Shaping Space
STEPS, together with our partners and collaborators, identified priority areas for collective action to cultivate culturally responsive public spaces for more equitable access for all Canadians, with a special focus on equity-deserving communities.
Using a combination of stakeholder roundtables, public conversations, research, and knowledge exchange strategies that leverage digital audio-visual content, STEPS collected and shared learnings around health equity related to public space access.
Shaping Space Report and Action Plan
Our findings are captured in the Shaping Space Report. The report details four recurring themes and specific considerations that should be factored into the design of an action plan to cultivate culturally responsive public spaces. This research can be used by urban planners, municipalities, artists, landscape architects, park programmers, community organizations, and others who work and interact in public spaces.
Building upon this report, STEPS embarked on a collaboration with Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Urban and Regional Planning (SURP) Graduate Studio. Together we explored the co-creation of an action plan that articulates what the next phase of collaborative capacity-building could look like, inspired by a shared vision for culturally relevant public spaces that encourage positive health outcomes.
Influenced by the findings of the Shaping Space Report and additional research and findings made by the Graduate Studio team, the Shaping Space Action Plan articulates paths to creating culturally responsive public spaces that are equitable, accessible, and welcoming, especially to individuals from equity-deserving communities.
We invite you to download all report and action plan files and to be part of a growing and supportive network of practitioners who are taking action in building more inclusive, equitable and culturally responsive public spaces. This includes an Action Plan Strategic Directions One-Pagers to prompt discussion, discover solutions and inspire action to create culturally responsive public spaces.
For the best reading and accessible experience, we recommend downloading the files. If you have trouble accessing the reports, please contact us and we will do our best to accommodate.
Shaping Space Roundtable Sessions
Between June and August 2022, STEPS brought together stakeholders from across Canada to share how we can create welcoming, equitable and accessible public spaces. Led by respected facilitators with practitioners invited from across Canada, the ideas shared and discoveries made during these roundtables directly informed the Shaping Space report and the action plan to enable everyone, especially those from equity deserving communities, to reap the physical, mental and emotional health benefits of accessing public spaces.
Here is a sample of what we heard.
Videos edited by: Julian Krizsan and May Shi
June 9, 2022
Western Canada Roundtable
Facilitated by: Ammar Mahimwalla
Ammar Mahimwalla is a cultural planner, curator, and project manager with 10 years of experience at visual arts organizations and local government. He currently works at Wiser Projects, a consulting and planning firm in Victoria, to support not-for-profit housing and arts and culture organizations with their space needs and redevelopment projects. As an accomplished curator and programmer, Ammar previously worked for the Vancouver Biennale, where he was responsible for activating public spaces and engaging communities, organizing over 25 temporary and permanent large scale-public art installations by internationally significant artists across Metro Vancouver from 2013 to 2018.
June 15, 2022
Prairies Canada Roundtable
Facilitated by: David Turnbull
David has been with the Edmonton Arts Council since 2009 where he was the Public Art Conservator and then the Director of Public Art since 2017. He holds a Master of Art Conservation degree from Queen’s University, and a BFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. He recently worked with the City of Edmonton to update the City’s Public Art Policy to prioritize a holistic planning and curatorial approaches to growing and taking care of Edmonton’s Public Art Collection.
June 22, 2022
Central Canada Roundtable
Facilitated by: Wesley Reibeling
Wesley Reibeling (he/him) has a passion for community which has been at the centre of his art practice: he believes in collaborative creation, experiment, and multidisciplinary art as tools for such. Wesley holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from York University. In Wes’s present working life he is a Senior Project Manager of Sparking Change at Park People. The Sparking Change program works with equity-deserving communities through a microgrant program to activate and facilitate activities, events and programming in their communities and parks.
July 6, 2022
Atlantic Canada Roundtable
Facilitated by: Joanne Duguay
Employed with the City of Moncton as the Cultural Development Officer, Joanne Duguay holds a bachelor’s degree in Visual Arts from the Université de Moncton. She also received a diploma in Small Business Management from the Atlantic Business College in Moncton and a Certificate in Arts Administration Program from the Banff Centre for the Arts. Having worked for over 15 years in the film and television production industry as Production Manager and Associate Producer, Joanne has also been actively involved in Moncton’s cultural and artistic community. Since 1988, she has worked at many cultural organizations, such as Film Zone, Galerie Sans Nom, Centre culturel Aberdeen, Théâtre l’Escaouette as well as the Centre of Arts and Culture in Dieppe.
July 13, 2022
Northern Communities Roundtable
Facilitated by: Clare Daitch
Clare Daitch is a life-long northerner with nearly 20 years of experience interpreting, curating, teaching, and developing policy within the cultural and tourism sectors in the Northwest Territories and Yukon. Prior to focusing on cultural policy, Clare worked on creating community-based exhibitions, publications and new media projects designed to highlight northern and Indigenous historical and cultural perspectives. Clare holds a Master in Museums Studies from the University of Toronto and has completed the Banff Centre’s Cultural Leadership program. Clare is currently the Manager of Policy and Communications for Tourism and Culture with the Government of Yukon. She also serves as the Co-Chair of Mass Culture’s Operations Group.
July 27, 2022
French-speaking Communities Roundtable
Facilitated by: Laurence Dubuc
Laurence D. Dubuc is a new Mitacs post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Arts, Culture and Media at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) where she is exploring the potential of community-based methodologies in various sectors including the arts and energy transition. She currently works closely with Mass Culture and the Urban Just Transitions research cluster at UTSC.
August 10, 2022
Racialized Communities Roundtable
Facilitated by: Parul Pandya and Sienna Pandya-James
Parul Pandya has a passion for arts and social change, working in non-profit in various roles through the past two decades, including as a community builder, consultant, programmer and producer. After managing community grants for the largest government funder in Canada, she received much interest for continued collective impact by being asked to serve organizations in a variety of capacities. This led her to be the founder of Community Impact Consulting. Her attraction to advocacy emerged with her work as a Queer South Asian freelance writer/poet, over two decades ago. Her approach to exchange is a high-engagement approach, encouraging participation through self-reflection, empathy, creativity and common understanding.
Sienna Pandaya-James is a graduate of the University of Toronto in History. She joined Community Impact as a Community Researcher and Events Administrator in the summer of 2020. Since then, she has assisted in numerous workshops and continued to create community resources that are shared with our learners and on behalf of various clients. She believes that her experience as a person of both South Asian and Black cultural heritage offers her a unique perspective. In her experience navigating academic spaces, she has come to realize how essential representation and diversity are for young people that look like her.
August 17, 2022
Deaf/Disabled Communities Roundtable
Facilitated by: Jenel Shaw
Jenel Shaw is the executive director for Arts AccessAbility Network Manitoba and the liaison director of the Manitoba Cultural Society of the Deaf. She holds a Masters in Disability Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in Women and Gender Studies, both at the University of Manitoba. Jenel is an artist with disabilities and works with other arts organizations to improve the accessibility of their programming.
August 24, 2022
LGBTQQIP2AA+ Communities Roundtable
Facilitated by: Anushay Sheikh
Anushay Sheikh (she/they) is a photographer and videographer who is passionate about visual storytelling as a form of resistance and empowerment for marginalized and misrepresented communities. Their work, studies, and activism centre around the intersection of queerness, disability, race, immigration status, and socio-economic status. She studied Economics and Political Science at McGill University and is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in Documentary Media at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson).
August 31, 2022
First Nations Indigenous Communities Roundtable
Facilitated by: Lindsey Lickers, Mushkiiki Nibi Kwe
Lindsey Lickers is an Onkwehon:we (Kanien’kéha- Mohawk)/ Anishinaabe (Ojibwe- Missisakis) artist & community developer originally from Six Nations of the Grand River with ancestral roots to the Mississauga’s of Credit First Nation. She specializes in painting and beading, as well as Indigenous arts and culture facilitation, Indigenous governance, community, capacity and program development. Her traditional name is ‘Mushkiiki Nibi’, which translates to ‘Medicine Water’, she is turtle clan.
Lindsey is also very passionate about social justice & advocacy and is currently the Community Safety Liaison for the Ontario Native Women’s Association (ONWA), providing advocacy, awareness and capacity building supports for Indigenous women & families, as well as service providers, in the areas of MMIWG, human trafficking, gang involvement and culture-based harm reduction. She currently practices out of both Toronto and Six Nations of the Grand River.
Share Your Thoughts
We want to hear from you! Collaboration and community engagement are key to the success of the Shaping Space project. Share your thoughts on creating welcoming, accessible and equitable public spaces by submitting this survey form available in English and French.
The form will be closed upon project completion.
In January 2023, STEPS participated in the DesignTO Festival to share the latest findings from Shaping Space in a virtual public event. Rewatch the presentation (YouTube) and access the slide deck materials (PDF) for a high level summary of what we’ve heard so far.
Funding
Long-term and increased investment
- Moving away from short-term and/or temporary investments in public space and creating long-term investments in space upkeep and sustainability.
- Funders need to see public space investment as an excellent investment in public health and well-being.
Removing restrictions on funding
- Give the grantee the freedom to spend the investment on what the community says they need and want – not what the funder wants. The community knows best what its needs are.
- Increase the type of eligible expenses. Examples cited include:
- Transportation/storage costs incurred as part of activating the space and the supplies needed to do that.
- Compensate elders and knowledge keepers for their time and expertise in developing welcoming accessible spaces.
- Insurance costs.
- No more set-in-stone deliverables (more geared to programming/activation). Allow for iteration and evolution. Insistence on getting everything done by a certain deadline. Things take time.
Compensating community stakeholders and rights holders for their time consulting on public space initiatives
- Moving beyond honorariums and compensating the knowledge, guidance, physical, emotional and spiritual labour of the community as we would that of a consultant.
Reducing barriers in applying for funding
- Simplifying application processes. Avoid jargon, verbose and lengthy applications and reporting requirements.
- Alternative ways of applying. Verbal submission etc.
- Cover the costs for any interpretation/translation costs needed to make the application accessible for all members of the community for all funding programs.
- Removing requirements to be a registered non-profit or charitable organization and forcing partnerships with larger organizations to establish eligibility.
Investments in training
- To train and develop architects, planners, program coordinators etc. from various equity-seeking communities.
Collaboration
Build trust by investing in ongoing relationships
- Relationships must be built before projects and must continue beyond specific projects, activities and grant cycles. This goes for funders, municipalities and organizations that depend on community consultation.
- Funder, municipalities and organizations in positions of influence must ask for invitations to community tables before they extend invite communities to consult. Need to ask how communities wish to be consulted and adapt accordingly.
- Funder, municipalities and organizations have a responsibility to maintain relationships and continue dialogue with the community throughout the year and learn about the communities they are working with and all the smaller communities existing within it. Avoid assumptions about the community. Going out to the community where people are at. Breaking bread with the community.
- Involving children and youth. Develop a culture at an early age and onwards of being invested in public space and community. Example – Minecraft to design space (use of technology to help with engagement). The western part of Newfoundland. (Woody Point)
- Framing engagement and collaboration with a proactive mindset of how much can I do? vs a reactive mindset of how much do I have to do.
- Understanding that there are different protocols amongst different communities. Example: Within Indigenous communities, understanding the importance and wisdom of elders and knowledge keepers, the offering of tobacco.
- Also important for various community stakeholders to build and maintain relationships with each other.
Mentorships and knowledge sharing
- Within and across communities and organizations.
- Important to share knowledge, and relationships (especially with funders and government with cyclical shifts) so that the communities don’t lose what has been built.
- Opportunities amongst public space designers, activators and users to discuss what is working and what doesn’t. Needing a network of advisors to share and educate.
Citizen and community-led initiatives
- Equity-deserving groups are not limited to small consultation roles but lead initiatives are supported and facilitated by municipalities.
Our relationship to time
- Investing appropriate time for proper consultation.
- Not everyone works on a colonial sense of time that is dictated by deadlines
- Think more of the long game. Don’t rely entirely on short-term and temporary projects. Build stability.
- Communities and needs required in public space change over time.
Design/Physical Elements
More places to rest in comfort
- Seating that is designed for various body types.
- Also important for washrooms.
- Access to shade and water (to drink).
Greenery and vegetation
- Access to greenery/vegetation/incorporation of native plants.
- Incorporation of native plants. These hold significance in certain communities. Community gardens.
- Sustainability
- Spaces that are responsive to the environment. E.g. Watershed management and encouraging pollinators.
Accessible by multi-modal transportation
- Accessible by consistent public transportation.
- Accessible by bike, place secure your bike.
- Wide enough sidewalks and paths to accommodate mobility devices, strollers etc and accommodating physical distancing.
Access Guides/Visual Guides
- Tools that describe the space in detail and provide information about accessibility features and how the space would be experienced by a user at different times of the day and different times of the year.
- Explain how a space is accessible.
Structured and unstructured play areas
- Provide a range of ways to engage with parks for children with different access needs.
- More unstructured spaces vs structured spaces (playgrounds, etc).
- Ways to engage with the park outside of a heteronormative family helping a non-disabled child navigate the park.
Signage
- Signage that is clear.
- If symbols are used they need to be clearly explained.
- Incorporation of Indigenous place names.
Well resourced and actively maintained
- Prevent disrepair.
- Access to all gendered washrooms with supplies.
- Adequate lighting.
- EDI audits of spaces to ensure they are still meeting community needs.
Important to note that sometimes a public space can not be all things to all people within a community. Takes deep engagement, relationships and ongoing dialogue to ensure that public spaces are serving their users. - Knowledgeable caretakers on site.
Design/Activation
Free Amenities
- Freedom to not have to spend money to enjoy the space.
- Ability to bring, prepare and enjoy food.
- Access to free bikes and recreational amenities (examples included free skate and bike rentals).
- Access to free and stable wi-fi.
Placekeeping rather than Placemaking
- “Placekeeping as the active care and maintenance of a place and its social fabric by the people who live and work there. It is not just preserving buildings but keeping the cultural memories associated with a locale alive while supporting the ability of local people to maintain their way of life as they choose.”
- Asking and understanding who is already using the space.
- Acknowledge that. Do not push people out (i.e. people experiencing homelessness). Create spaces considering the people who already inhabit those spaces.
- Not pushing people out of public spaces.
- More collaborative and less competitive recruitment and application processes to incorporate art/design into public spaces.
Spaces that allow cultural expression and connection to flourish
- Do not let hate and fear hinder community expression in public space. As opposed to limiting forms of cultural expression in public space because of fears that it might provoke fear, hate etc., we need to work on dismantling oppressive and racist systems that harm the marginalized and the unwelcomed.
- The authenticity and history of a space must be considered.
- Recognizing that the land holds significance to many communities, especially Indigenous communities.
- Not all performances/presentations in space need to be proscenium based. In the round and use of the circle are also to be incorporated.
- Having artists involved at the beginning of any public space creation, design, improvement, etc.
- Artists’ residencies within other city departments involved in public space design (City of Vancouver’s Engineering department had an artist in residence).
- Programming that encourages engagement, conversation, connection and joy (example community kitchens etc. social dance).
Navigating bureaucracies and building capacity
- Municipalities and funders need access to a person to help them navigate the bureaucracy of using space. Provide guidance on bylaws, permits etc. “public space concierge”.
- Such by-laws, permits process, insurance requirements also should be audited with an EDI lens.
- RFP/RFQ and other procurement processes need to be broken down and revisioned. Language is too jargony and the current system promotes competition as opposed to collaboration and precarity by devaluing services.
- Parks and public space as conduits for capacity building, where the community can take leadership in programs and placemaking and take these skills wherever they go.
Events
- January 25, 2023: Shaping Space: Culturally Responsive Public Spaces, What We’ve Heard So Far (a virtual event as part of the 2023 DesignTO Festival)
- October 27, 2022: Digital Media Panel Talk
- July 27, 2022: Reimagining Community Engagement Panel Talk
Resources
Through Shaping Space, cultural planning and other public art initiatives, STEPS has gathered many resources that we feel may be of value to our communities. This is by no means intended to be an exhaustive list. We encourage you to share resources that you have found valuable with our team.
Project Funders
This project is made possible through the generous support of the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Intersectoral Action Fund.
We also thank the Master of Planning Students of Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Urban and Regional Planning (SURP), their studio supervisor Dr. Zhixi Zhuang, and project mentor Dave Colangelo for their collaborative contributions to Shaping Space.
Graduate Studio Students: Andrew Clark, Bailey Classen-Schneider, Porter Greatrex, Celina Hevesi, Katrina Munshaw, Kate Trombino.
Shaping Space
STEPS, avec ses partenaires et collaborateurs, a identifié les domaines de priorité pour une action collective afin de cultiver des espaces publics culturellement adaptés pour un accès plus équitable pour tous les Canadiens, avec un accent particulier sur les communautés méritant l’équité.
À travers des tables rondes avec les parties prenantes, des conversations publiques et des échanges de connaissances qui s’appuient sur des contenus audiovisuels numériques, STEPS a recueilli et partagé des apprentissages sur l’équité en termes de santé liée à l’accès aux espaces publics.
Rapport et plan d’action
Nos conclusions sont consignées dans le rapport Shaping Space (Façonnons nos espaces). Ce rapport détaille quatre thèmes récurrents et des considérations spécifiques qui devraient être prises en compte dans la conception d’un plan d’action visant à cultiver des espaces publics culturellement adaptés. Cette recherche peut être utilisée par les urbanistes, les municipalités, les artistes, les architectes paysagistes, les programmateurs de parcs, les organisations communautaires et tous ceux et celles qui travaillent et interagissent dans les espaces publics.
À partir de ce rapport, STEPS a entamé une collaboration avec le studio d’études supérieures de la School of Urban and Regional Planning (SURP) de la Toronto Metropolitan University. Ensemble, nous avons exploré la co-création d’un plan d’action qui articule ce à quoi pourrait ressembler la prochaine phase de renforcement des capacités de collaboration, inspiré par une vision partagée des espaces publics culturellement adaptés qui encouragent des résultats positifs en matière de santé.
Influencé par les conclusions du rapport Shaping Space et par les recherches et conclusions supplémentaires de l’équipe d’étudiants de la SURP, le plan d’action Shaping Space propose des pistes pour créer des espaces publics culturellement adaptés qui soient équitables, accessibles et accueillants, en particulier pour les communautés qui méritent l’équité.
Nous vous invitons à télécharger tous les fichiers du rapport et du plan d’action ici et à faire partie d’un réseau de praticiens qui agissent pour construire des espaces publics plus inclusifs, équitables et culturellement adaptés. Le rapport comprend un plan d’action, des orientations stratégiques et des résumés d’une page pour susciter la discussion, découvrir des solutions et inspirer l’action afin de créer des espaces publics culturellement adaptés.
Si vous avez quelconques difficultés à accéder aux rapports, veuillez nous contacter et nous ferons de notre mieux pour vous aider.
Sessions de tables rondes
Entre juin et août, STEPS a rassemblé des parties prenantes à travers Canada pour partager comment nous pouvons créer des espaces publics accueillants, équitables et accessibles. Sous la direction de facilitateurs respectés et avec des praticiens invités de tout le Canada, les idées partagées et les découvertes faites au cours de ces tables rondes ont alimenté le rapport et le plan d’action de Shaping Space. Ceci afin de permettre à tous et en particulier aux communautés en quête d’équité, de profiter des bienfaits sur la santé physique, mentale et émotionnelle qu’apporte l’accès aux espaces publics.
Voici un échantillon de ce que nous avons entendu….
Crédit vidéo : Julian Krizsan et May Shi
Le 8 juin 2022
Table ronde de l’Ouest canadien
Facilitée par: Ammar Mahimwalla
Ammar Mahimwalla est un planificateur culturel, un conservateur et un directeur de projet avec 10 ans d’expérience au sein d’organisations d’arts visuels et de gouvernements locaux. Il travaille présentement chez Wiser Projects, une firme de consultation et de planification à Victoria, pour soutenir le logement à but non lucratif et les organismes artistiques et culturels dans leurs besoins d’espace et leurs projets de réaménagement. En tant que conservateur et programmateur accompli, Ammar a précédemment travaillé pour la Vancouver Biennale, où il était responsable pour l’activation des espaces publics et l’engagement des communautés. Ill a organisé plus de 25 installations temporaires et permanentes d’art public à grande échelle par des artistes de renommée internationale à travers le Metro Vancouver de 2013 à 2018.
Le 15 juin 2022
Table ronde de Prairies Canada
Facilitée par : David Turnbull
David travaille pour le Conseil des arts d’Edmonton depuis 2009, où il a été conservateur de l’art public, puis directeur de l’art public depuis 2017. Il est titulaire d’une maîtrise en conservation de l’art de l’Université Queen’s et d’un baccalauréat en beaux-arts du Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Il a récemment travaillé avec la ville d’Edmonton pour mettre à jour leur politique d’art public en vue de donner la priorité à une planification holistique et à des approches curatoriales pour accroître et soigner la collection d’art public d’Edmonton.
Le 22 juin 2022
Table ronde du Central Canada
Facilitée par : Wesley Reibeling
Wesley Reibeling (il/lui) a une passion pour la communauté qui est au centre de sa pratique artistique : il croit en la création collaborative, l’expérimentation et l’art multidisciplinaire comme outils pour cela. Wesley est titulaire d’un baccalauréat ès arts en théâtre de l’Université York. Dans sa vie professionnelle présente, Wesley est un directeur senior du projet Sparking Change at Park People. Le programme Sparking Change travaille avec des communautés qui méritent l’équité par le biais d’un programme de micro-subventions pour activer et faciliter les activités, les événements et la programmation dans leurs communautés et leurs parcs.
Le 6 juillet 2022
Table ronde du Atlantic Canada
Facilitée par : Joanne Duguay
Employée avec la Ville de Moncton en tant qu’agente de développement culturel, Joanne Duguay est titulaire d’un baccalauréat en arts visuels de l’Université de Moncton. Elle a également obtenu un diplôme en gestion des petites entreprises du Atlantic Business College en Moncton et un certificat en programme d’administration des arts du Banff Centre for the Arts. Ayant travaillé pendant plus de 15 ans dans l’industrie de la production cinématographique et télévisuelle en tant que directrice de production et productrice associée, Joanne s’est également impliquée activement dans la communauté culturelle et artistique de Moncton. Depuis 1988, elle a travaillé dans plusieurs organisations culturelles, telles que Film Zone, Galerie Sans Nom, Centre culturel Aberdeen, Théâtre l’Escaouette ainsi que le Centre des Arts et de la Culture de Dieppe.
les activités, les événements et la programmation dans leurs communautés et leurs parcs.
Le 13 juillet 2022
Table ronde des communautés du Nord
Facilitée par : Clare Daitch
Clare Daitch est une habitante du Nord qui a vécu toute sa vie et qui possède près de 20 ans d’expérience dans l’interprétation, la conservation, l’enseignement et l’élaboration de politiques dans les secteurs de la culture et du tourisme dans les Territoires du Nord-Ouest et au Yukon. Avant de se concentrer sur la politique culturelle, Clare a participé dans la création d’expositions communautaires, de publications et de projets de nouveaux médias conçus pour mettre en valeur les perspectives historiques et culturelles du Nord et des Autochtones. Clare est titulaire d’une maîtrise en études muséales de l’Université de Toronto et a suivi le programme de Cultural Leadership au Banff Centre. Clare est présentement directrice des politiques et des communications pour le tourisme et la culture pour le gouvernement du Yukon. Elle est aussi coprésidente de Mass Culture’s Operations Group.
Le 27 juillet 2022
Table ronde des communautés francophones
Facilitée par : Laurence Dubuc
Laurence D. Dubuc est une nouvelle boursière post-doctorale Mitacs au département des arts, de la culture et des médias de l’Université de Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) où elle explore le potentiel des méthodologies communautaires dans divers secteurs, notamment les arts et la transition énergétique. Elle travaille présentement avec Mass Culture et le groupe de recherche Urban Just Transitions à l’UTSC.
Le 10 août 2022
Table ronde sur les communautés racialisées
Facilitée par : Parul Pandya et Sienna Pandya-James
Parul Pandya est passionnée pour les arts et le changement social. Au cours des deux dernières décennies, elle a occupé divers rôles dans le secteur sans but lucratif, notamment en tant que créatrice de communauté, consultante, programmatrice et productrice. Après avoir dirigé des subventions communautaires pour le plus grand bailleur de fonds gouvernemental du Canada, elle a reçu beaucoup d’intérêt pour la poursuite de l’impact collectif et a été invitée à servir des organisations à divers titres. Cela l’a amenée à fonder Community Impact Consulting. Son attirance pour la plaidoirie est apparue dans le contexte de son travail en tant qu’écrivain et poète queer, indépendant, d’origine sud-asiatique, il y a plus de vingt ans. Son approche de l’échange est une approche à fort engagement, encourageant la participation par l’auto-réflexion, l’empathie, la créativité et la compréhension commune.
Sienna Pandaya-James est diplômée de l’Université de Toronto en histoire. Elle a joint Community Impact en tant que Community Researcher and Events Administrator à l’été 2020. Depuis lors, elle a assisté à de nombreux ateliers et a continué à créer des ressources communautaires qui sont partagées avec nos apprenants et au nom de divers clients. Elle estime que son expérience en tant que personne d’origine culturelle sud-asiatique et noire lui offre une perspective unique. Dans son expérience de navigation dans les espaces académiques, elle a réalisé l’importance que la représentation et la diversité revêtent pour les jeunes qui lui ressemblent.
Le 17 août 2022
Table ronde sur les communautés sourdes et handicapées
Facilitée par : Jenel Shaw
Jenel Shaw est la directrice générale du Arts AccessAbility Network Manitoba et la directrice de liaison de la Manitoba Cultural Society of the Deaf. Elle est titulaire d’une maîtrise en études sur les handicaps et d’un baccalauréat ès arts en études sur les femmes et le genre, tous deux obtenus à l’Université du Manitoba. Jenel est une artiste handicapée et travaille avec d’autres organisations artistiques pour améliorer l’accessibilité de leur programmation.
Le 24 août 2022
Table ronde sur les communautés LGBTQQIP2AA+
Facilitée par : Anushay Sheikh
Anushay Sheikh (elle/iel) est une photographe et vidéaste qui est passionnée par la narration visuelle comme une forme de résistance et d’autonomisation pour les communautés marginalisées et mal représentées. Son travail, ses études et son activisme s’articulent autour de l’intersection entre la sexualité, le handicap, la race, le statut d’immigrant et le statut socio-économique. Elle a étudié l’économie et les sciences politiques à l’Université McGill et poursuit présentement une maîtrise en beaux-arts en médias documentaires à la Toronto Metropolitan University (anciennement Ryerson).
31 août 2022
Table ronde des communautés autochtones des Premières nations
Facilitée par : Lindsey Lickers Mushkiiki Nibi Kwe
Lindsey Lickers est une Onkwehon:we Anishinaabe (Ojibwe- Missisakis) artiste et développeuse communautaire originaire des Six Nations of the Grand River avec des racines ancestrales dans la Mississauga’s of Credit First Nation. Elle se spécialise dans la peinture et le perlage, ainsi que dans la facilitation des arts et de la culture autochtones, la gouvernance autochtone, le développement des communautés, des capacités et des programmes. Son nom traditionnel est ” Mushkiiki Nibi “, qui se traduit par ” eau médicinale “, et elle appartient au clan de la tortue.
Lindsey est également passionnée par la justice sociale et la défense des droits. Elle est actuellement agent de liaison en matière de sécurité communautaire pour l’Ontario Native Women’s Association (ONWA), où elle offre des services de défense des droits, de sensibilisation et de renforcement des capacités aux femmes et aux familles autochtones, ainsi qu’aux fournisseurs de services, dans les domaines de la MMIWG, de la traite des personnes, de l’implication dans les gangs et de la réduction des méfaits fondée sur la culture. Elle exerce actuellement à Toronto et dans les Six Nations of the Grand River.
Partagez vos idées
Nous souhaitons avoir votre avis ! La collaboration et l’engagement de la communauté sont les clés du succès du projet Shaping Space. Partagez vos idées sur la création d’espaces publics accueillants, accessibles et équitables en soumettant ce formulaire de sondage disponible en anglais et en français.
Le formulaire sera clôturé à l’achèvement du projet.
En janvier 2023, STEPS a participé au festival DesignTO pour partager les dernières conclusions de Shaping Space lors d’un événement public virtuel. Regardez à nouveau la présentation (YouTube) et accédez aux diapositives (PDF) pour un résumé de haut niveau de ce que nous avons entendu jusqu’à présent.
Événements
- Le 25 janvier 2023: Shaping Space: Culturally Responsive Public Spaces, What We’ve Heard So Far
- Le 27 octobre: Digital Media Panel Talk
- Le 27 juillet 2022: Reimagining Community Engagement Panel Talk
Ressources
Grâce à Shaping Space, à la planification culturelle et à d’autres initiatives d’art public, STEPS a rassemblé de nombreuses ressources qui, selon nous, peuvent être utiles à nos communautés. Il ne s’agit en aucun cas d’une liste exhaustive. Nous vous encourageons à partager avec notre équipe les ressources que vous avez trouvées utiles.
Financeurs du projet
Ce projet est rendu possible grâce au généreux soutien du Fonds d’action intersectorielle de l’Agence de la santé publique du Canada.
Nous remercions également les étudiants du programme de maîtrise en urbanisme de la School of Urban and Regional Planning (SURP) à Toronto Metropolitan University, ainsi que la superviseuse de leur atelier, Dr Zhixi Zhuang, et le mentor du projet, Dave Colangelo, pour leur contribution à Shaping Space.
L’Équipe d’étudiants : Andrew Clark, Bailey Classen-Schneider, Porter Greatrex, Celina Hevesi, Katrina Munshaw, Kate Trombino.