April 2016
villagevibe News and views from the heart of Fernwood
Supporting Food Security Did you know that the City of Victoria is now supporting Community Garden Coordinators?
›› Stephanie Enevoldsen
F
unding has been received by various community organizations that have contracted different individuals to coordinate volunteer efforts at the public food forests around town. Spring Ridge Common (SRC) is one of such lucky sites, and in November the Fernwood NRG put out a request for proposals to fulfill such a position. My name is Stephanie Enevoldsen, and after submitting a proposal to join the stewardship team for SRC, I was invited to begin this unique venture. My background involves a career in Natural Building that I started in 2001, Urban Permaculture and Placemaking in Portland and Victoria since 2005, four years’ experience in the health food industry, and most recently, a twoyear internship and Permaculture Design Certification at the Bullock’s 36-year-old homestead on Orcas Island in Washington. SRC was just a small food forest when I first moved to Victoria in 2004. It has grown so much, with many people using the space for a variety of agrarian purposes. In the interests of sustaining committed stewardship, organizing work parties, and raising funds to further some really cool projects, different educational opportunities are in the works, such as:
Meet Stephanie Enevoldsen, the new steward of Spring Ridge Common. Photo: Mila Czemerys
perennials at Spring Ridge Common, the Fernwood Community Center Kitchen Garden, and Neighbourhood Orchard. Learn how permaculture systems are being applied in this community to enhance, diversify, and increase food resiliency. The sliding scale suggested donation is $10-30 per person. To book a tour, or be on our email list for events and work parties, send a message to foodsecurity@fernwoodnrg.ca. On Saturday, May 28th, Joshua Wagler will be leading a larger tour of Permaculture in Fernwood, including private gardens and businesses. Watch out for more details! If you have an interest in co-teaching workshops, courses, or have seeds and/or edible or medicinal plants that you would like to sell, please email foodsecurity@ fernwoodnrg.ca to collaborate and support local agrarian initiatives.
There are quite a few amazing plants and trees growing at Spring Ridge Common. Willow is an excellent species to include in a food forest. Botanically, willows are in
the family called Salicaceae, which includes other trees such as poplars. White willow is known as Salix alba, and one of its forms is golden willow, or Salix alba “Vitellina.” At SRC, the primary variety growing is called “Navajo Gold.” It has narrow, bright green leaves that turn golden in fall, and new branches that have bright yellow bark. Coppicing of the fast-growing willow is the intent at SRC, because if we don’t continually cut it back, it is a weak-wooded, short-lived plant that can grow upright to 75-100 feet tall and 50-100 feet wide. Pruning hard will allow for the harvesting of new branches within reach, which are useful for basketry and so much more. Traditionally, First Nations peoples used shredded willow bark for skirts, capes, and footwear. Nets were made from willow fibre, pounded and prepared until soft and pliable, and then twisted and spun into fine twine cordage. In plant propagation, willow bark tea is used for its natural plant growth hormones, which can be used for rooting the new cuttings of other plants. Two substances are found in the bark of any Salix species: Salicylic acid (SA)
Guest Editorial
George Jay
Buzz
City of Victoria’s planned projects in Fernwood page 2
MakerSpace page 4
FernFest wants you! page 5
Fernwood Food Forestry Educational Site Tours
Are you curious to find out what community-scale ecological design systems are going on? Are you interested in learning more about the medicinal and edible plants growing in Fernwood? Support local food security initiatives in Fernwood by signing up for an Educational Site Tour! This two-hour tour will include a plant walk of the many edible and medicinal
Commons Corner: What can I use Willow for?
and Indolebutyric acid (IBA). Salicylic acid (SA) is a plant hormone which is involved in signalling a plant’s defences. Indolebutyric acid (IBA) is a plant hormone that stimulates root growth. Both are present in high concentrations in the growing tips of willow branches. By using the actively growing parts of new willow branches, cutting them, and soaking them in water, you can get significant quantities of SA and IBA to leach out into the water. The more cut willow branches that are used and the longer they are soaked in water, the stronger the resulting willow tea water will be. As you are preparing your propagation cuttings from other plants, have the bottom end where you want roots to grow out of soak for several hours in the willow infusion. Watering your cuttings twice with willow water should be enough to help them root. If you would like to get hands-on experience coppicing, har vesting, and making willow-infused water, please come to a work party or book an Educational Site Tour. Sign up at foodsecurity@fernwoodnrg.ca.
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guest editorial:
villagevibe Published by Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Group Editorial Committee
Lee Herrin Hayley Evans
Matt Takach Mila Czemerys Founding Editor Lisa Helps Contributors
Stephanie Enevoldsen Carina Foran Danielle Stevenson Marika Smith Mila Czemerys Tania Wegwitz Jillian Player Eric Swanson Margaret Hantiuk Kate VanGiesen Art
Mila Czemerys Axel Tania Wegwitz Morgan Leik Images Margaret Hantiuk Thank you to our Instagram contributors
City of Victoria’s planned projects for Fernwood In an effort to increase support for neighbourhoods, the City of Victoria’s 2016 budget included capital projects and plans for
Production Mila Czemerys Contact us
each neighbourhood
1310 Gladstone Avenue Victoria, BC V8R 1S1 T 778.410.2497 F 250.381.1509 vibe@fernwoodnrg.ca www.villagevibe.ca
›› Carina Foran
To enquire about advertising in the Village Vibe, please contact ads@fernwoodnrg.ca The views expressed in the Village Vibe do not necessarily reflect the views of Fernwood NRG.
declaration of principles & values ››
We are committed to creating a socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable neighbourhood;
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We are committed to ensuring neighbourhood control or ownership of neighbourhood
Our Neighbourhood Coordinator for Fernwood, Michael Hill, reviewed the proposed budget and compiled a list of capital investments proposed for 2016. These include: • A new sidewalk on Pembroke Street from Belmont to Fernwood; • Two new bus shelters on Bay Street (near Fernwood Road and Cedar Hill Road); • Brick replacement work at Gladstone Mall; • Paving on Cook Street from Pandora Avenue to Caledonia; • Installation of audio countdown crosswalk signals at Bay/Fernwood; and • Resurfacing of playing surface at William Stevenson Memorial Park. Source: Community Development Coordinator – Downtown City of Victoria
The playing surface at William Stevenson Park playground scheduled to be resurfaced in 2016. Photo: Mila Czemerys
In addition to neighbourhood specific projects, the budget also included citywide projects like the Biketoria Cycling Network, three new Neighbourhood Community Art Projects, a conversation to LED street lights, and a new “Wayfinding” program for signing destinations, landmarks and route. There is also a new in-house parking ambassador program and review function, and a review of zoning related to off street parking standards. We will also see new skateboarding regulations and proposed regulations for Medicinal Marijuana retailers. Two master plans are forthcoming, one for Parks and one for Arts
and Culture, as well as the development of a Youth Engagement Strategy. The City has also proposed new programs and policies to grow more food in the city. There are also opportunities for community members to initiate their own projects through the My Great Neighbourhood Grants with an allocated $120,000 going towards funding community-initiated projects. For folks who want to start a project in their community (or need help navigating city hall, applying for grants, or needing technical advice) get in touch with the City’s Neighbourhood Teams for more information.
institutions and assets;
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We are committed to using our resources prudently and to becoming financially self-reliant;
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We are committed to the creation and support of neighbourhood employment;
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We are committed to engaging the dreams, resources, and talents of our neighbours and to fostering new links between them;
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We are committed to taking action in response to neighbourhood issues, ideas, and initiatives;
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We are committed to governing our organization and serving our neighbourhood democratically with a maximum of openness, inclusivity and kindness;
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We are committed to developing the skills, capacity, self-worth, and excellence of our neighbours and ourselves;
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We are committed to focusing on the future while preserving our neighbourhood’s heritage and diversity;
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We are committed to creating neighbourhood places that are vibrant, beautiful, healthy, and alive;
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Got a writing project that you are determined to complete? As a writer/editor and Certified Creativity Coach, I can help you. Because you don't just need a writing coach, you deserve one. donaleen@donaleensaul.com
and, most of all, We are committed to having fun!
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villagevibe
April 2016
News and views from the heart of Fernwood
mark your calendar:
mark your calendar:
Low-tech Mushroom For the Love of Soil Cultivation Fundraiser ›› Danielle Stevenson Did you know that you can grow delicious, nutritious and protein rich mushrooms on ‘waste’ like spent coffee grounds, cardboard, and garden waste? Or grow edible and medicinal mushrooms in your kale patch and garden pathways? Or work with fungi to address toxic waste and contamination, to filter water and build healthy soil? On April 9th Victoria-based D.I.Y. Fungi is offering a day long intensive course on “Skills for Low-tech Mushroom Cultivation” at the Fernwood Community Centre. This course will introduce the art and science of mushroom cultivation by offering lowtech, low-sterility, home-scale methods for growing mushrooms for food, medicine and earth renewal. We will focus on less-sterile approaches to creating your own mushroom cultures (“spawn”), fruiting mushrooms for food and medicine, and working with fungi to build soil, boost your garden, and address contamination. Throughout this course, you will learn about setting up cultivation space at home, gathering materials and
equipment, and gain experiential hands-on skills to make liquid cultures, petri cultures, grain spawn, sawdust kits, and more. If you’d like to get to know the fungal kingdom a bit better; grow your own protein-rich food; build soil; and/or get more serious with mushroom cultivation, join us! We’ll focus on Oyster, Shiitake, Lions Mane and King Stropharia mushrooms as easy mushrooms to start out growing, and overview broader options. If there is interest and time, we can cover some simple ways to grow mushroom medicine, digest household waste with fungi, and train fungi for remediation. There are only a few spots left so register soon! You can register via Eventbrite, search “Skills for Low-Tech Mushroom Cultivation.” D.I.Y. Fungi is a local business which offers mushroom ‘spawn’ for a variety of edible, medicinal and garden mushrooms, as well as education, consultation and remediation research, design and implementation. Find out more at diyfungi.wordpress.com or email diyfungivictoria@gmail.com.
Support the Compost Education Centre with an evening of food, drink, and music
›› Marika Smith The Compost Education Centre has been a Fernwood institution for 24 years. Help us celebrate many happy years of compost education by attending or Spring Fundraiser on Wednesday April 6th from 6-10pm at the Fernwood Inn. Give back to the earth while having fun, chatting with friendly folks and bidding on fantastic silent auction items like yoga passes, landscape design consultation and round trip tickets for two to Seattle on the Victoria Clipper! The wonderful musical talent that is the Blackwood Two will be performing their acoustic melodies and your ticket includes a pint of Hoyne beer and an appetizer buffet. Proceeds from the fundraiser will directly
fund our school workshops and projects such as the Healing City Soils Project, an initiative offering free soil tests to analyze Victoria’s soils and create a virtual “soil health” map of Victoria. Fundraising allows us to continue these great projects and to educate children and adults about the importance of soil conservation, composting and creating and sustaining local food systems. Donations and revenues raised from fundraising also help us equip our outdoor classroom with science equipment for budding biologists, children’s gardening tools and gloves, and art supplies to allow young naturalists to document their learning. Our goal is to keep our educational programming accessible for compost enthusiasts and soil stewards of all ages! For the Love of Soil: Compost Education Fundraiser and Silent Auction is happening on Wednesday April 6th 2016, 6-10pm at the Fernwood Inn. Tickets are $25 and include a pint of Hoyne beer and appetizer buffet. Get yours at eventbrite. ca/e/compost-education-centre-springfundraiser-tickets-22932646162.
buzz:
Solberg awarded for work with youth Long time Fernwood NRG staff member honoured for his work in the education of children and youth in Victoria
›› Mila Czemerys This past February, Sean Solberg received an award from the Victoria African and Caribbean Cultural Society as a part of Black History Month. He was honoured with the Proud of My History Recognition
Award for Education. These awards are designed to honour distinguished residents of Victoria and surrounding cities who are a model for our community or who have made significant contributions to the social, political, religious, intellectual, and economic development of the Black community in Victoria. Solberg has worked with Fernwood NRG’s child care program for 10 years as of September 2015. He is very busy working with the Boys and Girls Club at a care home for at risk teens, the City of Saanich’s teen drop-in centre at Commonwealth, and with youth at Gordon Head Rec Centre as well. Sean has devoted his life to being a positive male role model for children and youth.
Sean was born in Seattle, Washington and moved to Richmond, B.C. when he was 5. He was raised by his mother and grandmother. Both his parents passed away in his early teen years. His grandmother was there for him but at an early age he was more or less on his own, doing his own thing. “I did a lot of stupid things. There wasn’t really anybody there who could guide me. That is part of the reason why I do what I do,” shared Sean. “I want to keep kids from going down the same path I did.” “It was an honour for me to receive this award. I wish I could share it with everyone I work with,” he says. “It is amazing to have this recognition by community. It shows that people realise what you do is important.”
Sean Solberg (left) receiving his “Proud of My History Recognition Award for Education” from acting Mayor Charlayne Thornton-Joe (right). Photo courtesy of Sean Solberg.
Keeping Fernwood Community Healthy Physiotherapy/IMS Naturopathy Acupuncture Chiropractor Pelvic Floor Health Vestibular Rehab Stress Management Workshops Pilates & Yoga* RMT Massage *Therapeutic one-on-one or small group session available
Ph: 250-381-7473 *referrals not required
www.risehealth.ca
1275 Bay Street
*online booking available
(at Fernwood Rd) *free parking
RISE TO IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH
www.fernwoodnrg.ca
April 2016
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george jay:
Cultivating boundless thinkers & builders: MakerSpace ›› Tania Wegwitz Every school should be lucky enough to have a door with a sign on it like this: “When you enter this classroom, you are Scientists, you are Authors, you are Important, you are Leaders, you are Thinkers, you are Explorers, you are Creators, you are Readers, you are a Friend, you are Loved, you are the Reason why we are here!” This sign exists, and in fact, it takes up the whole door to École George Jay Elementary’s MakerSpace. It is a fitting entrance to a very special place, indeed. Opened just this past September and one of only two in the Victoria School District so far, George Jay’s MakerSpace is a repurposed classroom that is supporting the rollout of BC’s new curriculum. It is where kids get to transform the usually singular subjects of science, technology, engineering, math, and art from separate concepts into united action. How might you build a vehicle to keep Humpty Dumpty safe, or create an arcade game entirely out of cardboard? Which properties are going to build a boat that really floats? “MakerSpace is about integrating all the disciplines together and teaching them in such a way that kids see how they interrelate,” says Sunny Jun, George Jay’s MakerSpace teacher and acting Vice-Principal. “Whereas typically, in other classrooms, we might focus on content— the what of what are we learning—here the focus is on how and the really important life skills and habits of mind that will help kids be successful in the 21st century. Things like persisting, flexible thinking, communicating, and being a reflective learner.” The MakerSpace room features areas for students to work collaboratively and draw from bins of all kinds of interesting things. “Most of what we work with is recycled materials from the community,” says Jun. “Boxes, toilet paper rolls, fabric, yogurt containers. About the only things we need to purchase are glue and tape.”
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April 2016
Vice-Principle Sunny Jun in George Jay Elementary School’s new MakerSpace. This is a converted classroom now used as a hands-on learning space where children are able to use their imaginations and integrate ideas they learn in other subjects. Photo: Tania Wegwitz
Working with the other George Jay teachers, Jun sets challenges for students that build off their other classroom learning. A class studying music researched, designed, and then created their own musical instruments, which they then recorded as a music video. Another challenge spanned ages, with Grade 2 and 3s constructing puppet theatres and puppets for kindergarten students. The projects are tremendous and worth checking out at either Jun’s website at teachersunnyjun.com , or at what she hopes will be a MakerFair in the late spring
to showcase student creations. She is also keen on potential opportunities to bring the community in. “I’m always open to community members coming into the classroom to share their passion for what they do in their lives to create or build,” says Jun (who can be contacted at sjun@sd61.bc.ca or 250385-3381). “And masking tape,” she adds with a smile, “we always need more tape!” Tickets to George Jay Elementary’s play The Gathering on sale May 2
Speaking of creating neat things, George Jay is again partnering with the Belfry Theatre to put on a play that builds on their 2014 success The Flood. Featuring over 90 children ranging in age from Kindergarten to Grade 5, The Gathering is based on a Haida story about the first potlatch and how a community of people, forest animals and the Spirit Animals come together to rebuild a coastal village after a tsunami. The Gathering will run at the Belfry May 18 and 19, 7pm. Tickets on sale at the Belfry starting May 2. All are welcome to enjoy this collaboration of creativity!
News and views from the heart of Fernwood
buzz:
FernFest wants you!
Every year, people from across Victoria come to Fernwood Square to celebrate our neighbourhood during FernFest. Photo: Morgan Leik Images
FernFest is in search of musicians, volunteers, and artisans to get involved in our festivities this year!
›› Mila Czemerys FernFest is our FREE annual neighbourhood celebration of local music and arts held near the summer solstice, June 17 and 18, 2016. For 21 years, this event has been inspired by the incredible people and energy of Fernwood. FernFest brings live music, performances, food and beverages, an
www.fernwoodnrg.ca
artisan market, kid’s activities, art projects, a pancake breakfast, Kidical Mass bike parade, and magic to Fernwood Square. FernFest is looking for musicians interested in sharing their talents with Fernwood. With thousands of people in attendance, FernFest offers great exposure for your band and a great time. If you’re interested, you can apply online at fernwoodnrg.ca/events-directory/ fernfest/performers/. Every year, FernFest depends on the generosity of neighbourhood volunteers to run this festival. FernFest offers volunteers the opportunity to help build our community, contribute, and participate in a fun and exciting festival. If you are
interested in volunteering before, during, or after FernFest, please inquire online at fernwoodnrg.ca/events-directory/ fernfest/volunteer/. FernFest’s Artisan Market is held Saturday, June 18 from 10:30am-5pm. Registration forms are available online at fernwoodnrg.ca/events-directory/ fernfest/artisan-market/. If your business is interested in sponsoring FernFest, please check out the available opportunities at fernwoodnrg.ca/ events-directory/fernfest/sponsorship/. For more information or questions regarding these opportunities, please contact fernfest@fernwoodnrg.ca. Thank you, Fernwood!
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artist’s aside:
buzz:
Changing the world through art
Sharing Leaf ›› Eric Swanson
Artist Deryk Houston in front of one of his large-scale earthworks. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Deryk Houston has worked locally and internationally to explore peace through artwork
›› Jillian Player Visual artist Deryk Houston and his wife, glass artist Elizabeth Wellburn, live just outside the border of Fernwood. I want to include them as Fernwood artists because Deryk has done so much for this community. He was one of the early art contributors to the Cornerstone Cafe, painting some of his large canvasses in the square, and a key member of Collective Works Gallery until its closure. And like many in Fernwood, he is on a mission
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April 2016
for peace, community, and the rights of children. Deryk’s diverse artwork, stretching back to the eighties, has one thing in common: peace. This interest in exploring peace through art is manifested through many different modes, from pastoral landscapes to large-scale abstract paintings, and from sculpture to gigantic land art. He was the subject of a documentary created by the National Film Board of Canada, titled From Baghdad to Peace Country. In 1999, unable to remain an outside observer of the crisis in Iraq, Deryk travelled to witness first-hand the impact of international sanctions on the Iraqi people. Compelled to speak out, he embarked upon a unique nature art project designed to call attention to the sanctions and the conditions they created for the children of Iraq. Deryk created large-scale earthworks in the image of a mother and child in diverse landscapes
around the world, some so large they can be seen on Google Earth. His most recent project has been his labour of love for the last three years. He is creating a sculpture garden, called The Peace Garden, at Woodwyn Farm in Brentwood Bay. Deryk, with the help of his family and friends, has been creating an art installation garden around a sage-lined labyrinth. At the centre of the labyrinth is a slender steel sculpture reaching skyward. Other sculptures in driftwood, bronze, stone, and metal are scattered in strategic points around the labyrinth, creating a curious, meditative experience. Also at this time, Deryk has an exhibition at Artworks Gallery in Vancouver. This series of paintings are inspired by the music of the Beatles. Whether it’s through painting, sculpting, illustrating books, or driving a tractor, Deryk has one mission: to change the world through art.
If you’ve been thinking of getting an electric car, but aren’t sure if you can afford your own, I might have a solution for you. My wife Shannon and I bought an all-electric Nissan Leaf in January, and we’re looking to share it with a fellow Fernwoodian. Here’s the backstory: we love Vancouver Island’s mountains and beaches, but we hated that getting out into nature—in our old diesel wagon—created pollution. Reports suggest that Vancouver Island’s glaciers could be gone in 20 years. When we go into the mountains, we don’t want to have contributed to our local glaciers disappearing. Likewise, the ocean that surrounds us is acidifying. When we go surfing, we don’t want to have made it more acidic. The obvious solution: an electric car. Like most electric newbies, we were initially obsessed with range. We thought we needed something comparable to a normal car (400 km+), and so we had ruled out the cheaper Nissan Leaf as a solution to our problem. Turns out, when we took a 2013 Leaf on a long-distance test drive up to Courtenay and Mt. Washington, we realized “Oh, it’s just a different way to travel.” You’re forced to slow down and enjoy the scenery and local shops while you charge the thing. It’s pretty chill, really. So we said scr*w it, put 0% down, and bought a 2016 Nissan Leaf. It’s awesome, but because we work fulltime, the car lives out most of its existence as an expensive driveway ornament. So if you’ve been thinking of pulling the trigger on an electric car, but you don’t necessarily need or want your own, consider coming over for a coffee/tea to test out the car and chat options. You can learn more, including the kinds of trips we’ve taken with it, at mountaincar. ca . You can email me at eric.swanson@ubc.ca.
News and views from the heart of Fernwood
garden gleanings:
Our Allies: The pollinators and beneficials
›› Margaret Hantiuk This time of year, with fruit trees beginning to bloom and as we are planting our veggie gardens, it is a good time to think of our gardening allies: the ones we take for granted because they do their jobs freely, and without supervision. I mean the birds and bees. Without bees, the pollination of our fruit trees and many veggies would be scant, and our crops poor. Without birds, we would be overwhelmed with bugs— including mosquitos.
There are many types of bees that inhabit our gardens besides the bumble and honey bees. Orchard mason bees are small, blackish bees that look like houseflies. They have a short lifespan as they have evolved to emerge in spring, forage (fruit tree blossoms, for one), and then pack it in— literally; they cocoon in little mud-filled cracks, like adobe! You can help them out by having flowering shrubs ready for them when they emerge, including Mahonia, flowering currants, and fruits. Scientists are finding that even small amounts of pesticides prevent honey bees from being able to forage properly; they become confused and don’t “learn” the skills needed both to forage for the correct plants, and how to “tell” their colony where to find them, or they can’t remember where they are. Besides not using poisons in our gardens, the other hugely beneficial thing we can do is to choose plants that feed bees and other pollinators. West Coast Seeds, in their wonderfully informative and locally suitable catalogue, has symbols by plants that feed pollinators, beneficial insects, butterflies,
and birds. Most other seed catalogues (T and T, William Dam for example) are doing so, too. Apparently, because of environmental toxins, global warming, and the loss of habitat (industrialization, urbanization, and also mono-cropping), two out of five species of invertebrate pollinators are on the road to extinction. We are needed! Our yards and gardens can make a difference! Have a source of water for these allies in our dry summers: a pan of water (change it often to keep mosquitos from breeding), if not a pond or rain garden. Leave the seeds on your plants (if you are not saving them) in the fall for birds to forage in the winter. Plant shrubs with berries that birds can eat. Try some native flowering plants for our pollinators: Monarda (Bee Balm), Liatris (Blazing Star), Giant hyssop (Agastache), Goldenrod (Solidago), Joe Pye Weed ( Eupatorium), Lupines, Milkweed ( Asclepsis), Oregon Grape (Mahonia), Penstemon, Coneflower (Echinacea), Rhododendron, Sage (Salvia), Snowberry (Symphoricarpos), Spiderwort ( Tradescantia), Sunflower (Helianthus),
and Willow (Salix). Some non-native flowers that are bee-friendly include: Basil, Borage, Blanket Flower (Gaillardia), Catnip (Nepeta), Cotoneaster, Lavender, Marjoram, Rosemary, and Russian Sage (Perovskia). Usually, beneficial bugs will come along to consume the bad bugs. Our job is to grow healthy plants with strong immune systems. This is done by building good soil (compost!), watering adequately in our dry summers, and putting the right plant in the right spot. A local nursery that has a good selection of city yard-sized fruit trees where several varieties are grafted onto the same tree is Le Cocteau, up behind Elk Lake. Bob Duncan’s Fruit Trees and More also sells triedand-true varieties of fruit trees and berries. His yard, where he sells his homegrown trees, is a marvel for growing fruit in smaller spaces. Buying fruit trees and berry bushes from these local growers gives you a chance to learn from them and their research, and it helps keep them in business. And their stock is probably healthier and better for our locale.
buzz:
The Emmaus Community: Living a new monastic lifestyle ›› Kate VanGiesen The Emmaus Community, centred at the big yellow house on Belmont Avenue and Grant Street, is where members engage in a “new monastic” lifestyle, participating in daily prayer, weekly worships, simpler living, and potlucks with people in the neighbourhood. A few members were inspired by the energy of Fernwood to start this intentional community two years ago. “We hope to bring together people of goodwill from all places,” says Rob CrosbyShearer, one of the community’s dozen or so members, who all live in the Belmont house or in the nearby neighbourhood. The Emmaus Community provides the freedom to be creative and to get outside of institutionalized religion by “gardening, participating in social justice events, connecting with people on the margins, and being present as people of faith in the neighbourhood,” Rob says. The Emmaus Community makes commitments to prayer, presence, and simplicity. It is supported by the Anglican and the United Churches, but there are members from many different traditions, or from no specific tradition. If you want to get involved, drop us a line. You can participate in daily prayer at
www.fernwoodnrg.ca
the house, come by to say hi, drop a prayer in our prayer box, or join The Abbey on Sundays at Paul Phillips Hall to participate in experimental Christian worship. You can also tell us how we can support something that’s already happening. We’re eager to partner with others! “In the same way that we support local businesses and take our kids to neighbourhood schools, The Abbey is our way of giving back to the neighbourhood by praying here each week,” says the Reverend, Meagan Crosby-Shearer. “The Abbey,” Rob says, “is our way of re-imagining church; it’s grassroots, intergenerational, inclusive, and sometimes messy. It draws on ancient practices, roots us in this place, and connects us to something bigger.” Currently, the Emmaus Community is starting a shared urban-organic gardening and neo-monastic internship with City Harvest. The Emmaus Community has also started experimenting with a microindustry of brewing beer in the Trappist tradition. You can connect with the Emmaus Community at emmauscommunity.ca, The Abbey Church at abbeychurch.ca, or by email at info@emmauscommunity.ca.
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Scene in Fernwood : #Fernwood
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