Renfrew-Collingwood INTERactive Project : Promoting Interculturalism through Physical Activity in the Renfrew Collingwood area KIN 465: Rachael Lamb-Yorski, Monica Wilkins, Jeff Quach, Jag Sandu

Presentation Outline Project Background Project Goals Project Components (circles) Events and activities Has PA and intercultural understanding been increased? What has worked well, what has not, and suggestions : Where do we go from here?

Our Process Went to meetings at CNH to get familiar with project Group discussion with Donna Analyzed various documents : meeting minutes, diagrams, survey Each of us meet and interviewed different project leads from 4 different circles : via phone, , and dialogue Finally, collaborated all information gathered as a group

Images from: google images and blocktalk.ca

Language and Immigration Renfrew CollingwoodVancouver Mother Tongue (single response) English32.0%27.3%25.5%28.9%50.2% French 0.5% 1.5% Chinese 39.3%43.6%42.7%37.0%22.1% Tagalog3.1%4.2%6.0%7.4%3.2% Vietnamese 3.0%4.4%4.0%4.3%1.8% Punjabi4.0%3.9%2.5% 2.6% Hindi 2.6%2.4%2.0%1.6%0.7%

Project Background ● RCASN has been applying interculturalism to their agenda for the past 20 years ● About 3-4 years ago leaders changed in the RCASN, so the board wanted to ensure the value of interculturalism was embedded in the strategic direction of the neighbourhood ● It was from the RCASN, personal connections, and one on one relationship building that created the community partners of this project ● In April the community partners sent out a survey which identified 10 major barriers to participation and 8-focus groups in the neighbourhood

Project Inception Survey identified 8 focus groups : people with low income, new immigrants (3 years or less), socially isolated seniors, people who don’t speak English, people with mental health challenges, single parent families, middle years children (6 – 12 year olds), and First Nations families 4 different group circles involved in project

Project Goal “to increase and deepen relationships between people different from each other and increase physical activity of Renfrew Collingwood residents and workers. Neighbourhood organizations, residents and UBC students and faculty will work together to increase intercultural relations and physical activities and reach out to people that are not participating” - Renfrew-Collingwood Intercultural, Health and Physical Activity Initiative

Project Components : Circles Community Partners Connectors Communicators Knowledge Exchange

Community Partners Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH) Windermere Family of Schools Renfrew Park Community Centre Evergreen Health Centre Collingwood Community Policing UBC School of Kinesiology Collingwood Business Improvement Area Better at Home (Renfrew Collingwood Community Action Group for Seniors' Independence) Image from: project circles meeting

Knowledge Exchange Intercultural knowledge exchange circle focused on exchanging theoretical and practical knowledge, creating a vibrant learning environment for all the project Aim at bringing knowledge from university into the neighbourhood and bringing knowledge of the neighbourhood practice into the university Development and Implementation of 3 UBC CBEL projects: - Windermere School Group - Illustrator Group - Action Dialogue Group Image from: project circle meetings

Connectors 8 connectors representing different target demographics Roles: -Map what PA exists in the neighbourhood -Connect! -Encourage PA -Connect across cultures -Try something new Image from: project circle meetings

Nasib's Card

Communicators Set up multiple communication avenues: googledoc, social media content plan, designed temporary logo, organized workshops, created adds, maps, toolkit, and inventory, newspaper published articles, Work with Connectors to establish lines of communication with community partners Image from: project circle meetings

Project Events and Activities Project meetings once a month Connector outreach assignment Movie and Zumba night in the park Tuesday Walks with Nasib and PA challenges Because of the communicators' newspaper publications and articles, as well hand-bills there is a greater awareness of PA initiatives in the area Community Partners look at existing resources and events (ie: Collingwood Days) and question/challenge if they promote interculturalism not meant to be an extra arm of work for community partners, but to look within existing resources

Intercultural Development from the Project Intercultural and intergenerational connections through personal connections and meeting new people in physical activity settings Stories of changes Interculturalism is a difficult, slow, and time consuming endeavor to pursue Language to explain Interculturalism is still lacking Student involvement provides bridging of knowledge between RC group and UBC students Gives student opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge to a practical setting

Physical Activity Improvements via Project Physical activity being incorporated into beginning of meetings Connectors practicing what they preach Increased awareness of physical activity in the neighbourhood: increase in use of recreation areas in RC More walking groups Greater participation via connectors: new participators and old participators trying new things

What is Working Well A diverse groups of individuals, who bring a wide variety of assests to the project Support throughout entire project and within the circles individually Sense of belonging in the connector circle People are passionate about what they are doing Regular meetings and communication More new connections are being made, and people are trying new things Intercultural communicators action plan : has been successful in providing direction for future initiatives

What is Working Well Now the community partners and the other circles are applying ''an intercultural lens and stregthening it, it is no longer on the back burner, but in forward thinking'' - Paula Image from: project circle meetings

What is Not Working Well Connectors need more knowledge on Renfrew Community Centre Communicating: between languages, offline, and with schools Missing some key partners that would benefit the project, but that can not partake because of strategic direction, or space/funding Need communication of evolving roles (very organic project with lots of changes and grey areas) At times, over planning and project management tends to stall momentum and progress

What is Not Working Well Challenges defining, explaining, and labeling interculturalism How do you measure a successful increase in PA? Time, funding, priority Image from: project circle meetings

Suggestions/Improvement Ideas Outreach training for connectors and service providers Build on community events Greater inter-circle connectedness Brain storm a clearer definition of interculturalism Walk and talk meetings Discuss future plan

Interculturalism as an Orchestra: In an orchestra you can hear all the individual instruments and/or voices on their own, but when playing together they create new music and sounds

QUESTIONS?