June 2019 Volume 1 Issue 10

published by ZX Media Corporation

COMMUNITY N W! MAGAZINE

Volume 1 Issue 10 • June/July 2019

DISCOVER ALBERTA’S INNOVATION ENGINE DISCOVER ALBERTA’S INNOVATION ENGINE Extending the horizon of possibilities to solve Extending the horizon today’s challenges, reaching of possibilities to solve new potential, and creating today’s challenges, reaching a healthier and more new potential, and creating prosperous future a healthier for Alberta,and andmore the world. prosperous future for Alberta, and the world.

albertainnovates.ca

A Grassroots Magazine • For Community by Community • Our imperfections make us great !

CONTENTS

Krista Malden

Kenzie Webber Master Creator

INNOVATION

EDUCATION

Building Deeper, More Innovative, Communities 6

GIRLS EMPOWERED

22

When Innovation Starts to Hurt; Overcoming Video Game Addiction

10 Water Project Aims to Change What Happens When You Flush 15

What’s Possible With Sophia

17

In-House Vs Outsource

18 Telling It Like It Is

20

CONTRIBUTORS Stacy Richter

One-Piece IT

Jill Quirk

Jenn Cockton

Sophia Fairweather

We Are Calgary

COMMUNITY:

Adette Lacerte

Wendy Hutchins

EXPLORING

Zanika Malden

Marilyn Dyck

Diane Swiatek

Tracy Beairsto

Les Mottosky

Garry Woods

Peter Lafontaine

Sean Coates

Jade Alberts

Shawn Webber

Alberta Innovates

Heloise Lorimer STEAM Team

COMMUNITY: PEOPLE WHO INSPIRE

EVENTS

28

45

COMMUNITY:

BUSINESS

Community Connector

ORGANIZATIONS

54

COMMUNITY: BUSINESS

70

COMMUNITY: BUILDING COMMUNITY

74

For Questions, Comments or Information please contact publisher@communitynowmagazine.com Copyright 2019 ZX Media Corpoartion, Calgary Alberta Canada

Subscribe for your free issue of Community Now! At www.communitynowmagazine.com

Community Now! Magazine Copyright 2018, published by ZX Media Corporation.

Volume 1 Issue 10 June 2019

All rights reserved. This magazine or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher and writer.

Credit to Errorist_Artist aka Zanika Malden

From Calgary: In the spirit of respect, reciprocity and truth, we honor and acknowledge Moh’kinsstis (Blackfoot) and the traditional Treaty 7 territory and oral practices of the Blackfoot confederacy: Siksika, Kainai, Piikani as well as the Stoney Nakoda and Tsuut’ina nations. We acknowledge that this territory is home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3 within the historical Northwest Métis homeland. Finally, we acknowledge all Nations, Indigenous and non, who live, work and play and help us steward this land, honour and celebrate this territory. This sacred gathering place provides us with an opportunity to engage in and demonstrate leadership on reconciliation. - Wendy Hutchins

Community Now! \\ 3

AUG 15 2019

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Key Note Speaker MC: Stacy Richter Jim Gibson: The Marketing Mind Partner, Thin Air Labs Bender

Les Mottosky Curious Creative and Innovation Strategist

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INNOVATION

Innovation \\ 5

Building Deeper, More Innovative, Communities.

Les Mottosky

T

he I Ching (pronounced ‘yee jing’) is a book more than 3000 years old and thought to be the oldest oracle known to humanity. The book title translates to “The Classic Book of Change” and depending on an openness to it’s efficacy and the willingness to investigate it’s suggestions, this book can impact and inform life changes in very interesting ways. (There’s a reason it’s stuck around 3000 years). Rather than a book to be read, the I Ching is to be referenced by asking a meaningful question about an aspiration, challenge or dilemma going on in your world.

6 // Community Now!

The book is believed to have the potential to support a confused mind by: • Informing Decisions • Solving Problems • Achieving Clarity • Realizing intentions While The I Ching is a tool this writer has used himself for close to a decade, I’ve never committed to using it for a for a writing project.

So, In the interest of trying new things and getting uncomfortable, I decided to leverage it to influence this article.

I used a question Community Now! Editor, Krista Malden suggested as an idea for June’s article: “How does allowing for curiosity and creativity build community?”

When I put this question to the I Ching — via the app on my phone — the response was compelling to say the least. The names of the two chapters I was being directed to read were in this order: Chapter 41 DECREASE Chapter 38 OPPOSITION Decrease. Opposition.

Decrease opposition.

Community is a coming together of similar values and principles.

The concept these chapter headings create (decrease opposition) is undeniably relevant when we’re

building community. The inverse of this idea could be interpreted as “Increase Agreement” which -- from the perspective of values alignment -- is a cornerstone of community. It’s also appropriate to suggest that curiosity is a process we use to arrive at an alignment of values. When our values are agreed upon, we’re able to create with less friction because we have ‘mental guardrails’ to guide the decision-making.

It’s realistic to accept that curiosity and creativity build community by removing barriers to connection. Or as the I Ching suggests: by decreasing opposition.

(So far this seems to be a pretty compelling experiment!)

Here’s a brief summary of the two chapters, as translated by Brian Browne Walker: # 41 - DECREASE: Be still, lessen the power of the ego and misfortune will be avoided.

• Give aid to others where you can do so with a proper attitude: without seeking recognition and without unbalancing them. Strive to have a gentle and unattached influence.

• To truly help others you must maintain your own dignity. Everyone is decreased if you indulge in what is inferior.

• By relinquishing an inferior element you make room for a superior one.

The Deity arrives when we disengage our egos and ask for it’s help.

• By correcting your bad habits and cultivating innocence, you draw others to you. Good fortune is widespread. (continued on next page) Innovation \\ 7

(continued from page 7...)

• Nothing can prevent success from coming to those who follow the good, the true, and the innocent at every turn.

• Through stillness and innocence one gains an increase. Be generous and benevolent with others and still greater increases will follow.

This is pretty remarkable and applicable advice given the specifics of the question.

Indeed, limiting our ego-based attitudes and positions does create more opportune conditions for community to flourish.

Here are the gems from this chapter that seem most cogent to building community: • lessen the power of the ego • Give aid to others • without seeking recognition • have a gentle and unattached influence • By cultivating innocence, you draw others to you

8 // Community Now!

• Nothing can prevent success from coming to those who follow the good • Be generous and benevolent with others and greater increases will follow That’s the summary of first chapter I was directed to read, let’s see if the second response provides any more applicable wisdom... # 36 - OPPOSITION: Misunderstanding truth creates opposition.

• Do not attempt to create unity by force.

Meet every situation halfway and remain correct.

• Opposition hinders a meeting of the minds. An open and unstructured approach is best. Often an answer arrives accidentally.

• Everything appears to conspire against you. Meet this test with balance and acceptance and a good end will come.

• Mistrust of fate leaves you isolated and alone. By rejoining the path of the Sage (God, The Universe, wisdom, Nature), you return to joy.

Again: a fascinating response.

While this experiment with the I Ching could be interpreted as serendipitous, it doesn’t diminish the quality of the advice or the wisdom from these two chapters. There really is meaningful direction here.

Having gone into an exploration of “Decrease Opposition”, we can see how communities flourish when they’re built upon and defined by curiosity and creativity. These two traits

• A misunderstanding cloaks the truth.

Look beyond appearances and a productive relationship is gained.

• Neither Life, The Sage, nor your companions seek to harm you. Lay aside mistrust and release the tensions of the moment.

Again, the I Ching appears to be delivering specific advice on how to build community through curiosity and creativity. These are the points that stood-out the most: • Misunderstanding opposition

truth

creates

• Do not attempt to create unity by force • Opposition hinders a meeting of the minds • An open and unstructured approach is best • Look beyond appearances and productive relationship is gained • Lay aside mistrust

a

are powerful together, because they feed off one another. They grow and nourish community. In perpetuity. Relationships wilt and die when creativity and curiosity are not fundamental. Intellectual curiosity and creativity may be the two defining traits of a human, so it stands to reason that they would be fundamental to building tribes we want to belong to.

Curiosity requires a mind willing to evaluate alternatives that decrease opposition to possibility. It also requires caring enough to ask AND listen, discerning what we hear and using that knowledge to become a springboard for further inquiry.

Whether building community is in the context of innovating within a business, a social good effort or to connect amazing like-minded peeps, curiosity and creativity are at the heart of the success.

We can’t use them enough.

And the coolest part is that they’re renewable and strengthened with use. The more we use them, the more we possess them as traits.

When we’re intentional and honour our curiosity and creativity for the remarkably powerful connections they create, we grow into an even more robust community.

Innovation \\ 9

When Innovation Starts to Hurt; Overcoming Video Game Addiction

I

By Stacy Richter

Innovation, in all its forms, is a perpetual motion machine that will continue to the Big Freeze that scientists say we are headed towards. Society loves to celebrate all of the progress that has been made to improve convenience and quality of life. The light bulb replaced gas lamps, while the horse and buggy were disrupted by the steam engine, in turn giving way to trains and automobiles. The assembly line reduced the amount of production time needed to produce the car and robotics will eventually replace most human-directed manufacturing.

Today we have the internet, high speed connections and social platforms changing how we interact with each other daily. Selfdriving cars and delivery drones seem to be the next phase as we find new ways to

10 // Community Now!

integrate technology into every facet of daily life.

Disruption implies that all of this progress comes at a price. The romance story of innovation is that some sort of inconvenience is removed from our world. A peak behind the curtain reveals that there can be a damaging side to rapid innovation.

This is not a new dilemma and has existed ever since the Luddites of the early 1800’s were smashing mechanical looms in protest.

The rapid change of innovation can leave a few scars. Today we are not smashing looms. The nasty side of innovation shows up in other ways. This world of high-speed interconnectivity 24/7/365 is seen as a blessing to ‘most people’ but as a curse to others.

The video game industry was worth $134.9 billion in 20181 with no sign of slowing down. The growth of gaming is being fueled by faster/cheaper hardware, increasing connection speeds and growing audiences who are willing to pay to watch professionals stream their games.

Collegiate scholarships are yet another sign that the growth of gaming has gone mainstream. There are currently over 30 colleges and universities in the United States that offer scholarships for gamers, who can earn up to $19,000 per year towards tuition2.

The opportunities appear warranted. Wired Magazine reported that the 2018 League of Legends World Championships attracted over 200 million viewers worldwide. This was more viewership than the NCAA Final Four AND the Super Bowl combined3.

An education and career opportunity are the romance stories for the lure of gaming. There is also a sinister side embedded in the culture of gaming.

Overcoming the Addiction Cameron Adair has a pretty normal story like many boys born and raised in Calgary.

His dad worked in the Oil & Gas industry and his mom stayed at home taking care of the family. Cameron did well in school in addition to being a committed and talented hockey player.

Then in Grade 8, Cameron started getting bullied. The bullying escalated when he was

being chased by other kids trying to put him into garbage cans. Then the bullying got worse. Eventually Cameron had decided to quit playing, dropped out of high school and turned to video games for escape.

“Gaming was a really effective place for me to escape. It was a place where I had a lot more control. I was able to control my experience online.

If I was a good player, I would have that sense of prestige and people would look up to me. I didn’t really have to worry about bullying online because I could block people or move to a different game or different server. That sense of control was a big part of it for me.”

The World Health Organization added ‘Gaming Disorder’ in its 11th revision of International Classification of Diseases (ICD11) and defines it as “a pattern of gaming behavior (“digital-gaming” or “video-gaming”) characterized by impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.”4 The classification is recognition that gaming addiction is prevalent though the definition suggests that the medical community is still unclear.

After dropping out of high school, Cameron’s parents required him to get a job. He went through several cycles of delaying getting a job for 3-weeks, starting a job and then (continued on next page)

1) Batchelor, J. (2018, December 18). Global games market value rising to $134.9bn in 2018. Retrieved May 27, 2019, from https://www. gamesindustry.biz/articles/2018-12-18-global-games-market-value-rose-to-usd134-9bn-in-2018 2) Scholarships.com. (2019). Esports Scholarships / Scholarships for Gamers. Retrieved May 27, 2019, from https://www.scholarships. com/financial-aid/college-scholarships/sports-scholarships/esports-scholarships-scholarships-for-gamers/ 3) Heilweil, R. (2019, January 18). Esports Players Are Cashing In Big When It Comes to College. Retrieved May 27, 2019, from https:// www.wired.com/story/infoporn-college-esports-players-cashing-in-big/ 4) World Health Organization. (2018, September 14). Gaming disorder. Retrieved May 27, 2019, from https://www.who.int/features/qa/ gaming-disorder/en/

Innovation \\ 11

(continued from page 11...) leaving after a couple of weeks. This behavior degraded to eventually pretending to have a job. Cameron would have his father drop him off across the street when Cameron would wait until he was out of sight so that he could sneak back home. He would simulate the act of going to a job to cover for his gaming sessions which could last until 5am.

The discussion around innovation will always focus on the net benefits of disruption Certainly, improving the lives of ‘most’ people through innovation is a worthy cause.

There are always two sides to the disruption and the conversation must include those who have been disrupted. In the romance story we like to tell about innovation, the villain often remains behind the curtain.

According to a research study by Douglas Gentile, a research psychologist at Iowa State University, 8.5% of Americans between the ages of 8-18 who play video games show multiple signs of behavioral addiction5. This equates to at least 3 million children who are affected in the United States.

Cameron’s story has a happy ending that happens to continue. After his ‘rock-bottom’ moment, Cameron reached out to his father for help. He realized that he no longer had his own back and that gaming was out of his control.

After 10 years of gaming addiction at the age of 21, Cameron quit gaming cold-turkey.

After an extended relapse, he quit for good.

In January 2015, Cameron launched his organization Game Quitters. “Our vision from day one has been for this to be a fully integrated experience — not only on the platform itself, but within the business model as well.” – Game Quitters Website Game Quitters offers a variety of services free of charge and some programs for a small fee.

The organization is working towards a ‘ForBenefit’ Corporation designation to continue to serve its community.

About Game Quitters Game Quitters began with the vision of creating the ultimate platform for someone who struggles to quit playing video games. To do this, we would provide the best tools, resources, and support for people of all ages and backgrounds, to get the help they need, and the help they deserve. Our vision from day one has been for this to be a fully integrated experience — not only on the platform itself, but within the business model as well.

To learn more, visit https://gamequitters.com/

5) St. George, D. (2009, April 20). 8.5 Percent of U.S. Youths Addicted to Video Games, Study Finds. Retrieved May 27, 2019, from http:// www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/19/AR2009041902350.html?noredirect=on

12 // Community Now!

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Innovation \\ 13

JOIN

MADE BY MOMMA FOR OUR ANNUAL STAMPEDE

10 CAN ROUNDUP

CHALLENGE!

Help us restock the community pantry at Made by Momma!

Your non-perishable food donations will be packed into hampers and used to prepare meals for families facing adversity & crisis.

The demand for our services is at an all-time high! Through this food drive, we hope that we can rely on our community to help us meet the needs of those struggling!

The challenge is simple; collect 10 CANS for those who can’t.

1. Collect non-perishable food items for each day of Stampede!

10 Days ~ 10 Items

2. Drop your donations off at the Made by Momma Resource Centre: 66 21 Street NW

WISH LIST Coconut Milk Pasta Sauce, Tomato Products Beans & Legumes Cream Soups

Dry Pasta Vegetable, Chicken & Beef Broth Tuna, Salmon & Chicken Canned Fruit & Vegetables

For more information, visit MadebyMomma.org

WATER PROJECT AIMS TO CHANGE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU FLUSH

M

ost of us don’t give a second thought to what happens when we flush the toilet. It’s a topic that’s best left unmentioned and forgotten. But Canada’s aging sewers and treatment systems leave a lot to be desired. There’s an $80 billion-dollar bill waiting for municipalities to maintain, replace and upgrade kilometers worth of leaking sewer pipes. There are also other issues, such as: • Wasted energy pumping and aerating wastewater at centralized treatment facilities; • the high cost of maintaining drinking water systems, and • the environmental degradation and human health impacts due to sewage leaks and contamination of local receiving waters (groundwater and rivers/lakes).

Alberta Innovates found three innovators who want to change how we manage our community water services in a more sustainable way. Nick Ashbolt is the Alberta Translational Health Chair in Water at the University of Alberta. Ken Pacholok is an environmental engineer and entrepreneur

with a passion for sustainable water management. Yang Liu holds the NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Sustainable Urban Water Development at the University of Alberta and brings innovative wastewater treatment options to the project. Together they are working just outside of Edmonton on the Alberta Resource Recovery Centre.

Recovering Valuable Resources The Alberta Resource Recovery Centre involves replacing the existing centralized wastewater system used by Canadian communities in favour of a new adaptive, modular-based infrastructure. Kilometers of pipes and a centralized treatment facility are replaced by small, local ‘resource-recovery’ facilities, located within meters of homes and without noise or odour.

Unlike conventional infrastructure, these facilities recover energy from black water (what you flush) and turn it into biogas, which can be used to provide heating for the community, usually in the form of warm district-heating water. Rather than consuming energy to deal with a waste, biogas is (continued on next page)

(continued from page 15...) recovered and used for other purposes thus replacing energy used for heating and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The heat from all other wastewater from homes (known as greywater) can be recovered and treated. This wastewater becomes fit to use in toilets and outdoor irrigation/environmental flow. Energy, water and nutrients are no longer wasted or taking up time and money to treat but are largely reused locally.

Resource recovery technology is already in place in parts of Europe and the results are impressive. This technology results in 80 per cent less potable water being used, a 40 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and life-cycle costs that are half of conventional treatment.

21st Century Infrastructure The Alberta Resource Recovery Centre will be North America’s first neighbourhood resource recovery centre and represents an opportunity to show communities new technology, to educate professionals and the broader community while saving energy and money.

“I can’t say enough how this funding has galvanized this project.” Ken is particularly pleased with funding that comes at the early stages of innovation allowing the project to grow and engage a growing list of academic, government, industry and community stakeholders. Alberta Innovates funding is also good for business, as the Alberta Resource Recovery Centre team can finally show North Americans what the new market in water infrastructure is calling for: sustainable, affordable technology that will serve us well for the next hundred years.

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WHAT’S WHAT’S POSSIBLE POSSIBLE WITH WITH SOPHIA SOPHIA This month I am going to talk about how I taught practically memorized what I was going to say. myself to get comfortable speaking to a crowd.

People tell me I did really well.

What I do is that I make sure that I feel

What is possible: You

prepared. For example, I went to a Canadian can Business Chick’s event in Calgary. I felt nervous

get

comfortable

doing almost anything

so I went over my material about 5,000 times, you

care

about

practised in front of a mirror and in front of by

preparing

and

my dad. When I got to the event, I made sure I stopped interacting with people about 20min before I spoke. I then used that time to go over the information again and I imagined speaking to the crowd, which helped. When I finally did go up to speak, I was finally comfortable and had

practicing.

IT BLOG with

ONE PIECE IT

(403) 755-1761 • info@onepiece-it.com • www.onepiece-it.com

TELLING IT LIKE IT IS This issue of #TellingItLikeItIs features David Wald Co-Founder of Karma Campervans 1. How and why did you come up with starting Karma Campervans?

Back in 2013, when I was circumnavigating Iceland, I noticed something popping up everywhere I went – little, brightly coloured campervans. These little campers seemed like the perfect method to travel and explore the island. Sure, it wasn’t a 4 or 5 star hotel or resort. Yes, the amenities were a bit on the rustic side.

Even the exteriors of these little cargo vans weren’t that nice to look at. But the idea of having the freedom to drive anywhere you wanted, park overnight in any place you felt safe, and call it home, was exactly what Calgary needed.

2. You are going into your second year of business, what got you over the hump and how long did it take to get there? Was there an “AHA” moment?

The idea validated itself in the first month of business.

We had just launched our website and the bookings starting to come in. We hadn’t spent a dime on advertising yet and we were starting to sell out. It was pretty awesome.

That said - there’s still lots of work to do! We have so much we want to accomplish and it’s just going to take a bit of time and smart thinking on our part. So we’re not quite over the hump yet and even while I’m writing this, we’re just about to release ten newly built campervans into the market that we need to book up in the winter time.

Honestly - the AHA moment for me was when I met with a founder of an RV rental dealership and he gave me some sage advice on what we’re actually selling.

We’re not selling the use of a campervan. We’re selling an experience. In the back of my head I always knew that. But hearing it from that person has set it in stone.

3. People might perceive you are a seasonal business, was there any strategy shift for the winter months?

There’s a huge number of people out there wanting to ride the steep and deep Canadian Rockies and have the freedom and flexibility to go when and where they want. That’s what our campervans offer. We built them with our winters in mind; fully insulated with a great heater and a great solar/battery bank set up to keep them going without having to worry about power. We also put winter tires on the campervans and outfit them with warm duvets to provide the utmost in comfort.

They’re like little ski chalets on wheels.

4. How has your marketing changed since you started and what platforms are you using to share your story?

Our marketing strategy has always been very organically driven and with a focus on social media.

Very early on, we had local and international social media content creators and influencers reach out to us and ask if they could use the campervans in exchange for content. This became extremely valuable for us because we quickly built up a large library of amazing photos and videos that we could use on our website and social media for relatively little cost to us.

Today, I’d have to say Instagram is our most valuable social media platform. And with the help of a few lucky wins and partnerships along the way, our following has grown pretty fast.

Our website is also very key and something I take huge pride in. We spent a lot of time and energy working with the right team to put that site together and make sure it was user friendly and Google friendly. 44% of our traffic comes from search and it’s the highest converting type of visitor. So we’ll be paying close attention to how we can make the site better and better over time.

5. One piece of advice for start-ups or new businesses?

Validate your idea, take calculated risks and work hard at bringing it to life. You’ll always regret it if you don’t at least try. https://www.karmacampervans.com/

Jade Alberts Jade Alberts Consulting 403-771-1301 • www.JadeAlbertsConsulting.com • www.LinkedIn.com/in/JadeAlberts 20 // Community Now!

EDUCATION Banbury Crossroads School Seeking a school like home?

For 40 years, Banbury has offered an atmosphere where children feel safe, comfortable, and relaxed.

We offer full Pre-K to Grade 12. To learn more, please schedule an appointment with us today or call Anne in the office at (403) 270-7787.

www.banburycrossroads.com

Building B1, #201, 2451 Dieppe Ave SW, Calgary, AB T3E 7K1

GIRLS EMPOWERED unlocking their creative spirit

by Jill Quirk and The Heloise Lorimer STEAM Team

Do you ever look back to who you were as a child?

Think back and consider your hopes, your dreams and your desires? I think back to my ten-year-old self. I wanted to be a fashion designer. As a country girl with no sense of style – the idea of this now makes me laugh. However, I can remember the desire to passionately create something. That desire to create is in all of us. I just wish, looking back at my education that I was exposed to more opportunities to express this creativity.

Now I find my job as an educator is to find ways to unleash creativity, however creativity can’t be forced, as inspiration is not something that can be willed. I am trying to find ways to present conditions to help unleash creativity in my students. Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman is a researcher and psychologist and co-author of Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind. Kaufman states that creativity is more than a matter of natural talent. It’s also a state of mind, “a certain attitude that you can bring to any task, a general spirit of spontaneity and questioning the world and the way things work – seeing things continually fresh and new, that you may have seen many times before. It’s a certain way of being in this world.” (TIME, The Science of Creativity, pg. 60).

Finding ways to see things fresh and new is the gift of students. The STEAM Team students are helping me to see the world through their eyes. For example, when we have a new idea for a design challenge, we brainstorm possible “conditions” we can provide the students who participate in the program. A few of the students wanted to have a design challenge based 22 // Community Now!

on rocks. Help students understand why rocks are important. The ideas for the design challenge stations come from a truly authentic place and fueled through STEAM Team member’s own curiosity. When STEAM students create challenges, they problem solve, think in a critical way and of course be creative.

STEAM Team provides an experience to the school that is like a Kindergarten class, working collaboratively to answer the big questions.

“A 2016 report by the World Economic Forum predicted that the top three job skills in 2020 will be complex problem solving, critical thinking and creativity, noting that although artificial intelligence will continue to disrupt the workforce and replace certain jobs, creativity is a uniquely human advantage” (TIME, The Science of Creativity, pg. 85) Students who choose to be on the STEAM Team all seem to have one thing in common, they have a burning desire to create. I interviewed a collection of STEAM Team members to see what their future goals are and how the STEAM Team has helped them learn new skills and help prepare them for their future.

Alexa – in Grade 6 – Future Vet “I like STEAM because it helps me learn empathy. Empathy helps to understand what people need. This would help me be a great vet. Learning how to help animals and their owners”.

Alexa – in Grade 6 – Future Vet

Ammalee – Grade 6 – Future Teacher “STEAM helps me be learn how to be a great leader. I am excused from one ELA class a week so I can oversee the grade 3 group. I started the year with our group teaching up to 60 kids at once, however we thought it was too much. Now we just teach one grade 3 class at a time, rotating them through the design challenges. When I teach grade 3s I learn how to get them organized and find ways to teach them so they are engaged.

I find that I really like teaching because it is never the same. I also like to plan design challenges. I really like when we think of new design challenges they often come when we are having the most fun”.

Ammalee – Grade 6 – Future Teacher

Marissa – in Grade 6 – Future Vet “I love learning new ways to integrate math into the challenges. For example, in the rock challenge we thought of how we can help kids learn how to use the scale and weigh the rocks comparing weights of rocks. Finding ways to fit math into the design challenges helps me be creative. I think being in STEAM could also help me when I become a vet. I think that I would need to weigh the animals so I can help the animals get better”.

Marissa – in Grade 6 – Future Vet

Rylee – in Grade 6 - Entrepreneur “I love to create and make new things. STEAM allows me to dip into my creative side and allows for everyone to explore what they love. If I had to choose what to do I would say that I would own my own business and create items to make people and animals happy”.

Kali – in Grade 6 - Future Tech Job

Rylee – in Grade 6 - Entrepreneur

“I find that teaching STEAM helps me to learn new technology. For example, I have learned how to make stop motion videos and this will help me in my career choice. I always choose to play with the robots and learn new ways to have robots part of our challenges”.

Kabula – in Grade 6 - Future Doctor

Kali – in Grade 6 - Future Tech Job

“I think STEAM helps me to think creatively. I think I give great ideas to the STEAM group. My greatest idea would be when I thought of how to connect the rock challenge to Canada’s geography. We have a large map of Canada and a map of the locations of rocks and minerals found around Canada. I thought of a station were students code a mini-sphero around the map of Canada viewing all the locations of the rocks and minerals. STEAM helps me think on the spot. When I become a doctor, I will need to think of creative ways to heal people”.

Kabula – in Grade 6 - Future Doctor

(continued on next page) Education \\ 23

(continued from page 23...)

Natalie – in Grade 5 - Entrepreneur “My favourite STEAM activity was when we did the Makers Market challenge – I learned about what products to sell, how to set a price and how to advertise. I like to make my own knitted stuffed animals. This experience encouraged me to create my own website for my business Loops to Ends using hdml coding. I found a website to use from the company Code Academy. I learn how to code from my dad. STEAM allows me to learn more about how Natalie – in Grade 5 - Entrepreneur

to run a business and practice selling my products”.

Alex – in Grade 5 – Future Architect

Alex – in Grade 5 – Future Architect

“I love STEAM. I think STEAM prepares me to be an architect because when building for a design challenge you always need to know about measurement, area and perimeter. I enjoy making blueprints for my designs because usually things don’t work out so you are always solving new problems with your drawings. I love to see the difference between the first drawing and the last drawing. For example, when I built my animal habitat for the zoo revolution challenge – I found that the box I used was not big enough for all my ideas. If I did this again I would choose a bigger box and a less complicated design.

I also love to create movies for STEAM challenges using new technology. I made a movie for the Snowy Superhero STEAM challenge with the Dash robot and I am now making a movie for the Rock Challenge, choosing actors to play the different rock characters. STEAM allows us to have fun and be creative”.

Yasmin – in Grade 5 – Future Urban Planner “I find when I am doing a STEAM design challenge, I am learning how to rethink and learning how to build. This will be an important skill for when I become an actual engineer. I would love to be an urban planner so when I design a city or a subdivision I can find creative ways to design it”.

Yasmin – in Grade 5 – Future Urban Planner

24 // Community Now!

Bree – in Grade 5 – Future Teacher “I think STEAM helps me learn new knowledge to help me in my teaching career. When I teach kids, I find it is hard to get their attention and keep it fun.

So, STEAM is helping me learn quick ways to keep learning fun and how to deal with children. They (the children) all learn so differently, so I find it is interesting to see how they learn”.

Bree – in Grade 5 – Future Teacher

Grace – in Grade 5 – FUTURE Nurse and Wedding Planner “Being a part of STEAM helps me be creative and help those who get hot glue gun injuries (which seems to happen a lot). STEAM helps you organize and plan with a large group of people – which helps me think about how I could be a good leader. It helps me practice empathy and learn to be patient so I can be a better caring nurse. STEAM also teaches us that we can do whatever job we want to do”.

Grace – in Grade 5 – FUTURE Nurse and Wedding Planner

Chelsea – in Grade 5 – Future Interior Designer “The whole concept of being creative helps me let go a little and learn how to be even more creative. I find STEAM forces me to think differently and I will need this skill when I go into my career path of Interior Design. I love drawing and finding ways to build and create. For example, my drawings of my immigrant suitcase project I loved drawing out how my ideas would fit into the correct space”.

Teaching skills so girls are empowered is an important goal for me. However, luckily, I’m not the only one.

There are many resources to help your child learn the skills needed to be Future Ready. Canada Learning Code is a great resource for teaching your child how to code. I just went to a Girls Learning Code coding day. It was a great way to ease girls into being an entrepreneur teaching them how to create their own business and website. The girls learned how to use https://glitch.com/ and created a website for their future bakery idea, helping to provide healthy bake goods. For more information in helping your child be FUTURE READY check out this website: https:// www.canadalearningcode.ca/

Chelsea – in Grade 5 – Future Interior Designer

Education \\ 25

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COMMUNITY This special issue of CN! magazine features a look into how community is formed through events, businesses and organizations. Along with featuring people who are connecting community.

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Community \\ 27

Community Feature: People who Inspire

IN OUR COMMUNITY… THE IMPORTANCE OF PHILANTHROPY

W

hen CN! first launched its magazine in August of 2018, we had the opportunity of meeting Derek Fraser, a philanthropist and community advocate. Since that time, Derek has been an active member of the CN! community, introducing us to amazing organizations, events and people. And now it’s time for all of you to meet Derek!

“I always thought Walt’s famous saying, “If you can dream it, you can do it!”, is a pretty good philosophy to live your life by.”

- Derek Fraser Derek D. Fraser, CFRE is a Principal with Osborne Interim Management and President of Derek D. Fraser Philanthropic Advisors Inc., a fund development consultancy in Calgary. The firm’s current clients reach across a broad spectrum of organizations, including independent schools, professional association foundations, performing arts organizations, and social service agencies. Derek has worked in the non-profit sector since 1987 and has had the privilege of experiencing the width and breadth of fund development work, with concentrations in annual giving, capital 28 // Community Now!

campaigns, major gift work (in Canada, the U.S. and Asia), Board development, strategic planning, alumni affairs, as well as association organization and volunteer management. Derek is a part-time instructor with Georgian College’s online non-profit studies program. Derek first worked in the arts and after completing an exciting year at Disney’s EPCOT Center in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, came back to Canada to work at the Shaw Festival. Derek served as chair of the AFP Canadian Council in 2013-2014 and is a past president of the Calgary & Area Chapter of AFP. He also serves as Chair of the Major Gifts Committee for the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy – Canada, as well as serving on other committees within AFP Canada and AFP Global. While Derek recently retired from the Board of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award – AB/NT/NU Division after 11 years, and he still actively chairs the Fund Development Committee of Youth Central in Calgary. Derek has recently joined the Board of the Terminator Foundation in Calgary.

Derek holds a B.A. (Hons) in Film Studies from Queen’s University and earned his

Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) in 2004 with re-certifications in 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2016.

Q & A with Derek: The Importance of Philanthropy in the Community.

1.) Why is philanthropy important to our community?

Philanthropy has been around for millennia and had its original roots in the church. The weekly offering often goes to specific activities at the church that serves those in need, and also to the dreaded – administration.

However, much of the good cannot be accomplished without some person taking responsibility for ensuring the delivery of services that are efficient and effective. Today there is a hue and cry by some donors when skilled professionals are engaged in a complex service delivery scenario and manage it with the same skills needed to sell us sugar water in 24 packs, but no hue and cry there!

Apparently, there is a different set of expectations for those selling us cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana or addictive drugs in

our for-profit world. They can be wellremunerated for amazing marketing, attractive stores and loyalty programs, all while creating many of the issues that the non-profit sector has to handle after consumption. Quoting Dan Pallotta, a social innovator, activist and fundraiser, from his well-viewed 2013 TEDtalk, “We have two rule books – one for the non-profit sector and one for the rest of the economic world.”

Society celebrates those philanthropists who donate millions of dollars, Euros, RMB, Yen, whatever the currency, to help those in our society who are our most vulnerable from the very products we celebrate and consume.

Fortune 500 companies reward employees who sell us “addictions waiting-to-happen” in a bottle/box/blister pack with unbelievable compensation on the for-profit side! They are rewarded for creating the very scenarios that non-profits deal with each and every day and try to solve or care for those in need.

Recognizing great non-profit managers with appropriate compensation - we treat them (continued on next page) Community \\ 29

(continued from page 29...) as a parasite for seeking fair compensation – not even extraordinary compensation! Why is this? It is incredible that we can pay the CEOs of Fortune 500 Companies unbelievable salaries, many hundreds of times their average employee’s wage, to sell us Coke, Pepsi, Oxycontin, Marlboros and similar products and not really care what the outcomes are. The one thing they can count on is a fat pay cheque at the expense of public health and wellness (obesity), mental health from addictions and cancers of all kinds. We then celebrate their gifts to our society that help them with their guilt burden, which has been chronicled since the Quakers landed on Plymouth Rock! This last point was researched and presented in detail by Dan Pallotta, again, in his groundbreaking book “Uncharitable”.

Why is philanthropy important to our community? If we did not have philanthropy, regardless of its source or inspiration, then the non-profit sector would have an even harder time handling the care for those most vulnerable in our society. Philanthropy is the difference-maker, it enables organizations to be creative and to offer aid where it is needed most. Philanthropy is in each and every one of us; whenever you give, you are serving your fellow man/woman in some tangible way, but society has a bad habit of recognizing only the largest of these gestures. On a per capita income basis, a major philanthropist can be more generous than a person living near the poverty line. A $100 gift from a person making $15 million is an embarrassment, but someone giving $100, who makes $15,000 is a huge gift when capacity is considered. All gifts are important, but those who are able to make transformational gifts have the power of change. These individuals just need to realize that the impact of their gift in their 30 // Community Now!

own community will be more important than the new Lambo they can buy and use for 4 months of year! The dealership will only love you until you drive out of the showroom, but a charity will honour your gift forever!

2.) Why do you help organizations & people with their projects / fundraisers... and spending time just giving advice?

Why do I help, a great question! I was raised in a Rotarian family, meaning, my father, brother, uncle and maternal grandfather were all Rotarians and my paternal grandfather and uncle were Masons. Giving back was always in our life in some form and my father, a medical doctor, gave back to his community in so many ways. I guess I picked it up by osmosis. I was fortunate to attend a high school whose motto was “May I be consumed in service”. It was engrained in me from early on in my life, so being involved and lending a hand has been in my DNA for a long time.

As a fund development professional with over 30 years of experience, I now have the privilege of seeing first-hand those organizations that have great impact serving our community or our country, and being able to assist them in realizing their missions. There is a certain way to get things done when it comes to fundraising, but taking a shortcut is never good. It is an investment for the future and quick wins usually cost somewhere down the line. Building a foundation of donors is key, especially now that corporate sponsorship has virtually disappeared. During the good times in Calgary, “chequebook sponsorship” was easily attained, as noted Calgary Philanthropist Jim Gray remarked to me a few years ago. It was easy to get $10,000 here and $25,000 there - not any more. Charities need to build their foundation of support the old fashioned way, by surrounding themselves with those who love them and donate gifts to

them. It takes time and stewardship to be sustainable and every charity’s main goal is to be around until the need they address is no longer evident.

I derive a great sense of satisfaction working with committed volunteers and facilitating the gift-making process. I like to connect donors with projects I know they would be interested in and assist them in fulfilling their philanthropic aspirations. There is nothing better than the smile a donor has when they hand you a cheque for a large gift. The trust they have in you to use their donation “investment� for the greater good is unparalleled. Together, we are making change in our world for the better and my small part of enabling this process is very gratifying. That is why I help.

3.) What can we do better as a community?

Calgary is a pretty awesome community.

When I moved here with my family in 2006 from Vancouver, I did not know that much about Calgary other than the Stampede, the 1988 Olympics, the Rockies and maybe the Flames and Stampeders. What I learned very quickly is that this community rocks! The highoctane volunteer power of Calgary is legendary and I thought this would be the best place in Canada to be a fund development professional! How could it not be? There are ample well-paid professional jobs, a superior experienced volunteer force, great charities serving the community in so many ways, WOW! I have now experienced 2 downturns in 13 years with an even split between good times and bad times. The vibe during the (continued on next page)

(continued from page 31...) good times is palatable and fuels unbelievable community engagement. The bad times, especially the current one, has cored our vibe, in fact our mojo has almost been destroyed.

How could this happen and so quickly under the careful watch of so many brilliant people?

Calgary attracted so many head offices in the late 1980s and early 1990s that brought so many great people to our community who

“

need to invest in our community, in whatever form that takes and make it the best!

4.) What projects in the community are you currently working on?

I am fortunate to have multiple projects underway at any one time, but the organizing of GivingTuesday 2019 is underway and my co-chair, Wayne Steer, and I have been invited to Toronto for the GivingTuesday Community leaders

Summit in late June. In took up leadership late July, I gather with positions in corporate my colleagues who Calgary is a pretty awesome Calgary as well as serve our professional community. When I moved our non-profits. The association – AFP here with my family in 2006 tremendous support - for our national from Vancouver, I did not behind so many leaders’ retreat in projects transformed know that much about Vancouver, where the city into a modernCalgary.... What I learned we come together to day metropolis and very quickly is that this advance philanthropy when the Ring Road in Canada. I am community rocks! is finally finished, pleased to support we can exhale and the efforts of Vanisha celebrate the marvel Breault, founder of the of this transportation behemoth. This one Terminator Foundation, and the 5th Annual mega-project of nearly $2 billion to construct 5K Run for Youth Addiction Awareness on will make this city so much more efficient.

September 29th at North Glenmore Park. I The free-flowing traffic, both commercial and am fortunate to serve on the Soul of the Next

”

private vehicles, will make us the envy of Canada! Our hospitals are second to none and when the new cancer hospital is completed, Calgary will be hailed as the key medical hub of the province. This did not happen without vision and conviction and we will all benefit from our leadership. Now, if we could get a few fieldhouses like Edmonton!

In my opinion, to be a better community, we need to return to our grassroots and be who we are, not Torontonians, Vancouverites or Edmontonians – we need to be Calgarians and do what we do best. We need to be humble; we need to utilize the “git R done” spirit; we 32 // Community Now!

Economy Advisory Committee, assisting with the 2019 version of this conference in mid-November, this year. I continue to serve Youth Central and support their efforts to engage more youth in serving their community through various programs and volunteering opportunities. And, one of my most favourite new groups is the Rainforest Alberta movement that is charting new ways to build the new economy for Alberta through entrepreneurial engagement and the construction of a made-in-Alberta ecosystem.

If we all work together, then we can all prosper.

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Community \\ 33

Explorer Group Canada Connects Communities

C

N! sat down with Nicholas Fu, President and CEO of Explorer Group Canada, to discuss the mission of his company – “Connecting Diverse Communities”. Nic explained that “we are the bridge between Canadian business and Asian consumers. We never wait for opportunities, instead, we create them….I see so many people, they’re always telling people they are ready for opportunities and just sit there and wait for opportunities, but they have no ideas when and how opportunities come, so at the end, they always have lost those opportunities they wish to receive. We wish everyone can have the opportunities they wish to receive, 34 // Community Now!

and that's why we love to create opportunities for people who really wish to receive.”

He carries this philosophy forward also through his other businesses, Sian City BBQ Bar and NUYU Beauty Lounge.

Q & A with Nic: The Importance of Connecting Communities 1.) Why do you think it’s important to connect everyone across Alberta?

Technology has been growing too fast and without proper use of it, it’s actually making people more distant than before. You can easily see people having lunch or dinner

together but they are all on their cellphones and social media. A lot of people are good at talking online but have nothing to share in real life. It is very important to connect people all together, people need to know their

learn from each other; people who live in the communities can help local business as well, so we can all grow together.

value, share experiences and help each other, people all love to do that but they just need different opportunities, and we create those opportunities.

I believe Alberta is one of the friendliest provinces in Canada, we have the best festival city - Edmonton and the most famous energy city - Calgary, and I believe our province has a lot more potential for people to make the impossible possible.

2.) Why do you focus on the Chinese Community?

I am a proud Chinese Canadian, proud Albertan, and a proud Chinese as well, I deeply understand the Chinese culture and the Canadian culture, China has grown to be one of the most powerful countries in the world, same as Canada. We have the best people, best resources and best opportunities in Canada, we just need a bridge to make the connection.

3.) Why do you think it’s important to connect communities to communities and communities to industry?

People always love to live in a good community, but what makes a good community? Safe, beautiful, convenience (transportation and shopping ) and has alot more potential to grow. A great community is built by developers, business owners and people who are willing to move here and are already actually living here.

It's important to connect communities to communities, people can share cultures and

4.) Why did you choose to move to Alberta?

5.) What advice would you give to new business owners?

Believe in yourself, make more quality friends, never give-up, never find any excuses to yourself, learn from the best, show your value to people, to communities, always help people and help community.

6.) Can you tell us more about Explorer Canada?

At the beginning, most people have treated us as a normal marketing or advertising company, but we are more than just doing marketing and advertising - we are a resources hub that generates and provides opportunities to people, as we truly understand everything lives in the world for different reasons.

Humans are the smartest "animal" in the world, why? Because we are always looking for different ways to improve, and this is what we do, not just improve us, but also improve all our connections. We grow together for different and better opportunities.

Community \\ 35

Joining the Force With Garry Woods

Living in our family home I experienced another kind of normal. My dad was a cop and therefore, in the minds of the terrorists, he was a “legitimate target.” For this reason, we had a few well-practised drills at home.

For example, I couldn’t answer the front door in case it was a gunman wanting to kill my dad. My dad would answer, and he would always be armed. The rest of the family would have already been ushered into the back of the house away from the hallway to a safe place.

From the day I was fifteen months old, my country was in a state of civil unrest.

H

eavily armed soldiers and police officers roamed the streets.

Helicopters protected them from above. When they weren’t on foot patrol, armoured vehicles took them where they needed to go. Heavily fortified barracks and police stations with lookout towers and high walls protected them when they weren’t patrolling.

Murders, shootings, bombings were an almost daily occurrence, perpetrated by those who sought to change the political set-up through terror. The targets were the police officers and soldiers, and anybody who assisted them in their daily duties, including mailmen, janitors, maintenance staff and even those who provided food for them. Then of course, like any conflict, there were retaliatory actions by the “other side”, who sought to maintain the status quo.

This wasn’t Afghanistan or Syria - this was within the United Kingdom, less than an hour’s flight to London. This was my normal.

36 // Community Now!

I couldn’t tell anybody what my dad did for a job, in case I told someone from the “wrong side.” I have no doubt that as a kid I messed up and told a few people for the simple fact that I was proud of my dad. I wanted people to know how brave he was, and in my mind that was something to be celebrated and not ashamed of. I guess I didn’t see the big picture back then.

Just like in his chosen profession, my dad did his best to protect his family too. I couldn’t go near our family car in our driveway until he had thoroughly checked under it for improvised explosive devices. As a kid I really didn’t know what the words “device” and “improvised” meant, so I just referred to them as bombs, knowing that it wasn’t unusual to find them, primed and ready to go, underneath the personal vehicles of police officers. All that was needed was for the vehicle to move for the devices to injure or kill the unassuming driver and their family. It was a fate that other police officers and their families had faced all too often. Thankfully this wasn’t a fate our family had to endure.

In 1994 Northern Ireland, the most dangerous place in the world to be a police officer, I made the decision to follow in my dad’s footsteps and joined the police. I was 26 years old. (continued on next page)

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career in policing would take me out of the situation I found myself in - I had no ambition, no goals or direction, and I was drinking too much. I also hoped that it would give me a sense of belonging. I don’t think I realized it back then, but I was lost, and really needed an anchor to prevent me from drifting even further. Joining the police gave me a sense of purpose and, of course, an income. I went into it with no expectations other than that I knew it would be difficult to get through basic training, and that I was exposing myself to a lot of danger.

(continued from page 36...)

The chances of being murdered were pretty good and being hyper-vigilant was a 24-7 job.

So naturally, that would be my first career choice, right? Even with the dangers, the job security was at its best. We didn’t lack protection. And it was a job for life, however limited that life duration might be.

For a long time, I told myself I joined the force because my dad was a cop. I also told myself I wanted to give something back to the organization which, thanks to his salary, my dad provided for me everything I needed growing up. I had a great education in one of the best schools in Northern Ireland. I was widely travelled by the age of 18. I didn’t want for anything.

The truth is that I became a police officer not because my dad did it and not out of some misguided loyalty to an organization that paid my dad’s wages. I became a police officer because I really didn’t know what else to do. It might sound sad and unambitious, but that’s the way it was. I applied out of hope that a 38 // Community Now!

I was late for my first morning and when asked in front of my squad why I was late, I responded with: “I suppose if I had got up earlier, I would have been here on time.”

Great answer, and one that set the tone for my six months of residential training.

It was clear I didn’t really fit in from that first morning with my squad, but I got through it; I made myself fit in. What I didn’t realize at the time was that I was sacrificing my sense of self and my true identity in order to be accepted.

I’m pretty sure that the need to belong to a group was at the heart of my “decision” to become a police officer.

There was nothing about me which screamed “I’m a cop!” I didn’t look like one and I didn’t behave like one. Those two things worked very well in my favour in that environment. Other than when you were on duty in uniform, the rule of thumb was that you never made any overt displays that you were a police officer.

Sometimes we think we make decisions without realizing that they have actually already been made for us. I have no doubt now, at this stage in my life, that a career in policing was already mapped out for me, and there was really nothing I had to do to influence that. So why did I stay in a world where I

didn’t fit in and I couldn’t be true to who I am?

Truth is, policing has been a great vehicle for me, and I wouldn’t change anything that has happened. It gave me the purpose, stability and direction that I needed in my life. I have been able to make a positive difference in the lives of others, and in turn, those experiences have had a positive impact on my life. Even through the worst or most painful times, I have been able to find opportunities for growth and learning, either for myself or for others.

“

human being is on their own journey, not always through choice.

It’s so easy to label every troubled youth, every homeless person and every addict as “a bad person.” When they hear it often enough, they start to believe it. Then they don’t want to talk to you anymore because you are bringing nothing to their life.

It becomes a vicious cycle when police officers take personally the

There was nothing about me

negative reaction of these people and as a result shut the door on helping.

As much as I have felt which screamed “I’m a cop!” I an outsider in many of didn’t look like one and I didn’t the policing roles I have Viewing things through played, my personal and behave like one. Those two a more humanprofessional journeys things worked very well in my centered lens would be so far have helped me favour in that environment. beneficial, because the understand the words vulnerable people in “force” and “service”. our society are not just When I started policing in Northern Ireland, the victims of crime, they are also the victims I was very much part of a paramilitary force; of their circumstances and their choices, selfdictated by the environment and the constant imposed or otherwise. threat. It was the only way we could operate Does this attitude make me soft or ineffective and survive. I, too, forced myself to survive as a police officer? I think not; rather the and operate in that environment, knowing all opposite. I get the “force” part of the job the time that it really wasn’t me. I wasn’t like done because that is my primary function, my colleagues. I fought, but I wasn’t a fighter. but I always try, where possible, to find the Without being true to myself, I got the job time to connect with the individual to hear done. their story. A uniform should not be a barrier I distinguish between force and service as to that. I have found the opposite to be true. follows. Police force, according to MerriamMost people just want to be listened to and Webster, deals with “the maintenance of to be valued, and to know that someone has public peace and order, enforcement of laws, their back. When you have your own story to and the prevention and detection of crime”. share, that conversation can take on a deeper This is and will always be our primary meaning. function.

I know what it feels like to not fit in. I’m Service can be defined as “the contribution to still not a “typical cop”, but thankfully now, the welfare of others.” My own experiences twenty-five years later, I am in a place where I have taught me to recognize that behind am being true to who I really am. every call for help is a human being, and that

”

Community \\ 39

The

biggest

lesson I learned

from my first year as a

community manager

by Mackenzie Bedford

W

hen I signed on to become Rainforest Alberta’s second community manager in January 2018, I don’t think I understood what I was getting into. Fresh from Mount Royal University, with the ink still drying on my marketing degree, I was full of the zeal that comes from making it to the finish line and looking forward to the next starting gate.

To clarify, I knew about Rainforest Alberta before January. It’s a movement working to improve the tech industry in the province, by creating space for conversations around what a culture needs to support innovation.

I had been building its social media presence since early 2017 and had attended the Lunch Without Lunch events that Jenn Delconte and Danielle Torrie (now part of Startup Calgary) started as the previous CMs. I had big shoes to fill, but I was excited to take on a larger role in the tech space, despite limited experience in it.

What I didn’t know was that I was jumping 40 // Community Now!

into one of the wildest, and most welcoming communities in Calgary.

It took a bit of finessing to figure out “what I do” after taking on the role. Due to the intangible nature of the movement, the community around it becomes just as hard to define. I’d have conversations with leadership about whether we treat ourselves as a collective, or a coalition, or a fellowship, etc., but could Rainforest Alberta simply be defined as a community?

Let’s start there: Com·mu·ni·ty noun 1. a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.

2. a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.

Looking from the peripherals, you would think the answer is yes. The first definition fits perfectly. Rainforest Alberta is a group

of people living in Alberta, working towards the improvement of the tech industry. Simple enough, right?

The local community is exciting. Take our weekly meeting Lunch Without Lunch as a sample, we’ve seen over 3000 individuals pass over eating at noon for member introductions and updates every Wednesday for over 141 weeks and counting.

Many Calgary success stories come by to share. I’ve seen companies’ velocity go from “first sale” to “first hire” due to connections they built out from LWOL. A coding school, EvolveU, has been built from discussion around the talent gap that tech companies are currently facing. I’ve watched cofounders meet at LWOL and come back a few months later with their next big idea, ready to take feedback.

There’s a hitch though: If you look closely, Rainforest Alberta reaches farther than just our province. Visitors from all over the country and the globe come through our doors curious about our ecosystem. They see what the people of Calgary are building in Alberta and they share those exciting stories with their colleagues back home. Steadily, we’re building a new narrative for Alberta with optimism around tech.

Just like a real rainforest, the community is diverse, full of energy, and sometimes a little chaotic.

Each week we see a different set of individuals come up and introduce themselves. We’ve met innovators and builders from every age, wage and stage of company - anyone with

RAINFOREST SOCIAL CONTRACT I am joining the Alberta community of people sharing a common faith in continuously growing the CULTURE of innovation and entrepreneurship. We are an inclusive, silo-busting, sector-agnostic, all-industry, open-source, ego-shrinking, ecosystem-building, entrepreneur-focused, wide-open, social-barrier-smashing community.

This agreement describes what it means to innovate together. It defines what we allow and pursue versus what we resist and avoid.

It is a litmus test for the quality of our decisions, actions and ways of being together. By signing this agreement I agree to join the Rainforest community, to embrace and promote this explicit set of 10 values and principles:

1.

DIVERSITY - I embrace diversity, strive to create equal opportunity for every person and I am open to meeting anyone in this community.

2.

FREE HELP - I understand that I will receive valuable help from others for free.

3.

TRUST - I will give trust to others before expecting to receive trust in return.

4.

PAY IT FORWARD - I agree to “pay forward” whatever positive benefits I receive.

• For every introduction I get, I will provide an introduction to another person.

• For every hour of advice I receive, I will give an hour of advice to someone else.

• For every risk someone takes with me, I will take a risk with a different person.

5.

FAIRNESS - I will be nice and treat everyone fairly. I will take advantage of no one.

6.

LISTENING - I will bring people together and listen, as none of us is as smart as all of us. I believe in the big tent. I believe we gain strength through diversity.

7.

HONESTY - I will be truthful and frank. I will break rules and call out elephants in the room.

8.

TEAM SPORT - I will create teams to play, dream, experiment, iterate, and persist. I understand mistakes happen. Failing quickly and cheaply are acceptable ways of testing new ideas.

9.

SHARING - I will open myself to learning from others. I am eager to act to learn.

I will share my knowledge in the spirit of the Creative Commons to help nurture learning in others.

10. ROLE MODEL - I will lead at times and follow at other times.

Each person acts as a role model for everyone else. I will live these ideals and enforce them as a member of the Rainforest community.

I AM JOINING I agree to join the Rainforest community, to embrace and promote this explicit set of 10 values and principles.

NA ME ( PLE A SE PRINT )

SIG NATURE

DATE

#RainforestABcontract After you sign the social contract, post a photo of it on social media with the hashtag #RainforestABcontract to let everyone know that you've pledged your support. Want to see who else has signed and uploaded the social contract? Go to RainforestAB.ca to see the complete gallery.

RAINFOREST ALBERTA | COMMUNITY SOCIAL CONTRACT | SEPTEMBER 2016-2017

a stake in tech. Which, in this era of the Information Revolution, is everyone.

Rainforest Alberta acts as the whitespace to our innovation ecosystem, working to highlight the waves other players are making. One of my biggest challenges as community manager was that I had to understand where those players were in the ecosystem! The landscape is constantly changing and shifting, so you have to frequently update your mental map.

So you see, up close, the first definition just doesn’t do our community justice. I found myself stretched thin attempting to support the entire breadth of Rainforest Alberta when considering this. Luckily, the second definition is more on the mark.

(continued on next page) Community \\ 41

(continued from page 41...)

We like to say at our meetings that “innovation isn’t a place, it’s a state of mind.” This means you don’t have to move to a startup hot-spot like San Francisco or Toronto to build your next big thing - you can do it right here in Alberta. What makes Rainforest Alberta a community is our collective state of mind.

This is captured when every member signs the Rainforest Social Contract. It’s our code of conduct when participating in our community.

The contract is a pledge to promote diversity, sharing, and honesty when building your next big thing. We believe this grassroots culture of trust will lay as the foundation for a tight-knit, efficative and vibrant tech ecosystem.

Sometimes when I explain what I do to people, I hear: “Why bother build a tech industry in Alberta?” My response usually starts with “why not?”

It’s no secret that startups and small businesses are the backbone to Canada’s economy, but what is exciting is the rate of growth that tech companies experience. According to Statistics Canada, the Information, Communications and Technology sector in Canada grew by 3.9%, outpacing the total Canadian economy (+3.4%) in 2018. More successfully scaling tech startups in the province can lead to more jobs and income spilling over into other industries. From cleantech, to life sciences, to artificial intelligence, it’s not about splitting up the pie that is our province’s economy; it’s about making the pie bigger.

However, I’m a community manager, not an economist. I can’t promise the growth we expect to see. We will have to work for it, but Rainforest Alberta is a fortified community that will catch each other as we reach for new heights of our economy together.

42 // Community Now!

So, it was the end of 2018 and my first year as community manager. I faced a lot of challenges I knew weren’t unique to me. Realizing that I can’t please everyone was a hard pill to swallow.

The mental marathon of remembering relevant whos, whats, and wheres, causes names to blend together. I revered the community I worked for so much that I didn’t realize I had been isolating myself from it. It’s easy to lose your perspective of the bigger picture when you’re in the grassroots too long.

Long story short, through a combination of over-thinking, under-delegating and lack of self-care, I was burnt out. I felt I hadn’t done enough for Rainforest as their community manager and I was ready to give up.

But then something I never expected happened. Rainforest members were reaching in and pulling me out of my head. Some took me out for a coffee to help sort my scrambled thoughts, some just made sure I ate that day.

Some stepped up to volunteer with running events and initiatives, some just helped me carry my equipment to the car. Every effort big and small made an impact.

I say I never expected it to happen, but of course that’s what happened. That’s just what you do at Rainforest: you lend a hand. Big or small, you can make an impact.

The biggest lesson I learned this year was that I didn’t just tend to the community from the peripherals. I was a part of it too.

I stumbled in 2018 but the community caught me and helped me keep going even when I didn’t think I could. We’re halfway through 2019 and I’m still learning more about how to be a better community manager daily. But I feel supported every step of the way knowing that Rainforest members have my back.

That is the most you can ask of any community you belong to.

Young People Making a

BIG IMPACT

On June 6 2019, 13 students and 1 teacher from Douglas Dale Elementary School volunteered to cut or shave their hair in order to raise awareness and money for the Canadian Cancer Foundation! What an extraordinary example of community.

The school raised over $10,000.00 The gym was full of emotion as students, parents, family, friends, teachers and staff gathered together to watch and cheer on the participates.

“It’s amazing to watch how brave the kids are,” whisper adults throughout the crowd.

As they talked about how hard it would be to shave your head.

Douglas Dale School is always teaching their students about the importance of community and encouraging their students to be looking for ways to make an impact. This event was filled with support; Lord Beaver Brook High School students volunteered their time to cut and shave hair, the Canadian Cancer Foundation was on-site to cheer on the kids and make them feel like super hero’s and the community funded and cheered the students on.

Congratulations Douglas Dale Elementary School for passing your fundraising goal.

Education + Community = Inspirational

Community \\ 43

Community Feature: Exploring events

Community, Innovation,Costumes, and Entertainment

44 // Community Now!

If you have never been to Calgary or Edmonton Comic and Entertainment Expo, CN! highly recommends it!

This past April, the Calgary Stampede grounds were overrun with superheroes battling space monsters, princesses saving the day and video game characters taking some welldeserved time off. Geeks were geeking out with thousands of other fans in cosplay.

Attendees shopped at hundreds of vendors and exhibitors, checking out panels and workshops, meeting their favourite stars and creators, and celebrating a love for the culture and community. There is something for everyone at the Calgary Expo!

The CN! team experienced the event firsthand.

We waited in line ups to meet actors, sat in on panel discussions, explored all the exhibitors, hung out in Artist Alley, and we had the opportunity to interview amazing people who share how community comes together within the Expo and how innovation has changed industries such as drawing, costumes, videos and many others.

It was an amazing three days and the best part of exploring the Expo was realizing this isn’t just about “comics and sci fi” stuff but that there truly is something for everyone at the Expo, and there is always something new that you will see or find.

--------------------------------COSPLAY*: By definition is “a portmanteau of the words costume play, is a performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character”.

When we first got to Expo we were told we could do an interview with Phil Mizuno, a young Cosplayer. When we got to Cosplay Ally we saw Gaston from Beauty and Beast

singing and dancing across tables, and standing next to Gaston was the Beast, Phil Mizuno, smiling and full of energy with an amazing costume. In between interacting with fans, Phil Mizuno took time to talk to us about why he became a Cosplayer and how conventions like the Calgary Expo help form community.

“When I first started to cosplay I think I had two or three friends, and I really like Japanese pop culture, and then I heard about the conventions and decided to attend and I was the only one not in cosplay said Mizuno. “I figured cosplay would be a great way to make friends and I wanted to get involved with something.”

When we ask Mizuno what he thought of the Calgary Expo and how it builds community he responded “Actually I have never been to an Expo like the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo. When I thought of Expo, I always thought of comics and sci fi, but I have seen everything here. So I feel that having a big venue allows us to bring all the different communities together. When you’re together, you learn more.”

(continued on next page) * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosplay

Community \\ 45

(continued from page 45...)

Mizuno was great to watch over the entire Expo and we returned many times to Cosplay Alley to see what new costume he had in store for his fans. When we asked him what advice he could give to people who wanted to cosplay for the first time he said, “I think there is this big social stigma around when you cosplay that you need to make your costumes.

You don’t need to make it and there is lots of options. One of my favorites is just having a wig and jeans. You can do small things and build your way up” We also met another Coplayer named Vamp.

Vamp explained her journey to becoming a Coplayer. “My journey is a little different, because I never came in to conventions with the idea of being a cosplayer. I came to conventions because I was a nerd and I like the stuff at conventions. I could come and hang out with people who got me and hang out with people who liked the things I liked.

And that’s what you guys are talking about - that was my community. When I started dressing up I was in the right place at the right time and I was doing it right when the

46 // Community Now!

Cosplay boom happened.” Vamp does many things under the entertainment umbrella including: kids puppet shows, just published a children’s book, models, hosts, acts and, of course, continues to Cosplay. “Cosplay is a fun love for me” said Vamp.

When asked about how conventions, like the Calgary Expo create community, she said “I think events like this offer people an opportunity to be together. Although we think social media reaches everyone, it doesn’t and opening up events like this involves the city and the community,” said Vamp, “and there is something here for everyone.”

--------------------------------After Cosplay Alley, our Creative Director Kenzie hit up Artist Alley!!

I’ve been going to the Calgary Expo (almost) every year since it opened its doors in 2005— I missed the first one as I wasn’t living in Calgary. This year is the first year in seven that I wasn’t an exhibitor in Artist Alley. I tell you this because I want to be transparent when I say that Artist Alley is my all-time favourite

part of the Calgary Expo, but I might be biased as well.

I say this for two reasons: first, Artist Alley will have something appealing for you. You can find colourful sketches, real-life renderings and handmade toys. Are you looking for that unique birthday present for that person that already has everything? I bet they don’t have a one of a kind, personalized drawing of Deadpool relaxing with a Tim Horton’s coffee and Timbit. You can get someone to draw that up for you. Can’t think of anything? That’s okay! There will be more than enough print pieces, jewelry and comic books to keep your bank account at empty and your arms full.

The second reason, and personally the most important, is the artist community. While everyone is there to sell their work, there is also a sense of a community. Before I started selling my art, I wanted to make sure that I was prepared for whatever was to come. It’s not easy to put your art (and yourself) out there for the world to see and judge. I spent a few years talking, researching and asking a lot, I mean A, LOT, of questions to those who

were in Artist Alley. Never once did any of them make me feel like I was annoying; each one had fantastic advice that has made my experience such a success. I felt and saw this amazing community of artists working and coming together; I needed to be a part of it.

Once I decided to do it, I was again instantly embraced by this incredibly welcoming community. The people around you are not just another table selling their work; they are the friendly neighbour that will lend you their lawnmower if you need it—or a silver sharpie because you accidentally left the cap off yours overnight. Everyone works together to keep an eye on each other’s stuff in case someone needs to step away for a break. You will see artist lending a pencil, paper, tape and phone chargers to each other — creative ideas, suggestions and jokes flow between tables.

Even snacks and water bottles are shared.

This community extends beyond the tables; it flows into the attendees. If you stand in the middle of Artist Alley—out of the way— and close your eyes and listen, you can hear hundreds of meaningful geeky discussions (continued on next page)

Community \\ 47

(continued from page 47...) going on. “Who’s better: DC or Marvel?”; “The Eleventh Doctor is by far the best Doctor! Change my mind.”; “I love your Sailor Moon and Adventure Time crossover.” You hear: everyday life-changing conversations.

Sometimes the conversations are even art related. I loved talking shop with attendees.

I liked that I can geek out with them over not only different genres but over different mediums of art.

--------------------------------Panels….

Walking down the halls you see lineups of people…. not just 40 or 50 people but 100’s of people waiting to get into the panel discussions. We were lucky enough to sit in on the Voltron question and answer panel.

This was our high school intern; Zanika’s Favorite part of the Expo.

Voltron: Legendary Defender Voice actors: Kimberly Brooks, Josh Keaton & Jeremy Shada, spent every day down at the Calgary Expo meeting fans, signing autographs and

48 // Community Now!

taking pictures. They also took the time to answer questions from a packed room full of fans. They were kind and fun and they kept the whole rooms attention. “Voltron is amazing because their story line is intriguing with well developed and relatable characters.” States Zanika, “meeting Kimberly Brooks, Josh Keaton and Jeremy Shada was my favorite part of the Calgary Expo, I got to give them original artwork I did of their character’s.”

Voltron: Legendary Defender premiered on Netflix on June 10, 2016. The eighth and final season premiered on December 14, 2018.

Voltron: Legendary Defender is a remake of Voltron franchise and the Japanese anime series Beast King GoLion.

--------------------------------Innovation One of our most fun interviews at the Calgary Expo was with Ken Lashley, a prolific artist and editor.

Ken Lashley has an amazing portfolio of work with Marvel Comics; DC; Lucasfilm; Lucas Arts; Hasbro; Mattel and Fox Sports.

Lashley has drawn characters we all love; Spider-man, Black Panther, X-Men and many more. When asked about how hard it was to keep the storylines a secret he said “It wasn’t hard, it’s my job and my family and friends don’t want any spoilers, they get really excited to see the storylines.”

We asked Lashley: “how has innovation changed the industry?”. Ken explained “it has changed everything, before I used to sketch and either fax or hand it in and then I was done with it. Now it’s changing all of the time, soon I could email it in, and then I have to send it to production and I become a bigger part of the process. And now I can draw right on the computer. It’s all a big adjustment. But neat.”

Amazing artist!

--------------------------------More Food and Fun Just walking through the parking lot was an experience.. There is amazing costumes and entertainment happening everywhere, one of CN! Magazines favorite characters were the

care bears dressed as Harry Potter. We also enjoyed the variety of the food we ate from the food trucks and Empanada Queen. We tried to get mini donuts everyday but the line up was never ending.

There were amazing stores, art, community.

We talked vendors, including Calgary Pride who told us about how the Calgary Expo donated the space to them. We visited Alberta Film Association and we also stopped into visit a couple of our CN! members; first stopping in to see The Costume Shoppe’s booth followed by tracking down Al Del Degan working behind the Scenes at the Photo Opt Booth.

On the last day of Expo, we brought down our youngest CN! member, Xalynn, who really enjoyed getting her face painted and enjoyed seeing all the amazing stuff . Her favorite part of the Expo was finding, buying and opening her Harry Potter Mystery Bag. The Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo was fun, exciting and everyday we got to see and do something new. We can’t wait to go to the Edmonton Expo in September!

Community \\ 49

How Craft Beer Is

Changing

the Meaning of

COMMUNITY

S

by Shawn Webber

ince Alberta craft beer production laws were changed in 2013, the province has seen an explosion in the number of small breweries opened throughout cities and towns all over the province. In 2014, Alberta had 18 recognized breweries, by 2019 that number had grown to over 80 breweries with as many as 125 brewery licenses in the province. This rapid expansion is only possible because of the wholesale embrace Albertans have offered those brave enough to stake their livelihood on their ability to make good beer. At this year’s Alberta Beer Festival, Community Now! had the opportunity to meet and speak with several of the people who make up Alberta’s craft beer community.

One common theme amongst the brewers, owners, servers and even observant fans

50 // Community Now!

was how none of this is possible without community. “The craft beer community offers a very different business model from other industries, everybody shares everything, information, ingredients, even proprietary information in some instances,” says Jamie Arsenault of Revival Brewcade in Inglewood.

This sense of community extends far beyond only the brewers, its common knowledge in Alberta that some of the best grains in the world are grown locally. With so many smaller breweries opening up in the last few years, the demand for locally harvested ingredients has also increased dramatically.

Due to consumer’s increasing desire to know more about how and where the products they buy come to them, the craft beer community has had to forge ties with local farmers and

suppliers. Taking this idea to the next level is Bockchain, a beer introduced

by Calgary’s Last Best Brewing in collaboration with Red Shed Malting, Canadian Malting Co. and Hamill Farms.

The costumer can scan a QR code right on the beer can itself and be taken to a webpage allowing them to see the exact geographic location where the grain used to make the beer they are drinking was harvested.

As a result of the constant demand for new flavours, the brewers frequently point out that each of them are doing their own thing, everyone is trying to take an existing style of beer and give it their own twist. “Stylistically, everything changes all the time, things change so rapidly, when we got started Hazy IPA’s were just coming out, now they’ve really exploded but might be fading away again,” says Dan Lake of Paddy’s Barbeque and Brewery. The craft beer consumer’s thirst for innovation in beer making techniques and flavours, combined with the rapid expansion of the Calgary brewery scene has provided some other added benefits for the Calgary craft beer community as well. “Calgary has become established as an real innovator in the beer industry,” says Rob Swiderski of Craft Beer Market.

“Seven or eight years ago, when we started doing these festivals they were literally just a reason for people to get drunk, but now we are definitely seeing more developed community, with an evolved palate; people want to know about the beers, and to know about the craft beer industry.”

Seeing the public interest encourages brewers to try new things with their beer, it encourages craft beer drinkers to (continued on next page)

Community \\ 51

(continued from page 51...) sample new products and can convince casual beer drinkers to try out new beers.

In addition to providing a location for their community to gather with friends over a couple drinks, the brewers also have a strong sense of identity within the communities they exist. In addition to assisting with advertising at local events many breweries have begun offering their venues to host community events such as concerts, craft sales, painting classes, and yoga classes. Some brewers have taken this concept a step further and partnered with other local and non-local brewers to produce a collaborative product, one beer made by two breweries. Where partnerships are easily formed by geography, many local brewers have associated themselves with their shared brewing communities under such titles as Calgary’s Barley Belt, Brewery Flats, and Brewmuda Triangle. In these locations, the breweries actively encourage their clients to discover the neighbouring breweries as well. “It really is such a loving, caring, sharing community. As much as we are competitors, each of us wants every one of us to succeed,” says Kyle of 948 Brewing in Airdrie. Its this open willingness to cooperate with fellow brewers that helps ensure the continued growth of the entire community.

Vlad of Caravel Brewing explained, “We are always working together, we were helped by the established brewers when we first started, and now we are helping new brewers starting.”

The craft beer community is also creating attention for larger social concerns. Local breweries are also contributing greatly to innovations in not just the flavor they can make from their beers but are working to reduce the environmental footprints. Curtis of Township 24 Brewing explained that new brewers are “being trained to think about the 52 // Community Now!

environmental aspect of brewing; using less energy, using less materials in packaging, and just ways to be more environmentally friendly”. Some of the other ideas currently being implemented by Albertan craft brewers include using spent grains as compost for community gardens or animal feed, and reducing the consumption of water used to make beer.

of offering a relaxing environment for their community to gather in has not been lost on the breweries, whether it’s the sofas and dog friendly taproom at Cold Garden, the Arcade above the brewery that gives the name to Revival Brewcade, or the neon glow and nostalgia of ’88 Brewing, there’s a comfortable place for everyone in the craft beer community.

“It’s a really fun time to be in the craft beer industry in Calgary, there’s so many good things happening,” says Drew Ross of New Level Brewing, a Heavy Metal Music themed brewery. With this many new breweries opening each also recognizes the importance of not only offering a unique product to draw clients in, but a comfortable experience to keep people coming back. The importance

Thank you to all those who took the time to talk with us: 948 Brewing Company • Brews by Township 24 • Caravel Craft Brewing • Craft Beer Market • Eighty-Eight • High River Brewing Co. • Inner City Brewing • New Level Brewing • Oldman River Brewing • One For The Road Brewing Co. • O.T. Brewing Company • Paddy’s Barbecue & Brewing • Revival Brewcade • Siding 14 Brewing Co.

Community is Formed Within a Local Pub! Tool Shed is a great example of storytelling, connecting and community. On May 7th, Scott McGillivray, celebrated as Tool Shed released the Beer inspired by him, Passion. His picture is front and centre, but the best part is there is a story on the back of the can. Go down and check out Tool Shed and read the story.

Congrats, Scott!

Community \\ 53

Community Feature: Organizations

THE POWER OF 100 AND THE POWER OF

YOU!

W

On May 7th, CN! attended one of their meetings to see how this community works together and empowers its members and the charities it supports! This organization is all volunteer driven – the venue, printed materials, name tags, stationery, and gifts for draws held are all donated by members. Members also donate their time to organize meetings, manage social media and communications, as well as collect and disburse the funds to charities that qualify - 100% of the money raised goes towards great registered charities in Calgary!

a year and donate $100 at each meeting.

It is up to you whether or not you attend, but if you do, you will be rewarded with a great experience! Registered charities are nominated by members (and members only) who are also asked to be ready to stand up and speak about the charity nominated.

Three charities are picked at random at the meeting, so if you nominate, you need to be prepared to present your charity’s story and reasons why we, as a group, should vote for your charity at the end of the presentations.

The charity that gets the most votes is the one that all members then, that evening, make their personal donations towards (and will receive a donation tax receipt later). Charities can be nominated more than once, and I was honored to have a charity that I spoke about, The Doorway, be voted to receive a meeting’s donations, although I did have to have present The Doorway more than once.

It is a difficult choice that members have to make, there are so many charities in Calgary that do such good work. After the one-hour meeting is over, members can stay behind to network and enjoy the fun of getting to know one another.“

As Tracy explains, “your commitment as a member is to sign up for four meetings

(continued on next page)

hen I first heard about 100 Women Who Care Calgary from one of CN!’s contributors, Tracy Beairsto, I thought “what a great idea”. A small investment creating big impact!

“Becoming a member of 100 Women Who Care Calgary was an easy decision to make!

Once I learned about this organization, I realized that it was not only going to be powerful in the community for so many great reasons, but also educational, inspirational and a lot of fun for me personally as well. It was a commitment on my part well worth making!” Tracy Beairsto.

54 // Community Now!

(continued from page 54...)

This is why Tracy believes you should get involved in this community: This organization works wonderfully on many levels for all those who participate (donors and charities): IMPACT: the first and foremost is the idea the #Powerof100 as the hashtag says - which means that a lot of people putting in what is probably to most people not seen as large donations (4 times a year x $100 per person) becomes exponentially financially meaningful to the organizations that receive the funding (and further multiplied if a matching program can be leveraged with other donors of a chosen charity); IMPACT: how the charity is picked is also powerful, as each member receives a vote at each meeting as to where the money goes and it is the personal connection and passion of those members who nominate and are chosen to present their nominated charities that gives greater meaning to the stories of those three charities presented at each meeting, as well as helping members understand the populations that those organizations serve;

IMPACT: it is powerful in the community that we live in, as even though charities chosen can be wide-ranging in scope, attention is given also to those organizations in Calgary and area that are smaller and often less wellknown and understood - the dollars stay in the community to fund programs that benefit local citizens - our neighbors; IMPACT: it is powerful to the charities involved as they participate at a grassroots level with the ability to make connections with members/donors which may become longer-term, and they can be nominated more than once, so their message can be presented to a growing audience who can also take that message forward; IMPACT: it is powerful in how it brings women together from all walks of life who now have a chance to network and to be a part of something that they know has benefits for others as well as themselves; IMPACT: and of course, it is powerful because of those who carried forward the model and began the organization here in Calgary, believe in it and work hard to continue to grow it - Alison and Christy (as well as the

ABOUT THE FOUNDERS OF 100 WOMEN WHO CARE CALGARY: Alison Lapczuk is the Co-Founder of 100 Women Who Care Calgary. Outside of that role, Alison is an accomplished awardwinning photographer, with professional accreditations in Fine Art and Child Study.

Alison specializes in telling family stories through photojournalistic family photography (www.alisonlapczuk.com). Alison lives in Calgary with her husband and two boys, Eliott and Sam. Christy McMurray is a professional fundraiser and works for the Alberta Children's Hospital 56 // Community Now!

Foundation: “As a newcomer to Calgary, I wanted to get more involved in the community, meet new people and make a difference to local charities, and helping to start 100 Women Who Care Calgary allowed me to do all that and more! “ Join, donate a prize, rent your venue to them for free...get involved today! Also check out 100 Kids Calgary and 100 Men Calgary Who Give A Damn and turn the power of one into the power of 100 and more!

other community members that have stepped up) lead, organize and run the events to respect our time and yet ensure that all are comfortable with our contributions of money as well as whatever else we may wish to give.

I am very grateful to my friend, Kathy Prosser, for bringing this organization to my attention and am also very grateful for the opportunity to have been involved, continue to support and to be counted as 1 of the Women Who Care!

100 Women Who Care Calgary was started by two “Women Who Care” – Alison Lapczuk and Christy McMurray - and the organization has grown to over 200 in a short period of time! That means that at every meeting going forward, over $20,000 is given to a chosen charity! With the 100 Kids Calgary and 100 Men Who Give A Damn organizations (that were inspired

by these ladies) added into the mix, the importance to the community of Alison and Christy's decision to create the Calgary Chapter has turned the ripple of this idea into a powerful wave of giving and learning for all those involved that continues to roll with financial meaning and love through the charitable sector.

I proudly and wholeheartedly encourage other women to join this organization in the joy of giving and learning from each other!

100 Women Calgary is committed to raising $40,000 + per year for local charities.

Our members commit to give $100 each, 4 times per year. Four hours per year.

Join with other women who are committed to making our Calgary a better place.

LOCAL. POWERFUL. SIMPLE.

100% TO CHARITY. SMALL COMMITMENT. BIG IMPACT. Learn more about us and the charities we support at

W:100womencalgary.com E: info@100womencalgary.com

Kenneth S. Goldstein

C.P.B.A. Managing Director, The Goldstein Group 326, 7620 Elbow Drive SW, Calgary, AB. T2V 1K4 (t) 403 452-5303 | (c) 403 816-8721 linkedin.com/in/ken-goldstein-75615112 ken@goldsteingroup.ca http://www.goldsteingroup.ca/

“The genius of managing people” Call Today to Learn More or Click Here Community \\ 57

Father’s Day Run + Walk

O

n June 16 2019, CN! Magazine will be at Heritage Park to participate in the First Annual Father’s Day Run and Walk. Starting with a 10km Run or 5km Walk or Run through the beautiful historic Heritage Park, followed by a Little Kids race and Father’s Day Brunch.

CN! proud supporter of this fundraiser hosted

by FAB Events. The 2019 Father’s Day Run + Walk will support the Calgary Health Trust Neonatal Intensive Care Units at the Foothills Medical Centre, Rockyview General Hospital, Peter Lougheed Centre and South Health Campus!

To learn more go to https://fdrunandwalk. com/charity.html

Q & A with Todd Birss President, FAB Events Inc. Why did you start an event company?

FAB Events Inc. was created after numerous family and friends kept asking us when we would branch out and start our own events company. So after 25 successful years of developing, coordinating, promoting and managing events across Canada for 3 Calgary organizations (Heart & Stroke Foundation of Alberta, Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation & The Forzani Group Foundation) we did it!

The name of the company was a simple decision…FAB Events Inc. was named using 58 // Community Now!

the initials of my Grandpa. Frank Alexander Birss was a thoughtful, caring, considerate, respectful person to all that had the pleasure of meeting him.

Events such as the Becel Ride for Heart, Ski Show, Cheerios Mother Daughter Walk (Calgary & Edmonton), Investors Group Skate For Heart, $10,000,000 Hole-in-One (Calgary &Montreal), Sport Chek Mother’s Day Run, Walk & Ride (Vancouver, Vernon, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Montreal & Halifax), Golf Show, Calgary Stampeder Golf Classic, Crystal Gala, Stampede City Progress Club Bullshooters Breakfast, Forzani Ironman Golf Invitational, Stampede City Progress Club Bowl For Kids, Calgary Stampeder Wall of Fame Dinner, Bow Valley Hockey Gala, University Eye Foundation Golf Classic have allowed us the opportunity to excel in many forms of event planning.

What charities are you supporting and why?

We tend to focus on charitable causes that support children. Whether that is health related or fitness related, we gravitate towards these areas probably due to our past personal history. Our main organization that we focus our attention on is the Calgary Health Trust – Neonatal Intensive Care Units as our twin boys were born at 26 weeks weighing 1.14 and 1.15lbs. Our 3 months at the Foothills Medical Centre – NICU was probably the most stressful time in our 20 year marriage as the boys health fluctuated hourly during their courageous battle.

Why is it important for you to give back to the community?

We try to do things that make a difference.

The key is to never forget where you came from and what you went through to get to this point. Giving back is just part of our daily routine as a family. Our kids volunteer for all of our events whether it is setting up silent auctions, hanging banners, handing out water…they do it all!

How can people and companies get involved?

There are so many ways to get involved with our events and each and every one of them are vital to the success of the events we do. We couldn’t do it without Sponsors, Participants, Ticket Purchasers, Donations, Volunteers & those random companies that you meet along the way that just want to help you out…like Community Now Magazine!

What goals have you set for your first year?

What advice would you give to people who are thinking about hosting an event?

Best advice I could offer is hire a company such as FAB Events Inc. to look after it for you!

It takes the stress and headache out of your hands when you hire an events company.

Our first year of taking on the challenge of creating our own FAB Events Inc. events has been stressful to say the least. We love doing events for other organizations, corporations or charities, but it tends to be a yearly decision on when or if the events will continue. By us doing our own events, but still raising funds for charities…we get to decide if the event will continue. It’s nice having the security of knowing these will be annual events. Fingers crossed!

For more information or to contact FAB Events go to https://fabeventsinc.com/#about

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SHEInnovates:

Building Community

I

n issue 8 of Community Now! Magazine we introduced SHEInnovates as they launched their pilot program in Alberta. To refresh SHEInnovates is a part of the UN Women’s innovation strategy to drive action in this area, UN Women has created the Global Innovation Coalition for Change (GICC). The GICC is a dynamic partnership between UN Women and key representatives from the private sector, academia and nonprofit institutions focused on developing the innovation market to work better for women and to accelerate the achievement of gender equality and women’s empowerment. With the pilot being launched in Alberta, Community Now! Magazine has been following SHEInnovates as they promote each of their selected Alberta women.

Q&A with Jennifer Koury: Building Alberta’s Innovation Community for Women How will SHEInnovates community as a province?

impact

our

SHEInnovates Alberta will celebrate, connect, empower and acknowledge Alberta women innovators and entrepreneurs to develop the 60 // Community Now!

Alberta innovation market in the province and improve how it works for women. It will also promote role models for other women through profiling women from diverse backgrounds, ages, disciplines, from industry, government and education that are innovating -“if you can see it, you can be it” is the concept we keep in our minds as we profile these women.

Why is innovation so important in today’s society?

The digital age is here to stay and unless all sectors of government, industry and education embrace and leverage innovation, we will fall behind competitively as a society.

We also need to ensure we are sustainably growing our economy in a responsible way for generations to come; leveraging innovation can support this.

When starting a movement how can you ensure that everyone works as an internal Community to impact all of the community?

This starts with our strategy of inclusiveness.

All parts of our community have to work together to enable change; one sector is

not as strong as the sum of the parts. At SHEInnovates, we are a community built from the ground up with representatives from industry, government and education.

These diverse perspectives are invaluable to this movement!

What’s the next step for SHEInnovators?

We have deliberately chosen to start with a very few specific goals for 2019: 1) Profiling SHEInnovators in the province; we have now launched this program and these women will be profiled on our website and through our social media accounts 2) Supporting these women innovators in their businesses in ways that are meaningful for them. We are hosting two meetups for these SHE Innovators in 2019, one on June 4th in Calgary and one in the Fall of 2019 in Edmonton. The goal of these events is to connect these amazing women in our province and to provide invaluable

knowledge sharing that can benefit them in a myriad of ways.

How will you inspire change with all the SHEInnovators ?

By providing them with opportunities to network and learn from each other and other resources at our disposal through UN Women and elsewhere in our own community.

Why is it important to feature and celebrate women who are making an impact?

As above, “if you can see it you can be it� is so important for generations of younger women.

As well, many of these women innovators are creating immense value to their communities and to our Alberta economy and are often undervalued or unrecognized. This is an opportunity to shine a light on these women and give them some recognition for all that they are doing!

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The Doorway as Community COMMUNITY is a word The Doorway has used from our very beginning (1988). Initially we used the word to describe all the people in our city, which seemed an appropriate identifier because it was young people on Calgary streets for whom our idea and opportunity was created.

As more and more people learned with us how important community people are in supporting young people making their choices and plans to leave the streets, we began to use the word COMMUNITY to name this group who shared attention and concern for young people. We wondered if we were a ‘community of practice’ inside a business frame for personal change?

It has been argued that COMMUNITY is too uncertain a word, and really has no distinct meaning any more as used in our language.

Definitions are still generic.

I came across a new definition online recently at medium.com: “Community = a group of people that care about each other and feel they belong together.” This could be The Doorway.

Richard Paul Evans (author and compassionate leader) said: “Humans need to belong. Humans have always needed tribes. Today we find tribes in family or clubs or religion. What happens when we fall out of them? I suppose, in prehistoric times, it was fatal to be cast out of a tribe, to be exiled or excommunicated from the group, away from the people we love and need. Exile from the tribe is a form of execution.”

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For young people on our streets, the concept of tribe is a useful word to understand their search and creation of belonging in a new culture. Exile is a strong word but really does describe their experience of being put aside by our society.

How The Doorway “does community” …

We offer young people unconditional acceptance and non-judgement. We respect and honor the personhood of every person. We offer them self-determination and use of their own agency to take charge of their own goals and make plans to execute their strategies for change. We believe in their possibility and potential. Most importantly we create space and a process through which they discover their capability and the power of courage to act successfully on their own behalf.

COMMUNITY people are the connection to their humanity. COMMUNITY people are in the room because they care. They LISTEN. They are not paid to be there or to deliver a set of skills. Their deep life experience as people is the piece these young people at the edges of our society have missed. They are the messengers who communicate unconditional acceptance which leads to trust.

Human connection is TRUST. TRUST is the first and greatest loss for children and young people who find themselves outside of their families and communities. When we really LISTEN, sometimes they TRUST again.

Walking WalkingAAStep Step to toGive GiveAAStep Step The Doorway and its supporters gathered together on a cold Spring morning in the Eau Claire area for its annual STEPS OFF THE STREET walk and run. Those supporters took their physical steps to honor the steps taken by the young people who go to The Doorway to get themselves off the street and back into mainstream life. A new sponsorship and donation record of $12,000 was raised this year to help support those young people, known as participants, in their journey.

Each month the Doorway provides up to 100 participants with 8 “steps off the street”. Young people who are transitioning from street life to mainstream society have the opportunity to have conversations about what steps they need to take to leave the streets - these goals (“steps”) become written plans as participants share their stories with and learn from community members who volunteer at The Doorway. Each step is worth $15.00; this is clean, self-earned money that will allow for a pack of bus tickets, money for the laundromat, time on a cell phone or an extra pair of socks to keep in their mobile closet, their whole world, their one and only backpack. The steps off the street are earned through learning to think for yourself.

The Doorway is a place that does not pass judgement, that is built on community and teaches and lives by integrity. This is a safe environment in which participants are free to work on themselves, apply for jobs and learn how to live a life much different than what they are living now.

The amount that was raised this year is equal to 780 steps off the street – this will help 7 young people take their steps over the next year. This is another perfect example of the community in Calgary. We are always gathering together to walk, run, or cycle to raise awareness and money for charities and other worthwhile organizations.

Challenge for those interested for Next Year: • Register, set a fundraising goal and utilize your fundraising page to meet your goal • Consider your employers matching program (Donations opens in December) • Create a large team (corporate, family etc.) to help us break our record of 78 Runners/Walkers • Sponsor our event to ensure it can be as big and great as possible.

• Sign up to volunteer and help with Awareness, Registration, Course Marshal and more (E-mail kaitlin@thedoorway.ca – sign up has already begun) • Receive News: https://thedoorway.ca/stepsoffthestreet/ Community \\ 63

CYCLING THROUGHOUT THE CITY

Join us in Volume 2 issue 1 Aug 2019 for a complete story on cycling.

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Community Feature: Education

A SENSE OF COMMUNITY

By Diane Swiatek, Founder and Director of Banbury Crossroads School, Est. 1979

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uilding community is a human necessity, and has been so from the beginning. Yuval Noah Harari, in “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind”, pinpoints the driving force for this necessity: the fact that human babies are born helpless, and are dependent for years upon their elders for nourishment, protection and education.

This need led to humankind’s extraordinary social abilities and also to its unique social problems.

Harari notes that cooperation networks, the flexible coordination of actions by strangers to accomplish goals both positive and negative, from the organization of cities to empires, to institutions, to political movements, to monuments, to prisons—indeed, all cooperative efforts—are based “neither on ingrained instincts nor on personal 66 // Community Now!

acquaintances, but rather on belief in shared myths.” The ability to devise myths in this sense arose from the cognitive development within homo sapiens to imagine entities, possibilities and ideas that they cannot actually touch, smell or see. They can imagine things that do not exist at all, except in the collective imagination, and they can speak about these fictions in ways that inspire others to act upon them. This is the ability to engage in abstract reasoning, and to collectively create and cherish legends, gods, beliefs, political plans and philosophical concepts. This creates culture.

Humans’ social coalitions evolved within small groups of individuals who knew each other intimately, and who could transmit information about each other and about their environment, both in concrete and

Although thousands of people can be induced to create cooperation networks, small groups of around 150 individuals are especially conducive for involved and intimate social functioning. Examining one community on a micro scale will illustrate the elements that contribute to building a sense of community in general. Banbury Crossroads School is a good example.

Banbury is a community within the 150 range of participants, including teachers,

non-concrete ways. They could gossip about each other to assess their trustworthiness, emotional safety and competence, and they could inform each other about lions lurking at the water hole. A sense of belonging arose from the sharing of gossip and myths. If a person believed in the particular myths common to the group, and exhibited correspondingly similar behaviour, goals and ways of living, then that individual would belong. Sometimes shunning—a total lack of cooperation, attention and assistance from others—was a coordinated response to behaviour too far beyond the acceptance of the group. Shunning could mean death.

Early groups of humans were generally comprised of around 150 individuals, after which point, they tended to split off into other small groups. Human history and psychology revolve around the global ways that we have built a sense of cooperative community within these groups, in order to survive.

administrative staff, students and parents. It is thus possible to not only recognize individuals, but also to establish meaningful relationships with them over time, based on shared interests, experience and personality traits. There are enough differences and similarities between individuals to have some choice in partners for projects, and to find kindred spirits. A group of this size enables people to relate comfortably with others, whatever their age.

At Banbury, we purposely operate on a multiage basis: students are organized loosely by age, with space designated for each grouping.

Other academic rooms, for fine arts, second languages, and performing arts, are used by students of all ages. Even in a group of 150, there is plenty of individual variation among its members—enough to provoke curiosity, dissatisfaction, conflict, excitement, joy and certainly learning. Children need all of that.

The only way to build community is to communicate. Within a group of 150, most challenges and conflicts are capable of resolution, and what is not can usually be managed or mitigated. This situation is largely due to the fact that, within a 10 to 1 student: teacher ratio, teachers have TIME to speak with students, colleagues and parents when feelings become uncomfortable enough. (continued on next page) Community \\ 67

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There is always an impetus at Banbury to seek harmony and cooperation. Children ask for a meeting when they are upset or confused.

They understand intuitively that meetings are meant to bring people together, and they are serious about speaking openly, negotiating when their wishes clash, and listening intently.

They learn to notice how others feel, and to care about that. They seek win-win solutions, and they will not budge from the room until agreement and understanding have been achieved. If the encounter goes well, they may hug each other and say, “That was fun!”

I have heard those words! Over the years, when people have known each other through times of difficulty and elation, they tend to feel compassion for each other. They soon learn from practical experience that showing mutual respect is the only way to build trust and to feel comfortable. Within the small, intimate Banbury community, all people are expected to be kind and considerate and to participate fully in the conflict resolution process, because mutual respect involves everyone.

Still, it is impossible to speak fully about the social advantages of small groups, without speaking about our shared myths. As a matter of fact, one of our shared myths is that small groups are the best design for a community!

It is an interesting idea that perhaps the myth that values the creation of a small group of 150 individuals is the primary myth that engenders the other myths essential to Banbury’s philosophy. Our multi-aged organization, for instance, is only possible within a small setting, because it requires very intensive teacher interaction. The shared myth there is that students benefit from relating closely and collaboratively with people of all ages, because in every other sphere of life (the only 68 // Community Now!

exception being conventional schools), people are not forced to interact only with others of their own age. This organization allows students to learn at a pace suitable for each one, to a level congruent with their potential, and without being penalized socially for working either ahead or behind their peers. All of the goals that underlie the mission and mandate of the school, like the promotion of intrinsic motivation, self-responsibility, relaxation, concentration, interdependence, mutual respect, and empathic communication—all of these are possible to achieve primarily because of its small size. Nevertheless, the odd thing is that small schools have existed all over the world that do not look at all like Banbury. It is astonishing to know that some of these can be places that feel harsh, or dull, or stultified. Size alone is not enough to produce a community worth valuing.

The sense of community that exists at Banbury is, therefore, a result of its small size, PLUS the fact that the majority of its participants understand, value, and live by, its core philosophy, its shared myths. Our positive myths around collaboration, acceptance and appreciation enable the achievement of social harmony and personal triumphs, as well as the fulfillment of desires for group endeavours,

like Mayfest, Exhibitions, Internships, and Maker Fairs. We value working together on all ventures, each person offering what they can, and being esteemed for what they offer. This aligns with our persistent belief that children have a right to be happy. Indeed, all of us should have a right to be happy. Achieving that is not always easy, but who said that life was easy? Another shared myth is that children should have the right to determine the course of their own lives, as long as they

own lives. Over the same time period that parents and teachers are relinquishing control and establishing influence over young people approaching adulthood, those youth need practice in decision-making, in preparation for making major, life-changing decisions upon graduation. The fact that we buy into this myth leads us to design practices for students so that they may create their own schedules, decide when they are ready for a test, participate in creating projects that

do not interfere with the rights of others.

This myth is about valuing compassion. It is also about self-direction—the ability to make decisions independently and for good reasons. The belief is that living according to all of these values leads to deeper, more committed learning and to self-sufficiency.

So, the focus is not on teaching students how to obey, but rather how to take charge of their

interest them, and take responsibility for their feelings and actions. Banbury works because its foundational myths are pro-social, and inherently good: “Do good; feel good.”

Its size of around 150 individuals makes it especially easy to create this cooperative, and honorable, social functioning. Banbury is a living example of people having a deep sense of community.

WE MAKE

SCHOOL OF ROCK | Calgary, Alberta 2707 - 17th Ave SW Phone: 587-353-7625 calgary@schoolofrock.com

www.schoolofrock.com

Schedule A Free Trial: https://locations.schoolofrock.com/calgary

Community Feature: Business

Why building community is important for Businesses – both internally and externally‌

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– many people in the tech community see the benefit to being in a coworking environment, as so much of the work done in the tech space is collaborative. But other industries and verticals, especially ones that deal in projectbased work are seeing the benefits to having teams in coworking spaces and around other industries than just their own.

Sean Coates Director, Western Canada | Workhaus

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orkhaus is a community-first coworking company founded

by serial entrepreneurs. They sought to find the middle ground between the static & sterile feel of the “Business Centres” of the world and some of the overly casual frat house-meets-communes that were in the market. Workhaus strives to be a place where a complete myriad of companies – from solopreneurs to Fortune 500 companies - can come to work, and love the space they’re in.

This love is cultivated through a focus on helping our members get down to work, and not have to have their attention pulled toward the office tasks that can distract the day-today needs of the business. These tasks are taken care of by the team at Workhaus. And then this is coupled with the professional and social development programming which is the other major part of the community management team. The end result is a fun, professional environment that enriches its membership and provides a fertile ground for individuals and businesses alike, to flourish.

Coworking spaces are becoming increasingly important to business of all different sizes and industries. They provide a number of great benefits. A critical factor for businesses in this economic climate is their ability to innovate. One of the most important component ingredients to create an innovative environment is diversity. At Workhaus, we try not to restrict ourselves to having members that are just the tech space. Don’t get us wrong

People will ask what does Workhaus provide to small business, and I say we offer a variety of benefits to small and big businesses alike.

As a hospitality-focused company, Workhaus takes care of all the normally mundane and administrative tasks that can be taxing on the day-to-day for business. We make sure you have all the coffee & tea you need, that you have a stable, fast internet connection and working & stocked printer. Beyond that we offer a professional person to greet your clients, assist with event planning, and generally keep you apprised of what is going on in the community – things many small businesses can’t afford early-on in their growth. Lastly, we include a 24/7-access gym membership on premise so people can keep their routines on their schedules.

Calgary was Workhaus’ first expansion outside of Ontario, and with good cause.

Calgary is one of Canada’s fastest growing technical hubs. The city itself can boast as one of the most liveable cities in the world.

Outside of just being both affordable and liveable, Alberta has one of the best fibreoptic networks, which is a key part of being a burgeoning tech hub. There are also good signs of the adoption of the sharing economy in Calgary. With Car2Go, Lime Bikes, AirBnB and Uber all in wide-use around town, there is fertile ground to try and build a strong coworking community. In addition to all (continued on next page) Community \\ 71

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that, there is a vibrant and active Startup community in Calgary, with Startup Calgary leading the way with over 80 events being run and supported throughout the calendar year. Other global meetups such as Startup Grid, HackerNest and Product Hunt are all finding traction as well. When combined with beneficial corporate taxes benefits being ushered in by the new provincial government, there are ample reasons for companies to be thinking about both situating and growing their businesses in Calgary.

Besides the administrative benefits of a company situating itself within a coworking space, there are a plethora of other points of upside. As of Jan 1st, 2019 new rules surrounding the Generally Accepted Account Principles (GAAPs) with respect to leases took effect. In short, organizations that have a lease agreement less than 1 year are now able to treat these obligations as cash flow expenses, rather than liabilities on their balances sheets.

This is beneficial for any company seeking to either fundraise or sell their business.

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Another major benefit is the idea of relationships. So much of the work we do today, is beyond the 9-5. With smartphones, the rise to multi time zone teams and customers, people frequently have work bleed into was traditionally a person’s social and personal.

Coworking allows for a push back on the social. For the consultant, freelancer or remote employee working from home a coworking environment allows that person to continue to grow both professionally and socially through day-to-day interactions with professionals that are working on a variety of projects, but doing so from a communal space. Even those not working from home, but situated in coworking spaces, find themselves fostering better relationships with their “coworkers” as these people are not necessarily working for the same organization or even within the same industry. Because of this, the need and ability to “talk shop” does go as very far and people end up getting to have better, more in-depth and genuine conversations. Stronger bonds are formed as a result, which in turn becomes the backbone of the micro-communities that form at each one of our locations.

What follows from these micro-communities, is that as a whole Workhaus becomes home to a diverse community of its members. And this is a community that people & organizations external to Workhaus, seek to have interaction and be involved with. As a result, Workhaus becomes a hub for events. We also try to be good members of the non-for-profit community by donating our space for events, so that they can have central & professional locations to help make their causes and initiatives have the greatest chance for success. This is very important to Workhaus, as being a good member of any community is about being an active participant that both gives and gets.

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Community Feature: building community

A LIFE of PRIDE H

by Brian Cymbaluk

ow to put your best foot forward, without putting it in your mouth!!!

Let’s face it. There’s NOT ONE OF US that likes a show off, but we all love and admire a job well done, a job done right, and a job done with confidence and “PRIDE”!!!

None of us would freely admit to an admiration for narcissistic behavior, yet often we gravitate to those possessing an innate sense of authority, self-confidence, a snippet of “healthy” narcissism, and of course “PRIDE”, whenever we’re presented with the opportunity!

Then there’s CELEBRITY!!! We all know how society’s obsession with celebrity runs rampant, and there’s little need to extrapolate on how celebrity is most certainly a soul sister to LIVING a LIFE of “PRIDE”, because healthy “PRIDE” is an obvious and envious component of celebrity!

So why should you live A LIFE OF PRIDE? I’m here to illustrate the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY and HOW of PRIDE, hoping it changes lives forever! Well, for at least one of you!

Living A LIFE OF PRIDE is something I’ve always “PRIDED” myself on, but in this day and age of political correctness and sensitivity, one must be so careful how they present themself, because declaring you are proud of your life, and what you’ve accomplished, may quickly elicit a contentious and divisive response from some! For as many people that find pride an admirable trait, there are many who take exception with it being any way to carry one’s self in this world!

In fact… New Testament scholar John Stott said, “At every stage of our Christian development, and in every sphere of our Christian discipleship, pride is the greatest enemy, and humility our greatest friend.”

He also said, “Pride is more than just the first of the seven deadly sins; it is itself the essence of all sin.” The Bible offers that “pride is arrogance, haughtiness and conceit, emphasizing the self over others, and it rejects God’s greatness. Pride occurs when sinful human beings subconsciously aspire to the status and position of God, and refuse to acknowledge their dependence upon Him. Pride contends for supremacy with Him!” WOW! Very heavy rhetoric!

So as you can see, not all admire the concept of a life of pride, and even perceive it as a

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negative life trait, simply because of their upbringing, belief structure or subjective point of view! Because of this… pride is at best, a double-edged sword of the sharpest kind, and if you’re not careful, you may hurt yourself, or the ones you love!!!

LIVING a LIFE of PRIDE has been very beneficial to my personal success, and in the spirit of full disclosure, this is definitely a “PRO” PRIDE in ONE’S SELF kind of piece!

If you believe the contrary, that living with a sense of pride is bad, or even evil, stop reading right now! I’m not out to offend anyone’s senseless sensibilities of life and lifestyle, so I’d rather you don’t read on, because you never know… if you give me half a chance, I just might change your mind!!! ;o) I’ll start by sharing with all of you that I’m very “proud” of my last 61 years on this planet! I treasure my beautiful family, my wife Lisa, and my three boys, Baron, Shian and Lincoln, along with Annie, Layla and George, our

three wonder muttz. I’ve enjoyed a fulfilling work career, and my mind is strong and resilient to this day!!! I’m even thankful, that a cancer diagnosis in 2017 rocketed me into an 18-month treatment regiment that taught me about the real important things in life! I have been recently rewarded with the news that my cancer is considered “in remission, and “if it holds that way for another 4ish years or so, we’ll consider you cured!” (A huge shout out to the amazingly wonderful doctors and nurses who saved my life)! I must mention… that this pride I speak of, is NOT a pride that finds it’s home in ego, arrogance or narcissism, it’s simply a pride that carries me towards being the BEST ME I CAN BE, a pride that holds me accountable for my actions, good or bad, to all those around me, and I believe, this is a rewarding way to live!

When you travel with pride by your side day in and day out, and not just when it’s convenient, you hold yourself to a higher (continued on next page)

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(continued from page 75...) standard! I always take pride in my work, and I feel that attribute has not only pushed me to do better work, but fuelled my success!!!

At times, when things didn’t work out as planned, my pride pushed me to keep going until I got it right, and for that, I am ever thankful.

SO here we are… halfway through 2019. The world around us is a complex place these days!

If you aren’t proud enough, you’ll not ever possess a confidence that passions you to rise above!

BUT… If you’re too proud, chances are you’ll be branded a narcissist, and that affords your naysayers the opportunity to dismiss you and your actions, and trust me, there are always many of those lurking in the shadows! Sadly, we have become a society hesitant to applaud, but ready to attack, especially when we’re hidden behind a computer keyboard and monitor!!!

If you aren’t seen to take pride in what you’re doing, you risk being judged as not caring, and that negatively affect your efficiency, effectiveness and ultimate success with people, which again, impinges your ability to thrive in today’s world!!!

So while living a life of pride, a life striving to be the best you, that you can be may sound easy, it requires much more than meets the eye, and most certainly, it’s not for the faint of heart! That said…I believe once you allow pride into your life, nurturing pride’s positive aspects without allowing ego to creep in, you will find pride to be an indispensible character asset for your future.

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Pride is about setting high standards for yourself, and living up to them! How exciting!!!

I have always been proud beyond words of my wife and my three boys, and because of that, I will always do my best for them! When you’re proud of your family, your friends, your company or your team, you’ll protect their well being at all costs, and stand beside them in conditions good, and bad! When you’re passionate about something, you’ll take up arms to protect it, and if it’s in jeopardy, you’ll do everything you can to protect it.

“OK CYMBALUK… YOU’VE GOT ME INTERESTED! SO NOW WHAT? WHAT DO I DO!?!

If you’re still with me, hopefully I’ve convinced you to consider allowing pride into YOUR life to see what a difference it can make, and that is an exciting place to be!!!

Here are some of the things I believe make you a wonderfully PRIDEFUL PERSON!!!

1. GET IN WITH THE RIGHT CROWD! The number one thing you can do to help you develop a “HEALTHY” sense of pride, is surround yourself with like-minded people; those who’ll join you on your journeys, and stay by your side when you falter! They say, “you are the sum of the five people you spend the most time with”, and you need to surround yourself with those who will support and encourage you with honesty!!!

Those delivering underserved praise, do nothing but over-inflate your ego, but those who offer honesty, and a true appreciation for your achievements, those are the friends that will help you build a healthy sense of self, which is an absolute cornerstone of pride!

2. HOLD ON TO HUMBLE, AND NEVER LET HER GO! Regardless of what you accomplish in life, stay humble with a defined sense of healthy pride! So you do something well?!? So what?

It doesn’t mean you have to go out of your way to brag in search of praise! When you are happy with what you’ve done, without needing the validation of others, you will get noticed… and you’ll get noticed in a wonderfully natural way!

3. BE AN ELASTIC AND STRETCH! Open yourself to new experiences, regardless of whether you are confident in your abilities or not!!! When you take a chance on something new, you allow yourself to NOT be at your best, which fuels your humility, and humility

keeps egos in check! You have my permission to get uncomfortable with something new, because uncomfortability reminds us of what it was like to be a beginner, and how our hearts filled with “PRIDE”, when we finally mastered something new!

4. DO WHAT YOU LOVE, and LOVE WHAT YOU DO!!!

When we’re happy at “work”, we derive a sense of fulfillment that feeds our heart, soul, mind and spirit, even when we’re physically exhausted! This provides us with a great sense of balance and pride! They say, “when you do what you love, it’s not called work”, but when we’re unhappy at work, we’re more apt to search out undeserved validation, encouragement and ego inflation, to help keep us in the game!!! No rulebook I ever read (continued on next page)

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(continued from page 77...) said work HAD TO BE FUN… but when it’s not, you might develop an over inflated sense of ego, to try and protect yourself from the negative feelings you’re harboring, and that can, and usually does alienate those around you! You should be able to enjoy what you do, without searching out applause or reward at all times. Keep that in mind next time you feel yourself falling into unhealthy ego practices!!!

5. TAKE TIME to MAKE TIME for TIME FOR YOURSELF!!!

You must know who you are, what’s important to you, and how you’re feeling about your role in the world at all times!!!

Sitting down with yourself at least once a year, (I suggest quarterly), to “DISCOVER” how you’re feeling about YOUR life, should be a ongoing ritual! By monitoring YOU, you can nip unhealthy ego or narcissism in the bud, allowing the pride you possess to be a healthy and pure one!!! Always be on the lookout for warning signs that you’re developing an “UNHEALTHY EGO”, and listen to those closest to you, because they’ll tell you when you’re full of yourself… just make sure you don’t dismiss them and brush them off! (see point 1) 6. BE A PEBBLE HITTING WATER, and CREATE RIPPLES THAT HELP OTHERS!

78 // Community Now!

One of the most fulfilling ways to build a healthy sense of pride, is by putting the great life skills you’ve developed, to work HELPING OTHERS!!! Maybe mentor a young person at work, be a Big Brother or Big Sister, volunteer for a worthy charity, or simply be a snow angel to an elderly or disabled neighbor!

Volunteering is one of the most amazing ways to stay grounded… and it feels soooo good before, during and after you’re done! Even with a very limited time at your disposal, when you contribute to making the world better place, you are winning, and every little bit helps!!!

And finally, at the end of the day, when the smoke has cleared, (a timely comment here in Alberta), you need to learn how to allow yourself TO FEEL ACCOMPLISHED!!!

Knowing you‘ve done a great job, brought joy to someone’s life, helped raise money for a wonderful cause, or simply smiled and said good morning to a complete stranger, will let you know you are LIVING a LIFE of PRIDE, and that is one of the biggest rewards we can receive!

REMEMBER… When it comes to PRIDE… REACH FOR THE SKY… WHILE KEEPING YOUR FEET FIRMLY PLANTED on the GROUND, and the rest as they say, will be YOUR legacy!!!

THE STAMPEDE:

Showcasing Calgary’s Western Spirit

T

he Calgary Stampede is much more than just 10 days of rodeo excitement! The Stampede is a worldclass year-round gathering place for the community. While it is well known for “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth”, those 10 days of community building, music, rides, parties, great food, livestock shows, rodeo, chuckwagon races, the grandstand show and the parade that officially starts it all, the Stampede hosts events year-round to promote education, community and the importance of Western heritage, culture and community.

There is always something amazing happening at the Stampede Grounds, home also to the Calgary Flames, the Stampede Showband and is a venue for amazing events from around the world. The Stampede hosts concerts, shows such as Monster Trucks, Calgary Expo & many different trade shows such as the Home Show.

Aggie Days is another event that brings the community together. “We invite 50,000 students from across Southern Alberta down to explore Alberta’s agricultural industry for free to promote Canada’s leading industry,” said Jennifer Booth, Manager, Public Relations Corporate Communications. “The handson activities and displays are great for the students and give them a real-life experience.”

The interactive activities are hosted by the Agriculture Education Committee, industry organizations and volunteers. Aggie Days also offers Family Days and is now offering Adult programs.

The Stampede promotes community, history, education and growth; it is a great place for families to explore! https://ag.calgarystampede.com/about AGGIE DAYS Curriculum related learning centers include: cow milking, flour milling, egg production, grain farming, sheep shearing, equine presentations, food sustainability, beekeeping, blacksmithing, beef cattle, interactive native culture exhibits, rope-making, crop science, water conservation, hog production, plant nutrients.

ARE YOU READY FOR THE STAMPEDE! “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth” July 5-14 2019 https://ag.calgarystampede.com/events/ upcoming-events

JUNE 6 - UNION HALL, EDMONTON JUNE 21 - SAINT BRIGID'S, OTTAWA

JULY 5 - PIER 21, HALIFAX JULY 14 & 15 - CELEBRITIES, VANCOUVER JULY 18 - MARQUEE, CALGARY

WHAT’S YOUR COLOUR? SUBMIT YOUR WORK FOR CONSIDERATION

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FASHION BEAUTY

WWW.RAWARTISTS.ORG RAW ARTISTS CANADA

@RAWARTISTSCANADA

@RAWARTISTSCAN

RAW Impact A Collaboration of Art, Community and Innovation

"

We believe that we are stronger together than we are apart. By joining together, we can do more to share the creative culture of our generation. We think that every independent artist deserves the opportunity to be seen, heard and loved."

- Heidi Luerra, Founder & CEO, RAW Impact RAW Impact’s mission is “to serve independent artists with tools, resources, education and exposure needed to thrive and succeed in their creative careers.” Michelle Bylow, Canadian Executive Director of RAW:Natural Born Artists explained that “we are bringing together more than just artists.

When you attend you will be exposed to so much more then you actually think. And our events are fun and exciting events, plus you’re supporting local artists and by doing that you are supporting your own local community.”

CN! had the opportunity to experience Impact, RAW’s live art show, and we were blown away by how many art forms were being showcased as part of the creative community.

Live music, hairstyling, handcrafted jewelrymaking, tattoo artistry, innovation and tech,

film and many other aspects of visual art were all on display!

“The passion for storytelling that comes through has me coming back time after time.”

Jennifer Cockton; Calgarian and Community Supporter.

RAW showcases that creativity and innovation are not separate, but that indeed, without creativity there would be no innovation.

Michelle enthused that “RAW is a fun and alternative way for creatives to showcase both to their local community and the world at large. We are not your average art show.

We are loud, colorful, creative, and all about our artists. We are RAW. All of our showcases are locally based – we travel all over the place but 90% are local – it helps bring the art community together and brings them out of the woodwork and builds a tighterknit community that usually wouldn’t be connected.”

This is a must attend event...check out RAW to see when a show near you is happening.

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innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business Jill Kenzie Les Stacy innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business Jade Adette innovation • education •Zanika community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business Tracy Sophia Diane Marilyn Peter Vanisha innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business Jenn Steven Carol Al & James Tara Al innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business Ken Shawn Sean Brian Scott MJ innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • Wendy education • Charlie community • business Nicole Sandra Mackenzie Deanna innovation • education • community • business

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