lot of great things happening but often things were happening in pockets throughout the community. There were whispers of what needed to be done but the arts and culture community still lacked a unified voice and a collective vision. The talent in Airdrie was more than apparent but also apparent was the pull that the larger city of Calgary had on their creative pool.

So what was a city to do? After careful consideration of their assets and a possible vision, the participants at the session came to a unanimous decision about seven top priorities. And yes, financial stability, a gathering place or facility, and open communication all stood out as important to the community as did a focus on education, corporate partnerships, and dedicated city staff assigned to the arts. But what was the one priority, as I mentioned earlier, that made my heart go pitter pat?


The answer… create synergy! Synergy… cohesion… collective impact… that was, I feel, the most notable priority that came out of my discussions with Airdire. The participants decided that day that working as a group towards the common goal of strengthening their community was also top on their list. Hurrah!

This commitment to the common good for all involved is called collective impact. It might seem simple in theory but can be pretty darn hard at times. We, ultimately, all have our own agendas but if that agenda automatically included playing nice with others and working towards a common goal, imagine the possibilities.

I was in a meeting today where someone reminded me that ACE Communities has now worked with 75+ communities in rural Alberta. And one thing we have seen consistently is that when a community works collectively across groups as well as across sectors, they are the ones who flourish, create economic stability, and draw newcomers (and as well as youth who may have left) to their communities.

That is the true power of collective impact.

And so, as Airdrie moves forward in their efforts to become strong and unified as an arts community, I will wait to see how this spills over into other areas and into other sectors. I have seen that when a group can articulate their vision and their value, the money and the facilities will come. No doubt that it will still take work, and it will be messy, but we creative types can do amazing things, especially when we have a community championing our efforts.


Click here to see more pictures from the visioning session in Airdrie!

And here is a great document from the City of Airdrie also summarizing the evening.

If you are interested in more about collective impact, check out this great blog by ACE Communities Director Brenda Herchmer.

Resolved for 2012

This past December I threw down the gauntlet and challenged our province’s grassroots community leaders to make a community building resolution. The idea was to supplant the traditional New Year’s resolution that mainly focused on inwards, personal goals… to go to the gym, eat better, and be a better person… with one that turned outwards.

Sure, I admit, these are all important personal resolutions but what would happen, I wondered, if Albertans got together and committed instead to making their communities better as a whole?

Well, first I decided, that I better get walking the talk and talking the walk, so as part of my own community building resolution, I hit the street and had real, invested conversations with my particular spheres of influence. The result? Engaging conversations with my neighbours, my teammates on my tackle football team, and the spectacular ladies who volunteer with me. I found that I paused more frequently to really listen about their passions, to learn from their wisdom, and to celebrate the unique qualities that they all brought into my life.

And what was reaffirmed for me by this process? To truly build community, you must put genuine effort into first building relationships.

With this enlightenment in mind, I decided to throw the concept of a ‘2012 Community Building Resolution’ out in to the world in the form of an ACE webinar and see what riches it might bring. The idea: to provide a welcoming venue that would enable community builders from across the province to connect with each other and share their stories. After all, once we plunge back into the new year, the last thing often on our minds is to stop and reflect on the road ahead.

And, like they said in the iconic feel good movie, Field of Dreams: “If you build it, they will come.”

Much to my delight, representatives from around fifteen different communities attended the ACE resolutions webinar. People signed on from Leduc, and Didsbury, Longview, and as north as High Level. We heard voices from Okotoks, Lethbridge, Red Deer, Bon Accord, and Fort MacLeod. There was even one lone participant from Ontario (who impishly kept bragging about her sunny weather and lack of snow).

Interestingly enough, there were some common themes that appeared as the conversations rolled out. If you ever wanted to check the pulse of rural Alberta, then here it is. Common goals for 2012 were:

• Awareness of affordable and/or free recreation opportunities
• Increased community engagement
• The creation of partnerships and true collaboration with community groups
• Promotion of the arts, culture & heritage
• Engagement with more with marginalized populations
• Engagement with youth but also with ALL age groups in a more productive way
• To help people with disabilities be active in their communities

And a HUGE overarching theme… Down with silos – it’s time to work together to improve our quality of life in a holistic way!

Or, as Brenda Herchmer (the Director of ACE Communities) likes to put it: “It’s the perfect time that Alberta embraces ACE Communities as a methodology for comprehensive community transformation.” Hurrah! Want to know more about the concept of 'comprehensive community transformation' then, click here!

I’ve always been a fan of the idea that the knowledge is in the group. All the great ideas that I have experienced have reflected the power of many minds. These ideas are always far richer and more complex than one we come up with by ourselves. So while, I’m not sure what all of these community builders will do to get to their goals, I truly look forward to the conversations that happen as they try.

Anything to add to this list of goals for rural Alberta? I’d love to hear from you.

What's Your 2012 Community Building Resolution?

For the New Year, many of us are inclined to make personal resolutions… to exercise more, to eat better, to spend more time with our loved ones. That is definitely my modus operandi! For 5 years now, the New Year rolls in and I, once again, vow to kick my pastry habit. The result? Another year of me pigging out shamelessly (and I really mean shamelessly) on pastries.

Sigh.

So, for 2012, I’m vowing to make a new kind of resolution – wipe the slate clean and start afresh. Only this time, my resolution will be one that affects my community. It’s my very own 2012 ‘Community Building Resolution’ challenge!

After all, in the bigger scheme of things, no one but me (and my thighs!) is really affected if I utterly fail on my bid to make 2012 pastry-free. However, if I fail on my resolution to make my community better, we all lose out. Imagine, though, if I hold true to my commitment to improve my community – no matter how small that change might be – do you think that my little piece of the world will be better for it? Absolutely!

And so – here I go… throwing it out into the universe…my community resolution for 2012 is: to have more meaningful, courageous conversations with the people who live around me. And I mean REAL conversations!

This resolution was inspired by a chat that I had recently with older gentleman named Herman as I was out walking my dogs. Herman happens to live exactly one block away from me on the same side of the street. I’ve often paused in front of Herman’s house (mainly to let my bassets have a good chance for a sniff) and wistfully speculated on who my doppelganger might be if I lived at number 1417 instead of number 1317.

During one of these recent pauses, Herman happened to be out in his yard and we got to chatting. Turns out that Herman is a widower, with just a small extended family left in Calgary, who was a pet owner too but lost both his dogs to what he phrased as a malady of old age… death! I liked Herman instantly. I figure I might pop by Herman’s with some Christmas cookies this year to pass on some holiday cheer and offer some company. I think that if I do, my little piece of the world will be better for it.

Imagine now if others in my little neighbourhood decided to also make a small but positive change in their community. If say… my neighbour does the same as does their neighbour, and their neighbour, and their neighbour, and their neighbour. Before we knew it, we would have a place where you’d want to set down roots, raise your children, and walk your dogs.

So I’m throwing this out to all of you…make a resolution this year that will help make your community better - consider this your 2012 ‘Community Building Resolution’ challenge!

You can even join me later as I host an online conversation on January 18th aimed at those interested in sharing ideas about how to positively affect the quality of life in their communities. I’d be interested to hear about what positive change you plan to make in the lives of those around you.

What football taught me about community

Earlier this year, I decided to take the plunge and join an organized sport. Up until this point, many of my recreational ‘sporting’ activities have had a wee bit of lone wolf edge – like running and boxing, for example.

Recently, however, I found myself yearning for more of a community. I don’t know if it’s an age thing. If, instead of being compelled to nest like most women my age, I had the urge instead to cluster. I found myself wanting to spend some of my free time with like-minded ladies looking to challenge themselves and – hey – kick some butt doing it!

So I joined a full tackle woman’s football team called the Calgary Rage. Bet you didn’t see that one coming? And to be honest, neither did I! A friend from my boxing class asked me one day if I wanted to try out and I said: “why not!” And the rest, as they say, is history in the making.

What I realized quite quickly was that there was nothing like playing tackle football to take you out of your comfort zone, scare the living pants off of you, and make you bond instantly with a complete group of strangers. It was hard, it was exhilarating, and it made me push my own personal limits every time I hit the field.

I won’t say that I was ever reduced to tears, because there’s NO CRYING in football, but I can say that I constantly moved and inspired by the sheer willpower of the women who played with me.

Hold on… sound a bit like community building? If you have ever experienced the highs and lows of coming together as a community, then you might know where I am coming from.

So I thought that it was quite apropos to touch on a few parallels and share the lessons I have learned about community by playing for the Calgary Rage.

GO TEAM!

If ever you want to experience a true sense of being a team, you have to try playing tackle football. As I stared down the facemask of a 200+ lb offensive lineman waiting to squish me, I always found courage and drive in the fact that I knew that the rest of my defensive unit was watching my back.

That was the key. If we all did our jobs to support each other while we played, the Rage was a well-oiled machine. Our corners covered the passes that the defensive line couldn’t. The linebackers contained the running plays and there was always the safety at the back as the final line of defense. But when we didn’t do our jobs, when we yelled words of blame instead of encouragement, the team fell apart.

Like with community building, the more supportive you are with those on the front lines with you, the more likely you will succeed as a team.

Become an excellent leader

You want to make an impact? Become an excellent leader… One of the captains on my football team was a National-team running back named Erin. She is one of those athletes who always plays with heart, give it her all during practice AND during games, and expected us to do the same – without a doubt.

Erin acted as the Sheppard of an eclectic team made up of stay-at-home moms, businesswomen, jocks, and babes of all sorts of ages and backgrounds, constantly leading by example and tirelessly encouraging us to explore our potential.

One of her favourite Calgary Rage cheers as we got ready for our games: “You mess with one of us, you mess with all.”

I think we often overlook the grassroots leaders in our communities as we are too quick to look to our elected officials for guidance. Instead, look to those you know who lead by example and who truly cares about the potential and wellbeing of his or her community. Or, more importantly, become one of those leaders yourself.

Always protect your quarterback

Once in awhile, this past season, I was able to squeak onto the offensive line. One of the biggest tragedies I discovered, for an offensive lineman, is to be in a play where your quarterback gets sacked (which mean being tackled for you football newbies….).

It made me wonder how many times, unintentionally or not, we let our own communities’ quarterbacks take a hit for us when they shouldn’t have. Are we as community members stepping up enough to protect our visionaries and our community playmakers? If the answer to that is “no’ or even “maybe’, then we all need to dig a little deeper and be willing to throw some blocks for those willing to put themselves out there.

When it comes to community (and to football), the ones protecting the quarterback are as important as the quarterback themselves.

Never leave anything on the field

One of the things that our Rage defensive coach always demanded was that we never left anything on the field. What he meant by that was that we always pushed ourselves to give it our all and more. You knew that you accomplished this when, tucked away into bed that night, you had no regrets.

Our coaches also said that if you were to fail, do it going 100%! This was always my favourite saying. Football is a sport that really shows a player’s heart on the field. But, like with everything, no matter what, mistakes happen. Those mistakes sting less, however, when they happen when you are really, really sincerely trying.

My biggest lessons have always happened in community development and in football when I have HUGELY fallen flat on my face. No true lessons, or results for that matter, happen when you kinda, sorta make an effort.

Its not always about winning and losing…

The biggest thing that I took away from my first season of football was that winning and losing wasn’t the be all and end all. The biggest thrill came from pushing myself beyond my comfort zone, testing my potential, and learning something new.

And what I found I loved most about playing football, in the end, was the true bond of a team, of a community that eventually became like a football family. Without a doubt, playing the game was tough but I always found strength in the fact that I knew that I was never alone on the field.

Mess with one, you mess with all. Now how is that as a slogan for community?

A safe place to be...

Have you seen it yet? You know, the video of that crazy dancing guy at a music festival who eventually inspires a whole group of people to join him (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-1_-P016Ns).

I was sent this video recently as an example of the mechanics of leadership. Someone had added a voiceover to this video of the dancing man illustrating how equally important both followers and leaders are to any viable movement. As you will see when you watch the video, the speaker points out that while a leader takes a risk when they throw themselves into the fray, the same can be often said for the first follower.

This made me think about the idea of risk when it comes to community building. Many people who have ever attempted to build community know that risk is part of the equation… the risk of failure, the risk of re-opening old community wounds, the risk of causing conflict, and the risk of alienating the people you are trying to serve.

During my time at ACE Communities, however, I’ve seen the risk of what happens to communities if they don’t attempt to change and to engage with others. We know that communities who don’t attempt to move past the barriers that have constricted them, whether it be societal, political, or economic, are the least likely to make it through the long haul.

Risk… well, it’s a darn risky thing. One bright spot I have noticed lately is how the arts, culture, and heritage can be used as a non-threatening, universal way to start the community engagement process. People seem more open when you speak to them in terms of how they spend their leisure time, how they celebrate their culture, or how they remember their past.

Ask them about health care, infrastructure, or the economy, on the other hand, and watch them get their dukes up.

In 2002, the Canada West Foundation created a report entitled: “Culture and Economic Competitiveness: An Emerging Role for the Arts in Canada.” This report reviewed and considered studies from around the world to identify the following benefits from arts and culture:

1) Improves mental and psychological health including enhanced personal motivation, feelings of connectedness to others, a more positive outlook on life, reduced sense of fear or isolation and increased confidence, sociability and self-esteem.

2) Arts promote intercultural understanding and validates diversity through cultural festivals, historical presentations, exhibits.

In other words, it makes us feel better about ourselves, our neighbours, and just plain helps us get along. And isn’t that where the community building really needs to start.

After all, I might dance in a way that is different from you, with different steps and different rhythms, but we can all agree that the act of dancing together can do something amazingly positive for the spirit. Just look at our famous dancer from the above video and tell me that it doesn’t make you smile… if just a little.