A key highlight of a report on the Groundswell Conference is the desire for more opportunities to come together informally for discussion.
The day-long event held on January 29 was designed “to bring community members together in order to inspire creativity, ideas and relationships that advance the wellbeing of our community.”
Janet Newbury wrote the post-conference report on behalf of the conference planning committee. The summary report is organized around descriptions and discussions of priority themes identified in data collected at the conference which include: opportunities to come together informally, fostering a diverse economy, inclusive leadership, food as a catalyst for change, education and building capacity, public spaces and transportation, intergenerational sharing to name a few.
Newbury said the largest priority theme for participants was being provided with opportunities to come together informally and build bridges.
“So much of what people had to say was about building bridges and cultivating connections,” she said. “Very little was about people wanting their own voice to be heard. They wanted opportunities to hear multiple voices.”
Some key action items connected to that include hosting further Groundswell conferences, having community dinners, community gardens, holding more inclusive community events at low cost and facilitating more conversations.
Newbury identified the importance of overlap in the priority themes and many action items in each of the themes appeared in more than one category.
She added that one area in particular stood out and that was that Powell River residents and members of the Tla’amin (Sliammon) First Nation really want to connect more with each other.
