7. Hastings Community Centre

Project Description

Note: This project will take place online and in person

Context/Background

"...the hundreds of stories could be understood as descriptions of how unconnected local assets got connected. This understanding emphasizes the importance of ABCD work focused on connectors in contrast to leaders. While some leaders are connectors, most connectors are not thought of as leaders."

-John McKnight, Asset Based Community Development: The Essentials

The Hastings Learning Garden consists of about 2,800 square feet of paths and in-ground & raised garden beds, where we grow fruits & vegetables as well as many plants that have medicinal and therapeutic uses. We are also constantly working to increase the number of native plant species and plants that are especially beneficial to pollinator health. We run year-round programs in the garden and our commercial kitchen, providing fun, uniting, and educational classes to everyone from toddlers to seniors for free or at a low cost.

Our goal is to build a stronger, healthier community through food. The target population is the participants of one or both of our two weekly programs, Growing Kids, an art/gardening class for children 18 months and older plus their caregivers, and Gardening Corner, a "teatime" for adults where we discuss gardening and food, share snacks, and work in the garden.

Food Systems Issue(s) Addressed in this Project

We would like to better understand what brings people to these programs and how they benefit from them, with an eye to Asset Based Community Development and how the participants add to and shape the programs they attend.

Main Project Activities

• Interview program participants (children's caregivers or other adult participants) to better understand why they come to our food and garden programs
• Compile interviews and devise a way to relay that information (e.g. infographic, report, audio recording, video)
• Develop a survey for participants that can't be interviewed due to time, permission, or presence

If time permits:

• Administer survey
• Compile findings of survey, including key points

Main Project Deliverable(s)

• Interviews - target number to be determined in discussion with community partner
• A tool to communicate key points of the interviews. We can discuss whether this would take the shape of a report, infographic, etc.
• Edited video or sound recording of interviews (we can discuss which format the group is most comfortable with, and how it would be made available online)
• A survey for participants that can't be interviewed

If time permits

• Written record of survey results & key points from program participants

Student Assets and Skills (preferred or required)

• Interest in documenting community stories
• Interest in interviewing participants
• Skill in creating report/infographic
• Skill in editing sound/video
• Ability to travel to Hastings Community Centre in East Vancouver

Are there any mandatory attendance dates (e.g. special event)?

• At least two of the group members must be able to attend two sessions of our classes to speak to our participants
• Growing Kids takes place Mondays at 11 AM
• Gardening Corner takes place Wednesdays at 11 AM
• There is a slight preference for the Wednesday classes because the format is more relaxed.

Is a criminal record search (CRS) required?

• No

How much self-direction is expected from the students?

• Deciding on the project deliverable(s): Equal leadership between students and community partner
• Developing the activity plan and timeline: Mostly led by students, with some community partner input
• Scheduling and initiating the communication plan (e.g. weekly Zoom check-in, biweekly email update, etc.): Equal leadership between students and community partner
• Implementing the activity plan (e.g. surveying stakeholder groups): Equal leadership between students and community partner
• Finalizing the deliverable(s): Equal leadership between students and community partner

Related Volunteering/Community Service Opportunities for Students

• In the spring/summer months we can always use help in the garden!

Required Reading

Project/Partner Orientation Materials

Students should review the following materials prior to the first partner meeting. Additional orientation materials may be provided at the first partner meeting.

• https://hastingscc.ca/?p=23
• McKnight, John. Asset-Based Community Development: The Essentials (4 page document)
• Hastings-Sunrise Social Indicators Profile (2020)
• Community-Centered Food Support and Care for All: A Convening Report (2021)

Additional Materials

• Respectful Dialogues Guide (UBC Equity and Inclusion Office)
• Kretzmann, J.P. & Knight, J.L. (1993). Building Communities from the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community's Assets (available from UBC Library)
• "Assessing Community Needs and Resources," Community Tool Box (University of Kansas)
• Riley, D.A. (2018). Place-based Storytelling as a Foundation for Neighborhood Planning and Community Development
• Resilient Neighbourhoods Toolkit (City of Vancouver)