Community Philosophy Fosters Meaningful Connections

Continuing education by the community, for the community. 

Seeing a need to respond to the needs of a community constantly fluctuating and striving to cope with blinding and often confusing transition, Simon Fraser University’s Continuing Studies Department created the Philosophers’ Café. 

Meeting together throughout the lower mainland, the regular café gatherings are open to the public with no pre-registration. The environment is attractive to a diverse crowd of formal academics and academics of the heart. Each session is moderated by a pre-selected individual hailing from one of many universities or colleges. Topics have ranged from sex talk to poverty, politics to poetry, never shy on exploring the issues that strike us all at one time or another. 

The goal is simply to bring people together for one common purpose: To learn. It is a creative and innovative way to discover meaning in a manner that seems to always leave behind the byproducts of camaraderie, unity and enlightenment. 

Comfortable in casual surroundings, lifelong learners teach each other through the every day discussions about real life experiences. The Globe & Mail said “The Philosophers’ Café might be the most successful continuing education program in the country” (October 27, 2003) 

In a time when many are struggling to belong in our community in a meaningful way, the Philosophers’ Café series provides a unique circuit to build interpersonal connection. 

The next False Creek Community Centre edition of the Philosophers’ Café is on December 6^th at 7 pm. The topic is “The Art of Dying.” 

Philosophers’ Café

False Creek Community Centre, 1318 Cartwright St, Granville Island

Everyone welcome. No pre-registration required. Admission $5.

The Art of Dying Constantly relegated to a taboo status, the encounter of personal death is possibly the single most pressing and crucial moment of our existence. Can we face it straightforwardly? Joyfully? How? Further, how does society with its current values and customs help (or hinder) us to die peacefully? 

Moderator: Miguel Rodriguez is a writer and poet from Spain, currently residing in Vancouver with his partner and daughter, where they coordinate and live at a settlement house for refugee claimants. He has written numerous essays (long and short, but not very good ones he says) on many different topics, including Eastern and Western philosophy, religion, art and literature, politics, economics and science. He publishes periodically in a variety of journals and magazines.

Community Supported Agriculture Feeds Sustainablility to Shareholders

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a truly sustainable community oriented endeavor operated in the style of Social Enterprise. The basic premise is that members of the community purchase shares in a farm or community garden and in return for their investment they withdraw food weekly or by weekly. The farms income from shares and commercial accounts go to fair wages, and general operations.

There are many advantages of being a shareholder. In addition to quality food that is produced healthily and holistically, many CSA farms also give shareholders power in major decisions that affect the food at annual meetings. 

The local community is also a beneficiary as CSA farms are mast often very sustainable. The impact on the land and plants as well as the treatment and care of animals is often far more ethical and controlled. The opportunity for small scale farmers to be successful in their endeavors is also greatly increased.

In North America, a basic share may be $350-500 for a season (18-20 weeks). There may also be a variety of share types ranging from full to half seasons, single people to family shares. Costs are typically calculated based on the budget of the farm rather than weight or volume of food. The pricing system is usually agreed to democratically as is the variety of food produced. All sign a “shared risk and reward” agreement that commits them to sharing in the success, or failure, of the farm regardless of the unpredictability of the season.

In a time when many are searching for healthy and safe sources of food, Community Supported Agriculture is a strong option for many families.

Hugging The World

Free Hugs. 

It’s a simple sign and a simple idea that has, in its own way, changed the world.  

Juan Mann (a pseudonym and a homonym of “one man”) had a mission. He wanted to brighten up one person’s day with a hug. He didn’t hug someone he knew, he simply began offering free hugs to total strangers on the streets of Sydney, Australia. 

On September 22, 2006, a music video featuring Juan’s endeavor was posted to YouTube, kick starting the phenomenon that today is Free Hugs. The footage, shot in 2004 at the Pitt Street Mall in Sydney, showed Juan’s walk through the mall holding a sign that read “FREE HUGS.”

It started with one hug from a stranger. One year after the YouTube release, hundreds of Free Hugs campaigns have sprung up from the grassroots of communities worldwide.  Even Oprah invited Juan to her show. Today anyone can join the movement by signing up at the Free Hugs website. 

Free Hugs Worldwide: 

AUSTRALIA

• PERTH & WA

NORTH AMERICA: 

• LOS ANGELES
• NEW YORK
• SEATTLE  (Video)
• TORONTO
• BAY AREA
• NEWFOUNDLAND
• PORTLAND
• MONTREAL (Video)
• VICTORIA, BC, CANADA
• DENVER 
• BALTIMORE (Marley Station Mall)
• SAN DIEGO
• VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA (Video)
• OTTAWA

EUROPE 

• ST PETERSBURG, RUSSIA 
• ZURICH
• KRAKOW
• TORUN, POLAND
• KIEV
• SPAIN
• OPORTO, PORTUGAL
• SWANSEA, GB
• BARCELONA
• MOSCOW

MIDDLE EAST

• TELAVIV1 (Video 2) 

SOUTH AMERICA 

• VENEZUALA

ASIA

• MANILA, PHILIPPINES
• SEOUL, KOREA
• INDIA + THE WORLD/AMMA
• CHINA (Video)

 List reposted from Tribe

New Court Model Finally Addresses Underlying Social Issues

We often hear influential opposition, activist and special interest groups speak mellifluous rhetoric calling on the government to solve the underlying social issues responsible for creating crime instead of simply penalizing more severely. Everyone knows that the true solutions to crime start with treating poverty, homelessness, addiction, mental illness, and the multitude of other influences.

The fact is that governments typically focus on solutions that will appear to have the greatest impact over a four year term while sacrificing real solutions because historically, without some visible changes in an electoral term, they won’t be around after that if they have nothing to show us. It is really the catch-22 of politics; any real change requires solutions with no immediate visible result, public outcry and no re-election yet band-aid solutions can get you re-elected (at least once) but provides no real solutions.

It’s like impulse voting. We elect our government based on instant gratification not sustainable policy. We’re like the addict just waiting for the next big hit while we sacrifice our future one quick pseudo solution at a time. Sometimes it seems like we set our own governments up for failure.

One new idea seems to be swimming up the proverbial political stream.

Projected to open in early 2008 is the new Vancouver Downtown Community Court. A first of its kind in BC, this justice initiative is intended to truly be the community’s court. It is envisioned as a major part of the solution to the crime problems of the Vancouver downtown core.

How is another justice initiative going to be different then typical band-aid solutions?

It sounds suspect…

This one really is different though…

Currently most offenders in the downtown core are repeat offenders. They are arrested multiple times each year and significantly affect the lives of all members of the community. The resources required to administer justice really outweigh the lack of effectiveness. These offenders are typically struggling with significant multiple barriers to being contributing member of the community. Many are immersed in poverty, homelessness, addiction, mental illness, a lack of employability skills and the list goes on. They are the ones referred to when we say “we need to find solutions to the contributing social issues to crime.”

Not only does it cost us in the delivery of justice but in most cases the same people are drawing on the social services coffers too. Traditionally, the cooperation between the justice system and all of the organizations and agencies is quite lacking. With such large gaps stemming from no collaboration it is no wonder so many fall through the cracks.

What is the difference with this Community Court? This court will see justice, health and social services coming together in an integrated case management model. They will work with a problem-solving approach; these services will provide a drastic improvement to our response to crime and subsequently to poverty.

Focusing on the big three (poverty, addiction and mental illness) this new endeavor will see three major benefits.

The first is a large increase in effectiveness and efficiency in the use of justice, health and social services. Better collaboration and integration of service delivery will allow resolutions to be developed on an individual basis. It will make available a far more complete solution that is centered on fostering the offender’s success.

Swifter resolutions as a result of efficient case management will lead to fewer court appearances. It will also provide the offender with solutions to their underlying needs quicker in a time when the window of their willingness to accept help is short. For the community, this second benefit will be visible by swifter accountability.

Innovative and solution focused sentencing will take into account the offender’s background, criminal history, health and social service needs. The real meat of sentencing will be in the method of significantly changing criminal behavior through balancing treatment of the underlying causes of crime wile also tackling the crime itself. This third benefit is really where we can see the attractiveness of this new initiative.

The court will not focus on big ticket federal offences. Most of what it will address is the offences that typically would be handled by provincial court. These crimes are pretty diverse and include property crimes, assaults, street dealing, etc.

Working together in support of the Vancouver Downtown Community Court will be:

• The provincial judiciary
• Ministry of Attorney General
• Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General
• Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance
• Legal Services Society
• Vancouver Coastal Health
• Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission
• BC Housing
• Public Prosecution Service of Canada
• Vancouver Police Department and
• The Defence Bar

This new initiative has instilled in me a whole lot of faith that government can find long term, creative and innovative solutions to social issues. Every human being has deep intrinsic worth and we as a community are responsible for recognizing this and nurturing in fellow members of our community. Justice is nothing without forgiveness and by coming together to solve an individual’s social issues we can begin to recognize true equality and inclusively while developing strong communities. By allowing the community to get involved in building real solutions to their local issues we can see true sustainability.