Week 1.
Community
In the first week the participants were asked to reflect on the concept of community. [more text here]
Questions posed to the participants included:
What does community / communities mean to you?
What is your community / are your communities?
What does community inclusion look like? What does community inclusion feel like? What emotions do you experience?
What does community health look like? What does community health feel like?
What does community well-being look like? What does community well-being feel like?
Community Gardening
By Romana
I was passing by the apple sitting on top of the sign “Here is where I want to be,” and I thought this was fantastic, because it was exactly what I wanted to say. My husband made the pergola and our gardening committee planted grapes. All the fruit and vegetable in our garden are the result of their labour.
For me this means the sense of community where everybody can participate.
Birds and the Bees
By Janice
One aspect of community is about service and how we make a difference that enhances quality of life. I believe our participation as a community in a community is important, not only for ourselves, but in addition, for what we can offer to the greater area.
I see Creekview as being a healthy contributor in being a part of the neighbourhood, serving the greater good of Vancouver. We are being of service not only by providing affordable housing to residents who live and work in Vancouver but also by holding a space for a public daycare since 1985, servicing families from all over Vancouver. We have always leaned towards sustainability and working with our environment; we began our recycling program back in the early 90’s. Special gardens have been created for bees and butterflies to help them thrive, and our immediate outdoor spaces integrate nature, including picnic and play areas.
We are very lucky that we participate in our building and make it work. We all get to know each other and get the feeling of being part of a collective. I think that communities like ours contribute in a positive way to the positive vibe of Vancouver, one of the many reasons I feel grateful for living at Creekview. It is communities such as ours that come together to make a city feel enjoyable and safe to be in.
Stand Tall
By Angie
There is a connection between my two photographs. In the first photograph one can see my current suite, and in this second photograph, above this huge hydrangea, shows my previous suite from 1995 – 2019.
It took me a very long time to find this pee gee hydrangea. Over the years, with hard work and care it has grown ten feet tall with stunning blooms all summer long. As a community at Creekview we must work hard together, organize and unite.
My hope and belief is for our home to remain strong, stable, and stand tall for years to come, just like the pee gee hydrangea.
A View From the Top
By Angie
This photograph signifies my community to me, my home.
This has been my home for the last twenty-eight years; a place where I feel safe, secure, and have a sense of belonging.
This photograph of my home reminds me of a lot of memories. The good, the bad, the happy, as well as the sad!
This place gives me a sense of great accomplishment. This is where I raised my daughter, who is now thirty, and I think I did very well. She is doing very well. She had all of the privileges of living in the Granville Island neighbourhood.
Being a member of the Creekview community does not only strengthen my sense of belongingness but has moulded me into a better and more mature individual to take on the different uncertainties of life!
Wood Chair Circle
By Carlina
Our seating area reminds me of the community we have built and that we are so grateful to live in.
Being able to connect and reminisce with families and friends in this space, enjoying summer gatherings and long conversations, all of these bring me feelings of happiness.
“Garden”
By Danuta
Many different vegetables and many different fruits grow in this garden.
We are different in this community, we have different looks, languages, and cultures, but we grow together, much like our garden.
Field Gathering
By Carlina Simmons
I have many amazing summer memories of being on this courtyard field with my son, friends, and family.
Pool days with the beaming heat.
Bunnies hopping around.
Kicking the soccer ball.
And, of course, indulging in the wonderful veggies and fruit.
Summer fun, water fights, laughter. Brings me feelings of cheerfulness!
“Together”
By Danuta Frydrych
Community building and growth can start with just one shared conversation.
Starting new life in a new country brings many uncertainties, but being among friendly people is very important for me and my family. I can feel at home here with this community.
The chairs represent “us.” Every day different people from our building, from our community, sit in those chairs. The yellow chair, the one different coloured chair amongst the rest, conveys that someone can be different, come from a different country, and yet still be very welcome to the community. I come from a different country and I want to be accepted into the community, and this community has accepted me for many years. This makes me feel safe and comfortable.
In Europe I also lived in communities, but this community is a special community because it is like paradise what we have created with our space of living. I never had that where I grew up. Here, beauty surrounds us. It is gorgeous.
“Polaroid Rabbit”
By Suvarna Mollerup
I love shooting with analog mediums and took my Polaroid out to shoot some photographs, but the bunnies kept distracting me!
I like that there are bunnies, and I like that there are turtles, and I like that there are coyotes, and I like that there are geese. I was born in a really small town and living in the big city is really difficult. This community has been so good for me that way because I feel connection to nature. It is so nice to be able to walk out my back door and there are bunnies, goslings, turtles, seals, herons, and even coyotes. The list goes on and on.
I feel a lot of gratitude and comfort for being able to walk out the back door and experience nature and see wildlife in the middle of the city.
False Creek: a family friendly community
By Danielle Dagenais
From our balcony, we can see all of False Creek.
False Creek is my community. This is where my family and I live, work, and play. We have spent many hours in the False Creek neighbourhood walking, biking, sailing, and riding the False Creek ferries. Being a single income family living in Vancouver, the co-op has made this possible for us, for which we are very grateful.
False Creek is our community; our playground. This area offers so much diversity of things to do – playgrounds, walking areas, bike paths, concerts, events, get-togethers, and fun times! We feel safe in our neighbourhood and love to show it off. When we have visitors one of the first things we do is tour them around our community, and that usually involves going all of the way to Science World along the seawall.
Looking at this view reminds us how lucky we are to live in a great neighbourhood. We are proud and happy to live in a community that offers so much. There are so many great memories and more to come!
Kids Market
By Jan-Erik Mollerup
I’ve lived in the same place since before I was born, and when I was little the Kids’ Market was the most important spot in the world. I can think back to all sorts of memorable childhood experiences I’ve had there. I would be walking by and peer into the windows of the toy stores from outside, desperate to see if there were any new Lego sets that day. Those halcyon days where I’d see a new set of Bionicles were the most satisfying thing imaginable - they’d often be the highlight of my entire week.
There was also the arcade, and I kept diligent track of pretty much everything that was going on there. Whenever the arcade would add new machines, I’d be there with a pocket full of quarters and a few free Saturday hours to test them out.
The Kids Market has always been this place that I can look back at very, very fondly, and it makes me appreciate how stable my childhood was. This photograph commemorates one of the nicest parts of my early life, and one that was greatly improved by living so close by.
Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Wellbeing
By Janice Clenents
I feel uplifted to live in a fabulous area in the heart of the city, with proximity to the beaches that I love to cycle to, swim in, and walk around. Ease of access to partaking in these outdoor activities leaves me feeling nurtured, physically, mentally, and spiritually. How fortunate we are to have all these natural amenities in close proximity to our home.
This image is a wonderful example of how diversity and integration of different ages, groups, and types of activities come together and share this beautiful moment harmoniously in a variety of ways.
There is a lot involved in feeling comfortable in a community. Even with all the multitude of activities going on in this photograph it still emanates a feeling of safety and belonging. It is these places of inclusivity that make our neighbourhood and the city of Vancouver a desirable place to live.
Market Square
By Jan-Erik Mollerup
I go to the market for food at least once a week, probably more if you account for donuts. It’s a place that I’ve always associated with a feeling of reassurance and tranquility. Given how crowded it is that’s probably not the impression it gives to most, but to me it feels kind of like a second home. It’s this place where through my life, I’ve been able to go and be greeted by a pretty similar set of experiences. There are people there who’ve been working there since I was a kid, and I really appreciate the feeling of being recognized when they know what I want to order. It makes me feel welcome, even though I don’t know most of them personally. It also helps remind me that I have lived here long enough to grow strong roots.
What inspired me to take this photo is gratitude. Gratitude that I live somewhere so perfect. That I’m able to get to any part of Vancouver within a little while using public transit without worrying about driving. And, of course, it’s really something to be a 5-minute walk from Granville Market, all its hustle and bustle and all its delicious food. You bet I’m grateful for that.
People come from all over the world to see this place, and I’m lucky enough to have it in my backyard.
“Bus Stop”
By Suvarna Mollerup
Transportation is a big part of community and the bus stop is often a kind of social gathering place.
On this particular day, we had gone our separate ways, and then I realized my son was sitting across the street from me at the bus stop. It made me think about how nice it is when you are sitting at the bus stop, or getting on or off of the bus, and suddenly you realize there is your neighbour. One of the things I love about being in this community is that when you are out and about you run into people that you know.
Our Neighbourhood
By Romana Zeman
I walk every day. When I started to walk at night after work, I noticed things I did not notice before.
The most interesting for me is the top image, taken by the Sandbar Restaurant. The sign says “No matter where you are from, we are glad you are our neighbour.” I really love the message and think it should be almost everywhere. For me, it is the base for any community.
Moving Mary
By Paivi Koskinen
My friend Mary, a senior, has faced so much adversity lately that she decided not to answer her phone, open letters, or read email any longer, to stop the stream of bad news.
Last week I was helping her move. While hauling furniture and opening boxes, I looked around at the group of people whirling around me. We did not know each other, we came from different circumstances, but we all created a network of support with Mary at its center. We created a community and the goal of this community was to support Mary at this extremely difficult time. I thought how incredibly lucky Mary is, even within all the calamity in her life. How do we build such links of care for all vulnerable members of our communities?
Many people in Vancouver have hard times, and they don’t have such a supportive wall around them. I realized that in a housing co-op we do.
“Community Mural”
By Jan Zeman
Not only people, but artists also express their love for community.
Since the Mural Festival started in Vancouver neighbourhoods we can see more and more beautiful murals, even in our neighbourhood. It “spices up” the look of old buildings.
I prefer coloured walls in contrast to gray ones. Colour makes people happier and catches the eye. Once this neighbourhood is redeveloped you will not see the colour anymore.
“Fringe Festival”
By Jan Zeman
Vancouver’s Fringe Festival has been held on Granville Island for many years. It creates a specific community of people who love this unusual event.
I like it when something cultural is happening in my neighbourhood. I always like theatre performances, especially when they are affordable in contrast to the big venues in Vancouver.
How’s Your Kitchen Doing?
By Pavi Koskinen
I have had many addresses in my life, moving streets, cities, countries, continents, mostly by choice, at times not. Somewhere along the way the exhilaration of an ongoing adventure changed to a feeling of rootlessness and isolation. When there were challenges, my small family faced them alone. We did not have a community. Eventually we moved to the co-op, built friendships, and now I realize that, while I’m still not certain whether I’m entirely “from Vancouver,” I am most definitively “from the Creekview Co-op.” This is my home.
Recently my family had the second leaky pipe incident in six months, which created chaos in our daily lives. Both times the water running outside of its intended channel was discovered very late in the evening. Yet by the next morning, neighbours were caringly inviting details and offering help. Weeks after, I still get asked whether everything has been resolved. We had turmoil and crisis in our home, and there was a community that supported us. In the midst of an urban metropolis, I feel seen, known, buoyed. This is somewhere I belong.
Pay-it-Forward
By Danielle Dagenais
To me a sense of community is helping one another.
When we first moved into the co-op, we were here only a week when we found a bag full of clothes at our door. It was clothes from another member’s son, and it was a wonderful welcoming act. This co-op has many acts of pay-it-forward. Families with kids are often helping each other out. Kid items have so much wear left; it’s great they can be recycled for new use. A favourite, well-loved item may find a place in another child’s heart.
At the end of summer, as we cleaned out our closets in preparation for the new school year. We came across these snow boots which are now too small for our son and knew exactly what to do with them. Over the years, we have connected with another family in the co-op whose son is two years younger. We pass our hand-me-downs to their son, as well as other items such as new snacks that are not to the liking of our children. It’s a warm feeling to bring smiles to our neighbours.
My family is happy to help others and pay-it-forward. We were very grateful and appreciate the “gifts” left by others over the years. It brings us joy to be able to do the same for others. We feel that the act of helping, sharing, and the generosity we see at the co-op builds a stronger community.