COMMUNITY GARDENS NOURISH (Quite literally)

KEYWORDS: Community, civic action, Toronto, Canada, sustainable development

Community gardens intrigue me: they're plots of life-giving soil in neighbourhoods overpopulated by unforgiving concrete structures. At least, that's how I view them. They're intentional, tended to, a place for people of all ages. Community gardens remind us of where much of our food originates: the soil. They invite activity, conversation, and over time make us feel more connected to one another and ourselves. They're necessary.

Oriole Park Garden, Toronto, Canada (June 2015)

For centuries, city builders have created gardens for public use. Toronto, a Canadian city established in the 19th Century, has a population of about 6 million (highest in Canada) and countless gardens, in and out-of-doors, that are widely enjoyed.
Not too long ago, I took out my mobile phone and recorded footage of this modest and tidy community garden in mid-town Toronto: 

(Note: Video changes orientation)

Where you live, are there community gardens? Modest and tidy like Oriole Park Garden? Or more elaborate? Regardless, let's count ourselves lucky that public spaces are still green spaces. 

THE WORLD SOCIAL FORUM TAKES CENTRE STAGE IN MONTREAL

KEYWORDS: World Social Forum, civil society, Montreal, Canada

SUMMARY: Over the course of six days, the Montreal edition of the World Social Forum - a civil society initiative created in 2001 - took place. My involvement with the Forum began last Spring with participation in an information session at a local university that led to volunteer efforts to mobilize students and faculty across two English universities. Everyone's experience is unique and personal. Through still images, taken from August 10-12 at two downtown Montreal locations, I attempt to capture the Forum as a space - a moment - to initiate dialogue and action on a host of social and political issues that implicate us all. These are my snapshots. 

Audio option not available (See: video footage below)

Brief Introduction

As predicted, thousands of concerned citizens attended the World Social Forum in Montreal, Canada last week. While news of denied visas emerge and petitions for the Canadian Government to respond accordingly begin to circulate, the 2016 Forum - admittedly, it's still early - seems to have enriched those daring to critique the world in order to reimagine the world. WSF2016 was my first Forum experience and has no doubt given me pause to reflect on the role of civil society today - and how and where I fit in. "My Snapshots," found below, are one way to begin to understand the Forum's principled aspirations in the 21st Century and the real moments of inspiration that I shall recall when I'm feeling discouraged by the struggle.

Day 2 (08/10)

Day 3 (08/11)

Day 4 (08/12)

For more information about the WSF2016, please visit: https://fsm2016.org/en/. You can also follow #WSF2016 on Facebook and Twitter. 

Addendum

Rightly so, the World Social Forum is open to critique; in fact, the Collective welcomes constructive criticism and are, moreover, keenly aware of the positive role of such criticism. As the news comes in post-WSF, I shall compile and share it here: 

(1) The Washington Post (Aug. 18): https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/08/18/the-world-social-forum-aka-the-anti-davos-just-concluded-heres-what-happened/

IN CANADA'S ELECTION, LOCAL DEBATES MATTER (work-in-progress; updated!)

KEYWORDS: Canada, federal election, local ridings, McGill University, public debate

Audio option not available.

Polling Station, Montreal, Canada

When I started this blog post over a year ago, Canada was mere days from a federal election that many hoped would end Stephen Harper's ten-year Conservative rule. As we know, those hopes were met. In fact, newly elected Prime Minister Trudeau stepped confidently into his role, bringing "fresh leadership" on a variety of issues. However, in the days leading up to election day nothing was assured. There was a pervasive sense of "every vote counts." That if we acted individually - even if tactically - we could collectively shift the politics in our country (i.e., from right to left). As it turns out, what political analysts and journalists described as a "significant" election, would turn out to be historic: nearly 70% of the Canadian electorate would vote. This suggests that public engagement just prior to October 19th was crucial. Did Town Hall meetings increase that public engagement and ultimately sway people's votes? I don't have a ready answer. I do know that joining a Town Hall meeting in my hometown brought each party's politics and personalities into sharper focus. Who would work steadfastly to realize the ideals of an inclusive society? 

My vote in Canada's 42nd federal election would be an informed choice - at least I think. 

How you vote depends on your values - what you do and don't believe in - and the extent to which they're reflected in society, not to mention the press that portrays that society (topic for a later post?). Rather cynically, it also might depend on where your first choice stands in the election race: you might feel obliged to make a tactical decision and vote for the "other" candidate to stave off your absolute least favourite candidate. Though I'm an educated adult voter, the strategies and tactics at our disposal still confuse me. What I can cope with are friendly discussions with neighbours and participation in local debates that I can reach by transit.

Engineers Without Borders hosts local election debate at McGill University 
in Montreal, Canada

Local MP candidates - from far left to right: NDP, Liberal, Green Party - prepare 
to debate Canada's role in international development.

Six days before the election, Engineers Without Borders hosted a non-partisan political debate at McGill University about Canada's role in the fight against global poverty. Of the five serious candidates vying to represent the Montreal riding of Ville-Marie/Le-Sud-Ouest/ile-des-Soeurs, three participated: two lawyers and one environmental scientist. As the NDP, Liberal and Green party candidates launched the discussion - talking points in hand - I began the very personal process of deciding. Nothing revelatory was debated, let's get that out of the way. What's interesting though is that as late as October 13th, I was what pollsters call: an "undecided" voter. And while decidedly against business-as-usual Conservatives and the separatist Bloc-Quebecois, their absence from the debate sent out certain signals: local debates don't matter much; local citizens, who may be undecided, don't matter much. I told you this would be a personal process. 

  

BOMBS FALL, I GO WHERE? (work-in-progress; updated!)

KEYWORDS: N/A (i.e., personal reflection)

SUMMARY: Will be phasing out "summary" feature.

Audio option not available.

I admit the title of this post is rather macabre. "Bombs Fall, I Go Where?" It came to me while drafting a post on the siege of Sarajevo. I was enrapt by a photo of a man running along a bombed out boulevard in broad daylight. The infamous sniper alley. This photo here:

Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, c. 1993 (source: unknown)

Nowadays, news of Syria's civil war, of Yemen, of Iraq are part of the psyche-bruising mix. My Twitter feed of needy humanitarian agencies representing vulnerable children and women have left their mark, too. Then there are the countless recollections of human cruelty by filmmakers and writers: world wars, genocides, bloody coups that long ago plunged a corner of my heart into darkness. My mum would agree that I am sometimes macabre. But to return to the question at hand: Where would I go, if bombs began to fall? And to further ask: Who would shelter me? How would I survive? Would I survive? Who would remain? You see, introspection often follows bad news, and it's certainly no different today. 

Yesterday, a deadly terrorist attack in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where I lived from 2012 to 2013, took place. This morning, I'm urged to take my thought experiment - those hypothetical "bomb-falling" questions -- to some kind of conclusion. Beneath (or beyond?) the sadness and anger lies the need to feel more prepared, as if I were now -- more than any other time -- susceptible to danger, which, according to crime experts, I'm not. My preparations involve dwelling on death: imagining, evoking, playing over possible scenarios in my mind. This mental habit performed in relative safety and often quietly, inwardly, keeps the notion of life's fragility close. Maybe too close. Forgive me if I sound trite. I've simply come to understand this: Why wouldn't bombs fall on me -- on us? If they haven't already, it's probably just a matter of time. Whether they be literal bombs or deathly devices of another kind (e.g., machetes, bullets, stones, a speeding car), I think my reader catches my drift: the degrees may vary but we're all vulnerable. Whether it be taken by sickness, accident or bomb, life must be honoured. 

My flat was in Gulshan, the posh Dhaka neighbourhood where Islamists murdered more than twenty people inside Holey Artisan, a popular lakefront restaurant. It was an oasis of calm in a clamouring, crowded, dusty city. This much I can tell from the pictures. I'd have been a regular at Holey, arriving after work by in my Toyota sedan to daydream in the expansive garden. Having no grasp of Bengali, I'd order coffee in English with my "regular" waiter, and recline in the thinly-padded wrought-iron chair, newspapers or books in hand. I'd occasionally wish I had company to discuss the news and avert the gaze that falls upon a lone woman dining out. But now, three years on, Gulshan's relative peace has been horribly disturbed. Caught in a terrible tragedy were patrons who were simply partaking in what is so ordinary -- almost mundane: an evening out at the local eatery. 

(To be continued.) 

WHEN THE MOOC BECAME A GROOC, WE ALL BECAME CHANGE-MAKERS [UPDATED!]

KEYWORDS: MOOC, GROOC, McGill University, educational revolution, social learning, social impact

SUMMARY: Increasingly, North American universities are offering Massive Open Online Courses or MOOCs as part of their institutional mission to enhance public visibility, participate in education innovation and improve on-campus teaching and learning. McGill University's fall 2015 launch of a group MOOC or GROOC that would leverage the power of social learning to motivate thousands of learners to develop social initiatives was quite novel in and of itself. However, its unique learning facilitation model driven by a group of dedicated (and unpaid) learning facilitators set the GROOC, officially named 'Social Learning for Social Impact', down an uncharted path that showed a dual belief in human agency and connectedness can help transform people's lives.

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Remember the first time you heard about a 'MOOC'? Maybe it was through a sponsored ad on LinkedIn? A friend's Facebook post urging you to enrol - along with her and 160 000 others - in Stanford's Artificial Intelligence (AI) MOOC? Or maybe it was during the "post-launch" phase, let's call it, when academics and journalists began to write about the Massive Open Online Course asking if we were indeed in the midst of an educational revolution? Over the last few years, respected periodicals like The Atlantic Monthly and The Guardian have been taking up that question with increased vigour. If memory serves me correctly, it was an ex-crush's enthusiastic social media posting in 2011 that brought the 'MOOC' to my attention. He was one of those tens of thousands of eager participants set to learn about AI from Stanford University's renowned scholars. He was billing the course as the season's "must-do" event. I started to wonder if the MOOC could create the kind of human synergy that so many of us deeply crave. Like a protest march, weekend music festival or flash mob, maybe the MOOC could connect us in ways that leave their mark. (Maybe we were on the cusp of a revolution.) Yet it wouldn't be until the fall of 2015 that I would witness first-hand the creative sparks generated by online group learning. When diverse people come together around a common cause they create a definite boom that sometimes even surprises them.

This fall, I'm working as an online course facilitator for McGill University's Social Learning for Social Impact group MOOC or GROOC. While I can't say whether or not the Stanford MOOC revolutionized people's lives, McGill's GROOC is certainly upturning established practice with its emphasis on group or team-based learning. Thus far, MOOCs have focused on independent learning. If you're an active GROOC participant, you're probably in the midst of building trust and a common cause propelled by a social mission. You're also part of history-in-the-making. By providing the intellectual space to converge people's knowledge and abilities to address the needs of the disadvantaged, McGill's GROOC is facilitating high-impact learning - for the group's benefit, and, in time, the mission's, too. With potentially thousands of missions, there are potentially millions of people who stand to benefit right around the world from social learning for social impact! Okay, allow me to be more measured, which is my usual habit: that boom - signalling momentum, synergy, progress,  - may not be heard across all teams and in all discussion fora, but it is building. The October GROOC live session highlights this reality from minute 1:40 to 21:40. It's well worth watching. 

As soon as McGill's call for facilitators went out, I responded. It helped that the "call" came through a campus Professor who's also a friend - I wanted reassurance that the GROOC Team was "kosher" (click link for meaning). I like working with people who are as genuine as they are smart. And, for someone who had just returned to Montreal after a long absence, and briefly attended McGill twenty years earlier, I was eager to reconnect. More than that, I was looking to meet people who weren't necessarily like-minded but were driven to nurture human creativity. I suppose not being a teacher any longer didn't dampen my desire to help people realize their potential. (Once a teacher, always a teacher, it's been said.) 

Co-facilitators meeting virtually and in person in Toronto, Canada (2015)

With each passing week - and facilitation meeting! - the boom is gaining in intensity. Our common cause, I dare say, has become the very making of the GROOC. While we didn't initiate or design the McGill GROOC, which has been two years in the making, everyday we're considering ways to improve the course - to making the doing and trying easier for participants. This makes the GROOC itself a kind of social initiative, if you think about it. The GROOC Team's mission is to empower others to transcend boundaries and make change, together. At once a MOOC and a social initiative, this GROOC isn't just "kosher" but revolutionary, wouldn't you agree? Hold on to your response because you just might need it for that journalist who comes knocking on your classroom door (don't worry, I know it's connection you crave, not fame!).

Addendum: Research into the GROOC and its online facilitation model underway. The author and fellow researchers/co-facilitators hoping to build upon contribution to Open Education Global 2016 in Krakow, Poland at upcoming Learning with MOOCs III in the U.S.

PART 1: ROME, OH GLORIOUS - UNBEAUTIFUL - ROME!

KEYWORDS: Rome, Italy, economy, 'la bella vita', tourism

SUMMARY: Travelling to new places offers up unique experiences. But in an ancient city like Rome, the traveller is inclined to experience what's considered most popular, whether that's a place or an event. Visiting the Colosseum and tossing coins into the Trevi Fountain are, for example, popular with tourists. During a recent visit, I set out to experience the city without any "must-see" list in hand. Even if I might miss Rome's infinitely beautiful Colosseo, I would move according to what moved me. Believing that all cities have more to offer than meets the eye, I wouldn't discount the value of the unbeautiful. Needless to say, Rome would facilitate a journey full of intellectual musings that would ultimately lead to an inner journey where, for a time, self recognized Self.

St. Peter's Basilica, Rome, Italy (May 2015)

Rome is a beautiful city in a beautiful country. Tourists, pilgrims and locals alike will tell you so, and this in spite of the economic woes that many in Bella Italia face. (Unfortunately, according to some economists, there's little indication of things improving.) Travel guide books like Lonely Planet heap praise on Rome and urge tourists to spend time exploring its elegant avenues and piazzas, cultural venues, ruins, and nightlife - after all, they're not inclined to rue a country's economy! But even without prompting one wants to explore Rome. Maybe because history informs us that it's a wondrous place or it might be the excitement of knowing that in this city, the 'good' in good living still stands for something (see: aperitivo at Zanzara). So why would I set out to explore the unbeautiful as much as the beautiful on a recent trip to Rome?

Tiburtina Bus Station, Rome, Italy (May 2015)

This article isn't an endorsement of Rome, rather it's an exploration of how I - a tourist - negotiated this almost mythical place/space/terrain upon and within which the notion of 'la bella vita' (the good life) plays out. And, furthermore, how I, amidst all the praise-worthy beauty, sought out the mundane, even the woeful, that's just as Roman as St. Peter's, the Pantheon or Villa Borghese - at least that's the premise I put forth here. "Rome, oh glorious, unbeautiful Rome, reveal yourself," I pleaded inwardly as my bus pulled into Tiburtina station. 

In this penultimate tourist attraction, everyone expects you to go marvel at the Colosseum, toss coins into the Fontana di Trevi, and linger on the Spanish Steps. It's as if, upon her arrival, the traveller is handed a set itinerary from which she'd be foolish to deviate. Rome is hers to discover, if … I would resist. A lone traveller in as sensuous a city as Rome usually wishes for the unexpected. I was no different. But what's more, the city - its moving parts, which we take for granted - not the myth or popularized image - is what appealed to me. Rather than an itinerary, I would follow my curiosity: to meet the people and observe the circumstances that keep the Eternal City of Rome moving. 

Crossing streets, turning corners, stepping on to metro cars, walking through parks, climbing hills, sitting on benches, entering shops, browsing outdoor markets, ascending stairs, descending stairs, crossing bridges, stopping... In Rome, I moved in all kinds of ways. I also stopped - often - to behold the sight before me. Below are some of the 'moving parts' I stopped to photograph. 

1.

Waste Collection Point, Rome, Italy (May 2015)

2.

US-based Patagonia Sporting Boutique, Rome, Italy (May 2015)

3.

Pope John Paul II, Termini Station, Rome, Italy (May 2015)

4.

Musician in Metro Car, Rome, Italy (May 2015)

Now just memories populated by unwitting subjects; yet, they're my own memories that reflect a highly personal itinerary. And therein lies the power of the journey: if we invite the questions about how we're choosing to move, we start to realize that our experience of a wondrous -- or not-so-wondrous -- place is never a foregone conclusion. We can choose to turn left and not right, go down rather than up, and so on.

Of course, seeing accompanies moving. So in re-viewing the photographs above, I was prompted to ask myself why my mind (or brain), through its many filters, settled on these particular scenes. Briefly, all four photos connect to a core theme that preoccupies me: human in/justice. From economic migration and religious freedom to the social responsibilities of business and addressing waste and over-consumption, these are the 'unbeautiful' layers that make for a compelling social story. 

UPCOMING!
PART 2: 
ROME, OH GLORIOUS - UNBEAUTIFUL - ROME!

PART 1: ACTON - A LONDON NEIGHBOURHOOD TO WATCH

KEYWORDS: N/A (Visuals-based post)

SUMMARY: N/A

NOTE: Audio-recording to be considered.

Like London, Acton is old. Though, these days, it's referred to as an "up & coming" neighbourhood, which suggests youthfulness. (It seems that descriptor helps realtors sell houses.) Due west of Central London, it's home to over 60 000 residents. On a recent trip to England, I stayed with friends in their charming Acton home (not pictured). When out & about in the neighbourhood, I couldn't help but take photographs of what and who I saw. Acton, in many ways, is a microcosm of modern-day England. For the reflective urban dweller, that's enough to make her think, stop and click.

The Photographs (my interpretation included):

#1

#2

(#2) The graffiti pictured above was found on an exterior wall that ran along the sidewalk to separate private homes from pedestrians. It would be noticeable to anyone standing at the bus stop adjacent to the wall. On that March day, I was waiting at that particular bus stop -- and took a photograph. Somaliland, according to BBC News, is a self-declared independent territory.

#3

#4

(#4) On Acton's high street, you'll find the major grocer, Morrison's. The Metropolitan Police sign shown above is visible to those who enter and exit this busy store. While I was in Acton, I didn't encounter any problems that required police intervention.

#5

(#5) Sam, a local nail salon owner, pictured above (permission granted for publication), reassured me that Acton was a safe neighbourhood, including for women. Keep in mind that Sam lives elsewhere in Greater London.

#6

#7

(#7) "I Love Acton". Amongst community housing, this sign - this gesture - shows that Acton is more than a neighbourhood, it's home.     

'ACTON' in the news: 

(1) The Telegraph (UK): http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/9831912/I-feel-like-a-stranger-where-I-live.html
(2) IB Times (UK Edition): http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/abdul-hadi-arwani-imams-death-shocks-acton-muslim-community-1495453
(3) Street Art News (UK): http://www.streetartnews.net/2014/11/stik-paints-big-mother-tallest-mural-in.html

UPCOMING! PART 2: SILICON FEN - ENGLAND'S 'SILICON VALLEY' - SETS HIGH AMBITIONS

GANDHI ARRIVES IN LONDON

KEYWORDS: Gandhi, United Kingdom (UK), India, colonialism, elections, Acton

SUMMARY: No summary included.

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NOTE: Two audio-visual recordings below.

Gandhi's newly-unveiled statue on March 14, 2015, London, UK

In 1915, Mohandas Gandhi launched his campaign against british colonialism. A century later, his demure figure is cast in bronze and unveiled at London's Parliament Square. The work, by British sculptor Philip Jackson, is described as a "magnificent tribute" to India's spiritual father. Surely, the audience assembled sense the irony of this historical event.

The morning of Saturday, March 14 was grey and cool yet the special stands erected inside the Square were full of spectators (see video right below). Fittingly dressed in dark suits, Gandhi's grandson, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Prime Minister David Cameron, India's Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley, and Bollywood royalty, Amitabh Bachchan, exclaimed their admiration for Gandhi's singular focus on achieving India's independence. This was a political event, make no mistake about it: a UK election is only 5 weeks away and there are some 1.4 million British-Indians, many of whom belong to an influential middle/professional class, worth courting.  

I arrived well after the formal ceremony had ended (see above video). However, I really had come to see (or should I say 'view'?) Gandhiji. With the Square clear of dignitaries and members of the public, I could poke around, albeit just between the fencing as the area was now officially closed. What I found out was that the historical unveiling of Gandhiji - of his statue - invited a deeper discussion about his ideals. And this I discovered in an unlikely exchange between tourist and Londoner.

Listen here for that perspective:

My (a tourist) conversation with the security guard (a Londoner) continued for another ten minutes or so. We talked mostly about Greater London's non-white immigrant neighbourhoods, like Acton, where I was staying. He and I agreed that in spite of the relative calm, divisions that cut across class and religion clearly exist. And with youth unemployment an ongoing concern, such divisions do not bode well for the Capital or the country as a whole. Who will step in as 'spiritual father' - or mother - to the disenfranchised? (We can speculate who has stepped in.) Will they be deserving of a bronze statue one hundred years from now? 

In a way, Gandhi's fight against British oppression seems more straightforward than Britain's present-day equality battle. However simplistic this may sound: independence is one matter, equality but several rolled into one. I suppose this should come as no surprise: in a country that will honour the likes of Mandela, Disraeli, Churchill, and Gandhi (missing women duly noted) all on the same green square patch of land, there is clearly no 'finish' line. Someone, perhaps not as illustrious as Mahatma Gandhi, is always arriving on these shores. 

ADDENDUM: As a young man, Gandhi spent three remarkable years in London. Here's an extract from a 1942 (six years before his assassination) newspaper interview in which he expresses his deep affection for the City. 

Source: India: Another Way of Seeing, GRANTA, Winter 2015

WHAT DOES INDIA'S PM MODI HAVE TO DO WITH ME?

KEYWORDS: India, Narendra Modi, Indian Diaspora, Madison Square Garden

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SUMMARY: In 2014, India elected Narendra Modi as Prime Minister. Under his right-of-centre leadership, India will chart a different course, economically and culturally, as the Financial Times suggests. Just how successful his Party, the BJP, will be this time round will depend on a multitude of factors, not least of which is Modi's ability to communicate his vision.

PM Narendra Modi delivering a speech at
Madison Square Garden in New York City (credit: ibtimes)

This may be old news: in May India elected its 15th Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. His party, the centre-right Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP, bills itself as "The Party With a Difference." An unoriginal slogan it might be yet it does manage to draw attention to its rivals' failings - perceived or actual. During the last election cycle, the BJP's main rival was the legendary Indian National Congress Party (recently led by Rahul Gandhi, grandson of former PM Indira Gandhi). While the BJP's history is not as storied - in fact, it's been rather sordid - it has steadily built both its political brand and voter base since its inception in 1980. Indeed, under Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the party was twice rewarded with the "top job," first in 1996 (short-lived) and then again in 2004. With Modi's election, the BJP celebrates its third major political victory in a history spanning nearly four decades. This time round, however, saffron may still be fashionable, but India's atmosphere is palpably different. And, it's not just resident Indians who've taken notice. 

Today, India's population exceeds 1 billion; the middle-class is growing steadily; the information technology industry is highly coveted; and foreign direct investment (FDI) remains substantial. The world beyond India has changed, as well, with some describing it simply as volatile. Moreover, the Internet, with all its trappings like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, now mediates our lives. While reality can't be summed up neatly, these modern inventions - like others that came before - shape our political reality; arguably, they do so like no other time in human history. The interface between us and our (elected) leaders has been utterly transformed.

If Modi is to be seen as 'better' than his predecessor, PM Manmohan Singh (Congress Party), the middle-class, IT industry and FDI will certainly need to continue growing. Yet, Modi is pushing an even more ambitious agenda of economic reform which seeks to help the most vulnerable - at least, that's the hope. Then, there's Modi's own growing desire to expand his presence and popularity beyond India. It seems that his election couldn't have been more timely: the business-minded politician rented out the famed Madison Square Garden in New York City for a rally supported by his Indian-American fan base. 

Inside Madison Square Garden (credit: blog.reuters.com)

This would be one heck of a spectacle. Whether he saw it as good statesmanship or a public relations ploy - or both - Modi added a twist to the old interface: the live speech (in Hindi) that lives on You Tube. Under Modi's watch, it seems the "East is Rising" mantra will itself rise in importance. And, when it does, the Indian diaspora will know it wasn't a mere accident. 

I'm Indian, ethnically. I've visited India many times but as a foreigner. What does PM Narendra Modi have to do with me? He's showing that no country is merely a symbol; that the "motherland" can embrace the kind of experimentation typically reserved for childhood; that India, as I know it, is ephemeral because, like any sociopolitical entity, it's always in flux. 

Although, I've a feeling that saffron will long remain the fashion of the religious set.