Volume 2 Issue 10 June 2020

Volume 2 Issue 10 • June 2020

published by ZX Media Corporation

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

albertainnovates.ca

Small World...

Huge Community David Malden

it’s a small world isn’t it? whatever happens anywhere on this globe impacts all of us everywhere this is our global village our global community a new normal is required for our global community can we talk…we have to redefine ’normal’ I think we have to define ‘equal’ as well… you know…equal in the eyes of God… equals in the eyes of the law… if we can do that, we can be well on our way to a community that is truly loving, caring and supportive of everyone we have a lot to do… end inequality, oppression and racism address climate change in a fashion that appreciates life more than money we have to be able to protest and march to get ideas across without damage and destruction we need police to provide public safety, not riot to cause violence and death

we have a lot of work to do…. we can hear the noise caused by oppression and discontent…but… we need to listen to what is being said we need to understand what we hear we need to accept the truth of what is happening we need to acknowledge that this is the truth we need to change so that we make it better for everyone imagine if there was no inequality or oppression… imagine if everyone was safe, loved and cared for imagine if everyone had equal access to health care imagine if everyone had equal access to education imagine if everyone had access to meaningful work with livable wages and benefits we have work to do…it is doable…ready ?

2020

the year of change...

This is the year we CAN change!

This is the year we HAVE to change!

We have no choice ...

Change will come out because of The Voice.

The Voice of those who should have been heard but we stood only to turn and have them be ignored.

All because....

We got too busy, We forgot to see, be and hear.

But within that all we learned fear.

We worked all day and sometimes nights We fell into depression forgetting to enjoy world delights.

We have to stop separating communities to determine status and wealth.

We need to take care of everyone’s mental health.

We got too busy, We forgot to see, be and hear But within that all we learned fear.

We need to protect those who need us For the sake of human kind Society needs to stop being blind!

We go and go and never stop We think life is about money and reaching the top.

We got too busy, We forgot to see, be and hear.

But within that all we learned fear.

We got too busy, But you see ... 2020 came to be!

We fear change and judgement ... it’s a fact.

We need to be a community who doesn’t fear but stands together to act.

We had to stop!

We had to pray!

We had to relearn ... how to recreate!

We had to stop and listen to fate!

We need to change!

Right NOW! We need to change!

We have the courage to make sure we change.

We have the ability to lift the voices that need to be heard.

We have the means to make sure everyone is safe and not living in fear.

2020 is that year!

We will learn to recreate ... a society where everyone is equal and safe!

4 // Community Now!

Engage. Inspire. Educate. Together.

COMMUNITY The Meaning of Community, June 2020

6

Exploring Community

8

Inventure$ Unbound

14

Innovation is Key to the “New Normal“

18

2020 Grad Feature

20

Telling It Like It Is

24

What’s Possible

26

How to Find the Best Wellness Program to Elevate Your Health

30

Hello From Simon House

34

The Doorway

36

Five Forces Reshaping The Post-Pandemic Future

39

You’ve Been Ninja’d

43

Sisterhood

46

Working Alone Together

48

The Butterflfly Effect is Counter-Isolationist 51 SHEInnovates Profile

60

Krista Malden & Kenzie Webber

publisher@communitynowmagazine.com

CONTENT CONTRIBUTORS VOLUME 2 ISSUE 10 Jill Quirk

SheInnovates

Zanika Malden

Wayne Steer

Diane Swiatek

Marilyn Dyck

Jade Alberts

Shawna Curry

Alberta Innovates

Dr. Arden Brummell

Heloise Lorimer/ STEAM Team

David Malden

Déborah Nichol

Monica Kretschmer

Nicole Langton

Brittany Fraser

Subscribe for your free issue of Community Now! at www.communitynowmagazine.com Copyright 2019 ZX Media Corporation, Calgary Alberta Canada Community Now! Magazine Copyright 2018, published by ZX Media Corporation.

Volume 2 Issue 10 | June 2020 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.

THE MEANING OF COMMUNITY, JUNE 2020 Marilyn Dyck

A

nd so we begin… ironically, while I write this, I am listening to Miles Davis play ‘Porgy and Bess’ … perhaps one of the most seen and heard stories in North America. We hear of the realities of people brought from Africa to live and work on our continent, their poverty, the social dynamics of their lives, and a relationship impacted by the culture of people navigating a world that shuns them systemically, both socially and economically.

We listen to the lyrics and music of Gershwin with enjoyment: ‘Summertime’, It Ain’t Necessarily So’. We can only imagine the realities as the story is told. The music asks for our listening, our acceptance of real life, and when put to music, the story becomes bearable, impactful with the pragmatism of life in the reality that plays out. As observers, we recognize 6 // Community Now!

that across the world, people experience life shaped in the reality of where they live. The stories of others teach us our sameness and our differences.

Stories have so much power. As I thought about how to write about community and its meaning, I realized that the essence of community begins and ends with stories.

As humans occupying this world, we are told stories by our history books and historians, our elders, our politicians, our leaders, our influencers, our neighbors, our friends and our families.

With their VOICES, people worldwide share their STORIES of common experiences and messages. Individual people speak with each other and discover that they share experiences and concerns and create mutual alliances in communities of solidarity.

Community begins inside of us. Its foundation is a shared ‘way of seeing’ the world. As we experience our personal world, our social response often becomes finding the words to share that experience with others. This action of sharing is possible as we share our VOICE {which is ‘out loud’). A response is then required from the other person - not only to hear our VOICE, but to LISTEN in a way that we KNOW we are HEARD. Being heard is our reason to speak - and not only to be heard, but to be UNDERSTOOD! Our VOICE out loud is not only about our words. VOICE also communicates our thoughts and our emotions. When another person ‘really HEARS’ you, they will have been able to understand how and why you are thinking about something, AND will also be able to tell by your emotions how much you care about what your VOICE has communicated. This is your storytelling. Inside every person is the potential ability to not only hear the sound of your voice physically, but to hear the nuances of your thoughts and your heart.

Shared humanity is the basis of community.

It is what we do when we visit our grandparents, write thank you notes to the teachers of our children, self-quarantine to protect others from a virus, and cooperate with the strategies to stay alive and keep others alive. It is the empathy that overwhelms when we see and hear the voices or thousands coming together to support social and political injustice.

It is what we do when we organize and help fund playgrounds for our neighborhood kids, and when we vote and write letters to our government to level the playing fields of opportunity and access for all persons. It is when my house burns to the ground and my friend brings me the comfort of homemade soup to warm my heart. It is also shared when a family of 4 vacates their home in a Ft. McMurray fire

with whatever they carried into their vehicle, and the Dad says: “I looked around and I saw that everything I really needed was with me in this car.” … his ‘way of seeing’ made the tragedy bearable, and allowed us to share his experience and thoughts.

Using our VOICE allows us to let people know who we are so that we can discuss together, to question and imagine what needs to be changed in our personal worlds. There will always be ideas and perspectives that do not match one another. But the goals we share usually have common value to all of us.

Community can be 2 people or 2000 people, a family, a village, a team, a bakesale, an audience, a fan club, cat or dog people, mountain climbers, knitters, parents watching their kids in the playground (with their favorite beverage and pet), campers, wilderness seekers, cyclers, artists, people who travel, watch The Crown or Outlanders, be Women Who Care and Men Who Give a Damn, and scores of organized measures to offer attention and advocacy and help to others, … AND … people who say and hear on a regular basis: “Just call me if you need anything?”

Martin Luther King said: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matte.”

Abraham Joshua Herschel said: “Speech has power. Words do not fade. What starts out as a sound, ends in a deed.”

COMMUNITY is born, and sustained, by hearing and listening to each other, and by our actions that speak so much louder than words. What began inside of you, and was communicated by your voice telling your story, can make a difference to others, and we can change the world together.

NOW! \\ 7

Community Wayne Steer

Since 2004, Wayne has been a professional fundraiser and a proud, contributing member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). For the last ten years, he has been a member of international, national and local AFP committees engaged in inclusion, diversity, equity and access (IDEA). Wayne has learned much about community as an avid lifetime volunteer, through his profession as a fundraiser and member of AFP and in his job at Fresh Start Recovery Centre, a nationally recognized men’s alcohol and drug addiction treatment centre.

While Wayne’s views do not necessarily reflect those of these organizations, his experiences with these organization have helped shape his worldview.

8 // Community Now!

A

t first glance, community seemed to be a very easy topic to write about – it seemed so natural. After all, we are all part of community. Whether we realize it or not, we all members of several communities with little overlap of like members (e.g., very few members of your bridge club are likely to be members of your community association, your competitive cycling club, your professional association, your pétanque league, members of your gym, your AA group and so on). For someone who lives in community – several communities in fact – talking about community should be second nature, akin to a fish having knowledge of water, right? But wait, just because a fish lives in water, gets its food, identity and “schooling” in water, does not mean that a fish knows water.

Hmmmm? In contemplating the topic of “community”, I considered employing a little focus as I pondered the enormity of what those nine little letters packed into one word represent as a whole. I turned to a “higher power” (Google) to gather some threads to weave together. By breaking the word apart, I first looked for a definition of “com” and found that www.dictionary.com defines it as: com- a prefix meaning “with,” “together,” “in association,” and (with intensive force) “completely,” occurring in loanwords from Latin (commit): used in the formation of compound words before b, p, m: combine; compare; commingle.

In light of some of the violently divisive social unrest going on in the world as we approach Summer of 2020, it seems somewhat ironic that “unity” is defined in www.vocabulary. com as:

Community represents such a huge subject area and so much has been written on it from a multitude of various distinct, yet interrelated perspectives including sociological, psychological, physiological, philosophical, political, theological … that include more specialized areas of interest or commonality such as economics, locality, sentiment and affinity, social and urban planning, “blood” and heritage, permanence (length of stay), similarity (language, culture, customs, and traditions), common goals (sports, service clubs), degree of social control, name or identifier (Canadians, Calgarians, members of “fill in the blank” community), absence of legal status, size (village, chapter or congregation = small; country,

Unity is being together or at one with someone or something. It is the opposite of being divided. This is a word for togetherness or oneness. When the north won the Civil War, it assured the unity of the United States.

Then looking up the full word “community” in https://en.wikipedia.org I found it defined as: A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as norms, religion, values, customs or identity … The English-language word “community” derives from the Old French comuneté (currently “Communauté”), which comes from the Latin communitas “community”, “public spirit” (from Latin communis, “common”)

association or movement = large), etc. (continued on next page) NOW! \\ 9

(continued from page 9...)

By synthesizing all these parts, we could argue that an ideal “Community” can be defined as “a group of living things coming together with others in public spirit as one”.

This idea or ideal of community as a whole is very uplifting and almost seems to have a Pollyanna-esque feel to it. My cynical side – now this truly dates me – flashes back to a scene from the 1986 classic Movie Crocodile Dundee where the main character travels from his home in the Australian outback for the first time and visits New York city at a time when New York’s crime rate was very high and many people lived there in fear. The unwitting Crocodile Dundee remarks “That’s incredible. Imagine seven million people all wanting to live together. Yeah, New York must be the friendliest place on earth.”

While this concept of community seems a little idealistic and perhaps difficult to maintain as the “community” becomes larger, as Calgarians we have experience in creating and living in this sort of community with this mood or unifying mindset in some really significant ways in the past.

One such instance occurred leading up to and during the 1988 Winter Olympics where community came together in a common spirit of cooperation and pride to welcome the world.

This celebration really helped galvanized our “Western spirit” and gave – or at least solidified - our city’s reputation as a friendly city and for outstanding hospitality.

Another event that pulled the city together was not a celebration but a natural disaster.

The 2013 “100-year flood” also punctuated our resolve as a “community” to step up ad help our neighbours in need. I recall four days after the Bow and Elbow Rivers breached their banks on June 20th that Mayor Nenshi 10 // Community Now!

“

The challenge comes in being open to listening and understanding first and then openly sharing ideas.

put out a call for 500 volunteers to meet at Mc Mahon Stadium to help flood victims. The Herald reported “There’s no official word on just how many people showed up, but Mayor Naheed Nenshi said 2,500 showed up. They were only expecting 500 to 600.” Now that’s definitely “a group of people coming together with others in public spirit as one”.

Both of these events stand as examples of “community building”.

While we have experienced a higher standard of community in the past, our recent experience has caused us to be somewhat cynical as our larger communities (global, nations and even cities) are demonstrating that they are more fragmented and fractured than they are cohesive and cooperative.

On the larger scale, it seems as though the chronic feeling of helplessness and frustration over chronic racial discrimination and discord combined with the ongoing physical and - I many cases social - isolation and uncertainty related to the COVID-19 pandemic have come

together to create a significant level of social unrest – maybe partially fueled by people feeling disconnected, marginalized, unheard, unappreciated, overlooked, apart from and less than.

Why is it that community can have two such diametrically opposite characteristics?

In the same way that a coin has two sides, community - made up of people - has an inner focus (exclusive) and an outer focus (inclusive).

Part of this answer relates to the duality of human nature that - for simplicity - can be captured in the following parable: An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, fear, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.”

He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

Put more simply, people are either love-based or fear based, their sentiment can go between the two, but people can only hold one of the two as their dominant sentiment or nature at any one time.

Another related part of the answer, has to do with exclusive communities (ones that focus on differences between people and use that focus to keep different people out of their community) vs inclusive communities (ones that appreciate, accept and celebrate (continued on next page) NOW! \\ 11

(continued from page 11...) differences while looking for and embracing a common thread).

As soon as we see an US vs THEM mentality, we know that those relationships are fear based or protectionist.

The 1950 Poem about WWII Germany “They Came” illustrates the dangers of divisiveness typified by a divide and conquer methods used in exclusive groups.

“They came first for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up.” ~ German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller Timely message: Moments ago, I opened a LinkedIn message from someone I follow named Tamera Goulet that reads “We are all humans, until race disconnected us, religion separated us, politics divided us, and wealth classified us.” This statement exemplifies exclusivity, fear, isolation and community limiting.

On the micro level, this is the type of feeling that is prevalent among people actively experiencing the disease of addiction and other mental health challenges. The men who seek help for their addiction feel scared, alone, less than, broken and typically do not love themselves; they fee excluded.

I mention this because I believe that there is a lot to learn from a community that exhibits some of the best traits of “community” and has purposefully remained out of the mainstream or “Anonymous” until recently.

uploads/2017/07/module-1_toolkit_what-is-awelcoming_and_inclusive_community.pdf) that offered an insightful outlook on community.

Anecdotally, the opposite of addiction is not sobriety, it IS connection. Connection helps individuals get out of themselves, interact with others and be part of a community that I have found to hold a healthy tradition of helping both one another as well as those outside

This resource stated that “Welcoming and Inclusive Communities are based on ideas of integration. Integration, in contrast to assimilation, is focused on facilitating the process new members of a community, including immigrants, refugees, people moving from reserves and others parts of the province or country, experience beyond settle-

the “Anonymous” or recovery community.

ment to become part of their new communities.”

As people in recovery create connections, they begin to regain their health and their outlook improves as they become part of an inclusive community where membership is only defined by their desire to be well, time invested in recovery and a willingness to help others; nothing else sems to be of monumental concern.

One important note about this integration can best be explained graphically. Imagine adding (integrating) colorful yarn - say bright red - to a white tapestry. The tapestry becomes more vibrant and interesting with the addition of the red yarn.

Connection is evidence of a “love-based community” which is exemplified by an “Inclusive” mentality where the attitude is that THEY are US and WE are THEM

Now, imagine adding the same color of red pigment to the same color of white paint (assimilating). The product is not a vibrant addition but rather the outcome is a different homogeneous color with a slightly pinker tone.

Because addiction is such a “democratic disease” (it does not discriminate), the recovery community is made up of many people with different overlapping yet unrelated characteristics in “the rooms” and the only overarching area of commonality is the disease of addiction itself AND the desire for a constant pursuit of abstinence.

We are all capable of creating positive communities for ourselves, our families and our neighbours by listening to, acknowledging, understanding and - where it translates into a better outcome for the whole community – adopting the ideas of others. The challenge comes in being open to listening and understanding first and then openly sharing ideas.

That one area of commonality is enough to create some of the strongest bonds among members and one of the most cohesive (and inclusive) communities I have ever witnessed.

In the end, those who come together and continue to create open, inclusive, loving groups that remain strong and stand the test of time are the “groups of people coming together with others in public spirit as one” community.

While researching “Community”, I came across an interesting resource identified only as “Welcoming & Inclusive Communities Toolkit” (http://mcos.ca/wp-content/

“United we stand, divided we fall” ~ Aesop

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BRINGING COMMUNITY TOGETHER THROUGH INNOVATION Alberta Innovates holds a yearly event Called Inventure$. This year, like many other events, Alberta Innovates had to reimagine and recreate Inventure$ into an online platform! They didn’t just perfect their online event called Inventure$ Unbound; they impacted the community for entrepreneurs, business owners, innovators, researchers and creators, educators and investors! This event is more than about empowering Alberta and supporting the ecosystem, it’s about impacting the global and learning!

“Inventures UNBOUND is an amazing virtual conference that is provoking our thinking on innovation and technology not just in Alberta but globally. We at SHE INNOVATES Alberta are thrilled to be involved with this and host a session with Michelle King, former Innovation Director at UN Women in NYC to discuss the barriers in our work environments for women and how to overcome these challenges.” Jennifer Koury, Co-Chair, SHE INNOVATES Alberta

A look into Inventures Unbound! 2020!

Inventure$ Unbound has 6 key focus areas.

INNOVATION OF WORK Adaptation at the pace of innovation is deepening human to humanoid interaction through automation and machine learning.

AGRICULTURE IN THE TECHNOLOGY AGE Advancements in genomics and real time sensor data, combined with the far-reaching zero waste movement, is driving a wholesale redesign of food production and processing systems.

THE FUTURE IS AI Combined with machine learning, AI is creating new predictive capabilities, solving industry challenges and enabling breakthroughs in drug research, bio-industrial materials (continued on next page) NOW! \\ 15

HEALTHIER LIVING, BROADER THINKING

(continued from page 15...)

Sensor technology, predictive data models,

SMART CITIES, VIBRANT

advanced algorithms and robotics are at the heart of the transformation in how health care is designed, delivered and received.

COMMUNITIES Climate-resilient, resource-efficient communities are emerging on a foundation of smart electricity grids, regenerative utility systems, 3-D construction technologies and sustainable materials.

DATA IN THE DIGITAL WORLD There are an estimated 20 billion active IoT devices in use. This is driving monumental leaps in blockchain, quantum computing, fintech and an augmented analytics market.

Q & A WITH CARMELLE BOSTON How did Covid-19 impact Alberta Innovates?

Will you continue to host online events after the world has returned to “normal”?

It’s quite amazing how a virus has impacted every corner of the world in such a short amount of time. Like every business, we had to shift how we work and how we communicate.

Hopefully, the silver lining of Covid-19 is the demonstration of how big thinkers can bring innovation solutions to the forefront when the need arises. Because Alberta Innovates is involved in all sectors of the economy, we have seen the impact of innovative solutions in health, data modeling, advanced manufacturing and many other areas in responding to the multi-faceted needs of covid-19. Now, more than ever, innovation will be essential in rebuilding Alberta’s economy for the near term and well into the future.

I think the “next normal” will embrace the timeliness of virtual events like Inventures Unbound and will rely on technology to bring people and ideas together without the constraints of time and travel. It’s a gamechanger – for the better! Alberta Innovates and Inventures will continue to present online connect into the future.

Alberta Innovates is all about supporting Alberta and the growth of innovation, why is it important for Alberta and the globe to learn about innovation?

Innovation is the engine that moves economies forward, solves industry challenges and allows for the discovery of new ideas. Innovation is often seen a “tech” – but we see innovation in every sector from agriculture to energy, forestry to manufacturing. By bringing people together from around the world, we are able to bring innovative ideas to new sectors, bridge ideas together in new ways and leapfrog innovation through collaboration. Inventures focuses on “creative collisions” that drive innovation farther, faster – not just here in Alberta, but across the world.

How has moving Inventures to an online platform changed the event?

At the heart of innovation is being able to move quickly to meet new needs or seize new opportunities. Moving Inventures to a virtual realm in 2020 meant that we had to pivot as quickly as other innovators. Inventures is all about bringing the innovation ecosystem together on a global scale – Inventures Unbound gives us greater reach into other speakers and ideas. One of the best parts of Inventure$ Unbound is that you can take in all the sessions offered through the on-demand platform after, so you don’t have to miss a single session!

Stay up to date on Inventures and Alberta Innovates https://inventurescanada.com 16 // Community Now!

•

https://albertainnovates.ca

The Canada Blockchain Consortium was founded to unite Canada’s diverse community of blockchain business owners, developers, adopters and those interested in exploring this technology’s transformative potential. Through our inclusive ecosystem, we can educate and bring prosperity back to our nation.

BRINGING VALUE TO THE BLOCKCHAIN COMMUNITY OF CANADA Canada Blockchain Consortium has come together to create a valuable and inclusive ecosystem for influential minds and businesses. Recognizing that technology can best succeed when equipped with the right network and educational materials. The CBC is here to bridge that gap, and provide Canadian a place to connect and share.

www.canadablockchain.ca

Illustration by Scott Carmichael

INNOVATION IS KEY TO THE “NEW NORMAL” Alberta Innovates CEO Laura Kilcrease on Why Innovation

L

ately, we’ve been hearing a lot about the “new normal” – what the world will look like after this global pandemic has left its mark on every aspect of our lives. For us at Alberta Innovates, we are always talking about the next bold idea or the next big shift that has the potential to change how we go about our day to day lives. This creativity is at the heart of innovation – ways that we can use new knowledge or technologies to solve problems and create new opportunities.

Innovation is key to growing Alberta’s economy, expanding our markets and most importantly, generating new and different

18 // Community Now!

“

It’s no secret that innovative economies create highly skilled jobs, higher wages, more productivity and exports, and are generally more competitive.”

opportunities for Albertans. Often, people think that innovation is just technology – but it’s far greater than that.

• Alberta is home to Canada’s largest integrated provincial health-care system producing unprecedented amounts of data.

Digital health technologies and artificial intelligence can accelerate improvements in nearly every aspect of the quality and long-term sustainability of our health system and the health of Albertans.

• Our agricultural sector is using advanced sensors, remote monitoring, automation, artificial intelligence and blockchain technology creating sustainable production, new digital jobs and improved food security at home and worldwide.

• Alberta is home to natural materials needed to responsibly supply global demand for carbon fibre, asphalt, polymers, vanadium and other innovative hydrocarbon products. Markets for these advanced materials are estimated to reach more than $212 billion by 2030.

• Alberta is a global leader in artificial intelligence and machine learning thanks to 20 years of publicly funded research.

Artificial intelligence is estimated to add up to $16 trillion to global economic output over the next decade and is already transforming every sector and region.

Innovation isn’t new for Alberta. It’s been the backbone of our economy for a century and has led to global leadership in many sectors.

Looking to the next 100 years, our support for innovators, entrepreneurship, and work with industry leaders must continue. Innovation will solve challenges and build new capacity in the digital economy – from health to smart agriculture and advanced hydrocarbons – all of which leverage existing advantages and strengths.

The creation and commercialization of new technologies and knowledge-based products is key to Alberta’s future. We have all the pieces in place to build a technology-rich economy that will allow us to compete with other global leaders. Alberta has an active investment capital market, leading universities and the supports to move startups to scale and market commercialization sooner.

It’s no secret that innovative economies create highly skilled jobs, higher wages, more productivity and exports, and are generally more competitive. Holding fast to the status quo is not an option – we need to support, celebrate and build up Alberta’s innovation culture – that unique combination of human ingenuity and resources which are abundant in Alberta. It’s going to take resolve and coordination to shift priorities and to concentrate efforts that position Alberta for the advantages and opportunities a research and innovation focused economy can bring. But the size of the prize is immense.

Through innovation, we have the opportunity of a century to shape the future and to strengthen economic resilience for Albertans today and generations to come.

NOW! \\ 19

CONGRATULATIONS GRADS OF

2020!

This is a year like no other and it will be remembered throughout history! Congratulations Graduates on reaching a milestone - Dream big!

20 // Community Now!

Zanika Malden

Arianna Lovas

Kayla Becker

Lord Beaver Brook High School

Lord Beaver Brook High School

Joane Cardinal-Schubert High School

ìI wish ther e was a way to know youíre in the ëgood old daysí before youíve actually left them.î

David Barguss

Jayden Porter

Caitlyn Allan

Happy go lucky young man could not have been any prouder. - Liam Barguss

Leduc Composite High School Nobody gets to tell you who you are.

Fort Saskatchewan High Be the best you can be.

Paige Hart

Hailey Pelletier

»cole Camrose Composite High School Always stay true to who you are.

Fort High Family is everything.

more grads on next page...

NOW! \\ 21

Michael Beissel

Kobe Smallman

Alyssa Sinclair

Queen Elizabeth High School Be the best you can be.

Lacombe Composite High School

Lacombe Composite High School

Ethan Collins-Burke

Fort Saskatchewan High, Your mindset is your only limit.

Bev Facey High School You can accomplish anything, when you want too - Lynne Collins-Pretty

An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.

Bailey Perry Fort Saskatchewan High

Evan Leeder/Zoschke

Julian Stirling

Sabrina Huot

Fort Saskatchewan High School

Paul Kane High

Bachelor of commerce with Distinction ìLove the life you live. Live the life you love.î ñ Bob Marley

22 // Community Now!

Kendra Wood

Megan Wood

Fort Sask High. Accepted to Bachelor of Commerce at Grant MacEwan in the fall.

Fort Sask High. Accepted to Bachelor of Science at Grant MacEwan in the fall.

There is no such thing as ugly. Thatís a word that doesnít really enter my vocabulary. If thereís any definition to being perfect, youíre perfect at being yourself.

Alexis Huot

Jaedyn Huot

Marni Giebelhaus

Correctional Services Diploma MacEwan University

Archbishop Jordan Catholic High School

Rimbey Junior Senior High School.

Going to UBC for BSc in biology & eventually dentistry. Also joined Thunderbirds womenís rugby team.

ìAll our Dr eams can come true if we have the courage to pursue themî ñ W alt Disney

ìT ale pride in how far youíve com. Have faith in how far you can go. But donít forget to enjoy the journey.î ñ Michael Josephson

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Telling It Like It Is With Jade Alberts This issue of Telling It Like It Is features Jung-Suk (JS) Ryu CEO, Indefinite Arts Centre & National access Arts Centre ourIAC.ca Please share what Indefinite Arts Centre does and the role it plays in the community.

Indefinite Arts Centre is Canada’s oldest and largest disability arts organization. Founded in 1975, the Centre currently supports more than 300 artists living with physical and/or developmental disabilities through artistic training, creation, and exhibition/presenting opportunities locally and around the world. Statistics indicate that anywhere between 10-20% of Calgary’s population identifies as living with a disability.

We are proud to do our part in showcasing the creative contributions of this particular segment of our community, and advocating for inclusive policies and practices in our city’s – and our country’s – arts and culture sector.

What is the mission and long term goals for Indefinite Arts Centre?

The mission of Indefinite Arts Centre is to provide artistic training, creation, exhibition/ presenting opportunities to artists living with disabilities. We are also a strong advocate for the inclusion of artists with disabilities in our arts/ culture sector.

Our primary long-term goal is to position the Centre – and the work of our artists – as being of equal value to the creative contributions and processes of mainstream, contemporary artists.

To put it another way, rather than being seen as a “social service” or a charitable endeavour, the Centre is making deliberate moves to be position itself as a bona fide arts organization, and provide platforms and opportunities for our participants to be seen and recognized as bona fide artists.

24 // Community Now!

Indefinite Arts Centre, even in the ongoing recession impacting Calgary, continues to grow at an astonishing pace. Can you talk about how this success has been realized – and what is unique about marking success as a charitable, non-profit organization?

We are proud of our extraordinary growth – fuelled by not only increased investments from our public sector partners, but from a ten-fold growth in our individual/corporate/foundation gifts. This fiscal year, we are projecting $1.5M in revenues, a 60% growth in three years.

Though this statement has often fuelled some controversy, I will always proudly share that my approach to leading a non-profit is the same as leading a for-profit, commercial venture.

The irony here is that I’ve never worked in the for-profit sector a day in my life – however, I am cognisant of the bottom line and the need to build capacity to expand the lines of “business” that we are in as a non-profit. With this in mind, when I started off as CEO three years ago, there was one clear goal that I wanted to accomplish: increase our financial capacity so that we can provide even more supports to our existing group of artists, but also reduce our wait list by half in welcoming more artists to be a part of our collective. To reach this goal, we set out a clear path that began with clarity around the business that we are in; a robust, measurable strategic plan; an exciting rebrand; and the restructure of the organization that would reflect all of the above.

We’ve been lucky to have a Board of Directors that is not risk averse. To do the things that I’ve

mentioned – and to do it well – takes risk. With our new strategic plan and rebrand, we invested more than $50,000 in a marketing campaign for the first time in our organization’s history. And guided by our strategic plan, we went through a restructure that impacted all but two staff members. Over the course of two years, we wiped out our existing cash reserves of approximately $250,000, with deliberate back-to-back deficits while witnessing 15% growth in our revenues year over year. We’ve shared our stories, made pitches to high net worth individuals and philanthropists for their investment, and solicited and now steward over 100 relationships – spanning from public sector leaders, private sector partners, foundation executives, and more.

As I stated above, we are now expected to hit an all-time high in our revenues with a modest surplus to begin refilling our cash reserves.

From this perspective, in so many ways, I often share with our team and other stakeholders that – despite our 45-year history – we are indeed very much a start-up. We have the legacy of the incredible work our Centre has done, but our path forward is very much uncharted. We are taking risks by challenging assumptions and testing new theories about how we can support our community of artists – and to date, we’ve had nothing but incredible success.

Please share some stories about the artists in your program.

With 300+ artists, it’s hard to pick the few that are noteworthy. I think one of the biggest highlights, however, has been the “facilitation” role the Centre has played in connecting more than 20 of our artists to public art commissions, giving them opportunities to showcase their creativity in the public space while at the same time giving them well-deserved, industry-standard income for their work.

When I talk about giving artists the opportunity to be artists, this is exactly what I am referring to – making sure that equal opportunities are given to our group of talented artists.

Another success story has been our foray into international artist residencies. I recall our previous staff recoiling at the thought of sending our artists overseas to participate in international residencies, but we went ahead anyway because we believed our artists were capable, and that they could grow immensely as artists from these experiences. In 2019 alone, we sent five artists to international residency opportunities in Dubai and Guadalajara – and this year, depending on the current circumstances surrounding COVID-19, we have an exciting residency opportunity for one of our artists in Osaka, Japan.

What is next for Indefinite Arts Centre?

As we are taking into consideration the implications of COVID-19, the Centre is doing everything it can to be a relevant, responsive organization in support of our amazing artists. With more and more arts and culture utilizing the digital medium, we will be launching an exciting digital platform for our artists in early 2021 that I believe will underpin one of the biggest transformations of our organizations in our history. At the same time, we will continue to make the strong pitch to our public and private sector partners of the value and impact of our work – and hope to continue along this growth trajectory that also has the very likely potential of putting Calgary on the map as a global, accessible arts city.

If you had one piece of advice for other non-profit/charitable leaders, what would it be?

Be bold. Whether you are in business or in a non-profit environment, the world is crowded with ideas and talking heads. Think about how you can cut through the noise with that carefully crafted pitch. Think about how you can catch people’s attention with your marketing efforts. And think about what the future looks like – 5, 10, 15 years down the road – for your organization. I always believe that people want to back a winner, but even more people want to back a dreamer.

Jade Alberts - Peer Guidance - Jade Alberts Consulting 403-771-1301 www.PeerGuidance.ca www.JadeAlbertsConsulting.com www.LinkedIn.com/in/JadeAlberts NOW! \\ 25

WHAT’S POSSIBLE Sophia Fairweather

Through the pandemic, many people have picked up new habits or fun things to do. I will touch upon a few of those, as well as the struggles the pandemic has sparked, includ-

“

ing the many sad deaths and consequences the pandemic has caused. But I’ll start with the high notes!!

Going outside for a 1 hour walk really helps calm everyone

down and is extremely healthy for your mental and physical well being, and is great for the rest of the team!!

26 // Community Now!

The pandemic started with people being more careful, then the schools shut down, and everything else followed. A side effect has been that a lot of us have been staying inside, only going out to get groceries and\or printing something at work, or maybe you don't do things like that and stay inside completely.

This isolation keeps you healthy and it also has given us more freedom and time to do things at home. I have been using this time to bake more often, other people have had time

home {It helps with your health too}. Which is amazing and healthier!! Even Grocery shops are seeing that there are shortages in baking materials, such as flour and surprisingly yeast, when you usually only need 1\4 tsp of yeast for many breads and pastries. So it is a pretty obvious fact that many people are baking a lot more, which will hopefully help keep us healthy. Also keep the earth happy because making fast food makes a lot of greenhouse gases.

to do small\big renovations on objects and areas of the home. This time has helped us be able to do things we might not have been able to do, and it gives us more time to connect with family!

Many people have been helping push the idea of baking more often, on social media with hashtags such as #stressbaking and #quarintinebaking. Which have both gotten used around 12,000 to 26,000 times in posts. One of the many things being baked a lot more often from what I’ve heard is sourdough which is one of my favorite breads, and something that takes a while. Happily a lot more people are making food from home to eat. Of course you can't go to restaurants but they do have skipthedishes and ubereats so you can still get their food, but people are still making food at

Being stuck at home is also a time when you're with family a lot more so you're able to bond with family, I have personally been able to see family a lot more which has been nice. But it does mean you're constantly with them. This is definitely something that I have found, that I love my brother but being with him 24/7 is not very pleasant. It has been great to have my grammie and grampie around to assist with activities for him, but it still gets cramped. So something that I have done that really helped with all of this is, even though getting out of the house is not that easy to do when everyone is grumpy. Going outside for a 1 hour walk really helps calm everyone down and is extremely healthy for your mental and physical well being, and is great for the rest of the team!! Science has shown that going for a walk ( even better in a forest or some naturey place ) can help with depression and just boosts your mood! I am not the only person that has realized this though, exercising has become a lot more common, the average athlete says that they're exercising 88 percent more! So a lot more people are being active which is great!

Something that is piquing some families' interest is to do renovations, now that we're at home a lot more. Sadly right now with corona virus getting a home renovator is not (continued on next page) NOW! \\ 27

(continued from page 27...) that easy, with Alberta it will probably be available at some point, but social distancing is definitely a factor. So because me and my family wanted to be as safe as possible in these times, we did many things ourselves.

We have done electrical, plumbing, re-did the kitchen, put my blinds up, and painted, which all has been a blast! This is something that I really suggest if you want something to do, also you can learn some new skills, and if you really need help with something google and YouTube can really help!!

But the pandemic has definitely not only been fun and learning. There have been many consequences that have come from the pandemic, like the many deaths and mental health issues that have spiked. Sadly there has also been a jump in domestic abuse mental and physically. The pandemic has not only been time at home, it has been a time of trouble and sadness for many families and people.

Mental health issues that have jumped with the pandemic with things like depression, anxiety, and stress. Around half of all Canadians have said that their mental health has gotten worse, and 10 percent say their mental health has “ Deteriorated “. Which makes sense from being inside a lot more and being isolated from people, which is something we are built to do some more then others, but it's 28 // Community Now!

something healthy for us. Which was made to help us survive when we were still making stone tools, so we could stay alive! So this has really not been good for people's mental health.

Something that has also been a huge problem and that is probably causing some people's mental health to be low, is so many people are losing jobs. There were Around 2 million jobs lost in only April, which has really impacted many families, and people. Statistics Canada has said that unemployment rates have soared to 13% for Canada's unemployment traits. It's pretty obvious that it's become hard to keep and get a job.

Things haven't completely stopped though for instance the many things that we can do now, and it has shown where we can grow and the things we can change!! For instance I actually went to an online meeting with Edmonton's MP to address some issues that have been obvious during the pandemic: 1. The internet and cellphones aren't working the best, if it got better it can help kids working at home. Also so we can talk with loved ones!

2. We can help businesses grow by saving rental costs and creating teams with people distributed across the globe. To help the many people without a meal or without materials to learn!

3. Lastly, it will help diversify Alberta’s economy if we are not as dependent on Oil and Gas, as we are now. Maybe going towards technology or another area, and if needed we can use the resource we have from the oil sector to help out. It think it will help rebuild the economy to be stronger and to not only have one thing to rely on!

So you’ve heard the highs like how South Korea made it through and we can, how all of us have become bakers, and families have worked together. The lows of the many deaths and jobs are plummeting, and this is causing mental health problems. As well as the ways we can grow, from what I’ve experienced and seen during the pandemic, now I would like to end with my “What’s Possible”. Which I think would help me and others during this pandemic and whatever life looks like after we have a vaccine.

It's possible that the pandemic will cause different rules and views that will help us all be a little more safe, and secure. It's also possible that the government and others will help with executing the things that many are concerned about, and will help! Lastly all of us can and will get through this. We can get through this regardless of how hard it may be, and hopefully we will grow even stronger. That is What’s possible! https://runningmagazine.ca/the-scene/exercise-rates-on-the-rise-during-covid-19/ 2020 may 14 https://www.businessinsider.com/ why-spending-more-time-outside-ishealthy-2017-7 2020 may 14 https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canada-jobs-april-1.5561001 may 20 2020

45 of this Check out page nd out how to magazine to fi certificate to win a $25 gift Shoppe!

The Costume

HOW TO FIND THE BEST WELLNESS PROGRAM TO ELEVATE

Y O U RY

HEALTH

“

It can be difficult to

get away from the high volume of messages telling you very different things about your health. “

30 // Community Now!

Shawna Curry

ou start the year with the idea of turning over a new leaf. You're primed with new resolutions to be a healthier version of yourself. Your intentions are great.

Then, after a few months, your motivation starts to fade. You're no longer as keen to go to the gym every day. To quit smoking. Or to lose weight. Why does this motivation wane?

The problem starts with the belief that there's a quick fix to being healthier. Spoiler alert: There isn't. Social media will have you think otherwise. You are constantly bombarded with information to show how you too could have a perfect life in three easy steps. Here's what to do: 1) Perfectly pose the scene you want others to believe your life is like 2) Snap a photo 3) Open your favorite editing tool and edit anything that you want to enhance or remove from the picture. The real takeaway?

Most of what you're seeing isn't reality. It's fake. It's edited. And it makes you feel crappier about yourself.

Getting off social media altogether isn't the answer. It's choosing how you want to respond to the information that's most important. It's choosing to follow information that's well supported, and evidence based. Which can be hard to do. Especially during a time like this pandemic where information changes really quickly. It can be difficult to get away from the high volume of messages telling you very different things about your health. Who do you listen to? What’s fact and what’s fic-

Sleep is highly underrated and one of the best ways to increase your health. As sleep expert Matthew Walker indicates, adequate sleep gives us a 30% increase in performance.

There's few, if any, health habits that can give you that kind of return on investment.

Unfortunately, most programs overlook the importance of sleep. You may even be cutting your sleep short to squeeze in an early morning workout or to get more work done in the evening. Sleep helps you recover. You

tion? The truth is that most of the information about health and wellness is pretty simple.

Prioritize sleep. Eat well. Move your body.

Manage your mood and stress. Those are the four fundamental pillars that your health is based on. There are other factors that come into play, but those are your building blocks.

They are the same foundational pillars for health for everyone, regardless of it being pre or post pandemic times.

can't recover from a workout without enough sleep. You also can’t cope well with stress or pain if you are sleep deprived. During times of stress (like a global pandemic) sleep is one of the first things to fall apart. See the negative cycle?

At the end of the day you are ultimately responsible for your own health. Not your doctor, dentist or massage therapist. You are responsible for you. You know that already.

It's a use it or lose it scenario. Unless you are actively working to keep your health, you're going to lose it. That's just how it works. Sorry to be a Debbie-Downer. You need to invest in your health bank account, or you'll be drawing on your overdraft. So how do you find a program that works for you? It's finding a program that builds up your reserves over time.

There's no one size fits all approach. We're all different. What works for you may not work for me. Or vice versa. The key is to look for a program that focuses on being proactive versus being reactive. It should also help you to strengthen those four foundational pillars.

Being sleep deprived is one of the biggest factors preventing you from realizing that you're sleep deprived. Say what? Lack of sleep impairs your judgement. Your brain is so smart that it fills in the gaps and you think you're rocking life. You're really just a functioning "sleep-deficit-aholic." (That's my term for someone who's addicted to lack of sleep) You may survive in that state. I guarantee you can't thrive when you're sleep deprived.

Whatever your current level of performance is, improving your sleep will elevate it and help you to better tolerate stressors.

Nutrition is an area that many people struggle with. Eating is an unhealthy but common way of coping with intense emotions such as stress that leads to weight gain, ultimately compounding the issue. Think of how many people you know that have been on a diet.

Or many diets. They’ve tried everything out there and still haven’t gotten the results they want. It’s not just about the specific foods that you’re eating. It's about the impact of those (continued on next page) NOW! \\ 31

(continued from page 31...) foods on your blood sugar, your mindset around the foods you eat and the quality of your food intake. It's having a guideline or blueprint of how you decide what foods are right for you.

Your diet should be sustainable and flexible enough that you can adapt it to most situations. There isn’t one magic diet that’s going to fix everyone’s problems. Your diet will need to change over time based on your goals, objectives and lifestyle.

An exercise program should help to counteract the natural declines in muscle mass and bone density. It should address different components of fitness such as resistance training, cardiovascular training, agility, balance and flexibility. The component most programs overlook is recovery. Your body gets stronger when it has a chance to recover between workouts.

For someone with a busy lifestyle (isn't that all of us?), recovery is often overlooked. Slow down to go fast! Sometimes you need to take a step back to move forward. Does your exercise program have planned periods of rest or recovery? If not, you may want to rethink the program you're doing. Exercise is also one of the best ways to deal with stress and can help to improve sleep quality, giving you a far better ROI for the time investment.

Mental health is slowing losing its negative stigma and is gaining recognition on its important role on our health. Proactively addressing your mental health can help decrease depression and anxiety while increasing your resilience and coping. New skills can teach you how to manage stress so that you hopefully never have to hit the red zone. When things start to move outside of the middle 32 // Community Now!

zone, you'll learn to dial things back or make changes to prevent things from getting worse.

In times of crisis it’s important to reach out for professional support- you don’t have to get through it on your own. Asking for help is a sign of strength, showing that you know your limitations and that you’re taking steps to improve your situation.

Finding the right wellness program can appear to be quite expensive and elite. It doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. When you think about the return on investment, you often end up saving money. How much is it costing you to stay where you are? And how much have you already spent on programs that don’t work? You’ll get better results with a sustainable, evidence-based program than one that promises a quick fix.

To get started you’ll want to find a program that gives you the skills, tools and knowledge to take better care of yourself. Focus on the foundational four pillars of sleep, nutrition, exercise and mental health. Once you learn the fundamentals, you can redesign your health in a way that works for you. Your needs and health goals are unique to you so it’s important to consider that when exploring your options.

In emergency management the theory is that you never develop a crisis management plan in the middle of a crisis. By developing your own health blueprint now, you’ll be in a better spot to manage your health when the next crisis or pandemic hits. Congratulations on taking steps in the right direction to improving your health- best of luck on your journey!

For more information on wellness programs to proactively manage your health to feel your best, go to: www.healthredesigned.com

You CAN make sure every child has the nourishment they need!

Please donate non-perishable food items today and help support local families in crisis! madebymomma.org/donated-items COMMUNITY NOW! Magazine is proud to support the 2nd annual Fathers Day Run and Walk.

Our very own Creative Director Kenzie Webber will be participating in the 10km run.

Click here to donate today, and help us raise money for an amazing cause.

NEW DATE

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2020

Hello from Simon House Steven Archambault

I have recently heard new questions being asked “What do you think the post COVID-19 world will look like? What do you think the new normal will be?” I know that we will be facing challenges or a new way of living that we did not even consider 6 months ago.

A Brief Time Line.

On March 13 this year we left for the day knowing we had to make some adjustments, we watched the news like everyone else. March 15th we heard the news that schools at all levels would be closed on the 16th and they would remain closed for the foreseeable future. We heard the rules of the state of emergency and like other businesses we had to quickly adjust.

March 16th almost all 12-step meetings were mostly cancelled and among other choices we had to make, Simon House made the tough decision to suspend intakes of new clients until March 30, 2020. As an addict in recovery this decision was not taken lightly; the Simon House team all know that any time an addict is willing to make that call it is critical someone be there to answer; the news headlines remind the public weekly of the opioid deaths facing our nation.

What they don’t tell you is addicts no matter if it’s a substance or process addiction are at risk of losing their life if they spend one day extra suffering.

34 // Community Now!

Over the past few months we have had to face several new realities that will ripple through the Not for Profit communities for years to come. The first is our donation structure the donors who made sure we had money to operate have also been deeply impacted; their world has been changed and their ability to support someone else is no longer there.

Social distancing is now the order of the day, we have the ability in non-pandemic times to house and work with 66 active treatment clients. With Social distancing and classroom size restrictions this dropped, now we can safely care for 33 clients. We also removed 5 beds in a non-attached building for longer term care so if we did have a case of COVID-19 we could completely isolate the impacted client.

If COVID-19 ended tomorrow and we returned to exactly as we were before Simon House is still facing a shortfall close to 300,000.00 dollars. We can dwell and live in what is not happening or how bad it is or we can make a difference in a new way, in a way that will support addiction recovery for years and decades to come.

It is imperative that we find a way to make up for that 300,000.00, it is imperative that we find a way to recover the shortfalls that will continue to happen considering COVID-19 is here for the foreseeable future. But operating in awareness is one thing operating in fear is another and will likely see even more problems arise. Getting stuck in the COVID-19

negative speak vortex will do nothing for Simon House, it will do nothing for any of us.

At Simon House we are looking at what COVID-19 is and can teach us and we are also looking at where we need to do better; not just for addicts but for their families and supporters. Over the next few months we will be delivering on some amazing new programs and services at Simon House. Adjusting what is already in place, build-out of a new program and that have not even been done yet.

One of the areas we see many clients struggle with recovery and staying in a sober life is after they leave Simon House Recovery Centre. This struggle happens and many relapse no matter if they left after spending 12 months with us or is they only graduated the 84 day in house program. The stats and clients tell us there is something needed. So we are completing the final stages of our AfterCARE program. This will allow people who come to Simon House to remain active in their recovery with Simon House for at least another year. This program goes beyond and is more comprehensive than what we are doing today.

Families are a huge part of recovery but they are also a part of any addict’s life that has been dramatically impacted by the actions taken while someone struggles with the disease of addiction. The trauma families face time and again, the constant disap-

pointment and fear they feel when promise after promise is not kept. Coming home and seeing you have been robbed only to find out it was a loved one stuck in addiction. At Simon House we need to expand our support of the families and make our programs accessible to anyone in Alberta no matter where you live.

There are so many opportunities that we have to make recovery even better, to make it more sustainable, reachable and inclusive. In our opinion too many people are dying and too many people are being left behind.

I would like to leave you with this thought, if you do not understand addiction in any of its forms. I would like you to imagine being hungry, the type of hunger that would have you eat the vilest of things, the type of hunger that would drive you to do anything to get just one morsel of food. That is what drives the addict and what is worse when they get the food they hate themselves even more.

Simon House Recovery needs the communities help. to find out more go to: https://simonhouse.com/ To Donate go to: www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/12612 NOW! \\ 35

The Doorway:

The Doorway welcomes all young people (17-24 years old) who want to get off the street. We are a community here to listen without judgement. We give young people a safe space where they can tap into their innate wisdom and chart their own path forward.

Change is possible.

“

As a non-profit receiving no government funding

we have always depended on community people.

Individual community members, corporate bodies, businesses, foundations and small community groups have been our lifeline.

36 // Community Now!

The Doorway is here for young people and commits to them for a two-year period.

During that time, they come through our doors, set goals and engage with community members. For 32 years, our proven process has been consistent and over one thousand young people, at an average success rate of 70%, have reached their goals to get off the street.

For every goal they set, they earn $15 and for many of them, this is the first chance they have had in life to make money legally. As young people continue to step through our door, set and track goals and build relationships with community members, amazing changes happen. They become more confident, hopeful and resilient. Most importantly, they start to believe in themselves and in their ability to get off the street and join mainstream community.

‘It Takes a Village’: Last year The Doorway was grateful to be the charity recipient for Community Now’s August event ‘Community Now! Celebrates’.

Krista Malden, founder of Community Now Magazine and previous Doorway staff shared with the attendees a little about her time with us. Krista spoke to the impact community can make and said The Doorway was the first time she had heard and experienced the African Proverb ‘it takes a village’, a model she has carried with her ever since.

‘It takes a village’ has always resonated with The Doorway. As a non-profit receiving no government funding we have always depended on community people. Individual community members, corporate bodies, businesses, foundations and small community groups have been our lifeline. Monetary contributions support our participants, staffing costs, stationaries/supplies and space. Community members and small businesses donate young peoples’ clothing, hygiene supplies, back packs and more to ensure our young people have what they need. The saying is true ‘When you look good you feel good!’, especially when you are young!

The saying is also true ‘fuel your body, feed your soul’. Generous community members and groups donate healthy, hearty, made with love food for our young people. Other community members commit to 3 years as a Board of Director or 3 hours every week working directly with our young people. We rely on all of these interactions and relationships to show our young people; ‘there are good people in this world, and they are rooting for you. And they do this without pay, the only reason they are here is for you.’.

Much like Krista Malden demonstrated in August, people stay connected with The Doorway for a long time even after they stop working or volunteering regularly. The Doorway is a place that captures a piece of your heart and many community members say they change just as much as the young people do.

Note: ‘Ways to give’ posts stories of the ways community people give on our website: https://thedoorway.ca/ways-to-give/

(continued on next page) NOW! \\ 37

(continued from page 38...)

COVID-19 Due to the pandemic our space, and our young people’s “home away from home – even when I didn’t have a home” was forced to close. But our ‘villages’ commitment to them didn’t waiver. Our staff worked tirelessly to redesign our service delivery methodology to a distance approach. As a result we kept our young people thinking, planning, problem solving and in touch with people who care and know them really well.

We have stayed in contact with over ¾’s of our young people and all who we have talked to have stayed healthy throughout the pandemic. Some of our young people already had safe places to stay while others have found and continue to find safe people to stay with.

Young people experiencing homelessness don’t access shelters a lot, for reasons such as fear, pride, protection of parents/family and more. COVID-19 has them even more wary than ever about accessing shelters.

38 // Community Now!

They have been creative in taking up new hobbies such as baking, cooking, taking baths, song writing and doing Youtube yoga/ workouts. Unfortunately, the majority who had work prior to the pandemic were laid off work and have been trying to access benefits.

Some obtained or applied for employment at essential services. Interestingly, others who have struggled to brave employment are now curious and have their eyes on the online job market! Some challenges have been visits with kids being canceled, living full time with a significant other, and parenting without playgrounds and playmates. Much like the rest of us they are cautious and apprehensive but are finding the silver lining.

As our city begins to reopen services The Doorway will determine where we fit in the process and carefully plan when and how to re-open. We are committed to providing our distance process until and after we reopen.

We understand again, much like the rest of us, our young people will resume ‘business as usual’ at their own pace.

Five Forces Reshaping the

Post-Pandemic Future Dr. Arden Brummell

We are currently engaged in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic and injecting financial support into households and businesses. What happens after the pandemic? What are the profound changes that will shape the economy and society post pandemic?

FIVE FORCES SHAPING CHANGE

“

Since 9/11, the

role of government has shifted from protector of individual rights to protector of order and security.

1

Digitization

Digitization has a long history, from computers to mainframes, to personal computers, to the internet and the World Wide Web, to tablets, smart phones, the cloud, big data and artificial intelligence (AI). Yet with the pandemic, the pace of change in the use and application of digital technologies is increasing. Individuals, business and governments are adopting digital solutions at record rates. Zoom has become a household name.

Online bridge and poker sites are swamped. Apps are proliferating. Businesses have introduced online ordering, payment and delivery at the speed of light. (continued on next page) NOW! \\ 39

(continued from page 39...)

Government bureaucracies have shifted to online service delivery at an unprecedented rate. Once learned, these innovations cannot be unlearned. There is a ratchet effect. Will this accelerated rate of change continue after the pandemic? The inevitable answer is yes and the changes are likely to be profound.

2

Managing Debt

Responses to the pandemic are creating unprecedented levels of debt. Federal, provincial and municipal governments as well as businesses, not-for-profits and individuals are incurring mountains of debt. How do we manage this debt post pandemic? There has been a growing view that government debt levels do not matter. Will businesses be able to cope with their debts in the future or will they go bankrupt? Will households be able to make mortgage payments or will they default? Can the banks manage the losses that appear to be looming?

3

Role of Government

Super-sized governments stuffed with debt are inevitable. Will the role and influence of government also increase? Since 9/11, the role of government has shifted from protector of individual rights to protector of order and security. Think airport security and anti-terrorist legislation - civil rights have been consistently sacrificed to ensure increased security. The public has supported this trend. The pandemic is reinforcing the role of government as protector of the common good – from imposing controls on travel, social interaction and surveillance 40 // Community Now!

tools to manage the spread of the virus. Perceived market failures are likely to increase as bankruptcies escalate and the market power of major corporations becomes more visible.

Mergers that increase market concentration and reduce competition will attract a response. Governments will be expected to and will actively intervene.

4

Expectations of Business For some time there has been

criticism of capitalism as causing inequality and injustice. There has been a push for business to redefine how they measure performance with less focus on efficiency and profits and more on broader social responsibilities. Societal expectations will require businesses to meet new standards of behaviour and ethics with suppliers, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders.

These expectations of business are likely to intensify. All businesses need to innovate, adapt, develop new skills, build resilience and enhance efficiency to remain sustainable. The pandemic has heightened these requirements to survive.

A new social licence is being formed. The blatant exercise of market power will not be accepted. Managing new labour relationships that emphasize job security and safety will be required. New working arrangements like working from home will necessitate new measures of worker output and performance.

Investments in automation will add complications to employer-employee relationships.

And adapting business to new digital based services will be a challenge. All of these changes will create a surge in new businesses with new business models. New enterprises will find crevices to grow into while existing businesses will be forced to innovate or die.

5

Values & Behaviour

Sales of jigsaw puzzles, board games and musical instruments are skyrocketing. Adoption of pets is soaring. Grocery stores are struggling to supply yeast and flour as home baking has risen. Thousands are working from home, connecting on Zoom and Microsoft Teams and sharing work on Source. Webcams are hard to find. Families are cooking and eating, playing games and watching Netflix together. Will these changes lead to new lifestyles? Will these changes layer onto pre-pandemic trends promoting locally produced goods and services? Will the adoption of online services slow after the pandemic or are these changes baked into our thinking? Will the new social distancing rules lead to new patterns of interaction even after the threat has passed? Will there be a balancing of civil rights and community responsibilities? Are masks here to stay?

As creatures of habit, will we hold on to new habits or return to old ones?

For consumers faced with the financial hangover of the pandemic there will be a shift to thrift. Reduce, reuse and recycle are likely to become social virtues. Households will use old items in new ways, making do to reduce costs. Repairing old machines will be lauded. The shift to a simpler lifestyle will not only be one of necessity but also socially encouraged. Do we really need all this stuff? What about others who have little? Will our values shift along with our consumption patterns?

The new behaviour patterns will play havoc with a society geared to high production, mass consumption and obsolescence.

At the same time there is likely to be an

increase in price sensitivity. How will businesses faced with higher expectations react to consumer demands for low-cost goods?

Will socially responsible companies be able to survive against low-cost competitors? Values in society are in flux. Traditional behaviour patterns are completely disrupted. Society may be learning new lifestyles but whether these will persist or evolve is unknown. New values and lifestyles are likely but how extensive and how sustainable these might be into the future is an open question.

What can we see from here?

While the future is highly uncertain, some future elements are emerging from the fog. The dislocation of the pandemic will lead to the restructuring of society and the economy. This period of change will trigger a surge in innovation as well as destruction. The adaptable will survive and perhaps even prosper. Many trends that marked the pre-pandemic reality will also be accelerated. In the end, the post-pandemic future could be markedly different as the major forces unleashed by the pandemic shape a new reality.

Arden Brummell is Managing Director of Scenarios to Strategy Inc., a Calgary-based management consulting firm that equips leaders to build healthy, purposeful, engaged and high-performing organizations. Visit S2S today at www.scenarios2strategy.com

NOW! \\ 41

TOGETHER

ARE

STRONGER - Monica Kretschmer

Together we are stronger! We must stand as a community to recognize the achievements of women making a difference locally, nationally and globally. In these uncertain times, we need to keep the foot on the gas pedal to advance women in business. We must support women-owned businesses, make a conscious effort to buy their products not just talk about it. We need to provide testimonials, share their content, invite them to speak on panels, become mentors, advisors and invest in their companies. We must provide opportunities to SupportHER in the workplace, boardroom, and the business community. We all play a role in supporting woman and community. Over the past few months, I have worked tirelessly to pivot to from in-person events to host virtual events to champion women. We are launching our Universal 42 // Community Now!

Women-Owned Directory and Round Table to let our voices be heard and take action to Rebuild, Relaunch, and Recover. I am sincerely grateful to our network of cheerleaders, SupportHERĂ­s, members and subscribers. Your belief in my vision to advance women personally and professionally fuels me to keep forging ahead regardless of barriers. Thank you to our National Ambassadors across Canada, USA and UK for helping us to spread the word and lead by example.

What I ask of you all is to support women in business. Support us to support our network!

Become a member, join our Women-Owned Directory, learn how to become a corporate partner, Nominate a Women of Inspiration, deadline June 30. https://universalwomensnetwork.com/ women-inspiration/nominate-2020/

“This benefit(ed) our family by drawing us closer and working together as a team so we could Wine Ninja some amazing people. And perhaps brighten their day. It also taught our youngest the gift of giving and how rewarding it can be.”Marcie

YOU'VE BEEN

NINJA’D “The economic climate has been felt in every home across our beautiful province of Alberta; causing damage to the human spirit... BUT Albertans are strong, resourceful and all about lifting the spirit of everybody in our community.” - Shannan Brittany Fraser

I

magine women, men, and children of all ages across Alberta, dressing up and delivering the most simple and thoughtful gifts to people they don’t know.

Before this pandemic happened, I would have never thought the community would be close again.

I grew up in the 90’s, living on the same street for most of my childhood. It was a time where my neighbours and my family knew each other, and if we were to go out on family bike rides people would wave with a friendly smile and say hello. Where we would help

each other out even without really knowing anything about them other than what community they were from.

The facebook group “Alberta Wine Ninjas” has brought community back to community!

I truly hope (along with many others) that when we go back to our busy lives, this group will still be around to continue spreading happiness and joy and to continue to create a community where people do random acts of kindness for people they don’t know. (continued on next page) NOW! \\ 43

“I think this is an amazing thing. Mostly for me it taps into my love of giving. Such a great feeling to know you made someone's day! It's also very exciting when you get hit as well. Almost like Christmas. I really hope that it's something we can continue year round.” -Tanya

“I've been ni njaing all ov er the place. much joy to It brings me spread random so happiness am munity of wom ong a comen. It's such a beautiful show and caring fo of support r one another ” Melanie

“Camo means no one can see me. I have yet to be ninjad but i’m definitely not expecting it. Going out got me out of the house to have fun instead of focusing on all the bad and frustrations going on. I also deal with anxiety so it was nice to feel a ‘good anxiety’ for a little bit of time. I love to put smiles on people’s faces. I’ve done a couple so far and plan to do more ”-Kaitlyn

44 // Community Now!

(continued from page 43...)

The creators of the “Alberta Wine Ninja” Facebook group; Shannan and Aimee created this group for the sole purpose of bringing women together through random acts of kindness.

They felt there was a loss of human connection and community and they wanted to bring it back!! And they did…

Grown woman cartwheeling (or attempting to cartwheel) across someone’s lawn in a Onesie, unicorn costume or in a full ninja outfit...leaving a gift for a stranger...just to brighten someone’s day! This is a great way to get through this pandemic while still following the social distance protocole and an amazing way to bring the community together overall!!

The backstory: Shannan; one of the creators and her best friend Aimee were talking on the phone one night while drinking wine, they were reminiscing about the fact that they havent seen eachother since November and still had their Christmas gifts for each other.

They were talking about how to get them to each other with social distancing rules in place and they joked that they could drop them off to each other ninja style.

Their wine ran out and they made another joke about how it would be nice if a ninja would drop off more. The whole idea just exploded from there and they started a page on Facebook that night. Within a few days the group had over 3000 members. The female community within the Calgary area came together to show their love to each other. And every day the group keeps growing and growing.

Let’s ALL be Ninjas! And spread some kind of joy to someone. It can be a bottle of wine, or just a simple wave and a smile. These acts of kindness could truly make a huge difference in someone's day, evening, or week.

Here is your chance to win a $25 gift certificate for The Costume Shoppe and be showcased in the CN! August anniversary issue!

Step one: Take a photo of you in your favourite costume!

Step two: Share it to Instagram and Facebook. You need to tag both Community Now! and The Costume Shoppe to enter the contest.

Step three: Follow CN! and the Costume Shoppe on Instagram and Facebook and then like and enjoy all the other amazing fun costumes!

The winner will be randomly drawn and announced on July 1st!

The Costume Shoppe has been open in Calgary since 1994. www.thecostumeshoppe.com “The community as a whole, is and always has been an integral part of what The Costume Shoppe is. We as a company and as individuals work with schools, religious organizations for plays, and events, Charities like Make a Wish and organizations that support the Children’s hospital are examples of groups we work with on a regular bases. We partner with Calgary Pride, and believe that every man, woman and child deserves to be treated like a human. We at our core are a source of memories bringing smiles and laughter, to those that wear our costumes, and to those that see people or their pets in them!” Ryan Schoel

NOW! \\ 45

Sisterhood

Q & A with Kaiyla Hoffmann creator of Stoner Sorority

“Sisterhood is powerful because of the passion and drive behind it. A community of women who stand together to support, encourage, uplift and empower one another.”

What groups do you run on Facebook ?

I currently only run this group, [18+] Stoner Sorority, with the help from my Admin Team.

Why did you start this group?

I started this group because I wanted to meet other like minded women who shared the same interest in cannabis as I did, and creating a Facebook group seemed like the best, socially acceptable platform to do that with.

Why is it important to leverage Facebook and social media to bring people together?

I think it’s important to leverage Facebook and social media to bring people together because it creates a more diverse virtual community. People from all walks of life, economical, cultural, spiritual and geographical backgrounds. It really broadens your mind to sharing other experiences with people you never would have met without Facebook or social media.

Community is important because it gives others a sense of belonging. It acts as a “home”, and it’s nice to feel like you’re apart of something.

WHY THE COMMUNITY LOVES THIS PAGE! “Stoner Sorority is one of the most unique Facebook groups I've ever had the pleasure of joining. Between the overwhelming feeling of sisterly love, to the outstanding support all the sisters have for each other, I couldn't be more proud to be the Co-Creator of this group. In

“Groups like this are what brings us all closer together, and allows us to connect and make new friends, overcome our fears of talking to others and share things we can't on our own personal pages. It's a great place to go without judgement or fear. A place to be yourself. ”

the 3 years this group has been around, I've made long lasting online friendships that can’t AND will never be replaced. The girls may not be my blood sisters, but I still consider every single one of them family.”

-Electa Monet

-Sheena Hatcher

46 // Community Now!

“I love being apart of the group because we encourage and lift each other up. It’s all about sharing our views and being able to vent without being judged. Thank you to the wonderful creator and admins!!!!”

-Rachel Downton

EVENTS

“The love, conquer and support I receive from my sisters is amazing! We started out as strangers, and now I find myself coming Join us on June 16thlife. at the here to share everything in my Smoking Father Day Walk and with my sisters brings a smile toRun! my face.

Click here to register today!

This is a safe place where we are met with no Print Issue judgment. We are more than a group, featuring: Community Events:we are Beer Fest, Expo, amazing community family!! I love my sisters!!” organizations, people -Star Byrge

June

and much...(it’s must read)

“I have never been apart of something so inclusive and supportive before! Every time I check Facebook, there's always something JOIN US TO CELEBRATE! Great food, networking support that makes my day or givesopportunities, me a good laugh local charities, and celebrate a great village. by a member or admin from this beautiful SAVE DATE: AUG 15the 2019chaos place. And just forTHE a moment, with To donate auction items or prizes to and negativity happening in my life, I feel like The Fathers Day Walk and Run or I can breathe or smile Celebration and it really makes Our Community please emaila publisher@communitynowmagazine.com great difference.

Being apart of this sisterhood has made me count my blessings and I am so grateful to have been given such a wonderful opportunity to connect with such strong and powerful women. From time to time, I like to give back to my sister's and try to help others feel the way that I do. And from that, you IndigeSTEAM Power to Choose can really recognize what kind of Camp love 2019 and Indigenous Youth Summer STEM University of Calgary support we have for eachother and new memJuly 15 /16 to July 19 bers. I'm really excited how well this group is growing and proud to call this my home away 4 day camp for Indigenous youth 4 nights residence for Grade 7 and up from home.

It's not just about the cannabis reDay camp for Grades 4 - 6 lated topics. can come here to vent, laugh, Choices of You topics depending on your interests 2019 Special topic - Veterinary Medicine trip to Spy Hill Campus cry, scream, anything. It's such a safe environRegister indigeSTEAM.ca ment and there'satno tolerance for ignorance or registration is free Seeking volunteers bullying. And there's always room for everyCamp program Communications one. I absolutely my sisters. This group Supervision love Sponsors is what we need as women trying to grow as individuals. Women uplifting women. We are all queens ” -Katrina Teague

AUG

NOW! \\ 47

WORKING ALONE -

TOGETHER Jill Quirk

“Alone, we can do so little; Together we can do so much” Helen Keller

T

he Pandemic has put us in our homes and kept us isolated. As a teacher, right now, it is hard to find clarity in all the chaos. We are puppets in all of this. We must obey the rules and regulations brought forth to us by the governing bodies.

I try to find ways to connect to my students as best I can by Zoom calls and online discussions, however, everyone (especially students) are finding it’s not enough - we are all finding different ways to connect with each other. It seems this process of trying to connect to a community is organic and different for each individual. It is obvious that allowing for people to process what is happening is something that we need to let it run its course - it cannot be forced. Students need the freedom to find their way and find their people… for example, a lot of students are connecting with each other through digital platforms like Roblox. However, what is evident is people need people.

Learning in a classroom is emotional. We try to engage students. We try to inspire students. We give praise to boost confidence.

We provide a wide range of differentiation in a lesson, as all students learn differently.

However, it is hard to do all these things in an online environment. We are not allowed to teach lessons, only provide content. The rules for grade 1-6 - is that we are only allowed to provide 5 hours of work and only ELA and MATH related content (with integration of Science and Social Studies). Creating course content is a part of our job, but we are missing

48 // Community Now!

a big part of who we are; teachers are feeling empty. Students are feeling frustrated.

The only way to get through these hard times is finding ways to connect to our communities. It looks like people are getting creative!

The world stopped when Italy was singing from their balconies. A small dog, called Pluto connects us all by using humour. We want to find ways to connect and be emotional together. I want to feel like I am a part of something bigger than myself. And what brings people together? ART. “Art pulls a community together… That’s what artists are doing all the time, shifting and changing the way you see life”. Lister Sinclair (Actor/broadcaster with the CBC).

A community can be connected through the arts. Finding something emotional we can connect to each other. SO … to find a way to connect to people, our school community created a virtual Talent Show - where students submitted videos of themselves doing their “art”, where they played music, danced or even did hockey tricks. We even were able to get the teachers to work together to do a dance video to make the community smile to the song “Call on Me” by Starley. What I realized is I needed to help make this happen so I could feel connected to my community. Without creating something bigger than myself …

I feel lost. I need a community to feel alive.

So keep creating CN! Art is what can pull us together and connect us!

NOW! \\ 49

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Building B1, #201, 2451 Dieppe Ave SW, Calgary, AB T3E 7K1 50 // Community Now!

The Butterfly Effect is Counter-Isolationist Diane Swiatek, Founder and

“

Director of Banbury Crossroads School, Est. 1979

[O]ur own power to engage in what may be called “acts of humans” creates what has

been described as a “butterfly effect”—a chain of events that creates history as it unravels.

If there is one thing that we have learned experientially from the Covid-19 pandemic, it is that we are as interconnected as if we were on a spider’s web, where one movement occurs anywhere, and the whole structure moves. Life on Earth operates in complex, interrelated systems where any one event affects everything else. External factors, like geology and weather patterns, impact us, and we must scramble to cope with floods, blizzards, earthquakes, hurricanes, and volcanic eruptions. Internal and individual factors, like biology, chemistry and physics, are further constraints upon our bodies and minds, and we must deal with viruses, allergies, accidents, genetically based diseases, personality disorders, and even aging. Inevitably, we must manage these limits (continued on next page) NOW! \\ 51

(continued from page 51...) to our life potential. Our very survival is at stake. On top of these “acts of God”, our own power to engage in “acts of humans” creates what has been described by Andy Andrews as a “butterfly effect”—a chain of events that, unravelling, creates history. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, all acts of individuals and groups have exemplified this reality. Actions matter and they are interrelated.

All countries impacted by Covid-19 have reacted in some specific way that has affected not only the countries bordering them, but also far-flung countries connected only via planes, boats, trains or automobiles. Viruses recognize no borders; they go wherever hosts will carry them. Yet, some countries’ leaders have downplayed, disbelieved or misinterpreted the threat. This reaction was given by the President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro. He will bear a burden of guilt for personally opposing and flouting the local efforts of governors and mayors to establish quarantines and social isolation. He claimed that the economic fallout would hurt Brazilian workers, yet it is the poorest who have suffered most from the exponentially expanding pandemic in that country.

We can assume that, in their need to react to this novel crisis, individual leaders in each country have been fraught with terror at the enormous responsibility they carry upon their shoulders. Moreover, they all know, at some level, that the short- and long-term consequences of each decision and action they choose will be judged by history according to every category of effectiveness. The challenge is monumental, and it is compounded by the existence of two dynamics pulling in opposite directions: the uncertainty that exists over

52 // Community Now!

causes, cures and prevention arising from its novelty, combined with the decisiveness required in order to react in a timely and effective manner. Moreover, leaders cannot alleviate such a crisis alone—the citizens themselves are responsible for their reactions to the government’s protocols for this pandemic situation.

People can react in extremely different ways during a crisis. Some are grateful for government direction and expect authorities to consult science for answers, to help protect the population in a coordinated way. Others see the only threat as coming from the very government that is trying to coordinate the response. All reactions are understandable, although they may not be helpful. Seeing certain world leaders jumping upon the chance to consolidate their own rule, some citizens worry about the potentially permanent loss of civil liberties and personal power, even more than the potentially permanent loss of life from the virus gone amok. Both would be devastating. Such divergent responses arise partly from the moral values of individuals, their sociological and political mindset, and their resulting sense of financial, emotional, and physical security. These reactions also depend upon the sort of information they receive about the crisis, and their ability to objectively analyze it. Some have enough self-awareness to monitor internal prejudgments, self-advocate and creatively solve problems. Some don’t. Citizens are role models, encouraging or limiting others’ behaviour. It’s complicated. Anything impacts upon everything else.

Over the past half year, most other countries and their communities have recognized Covid-19 as serious and life-threatening, but also as capable of restriction. Most challenging was that people could be infectious

when they appeared healthy. Quarantines were the answer. Over the centuries, humans have endured many pestilential times: quarantines worked. Although it had moved slowly in Europe, the bubonic plague spread from flea-infested rats and infected individuals, until it peaked between 1346 to 1353, during which time it wiped out a third of the continent’s population. It is estimated that, overall, from 75 to 200 million people died from plague. The demise of the Black Death occurred because people implemented quarantines, whereby the uninfected would only leave their homes when it was necessary, and the richer folk would move to less densely populated areas. Improvements in personal hygiene and the use of cremation rather than burials also contributed to its end. Now, in the 21st Century, better hygiene and isolation under epidemic conditions is still a matter of

self-protection, social responsibility and citizenship. This whole subject of pandemics has come mighty close to home. The recent tendency to minimize the waves of information, and to reduce the reminders by binge-watching Netflix, is a common reaction to being overwhelmed. We will endure, just as previous generations survived epidemics. Facing reality is the first step.

Once people have accepted the threat as genuine, two distinct processes have emerged in response: one is concentrated on collaboration, both locally and globally, to counteract the medical, psychological and economic danger of this novel coronavirus. The people who have been most successful in this endeavor are unselfconsciously and altruistically seeking reliable solutions to stop the virus in its tracks (continued on page 55) NOW! \\ 53

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(continued from page 53...) and mitigate its effects, allowing us to endure the cure. Certain leaders have demonstrated this focussed and cooperative effort particularly well, such as the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern. Her leadership approach during this crisis was based on scientific research, which she shared openly and consistently with her citizens. Her lockdown interventions were prompt, firm and sobering, yet also compassionate and soothing. She was authentically thinking about the wellbeing of the people. Her actions resonated with individuals not just within New Zealand, but worldwide; she was decisive, empathetic and positive. The results of her sound planning and implementation were startlingly effective—people felt hope.

The converse process to emerge is concentrated on fending for oneself—both as individuals and as countries—through separation.

In seeking to draw in our edges and protect ourselves, achieved by closed borders, quarantines and social isolation, the emotions of the populace can degenerate into a version of paranoia, where “the other” becomes the primary, dreaded source of danger. Self-centered political leadership tends to promote this, because confusion, insecurity and the desire to shirk onerous responsibility obfuscate their true obligations. They need to put competition and ego aside, and collaboratively search far and wide for fitting responses to practical problems. Instead, such self-conscious leaders use confrontational approaches of blame and diversion, like the mutual closing of borders between China and the United States. A pandemic is riddled with real causes for fear, and fear is generally not the generator of wise and productive thinking. Fright and suspicion drive us to counterproductive decisions, thus creating

many more problems than we were initially faced with. Also, the inescapable result of underestimating the thinking capability and support of an educated and informed public, and not listening to it, is that it leads to inept and inadequate problem solving by floundering leaders. Then, they become distrusted by their disgusted populace. Many blustering, arrogant heads of state have covered up their ignorance and poor decisions, because they have worried more about their own political approval ratings than about actually solving immense conundrums. That failing is even bigger than the virus—it truly incapacitates leaders from solving any problems at all.

In order to work, problem solving needs rationality, as well as emotional sensitivity and altruism. Initially, the rationality had to come from worldwide experts in medicine, specifically in infectious diseases, to inform politicians and the public about the novel coronavirus. After that, effective leadership required finding field experts to offer advice on topics from hospital administration and financial solutions, to transportation logistics and educational alternatives. At first, reality seemed crazy and mixed-up, and it was difficult for all of us, so leaders needed enormous sensitivity to people’s emotions. Organizers were chasing moving targets and recognizing with chagrin that they might have made earlier efforts to stockpile cleaners, medical equipment and PPEs. They second-guessed their first decisions and watched with horror as the global situation worsened. As time passed, they acted upon their most responsive impulses, following clear plans based on the finest available knowledge and a deep commitment to empathy. Then, the situation became more explainable and bearable for everyone. Most community leaders have brave(continued on next page) NOW! \\ 55

(continued from page 55...) ly faced alien dilemmas and the psychological and economic effects of both the problems and the solutions. They have made efforts to imagine a realistic life-after-Covid-19.

As for the people across the world who were being led …the plebeians as opposed to the leaders…some of us have been unluckier than most, whether we lived crowded into one-room huts in slums or refugee camps, or whether we were alone and ill in apartments, or whether we endured the loss of employment or loved ones. Nothing felt normal then, and frustrations sometimes ballooned past complaints and into demonstrations.

Others of us have been relatively lucky all along, particularly if we were self-quarantining within our own comfortable homes, and still had our jobs and families, because at least 56 // Community Now!

parts of our lives still felt normal—they were a continuation of our habits from the past. We have now emerged from the midst of confusion and the search for best practices, to find ourselves settling into novel routines—what has become the “new normal”—meaning our accommodation to change over time. Human adaptability is useful for survival. Still, even if some people welcomed the feeling that the world really stopped and they got off, and even if they enjoyed every minute of it, the current situation cannot last forever.

Economically, the present state of affairs is too difficult to maintain. People need to work.

Governments cannot use quantitative easing or grow debt indefinitely, nor can they indefinitely support industry, business and families without actual work taking place. We are told that we need to kickstart the economy, and we do…except that we are confused there, too.

We have seen cracks in our economic system, especially since the recession of 2007-09 that exposed its severe failings. The uneven distribution of the world’s wealth is resented by some of the un-wealthy, blaming globalization for leaving them behind. Another major flaw with our economic system is that it is based on assumptions of unrealistically limitless expansion and population growth. Nevertheless, at this point, no alternative economic system is ready to replace it. Barter is no longer feasible

cultural, political and economic life of Europe.

Even today, we hear nursery rhymes about it: “Ring around the rosie, pocket full of posy, hush-a, hush-a, we all fall down.” These words referred to red circular rashes common in some forms of plague. The posies were flowers and herbs people carried to ward off disease and counter the smell of death. The words “hush-a”, or “ashes” or “a-tishoo” and “falling down” were mimicking sneezing and then dying from the disease. We have sung

in our extraordinarily interrelated world, and Bitcoin is not ready to service the world, yet.

We have no ready-made holistic alternative, but change in our economic system is inevitable, in the long-term.

these stories to giggling toddlers, without visceral meaning—until now, having actually experienced a pandemic. What will our own stories reveal as we exit lockdown and inch our way into our new future?

Moreover, this stalled situation must change, since it has required us to actually isolate, not just feel isolated. This is difficult! We are social animals. We thrive, not just survive, on contact with other people. Those living alone will particularly chafe at the loneliness. We passionately desire to resume our connections through the theatre and concerts, weddings and graduations, funerals and christenings, sports and rodeo events, art exhibits and conferences, restaurant outings and birthday celebrations, yoga in the park and holidays abroad. We have been told that life will not just “get back to normal” right away. We should take that conjecture seriously. During the Black Death, art, culture, and the labour economy in Europe had taken an enormous hit. There were also plagues in England afterwards, such as during 1592 to 1594, that often shut down London theatres. To put that in context, Shakespeare was living and writing between the years 1564 to 1616. The Great Plague of 1665-66 killed a quarter of London’s population, 100,000 people, in 18 months. It took 200 years for the population there to return to their prior numbers. It took the Renaissance to reinvigorate the artistic,

This Covid-19 pandemic shares certain qualities with all catastrophes, like the flood of 2013 in Calgary. The people caught within them have no way of knowing whether they will emerge unscathed from the experience. So, our stories will be of our determination, struggles, grief, and triumph. The book by Rebecca Solnit, “A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster” outlines acts of compassion, resourcefulness and generosity that prevail amid disruptive and painful disasters. Due to the gift of global communication, we have all experienced the exultation of optimistic individuals pot-banging and singing on balconies, solo dancing in the streets, and drawing colorful signs of gratitude for essential workers that are chalked on the sidewalks and hung in windows. We can also hear coordinated efforts to bring musicians together via computer or closed-circuit TV, so that they could play exquisite philharmonic music or re-created Yemini love songs.

Our hauntingly beautiful experiences were shared, because they lifted our hearts. What will remain of them in another 400 years? (continued on page 59) NOW! \\ 57

“

We thrive, not just survive, on contact with other people. Those living alone will particularly chafe at the loneliness.�

58 // Community Now!

(continued from page 57...)

Will they turn into nursery rhymes?

In the light of bringing hope to citizens of the world, we cannot afford any more delusional attempts to increase isolationism, the usagainst-them myth, simply because today’s crisis has shown that borders are irrelevant.

Covid-19 has forced us to change the ways we live, partly because it exposed our weaknesses in communication and collaboration.

The whole world was in this together, and we had to start acting like that. At least, now we know that we can change, because we have had to. The only power we have is to work together. This awareness is useful for resuming the effort to surmount the wicked problems we had from before—racism, climate change, territorial and political power disputes, and the need to reverse air, water and soil pollution. We still have to deal with our garbage.

Ultimately, we need to produce cheap and safe energy; Thorium nuclear energy is a viable possibility. We must connect on a level of knowledge and collaborative problem solving with people around the globe, because we absolutely need each other to solve shared problems.

It will also require global collaboration to maintain balance in the various systems of life on earth. It is interesting that all of the major problems we face, such as economic inequities, racism, crime, endangered species, and unsustainable energy production, are imbalanced situations. Balance and interrelatedness are pivotal concepts. So, by recognizing this, and adopting an attitude of benevolence, we may tie disparate work together and assist with the creative search for solutions. For instance, attempts to diminish racism would highlight the importance of addressing climate change, because it is the poor of the

world suffering from racism who are most disturbed by its effects, like bizarre weather patterns. We need to notice, and capitalize on, inadvertent connections and results, such as the world’s carbon footprint decreasing when factories were closed and traffic was reduced.

Delhi skies were revealed as blue again. It was temporary, but we have seen it happen.

So, the conundrum is, how are we going to restart our economic engines, without recreating our old problems? This begs the question: which parts of the ways we are handling and experiencing this pandemic can be utilized in our approach to solving the climate change dilemma? Government stimulus packages?

The full answer is not in plain sight, but we can use the combined energy and expertise of thinkers and doers to productively seek solutions. As we all live on Earth and depend on it, we derive a strength of purpose from our deep involvement in these diverse analytic processes. Simply seeing cooperation across the globe on one wicked problem may inspire us to commit to others as joint ventures.

The most significant result of this experience ought to be the acknowledgement of how interrelated we humans truthfully are. As the Economist magazine states in many places, no matter how unpopular this openhearted, accepting attitude may be now, it needs to experience a resurgence. The “butterfly effect” refers to the startling truth that every action, by any individual, affects others, on and on. The “butterfly effect” provides a natural bridge between the past and the future. It is our responsibility to handle our decisions with intelligence and finesse, knowing that they matter. We must be aware of the constant need to seek equilibrium, because all life hovers on a delicately balanced and interconnected web, and all connections are made with tender threads.

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SHEInnovates PROFILE

Get to know SheInnovators through CN! Magazine over the next few issues!

DR. ELIZABETH CANNON CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE ENTREPRENEURIAL THINKING THRIVES Dr. Elizabeth Cannon passionately believes that the power of entrepreneurial thinking is the key to a flourishing society and robust economy and, has worked to make that concept part of the everyday vernacular of business and education. As a cornerstone of that commitment, in her recently completed eight-and-a-half-year term as President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calgary, Dr. Cannon oversaw the establishment of the groundbreaking Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking.

“The Hunter Hub is a physical location, but it’s real strength is the kind of thinking and learning that goes on there,” says Dr. Cannon of the seven-day-a-week programming that encourages and develops entrepreneurial thinking.

The Hunter family - Diane Hunter, University of Calgary alumna and trustee of the Hunter Family Foundation, along with husband Doug and son Derrick - invested $40 million dollars into the Hunter Hub – the largest private gift in Canada for entrepreneurial thinking.

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“That financial commitment was a very strong statement to our students and to our professors about the value and importance of entrepreneurial thinking as the new norm in business and education” says Dr. Cannon. “It said: We want you to engage and we’re creating opportunity and spaces for you to come and experience what this is all about and put it to work.”

Redefining entrepreneurship Dr. Cannon believes entrepreneurial thinking can happen anywhere, whether it’s in the private or public sector. It doesn’t have to mean starting or creating something from scratch.

“A lot of this is mindset. It’s taking charge. It’s the attitude you bring, it’s the initiative you are driving. That kind of thinking is what society needs and it’s what Canada needs,” says Dr. Cannon.

“It’s really about creating an environment where it’s okay to talk about entrepreneurial thinking. In fact, it’s expected as part of the culture of a successful organization and it’s understood and accepted that some level of entrepreneurial risk taking is valued,” she says.

Creating safe spaces for people to innovate – and fail Nurturing entrepreneurial thinking means allowing people to move out of their comfort zone and feel empowered to take some level of risk.

“You’re won’t have success every time. You need to be able to push the boundaries. You’re always going to learn – even from failure, you’re going to have experiences that you can build on and move to other opportunities that will exist down the road,” she says.

“It’s creating those safe spaces for people to experiment, to innovate, and on occasion to fail. To have people say, ‘Okay, that didn’t work but what did we learn? Now, let’s move on.’”

Solving big issues Dr. Cannon sees the big issues facing society social responsibility and robust economic development – as challenges and opportunities across all industries and fields.

“Entrepreneurial thinking really is about working across disciplinary boundaries, learning from experience and from others to make an impact.”

An Alberta tradition of entrepreneurial thinking Frontier Alberta is a perfect case study. In its early history people drawn by opportunity took a risk, in literally uncharted territory, rolled up their sleeves and created an economy and a community. Agriculture and energy underpinned that entrepreneurial spirit –land was cleared and tilled, industries were created and flourished. That spirit carries on to this day. (continued on next page) NOW! \\ 61

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“That was the foundation of Alberta’s entrepreneurial spirit in Alberta. It drew a lot of people here and we pride ourselves on that.

It started with virtually nothing, but through hard work and fortitude they made something and helped build this community,” says Dr. Cannon.

“What you’ve seen over the last four to five years, as the energy sector has been challenged, is that we can’t rely on that sector always supporting the province - in terms of quality of life and economic clout. There’s been huge interest in taking that foundation of entrepreneurial thinking and applying it more broadly to other opportunities and other sectors.”

A new model for success Rapidly evolving global economic drivers are accelerating the need for diversification and entrepreneurial leadership - and the need for a new model of entrepreneurial education. Dr. Cannon sees young people today who want to create a future for themselves of self-sufficiency and resilience.

“The old model was: ‘I’m going to get my education and work for a big company down-

town Calgary and life is going to be good.’

That model will no longer exist for many people and they know that,” she says.

“That’s what driving a lot of young people.

When we opened up the Hunter Hub, students just naturally gravitated to it. Many who hadn’t even thought about being entrepreneurial started to see what it’s all about.

They see the support systems are there and their individual creativity just takes over.”

Dr. Cannon recalls a group of computer science students who came to see her in their last year. They’d taken a course in the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking in which they had to work in teams and develop an idea for an app to help people navigate the campus.

“They had never seen themselves as entrepreneurial. They’d never thought about developing an idea or maybe even developing a company. They were so pumped because they saw what they could do, their own power and the support systems that were there, and they just were totally turned on,” says Dr. Cannon.

“That is what I get excited about, when I see young people, with all of their passion and energy and with a little bit of support, really move from an idea into dreaming and doing something big.”

DR. CANNON’S 3 BIG REASONS TO ADOPT ENTREPRENEURIAL THINKING: Unleash your creative energy. Everybody’s got ideas, but sometimes people need permission to unleash that creative spirit and to move an idea from a concept to something concrete and real.

Create your own destiny. Build your resiliency and feel personally empowered.

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Make an impact on your community. If you’re entrepreneurial, you’re thinking about how you can build something, or make something, or develop something that has not been done before that will provide a service or a product that could be useful for people -and that makes a difference.

KENDRA KINCADE FLYING IN THE FACE OF HARDSHIP TO LAND DIVERSITY IN THE AVIATION INDUSTRY Kendra Kincade, Founder and Chair, Elevate Aviation Starting off as a shop of one, Kendra Kincade now leads hundreds of volunteers at Elevate Aviation, where they strive to increase diversity in the aviation industry. Working to attract and promote women to positions previously very male dominated, Kincade and her teams travel across Canada raising awareness about opportunities for women in the aviation field. Through speaking engagements, a learning centre and mentorship arrangements, they work to help these women gain access to job opportunities in the field.

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“This year our cross-country tour was in twenty locations across Canada, all done in one week, inspiring thousands of young women to look at careers in aviation,” she explains Kendra and her teams work have had an immense impact helping over thousands of women. The Canadian Military has even

per cent qualification rate in the specialty she was being trained. Kendra says she was on the cusp of being terminated and becoming a statistic when Bright intervened, convincing supervisors to allow her another chance, and taking her under his wing.

Bright’s guidance was so integral to her career, it became the inspiration to her mission with Elevate Aviation – helping other women the way he helped her get into the industry.

made her an honorary Colonel for her work helping women in the Military learn about opportunities in the Military’s aviation fields.

“I want to be a mentor to these women in much the same manner John Bright was a mentor to me,” Kincade says.

An unlikely beginning Kincade’s career path was not defined in her youth. In her early teens, she lived on the streets for a little while before being placed in the foster care system.

Giving back After over a decade of success as an Air Traffic Controller, Kendra went through a difficult divorce, leaving her feeling depressed.

“My personal relationships growing up were not very healthy, and not only lead to a lack of confidence, but were also because of a lack of self-esteem,” Kincade says Yet Kendra was able to able to climb out of this time of negativity and despair.

A very important mentor Kincade credits a mentor named John Bright for helping her transition from this difficult part of her life to the success she is today.

“He changed my life,” says Kincade. “He didn’t just believe in me but, worked to get me to believe in myself. With his emotional support and guidance, I beat the odds to become an Air Traffic Controller.”

A friend had introduced her to idea of being an Air Traffic Controller, a concept that resonated with her. With four children in tow, she began training to become an Air Traffic Controller, a long and extremely difficult process. At that time, there was only a seven 64 // Community Now!

This spurred her to help others rather than wallow in self-pity. She joined a group of volunteers looking climb Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise $5000 for the Royal Alex Hospital. To raise funds, she ran with an idea that was tossed around work as a joke and developed and sold a calendar composed of female Air Traffic Controllers, raising $10,000.

“The next time I wanted to do this to raise money for a humanitarian mission, I decided to do a second calendar but this time instead of just air traffic controllers I knocked on doors in the industry until I found enough women in aviation careers to form another twelve months,” Kincade explains that the difficulty of this exercise made her realize there was a very small pool of women to participate.

"It occurred to me that the aviation industry had not done a great job at recruiting and attracting women.”

Kincade wanted more women to be successful in the industry she had so enjoyed and grown

with, and Elevate Aviation was born. Today she represents hundreds of people regionally, nationally and globally who promote the aviation industry to women and women to the aviation industry.

Ignoring negativity ‘Life beings at the end of your comfort zone’ is a Donald Waish quote Kincade lives by, adding; “When you get to the other side of your fear, life is good.” Kincade attributes her success to getting out of her comfort zone.

“You have to try things and not be afraid to fail,” she says. “You can’t listen to people who just have negative things to say. And don’t listen to the negative voice inside your head.

Everyone has one.”

Kincade even named her negative inner voice ‘The Pillsbury Dough Bitch’.

“The world is negative enough. We don`t have to add to it by beating ourselves up.”

Working to mentor young women, Kincade has realized that being positive also means showing up for one another.

“I think it is very important for young women to lift one and other up and not knock each other down,” she says.

“Don’t be afraid to lift each other up. No one loses anything by helping others.”

Congratulations

Joanne Neweduk, on becoming the New Owner and National Director for Fabulous@50 “Dianna Bowes, Founder of Fabulous@50, my dear friend, mentor and inspiration, passed away on March 1, 2020. After heartfelt discussions with Dianna’s husband and key contributors of our organizations combined with a desire to see the legacy of Fabulous@50 continue, a plan has been created to see it continue as wonderful as ever. I have a vision on how to do this and I am honoured and excited to step into that role.”

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“It Takes a Village“ - African Proverb

BUILD YOURSELF A

COMMUNITY. NOBODY DOES

BIGALONE

THINGS - Barack Obama

Our Mission: Promoting curiosity, communication and engagement in making Alberta a stronger and better place to live, to be educated, do business, promote innovation and community celebration. www.communitynowmagazine.com Facebook: @communitynowmagazine Twitter: @communitynowma1 Publisher@CommunityNowMagazine.com