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A moment captured in concrete

This is the pinnacle memory I have that solidified my passion for community engagement. I remember specifically watching that one young gentleman scavenge the supplies to find the right pieces, taking extra care to make sure his tile was exactly the way he pictured it while ignoring his classmates as they made comments about how long his 1 tile was taking compared to their 2 or 3 tiles and instead spent all his time carefully creating this masterpiece. Thank you!

The “Power of One”

DimSum Timbits is 2010’s Ripple Effect** project. DimSum Timbits represents our Chinese Canadian identity; it is our culture, our community, and our connection. We formed this project to “raise awareness of the past and present experiences in the Chinese Canadian Community and to create ongoing ‘ripples’ for a more equitable, inclusive and sustainable society.”

The “Power of One”

Each of us is responsible for our impacts and actions.  Through participation we build community.  Through community we build a voice.  Together, we are more powerful than we are alone.  It all starts with one.  You.

Submit your best artistic representation of dim sum and timbits together, whether it is a drawing, a doodle, a sculpture or a photograph.  Help us demonstrate how much we can accomplish together as Dim Sum Timbits.

Send to jennifer.chan@exhibit-change.com by July 30, and look out for the YouTube compilation to come.

**Ripple Effect is a 4-month leadership training program for Chinese youth between 18 – 30 years old residing in Toronto. It aims to nurture civic leadership within the Chinese community for the development of an inclusive and healthy Toronto.

CCNC Toronto Chapter is an organization of Chinese Canadians in the City of Toronto that promotes equity, social justice, inclusive civic participation, and respect for diversity.

Building blocks

Lego pieces are well known as interlocking building blocks.

Lego pieces build foundations.

Lego pieces are better together than alone.

While at the Canadian Centre for Architecture, there was a wall of lego pieces, this sparked a conversation between Ed and I about lego pieces and the way they represent different people.

There are the “regular” pieces – they connect with everything, they are the solid foundations, they are the pieces that are reliable, workable, trustworthy and are part of every connection.

Then there are the “unique” pieces – they are parts of special connections, they build bridges, they are the pieces that are intricate, independent, experimental and stand apart from the rest.

Ed pointed out that he is a “regular” piece, he is part of the bigger picture and is always part of a team. The colour of the pieces may change, but all the “regular” pieces follow a certain pattern, they support the structure and value their positions.

Ed said I am a “unique” piece, I am different than the “regular” pieces but fit in with them to build structures. The “unique” piece is always going to be recognizable as different and will be easily picked out from the rest.

All the pieces work together, they play together in a box and are all happy to build something new and magnificent. What kind of Lego piece are you?

ArtReach Toronto Showcase

Tonight I watched a year-end “graduation” showcase of fashion, singing, dancing, spoken word and expression.

ArtReach Toronto is a program designed to support arts initiatives that engage youth who have experienced exclusion in under-served areas of Toronto.

I think it is a great opportunity for youth to get a chance to experience what art and creativity can do for them. I really enjoyed the spoken word pieces. One was a man’s poem entitled “Mr. Immigration Officer” he very passionately expressed the power an immigration officer has over a new immigrant and the kind of racism they experience. The second one was one side of a conversation of a catholic school girl’s experience identifying her sexuality, it was both eye opening and humorous. Another man read excerpts from his book in progress about his experiences as a fourth generation Japanese Canadian. All pieces were well prepared and thoughtful.

It was all amazing and inspiring.

Parkdale Garden Design Charrette

This past weekend Exhibit Change hosted the Parkdale Garden Design Charrette in partnership with the Parkdale Village Business Improvement Area and Parkdale Liberty Economic Development Corporation. Both organizations are dedicated to the beautification and development of the Parkdale neighbourhood.  I planned an activity filled afternoon of design-driven community engagement for the community members of Parkdale.  The event hosted a diverse group of community members – youth, BIA board members and staff, community garden workers, residents, and a politician.

The icebreaker activity began the discussion of “What is Design Thinking and Playful Curiosity?” Participants learned that they already know about design thinking and playful curiosity. Design thinking is a process that is engrained in each of us; we all have our individual methods. Playful curiosity is the opportunity to remember that there are unlimited potentials and that true discovery happens when we don’t put any boundaries on our imagination. The participants demonstrated design thinking and playful curiosity by eating Oreo cookies and sharing their processes with each other. It was entertaining to watch all the different cookie eating techniques, one bite stuffers, multi-bite nibblers or split & lickers.

I asked the group to think about “What is a garden?” and to create a collage of images and words to show the collective expression of feelings and all the potential a garden has.  I was especially impressed with the youth’s mango and banana trees that they wanted in the gardens.  It was inspiring to see all the great ideas and the fun continued. Then we moved to 3D garden creations. The youth kept their fruit theme up with very realistic replica playdoh banana, strawberry and tomato. The others talked about big sunflowers, keeping the existing trees and  putting benches back into Parkdale among other great ideas.

Finally, we did an Action Mind Map which allowed everyone to talk about what the garden needs to survive and thrive. It was very touching that everyone wanted to contribute their time and do what they can for the future of the gardens.

The charrette was a public design workshop, which was held on May 15th, 2010 at the Masaryk Cowan community center at 1pm to 4pm, 13 people attended. The 13 participants were a diverse section of the community and represented many generations, ethnicities, genders, professions, commitment to the community and multi-disciplinary perspectives.

Finally, the participants all gathered for a group discussion “What does a garden need to thrive?”  Each participant had a stack of post-it notes and they started putting their suggestions up on the way, creating a mind map of action items that needed to happen for the gardens to make it. This collective effort showed that the gardens need a healthy dose of time, energy, resources – both financial and plant materials, people, love, sunshine, volunteers, ideas, spread the word, respect, it was certainly a great start to the conversation. Then each participant made a commitment in “How do you Exhibit Change?” by taking at least one action item off the board. This is the start to the community input.

Overall, I was certainly pleased with the imagination, design thinking and playful curiosity and the hot pink pipe cleaners were an added bonus.

Camp Magic

I am a city girl through and through, a statement I am reminded of when we took a walk down memory lane around my brother’s summer camp. As I carefully find my footing as we walk from rock to rock, I watch my brother move swiftly as if he were there yesterday as he points out all his favourite spots. From age 11-16, my brother went away every summer for 1 month to an all boys away camp. From my point of view, he would disappear and I assumed he would spend his time staying up late, not showering and doing “boy” things. Little did I know that his time there would prove to be much more valuable than even he knew.

As we walk from cabin to cabin, he tells us stories of different activities and campers; I become curious about what hidden learning occurred while he was at camp. I slowly start asking about different lessons learned and he says it is hard to put it into words. He takes us on a journey through his memories, he hunts for a bunk that he scribed his name in BIG letters, the anticipation and nostalgia was palpable, as he does so I begin to observe a few key learnings;

  • time to grow – away from parental supervision, imagination takes over
  • value for tradition
  • appreciation of nature
  • opportunity to ignite passion –  skill development for massive fire building
  • a place to overcome fears – obstacle course in the trees particularly
  • peers to experiment with – “The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.” – Ellen Parr
  • learning to trust yourself
  • work as a team

He describes it as magic… a lot must have happened over those summers, because the excitement and emotions I witnessed was a pleasure.

Ripple Effect

Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter is hosting Ripple Effect, a 4 month Civic Leadership Training Program for Chinese Youth. “CCNC Toronto Chapter is an organization of Chinese Canadians in the City of Toronto that promotes equity, social justice, inclusive civic participation, and respect for diversity.”

I am lucky to be a member of the 2010 Ripple Effect youth group. It is an opportunity for me to connect with my Chinese heritage, learn about civic issues that are facing the Chinese community and come together with Chinese Youth (who god bless them, call me wise!!)

Over the first 2 day introduction weekend I walked away feeling motivated!!!

Motivated to learn more about Chinese Canadian history, to get involved, to connect with the culture, and most importantly to start planning that Asia getaway that I have been thinking about going on. Admittedly, I grew up and thought of being Chinese only when I missed out on sleepovers because of Saturday morning Chinese School or when my friends would ask “is Chinatown in China??” I didn’t really think about it when we celebrated Lunar New Year or when I would listen to my parents talk in Cantonese. More recently, I wish that I hadn’t thought about being Chinese so lightly, it is a part of me and I am now eager to soak in as much as I can.

I also came up with a few questions that I am curious to answer over the 4 month time period:

1. What does it mean to me to be Chinese AND Canadian?

2. How can we celebrate our traditions and move them into the future?

3. How to share multi-culture heritage with all Canadians?

World Creativity and Innovation Week April 15-21 2009

This year I attended the 9th annual signature World Creativity and Innovation Week event in Toronto, called “Admit it. You’re Creative!” World Creativity and Innovation Week falls on the anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s Birthday – April 15 every year. My curiosity sparked from the time I heard the words creativity and innovation and upon further investigation I read the intentions of the week.

“Imagine the world united through it’s creativity. Where everyone takes a moment, a day, or the week to generate new ideas to create a brighter future wherever they are.” – a mission dear to my heart.

I went to 2 workshops, one about how Walt Disney thinks and the other on writing the Hero’s story.

Walt Disney used a very specific process when he worked, he had 3 stages of development with 3 different spaces for the activities. Disney animators would never know which Walt was coming to a meeting, the dreamer, the realist or the critic. Each Walt played a very important role in the process of developing a Disney production.

1. The Dreamer – The dreamer wished, imagined and created glorious scenarios and the animators were always excited by him.

2. The Realist – The realist animated each character with voices, personality traits and allowing the animators to get in his head and share his vision.

3. The Critic – The critic would come and seemingly ruin all the fun. He would dissect the pieces until he was happy, this was not fun for the animators.

I certainly value the ability to transform your mind and I would love to be able to have 3 different workspaces to take advantages of spatial triggers.

Secondly, I went to a storytelling workshop focusing on the Hero’s story template. This template is used throughout history in mythology and in Hollywood movies – most famously “Star Wars”. The plot is developed around a Hero’s journey, from original life, to facing challenges, finding a mentor and coming to new perspectives. It is not the first time I had heard of the Hero’s storytelling process, but it was a good exercise in looking closer at changes made before and after projects.

Overall, I wish everyone would embrace creativity and innovation for more than just a week a year.

YSEC Spotlight

Young Social Entrepreneurs of Canada is a nonprofit, support youth organizers and youth-led groups in creating social enterprises.  They are a group of charismatic and energetic individuals who are making it easier to understand how to have a social missions as well as have business.

I was featured in their April Newsletter, which I thought would be a good idea to share:

1. What are you working on and why does it matter?

I am the founder of Exhibit Change. Exhibit Change is a social enterprise, encouraging impact through design thinking and playful curiosity. Exhibit Change designs programming to understand landscapes and culture by partnering with community organizations in design driven strategies and creative thinking facilitation. Exhibit Change is a catalyst for stronger communities, healthier neighbourhoods and empowered people. Through this work, all community members will learn the process of design thinking and playful curiosity to see how their actions make an impact on their community and ultimately on themselves.

2. What motivates you?

Motivation is part of our physical make-up; it is what makes us hungry – biologically and mentally. I am motivated by the sheer thrill of seeing people learn and discover new experiences. I love to watch people uncover autonomy to propel themselves forward. I get excited when someone tells me a story full of passion and engagement. I am motivated by people who want to learn.

3. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned recently?

The biggest lesson I have learned is a lesson of perseverance. I am known for helping people to reach for their dreams, experience the moments and love what they do. And I have finally come to a place where I think I can do all those things through Exhibit Change, but I notice myself second guessing and making my own barriers. I have to get out of my own way!

4. If you could organize a dinner with five dinner guests, dead or alive, who would you invite and why?

After much thought I would invite, Daniel Pink, Maria Montessori, Sir Ken Robinson, Ole Kirk Christiansen, Bill Strickland. Each of these people have inspired me and I would love to bombard them with questions and for them to challenge each other in their own way. Daniel Pink promotes an emergence of the whole mind, Maria Montessori based learning on research and experience, Sir Ken Robinson talks of creativity in schools, Ole Kirk Christiansen and his son invented Lego, which is formed from the Danish words “LEgGOdt” (“play well”) and Bill Strickland inspires through creativity and genuine amazing spaces. I would cook lasagna and garlic bread and of course dessert. I would ask them all “How do you Exhibit Change?”

5. What the best resource out there that people don’t know about?

The best resource that people don’t know about or maybe they do; is community centers. Community Centers are local gems. I grew up spending Saturday afternoons swimming with my brother, going skating with my friends, trying to play tennis in the summers and more recently playing pick-up volleyball every week. It is a place to step away from your day, to focus on being part of a community and to chat about nothing if you want.