Vibrant community involves many different people taking care of each other and the land in many different ways. All of it is nurtured by ongoing discourse about who we are and how we want to care for the island. This requires openhearted, purposeful conversation, and the more people involved in the conversation, the more transparent, the better.
On May 31st, the Bowen Island Community Foundation (BICF) began a process to evolve our community conversation. Under the direction of Soren Hammerberg, Joyce Ganong and Kathy Bellringer, they initiated and organized a Vital Conversation to take a good look at where we are as a community.
For those of you unfamiliar with the work of the BICF, they have been contributing to Bowen vitality since 2002 when they started connecting donors to community needs. Through a volunteer board, they build and manage endowment funds to support organizations and initiatives to address the general wellbeing of the island. There are many ways to donate; the foundation is included in my will.
I was one of 60 people – of various ages and backgrounds – invited to participate in the Vital Conversation, to explore community with fresh eyes. I saw familiar old faces, some new faces, and fortunately a few young faces. The idea was to lead discussions that are more positive, inclusive and expansive. And to speak for those who were not able to speak.
BICF Director, Kathy Bellringer, who has a background in business, encouraged us to think big about Bowen. She asked us to consider what was working well on the island, to start from a positive position. Some of the positive things we identified were how we care for our children, how we protect the natural environment, and provide for the disadvantaged through the Food Bank.
From there we moved on to what was missing or needed improvement: better care for our elderly, and for the homeless; improved access to the water and beaches; intergenerational connection; housing diversity; transportation issues; better access to health care; the Snug Cove entrance; and more education on the natural environment. We identified several root causes for these omissions, including self-interest taking precedence over community needs, and economic drivers out of touch with what the island can sustain.
Although there wasn’t time to come to consensus on any issues, we offered solutions: more vital conversations; more community gathering places; an Elders Council; a Youth Council; street parties; support for those marginalized in society; a car-free weekend; and the need for a Community Economic Development Committee made up of diverse backgrounds to consider the overall island economy.
Ann Silberman talked about her experience many years ago working on the first Official Community Plan. The group met over a period of eight months – consensus takes time – to discover what social services were essential to Bowen. “The only way to come to conclusion,” she said, “was to see where we could meet. By letting go of one’s view and being able to see the other person’s view, we came to something that met in the middle.”
Conflict in community is, of course, inevitable, and can lead to just the right amount of creative tension necessary to move forward. The Vital Conversation was but a first step; it gave us the opportunity to see what community can look like, and offered proof that we have the collective ability to talk about difficult things in a respectful manner. I wanted to know more, so I invited Soren and Kathy for tea, and discovered they were relative newcomers to the island. As Soren points out “it’s not the number of years but the amount of heart that counts.” And it’s clear they both shine in that department.
“People can burn out on negativity,” said Kathy, who retired 15 years ago. “It’s the root cause of why things don’t get done here. We want to create an environment where positive discourse is the norm, a discourse that leads to solutions.”
By the end of June, the Foundation will distill the results of the Vital Conversation into a working plan for our Municipal Council and charitable groups on the island so all can benefit.
If Soren has his way, and I hope he does, the Foundation can “help create a caring community by creating programs that are widely accepted, that will make people say: this is my community. I wouldn’t leave it because I live in a community where I am heard, respected and cared for.”
The Foundation is planning more Vital Conversations. I’m not waiting till then. I’ve begun my own vital conversations on difficult issues, learning as I go how respectful dialogue and openhearted curiosity can lead to increased trust, how finding the middle ground can lead to the ability to move forward.
