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Appendix A: Professional Practice

June 27, 2017
by kevin

Formed over the last decade, my professional practice spans the areas of adult education, community leadership and civic engagement. Offered as examples of the contributions I have made while in assumed roles, the documents, websites, policies and teaching materials included below are representative of a large and diverse body of work with an emphasis on the public facing community development work that has occupied most of my time.

Policy Development

Participating in strategic planning sessions for organizational and policy development purposes, my efforts and expertise have shaped the communities which surround me. Offering the perspectives of a young urbanist and grassroots community leader, my contributions have guided engagement efforts, helping staff, volunteers and citizens in the building of stronger communities. Providing digital, technical and design expertise as they relate to implementation activities, my contributions have helped to define policies which are better informed by the realities related to their effective delivery. Recognizing the value which exists when working amongst a group of individuals, my contributions are most often made as part of a larger team with myself assuming leadership or delegation roles if a need presents itself.

Projects and Activations

Comprising the bulk of my contributions, primarily under the Civic Engagement strand of practice, I create projects and activations to address local issues and facilitate conversations between citizens about the places they live. A mix of subversive, sanctioned, business and grassroots initiatives have provided a broad perspective on what is possible in terms of civic engagement and the various approaches one can take in completing such work. With many projects and activations adopted by local businesses, organizations and municipalities for initiatives that are still active, the legacy of my work has extended beyond initial implementations. Initially supported by few outside sources, work completed under this heading is often self-funded, funded by low-budget not-for-profit organizations or established under social enterprise models.

  • 100 Ways to Improve London– 100 Ways was a sign-based installation that instigated a community conversation which spanned multiple topics and took place around various venues. Ideas were collected from the community for ways in which to improve London, Canada. These ideas were taken to the street, posted in the downtown core, and forced people to acknowledge the topics and have important conversations.
  • Change Camp London – Chance Camp London was an annual event and ongoing community that sought to create connections between people and their civic passions by using new tools of communication. The Change Camp platform was open to all and hoped to ignite a self-organizing movement for positive change in London and its diverse neighbourhoods. One of the events Change Camp offered was focused on reimadgining what citizen engagement would look like if we opened the doors to meaningful dialogue and participation among citizens and with the municipality they live within.
  • Little Gems Contest– The Little Gems Contest was a way to share and celebrate the diverse neighbourhoods that make up the city of London and the Little Gems which each of them contain. The contest was launched to celebrate neighbourhoods and let people share the things that make them unique. The Little Gems Contest encouraged residents to go online and share, like and support their favourite neighbourhood gem.
  • PARK(ing) Day – Bringing together not-for-profit organizations, businesses, and citizens to take ownership of urban space, PARK(ing) Day helped to change the quality of dialog about the city in which I live while empowering others to do the same. Endorsed by civil servants and local politicians, PARK(ing) Day provided the foundation upon which current public spaces are planned and developed.
  • [this city] co.– [this city] co. was a place-based wares company formed in London, Canada. Focused on designing wearables and other products, [this city] co. aimed to encourage civic pride and ownership in cities across the globe. Sparking a localized t-shirt movement rooted in civic pride, [this city] co.’s offerings were limited-edition designs screened and printed in the Forest City. [this city] co. was developed and delivered in conjunction with Form & Foundry Inc.
  • Urban Film Nights – Urban Film Nights are a chance to hang out with past, present and future neighbours to socialize over a film, a beer (or two) and some good conversation. Informal and apolitical, the purpose of these films nights is to better understand the cities in which we reside and the elements which make them unique and dynamic.
  • Walk London – Walk London installed signs around the downtown core of London, Canada directing pedestrians to local business, organizations, parks and institutions. The signs where installed to enlighten people, using creative & intentional signage, to the fact that most places they travel to aren’t as far by foot as they might think. Walk London was implemented in association with the now defunct Our Street London.
  • Wednesday Night Bike Rides – Wednesday Night Bike Rides was initiated as a social activity to forge relationships with new friends, meet old friends, and explore different neighbourhoods in the city, while engaging in light exercise. Meeting weekly on Wednesday nights at 7 pm, a bike leader would emerge spontaneously to guide the group on their journey. Wednesday Night Bike Rides were implemented in association with the now defunct Our Street London.

Teaching Experiences

Representative of where the focus of my time, energy and talents have been invested over the past decade of work, few documents, artifacts and materials have been included here in support of teaching adults. The lack of these materials is due to past teaching roles where experiences were emphasized over traditional course materials, the informal or secondary nature of many of the roles I assume and poor recording keeping on my part. Although the included items provide some insights into my accomplishments and may help to form a better understanding of my practice more broadly, it is recognized that this area of focus is underrepresented across my body of work.

Tools and Resources

In creating tools and resources, primary as work completed through the Community Leadership and Civic Engagement strands of my practice, I aim to engage audiences while empowering them to feel more connected to their communities. Although some resources take the form of online digital platforms to extend the effectiveness of in-person communities, others leverage digital platforms for distribution purposes only. Often developed with the belief that tools and resources provided to community members will be leveraged in specific ways, I have learned over time that it is imperative to begin with the needs of those served so that tools and resources are constructed to meet real needs and not just those which are assumed to exist. With a recent shift in the investment of my time and effort, I am looking to establish platforms which enable others to take greater control over their decision rather than investing time in the creation of the tools for use by the end user.

  • Block Party in a Box – Block Party in a Box is a resource kit that can be used by anyone wanting to plan a block party for their street, community, or neighbourhood of any size. With pre-made posters, checklists, games, and other resources, Block Party in a Box allows individuals to plan and execute a successful block party without breaking a sweat.
  • Civic Action Kit – The Civic Action Kit was an online resource to help civic builders, community developers and city hackers do better work. Curating the best resources available, the Civic Action Kit aimed to have change-makers spend less time looking for the right tools and more time doing great work. The Civic Action Kit was retired in 2014.
  • Good City Co. – Good City Co. is a civic organization based in London, Canada that creates projects, resources and activations to help citizens take greater ownership over the places they call home. Specializing in building stronger, more connected communities by transforming ideas into action, Good City Co. engages, educates and empowers citizens, building upon their knowledge, to harness the unused potential in communities.
  • NeighbourGood Guide – The Neighbourgood Guide was an online platform that connected community members allowing them to communicate and coordinate a unified voice to facilitate change in the community. Providing an open forum for discussion, the site allowed residents of London to discuss issues important to them. By writing blog entries, sharing images, video and other digital content, residents of London had an opportunity to mobilize municipal policy changes. The NeighbourGood Guide was shutdown in 2014.