2018 REPORT Kitchissippi Talks CONTENTS Executive Summary 03 Context 04 Methodology 05 Findings 06 Ideas 08 Observations 09 About Synapcity 10 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Page 3 Nineteen people gathered at Causeway Work Centre in Participants recognized that Kitchissippi is a very January 2018 to come up with a vision of Kitchissippi for engaged neighbourhood, with bustling main streets, Civcs Talks. This is a process developed by Synapcity to unique shops and restaurants, and lots of green space. At help people understand the power of coming together, the same time, more people are moving into Kitchissippi discover a shared connection to place, and inspire people and the area is growing and developing. This changing to take action to make their neighbourhoods even better. demographic is affecting the ward’s landscape. This kind of dialogue promotes CityMaking, empowering people to look at community issues together, Participants wanted every voice in their ward to be forming bonds. heard. They feared that those who are currently engaged will eventually burn out and they want to make sure that Participants explored reasons some people don’t have the there is a strong sense of community cohesion. Two ideas spirit of community engagement and explored how they for initiatives came out of Kitchissippi Talks, one of which can encourage them to get involved. Finally, they came up was Jane’s Mob, held on May 3rd 2018. with ideas that could help Kitchissippi thrive even more. CONTEXT Page 4 The Kitchissippi Ward is composed of seven different neighbourhoods: Hintonburg - Mechanicsville, Wellington Village, Westboro, Laurentian and parts of Woodroffe - Lincoln Heights, parts of Carlingwood West - Glabar Park - McKellar Heights, and parts of Civic Hospital - Central Park. More people are moving into Kitchissippi and the area is intensifying. New homes are replacing older homes and many new families are moving in. Residents have been vocal in their opposition to some builders’ conducts1, and many community-led initiatives have sprung up to address this issue, garnering the attention of the city at large. Nineteen people participated in the Kitchissippi Talks held at Causeway Work Centre on two weekday evenings in January 2018. Three people had previously participated in Synapcity’s Civics Boot Camp and two worked in the ward. 1 CBC News. Kitchissippi residents have had it up to here with infill. 12 Sept. 2017, http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-infill-construction-kitchissippi-sidebar-1.428382. Accessed 16 May 2018 METHODOLOGY Page 5 Kitchissippi Talks was delivered in a two-part workshop Participant clustered around these questions and in partnership with Causeway Work Centre. These grouped together, to form two groups that would sessions were held on two evenings to accommodate work on two themes. attendees who would normally be unavailable during the day. • The first session was grounded in a vision exercise that examined Kitchissippi’s current reality. The vision exercise provided a framework to help participants creatively think of ideas and initiatives that could pave the way to that vision. • In the second session, Synapcity curated an activity that built on the skills of participants and the ideas identified in the first session. Based on the vision exercise, Synapcity curated a series of “How might we” questions to help participants connect around a poject idea. The visions were categorized using the Knight Foundation’s Soul of the Community factors related to community satisfaction: aesthetics, basic services, civic involvement, openness, social capital, social offerings, and emotional wellness. FINDINGS Page 6 Barriers to CityMaking BURNOUT ACCESSIBILITY Fostering a healthy civic culture can be challenging. There are important systemic barriers that discourage During Kitchissippi Talks, participants explored key many people from getting involved. These include barriers to CityMaking. By identifying these barriers, barriers for newcomers who may not speak English or fellow CityMakers can work together to overcome them. French, for people with disabilities, and for people who don’t have easy access to transportation. Such barriers Engaged people are prone to cynicism, especially when can be discouraging, especially when the weather isn’t systemic change is a long process. Cynicism, burnout, ideal. and apathy were identified as substantial barriers to CityMaking in Kitchissippi. Additionally, when impact is not tangible, people sometimes give up on engaging their community. COMMUNICATION Communicating impact and successes is always a challenge. Many people simply don’t know what is happening on their streets or in their neighbourhood, especially if they are only nominally engaged, if at all. This poses a larger problem to engaging the disengaged. Vision for Kitchissippi Community news is a great way to share what is going on in the area but not everyone reads up on it. COMMUNITY STEWARDSHIP & ACCESSIBILITY Synapcity conducted a vision exercise to imagine FINDINGS Page 7 Kitchissippi in 2038. In 2038, residents participate in the preservation and cultivation of green spaces. There is a sense of HOW MIGHT WE... community stewardship, which has helped eradicate waste in • PRESERVE AND CULTIVATE OF GREEN SPACES? the neighbourhood. Housing is affordable and transportation is accessible. Residents actively participate in the development of a • ERADICATE WASTE IN OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD? community vision and plan. There is a sense of openness across • PROMOTE AFFORDABLE HOUSING STRATEGIES? languages, culture, and ages which translates to mentorship • PROMOTE HEALTHY TRANSPORTATION opportunities for youth and newcomers, and there are strong STRATEGIES? intergenerational relationships. • DEVELOP A COMMUNITY VISION/PLAN IN KITCHISSIPPI? MORE PUBLIC SPACES Kitchissippi is full of public gathering spaces, with more businesses • WORK TOWARDS RECONCILIATION BETWEEN INDIGENOUS AND NON-INDIGENOUS PEOPLES? and main streets, especially along Carling Ave. • FOSTER A SENSE OF OPENNESS ACROSS LANGUAGES, CULTURE, SOCIOECONOMIC TEN QUESTIONS BARRIERS, AGE, ETC.? With the guidance of participants, Synapcity came up with eleven • CREATE MENTORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR “How might we” questions to help shape ideas for the future. These YOUTH AND/OR NEWCOMERS IN KITCHISSIPPI? questions were direct results from the vision exercise: • CREATE GATHERING PLACES IN KITCHISSIPPI? • PROMOTE LOCAL BUSINESSES AND MAIN STREETS • MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE FEELS THAT THEY BELONG IN KITCHISSIPPI? IDEAS Page 8 JANE’S MOB This idea sparked interest amongst participants and Participants felt that the first step to achieving this vision one even decided to organize it, since community was to disrupt the expectation of space. One way to do organization was part of their daytime job. This made the this is to encourage the co-creation of spaces in which idea even more tangible. people gather. This co-creation of spaces creates instant connections between people, which in turn has the MENTORSHIP PROGRAM potential to build lasting relationships between people. A mentorship program can help bridge gaps between people, including between the engaged and disengaged. Participants asked themselves how they achieve this. The To create such a program, it is important to engage Parkdale Park was identified as a public space already different institutions that serve the Kitchissippi available. Successful parks bring diverse people together. community. This would help identify the community’s The group noted Jane’s Walk Ottawa as a perfect needs and develop a mentor/mentee and buddy system opportunity that already brings people together. across institutions. It would be important to establish a steering committee that is comprised of all of these Using the momentum of a well-established festival, stakeholders, including charitable partners, churches, participants began to think about making Jane’s Walk etc. Ottawa even better and more diverse. They decided that they would organize a place-based event called It would also be useful to develop a map of the Jane’s Mob. Jane’s Mob would help build meaningful communities in Kitchissippi and identify their access connections amongst those who participated in the points. This would ensure that the program is inclusive. Jane’s Walk festival. This is an ideal way to re-energize hardworking CityMakers, while also inspiring and empowering new CityMakers to get involved in the community. OBSERVATIONS Page 9 Civic engagement is not new to Kitchissippi. Many This sentiment is crucial to successful CityMaking. It people, including Kitchissippi Talks participants, are is important for individuals to champion causes in the already very engaged in the neighbourhood. community but most of the time, collective impact happens when everyone gives a little bit, instead of one For that reason, burnout is a barrier to ongoing and person giving a lot. sustainable CityMaking and community engagement. Another attitude is that people don’t have time for yet another project. However, as one participant shared, “we can all work together.” ABOUT SYNAPCITY Page 10 Synapcity brings people and institutions together to create a better Ottawa. As a community broker, we know that trusting relationships are central to making change. Civic engagement means more than voting, or getting involved in public discourse – it is also about participating in our own communities. Our belief is that cities are more resilient and happier when they are co-created – participatory CityMaking. This is why we work with both people and institutions as equal beneficiaries..