Inclusivity

Creating an ecosystem of participatory projects with all residents of the neighbourhood requires the community to work together. These working relationships must foster cultural diversity and acknowledge the many lived experiences that make up the community’s past and present, reinforcing collective agency and supporting inclusivity.

HIGHLIGHTS

BUILDING INCLUSIVE PARTICIPATION

While we did not collect specific demographic data from participants, many observations made by project team members provided anecdotal evidence that the EOED sessions attracted people of diverse ages and cultural backgrounds, including: • Children taking part in a wide range of sessions from neighbourhood walks, to making traditional dream catchers, to tea and bannock, and introduction to capoeira. • Many different hosts offering a wide range of skills and talents helped to attract diverse participation. While some participants attended several sessions, participant lists indicated that unique community members were drawn to each session. • Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members hosting and participating. Many of the hosts for the March

Program were Indigenous and it was clear that sessions attracted both Indigenous and Non-Indigenous participants. • People from different cultural backgrounds expressing desire to learn and share. This was observed by different people asking questions and expressing willingness to share openly. We need to keep an open-mind for the program, constantly asking ourselves “Who aren’t we reaching?” and always looking for new opportunities to reach out to people in the community.

- Project Team member

During the Dream Catcher session, a father and son shared their Jewish customs with the group while making and learning about dream catchers. They also spoke about their interest in learning the Mi’kmaw language. (Observation) During the session on smudging and powwow knowledge, two participants introduced themselves as Indigenous, seeking to learn more about their culture, while two others introduced themselves as non-Indigenous, interested to learn about the practice of smudging. (Observation)

During interviews, some people suggested that participants did not fully represent the North End community. For example, one person indicated that they would like to have seen more seniors participating in the program (acknowledging that they may have been limited by Covid restrictions), and another would have liked more youth involvement, specifically as hosts.

Significant effort was placed on designing invitations and spaces that expressed a warm and welcoming invitation for all. For example, the EOED newspaper and website contained images, colors and symbols that reflected Indigenous culture, but also design elements aimed at everyone. We also arranged the MNFC to be a family friendly environment area for children to play, and decorated the room with bright and colourful banners, signage, and cafe style seating. Many different staff and community members made comments to project staff around the warmth and inviting feel of these elements. The pilot rolled out across a network of eight venues - all of which were identified as familiar and inviting spaces for different groups of community members. While this appeared to help foster new connections across the community, it also posed challenges related to varying degrees of control over venue design and layout, accessibility, and scheduling.

This was so awesome, I really enjoyed it. You have all done such an amazing job with these sessions, and the communications materials - it’s all so beautiful. I want to know what’s happening next…. We’ll definitely be there!

- Participant

CULTIVATING SAFE SPACE

The EOED sessions provided a safe and comfortable space for participants to co-learn and share their personal experiences. For example, during one session, the Elder who was hosting invited participants to ask questions they thought may be sensitive and that they may not have another opportunity to do so outside of the session. This established a level of comfort in the room and promoted meaningful discussion. During another session hosted by two residents who grew up in the North End, an open discussion revealed how the neighbourhood has changed over the years. This was expressed through stories, which conveyed both concern and hope for the community. Participants from a younger generation were particularly engaged during this session, which they reflected through their attentiveness, responses, and questions. The opinions and stories the hosts openly shared with the group were personal at times, indicating a high degree of comfort in the space.

ASSESSING ACCESSIBILITY

We did not gather data about the impact of accessible venues and spaces on participation. In terms of physical accessibility, the MNFC has a chair lift at the back entrance, which could potentially accommodate wheelchair access with support - although this was not used during the March Program. Other venues were wheelchair accessible and did not appear to pose limitations with respect to physical accessibility.

KEY INSIGHTS

• The EOED pilot demonstrated successful approaches in building inclusive participation and generated particular excitement and energy around sharing and learning across cultures. • More research is required to understand local barriers and opportunities related to deepening participation and inclusivity among diverse groups, particularly in relation to accessibility issues. • While there are many potential factors contributing to the creation of welcoming and safe space, on-going attention is required to continuously nurture both the subtle and apparent forces that help to build a sense of comfort and ease among hosts and participants. • The pilot demonstrated how many different activities located in different parts of the neighbourhood can help to build inclusive participation. However, this network of spaces could be greatly enhanced through the establishment of fully accessible and highly visible “anchor locations” to strengthen visibility and inclusivity for all.

FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS

• Expand research around the impact of different accessibility issues on participation in all phases of planning, co-design, delivery, and evaluation. • Prioritize the establishment of a local storefront (at minimum) as an essential component of the EOED support platform which can anchor a growing network of spaces and projects and support on-going research around inclusive participation. • Explore formal partnerships with local organizations that could help to build a stable network of host venues and leverage existing resources across the neighbourhood (e.g., HRM facilities, Halifax Public

Libraries).