CO-CREATING THE “UN-GYM” WITH COMMUNITY
BEST PRACTICE OF SOCIALLY RELEVANT DESIGN Author: Photos: Graphic: Rendering:
Cynthia Watson, Chief Evolution Officer, Vivo for Healthier Generations Society Jason Dziver, Dylan Dodge Vivo, www.vivo.ca DIALOG, www.dialogdesign.ca
Vivo is a charity on a mission to raise healthier generations by inspiring a wholistic mindset for healthy living. “The Hug” centre located in Calgary is an inclusive environment for healthy lifestyles and the collaboratory applies social innovation practices to co-create and measure new kinds of healthy living solutions. It serves for a young, diverse, and growing community. From 2004 to 2019, the community has grown from 79,000 to 150,000 residents, and with new communities expanding around Vivo, it is projected to serve 200,000 over next ten years. 50% of residents identify as a visible minority such as South Asian, Chinese, Black, Arab, Korean, Japanese and Fi lipino. 37% of the community are new to Canada. 30% of the catchment area are under the age of 29 years, and 40% of residents live in multi-generational households. Mindset: How we THINK about things changes what we DO about things The Vivo team challenged itself to ask who is NOT coming to places like Vivo and wanted to know how Vivo could be a more welcoming and inclusive organization where more people can see themselves as changemakers for healthier
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generations in their own lives, with the community and for the planet. Since 2012, Vivo have been asking the community what it takes to raise a healthier generation. There are consistent themes that have informed the design and function of the Vivo’s recently launched expansion: • Connection to SELF means that we need to start with our own self-health by being the change we want to see in the world. • Connection to COMMUNITY is about creating capacity to make change with others. • Connection to PLANET shows up as healthy communities helping to create the change necessary for a healthy planet.
sb 1/2024