NEIGHBOURHOOD ORGANIZING

Neighbourhood Organizing is a prototype that Stephanie Koenig and I have co-led since 2020, and is an ongoing collaboration between Curiko, InWithForward and posAbilities. Our main funder is Vancouver Coastal Health, who enable us to come up with novel ways to build bridges across lines of difference in Vancouver.

Beginning during COVID, we were tasked with finding new ways to form social connections in a city that was already facing a loneliness epidemic when the global pandemic hit. Our team, comprising designers, artists, and support workers, experimented with various approaches—from door-to-door invitations to community art projects—to cultivate a sense of belonging and reciprocity among neighbours. One such thing we co-created was the Neighbour to go box.

The Neighbour To Go box was a way to get to know your neighbour while social distancing. It shares the story of a neighbourhood through the eyes of the people who live there. As a sensory experience, it offered a chance to see a familiar place through a new perspective, and came in the form of a personalized box accompanied by an audio tour.

Building on this foundation, the work continued and evolved into the facilitation of cohorts, where we supported neighbours to come up with their own ideas to challenge the status quo - my role toggled between planning, designing and facilitating the experiences. We even hosted a "subvert-a-thon," an immersive social challenge that brought together individuals from all walks of life to address social norms that keep us separate. One outcome was the "Elephant in the Room" project, which facilitated conversations across differences, encouraging curiosity and meaningful connection among participants.

Elephant in the Room is a unique conversation space where we practice engaging with perspectives that challenge our own. It's a chance to exercise your curiosity, listen deeply, and learn from the diversity of thought, experience, and identity in our shared world.

Participants choose their comfort level using a host of animals as reference points. We created a prompt deck with 10 different questions for each level and even offered a ‘fly on the wall’ level if you just wanted to be present and listen to others. Each guest got a button to indicate their level, a welcome guide and some questions to ask for deepening conversation. In the space, we act as facilictors (or elephants) who can help guide and support conversations for those who need it.

Our ongoing efforts continue to evolve, focusing on creating inclusive spaces where community members can connect, share, and grow together. We remain committed to exploring innovative ways to strengthen neighbourhood bonds that go deeper than the surface.