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Title: Bandwidth for Belonging
Location:
Categories: Technology
Health
Green Spaces
Global Citizenship
Status:
In Planning
Timeline:
Ongoing
Description:
Check Your Head will work with The Belonging Initiative and TakingITGlobal to design a participative action learning process whereby young people with a broad range of abilities and disabilities are brought together to explore the task of ending isolation and loneliness. In 2007, this project will go to Richmond, BC; Regina, Sask: St, John’s, NL; Montreal, Que; and, St. Catherine’s, Ont.
Background:
"To me inclusion is belonging...being with everyone else, and feeling a part of what they're doing. It is acceptance, and knowing that you 'fit in'... You're no different than any of the others. You feel safe, secure, strong there. You can be yourself."
– Brandy, 15 years old (from report prepared by Catherine Frazee for the Laidlaw Foundation entitled Thumbs Up! Inclusion, Rights, and Equality as Experienced by Youth with Disabilities.)
The need to belong is universal. Unfortunately it is especially elusive for young people with disabilities. The Belonging Initiative is an exciting new social innovation in Canada. For the first time, organizations from across the disability sector are collaborating for the sake of all. The Belonging Initiative collaborators recognize that to change attitudes, policy and culture we must be strategic. It is our collective history, our collective wealth and our solidarity that we seek to leverage. It is together that we propose to work toward the end of isolation and loneliness.
We recognize that young people with disabilities are much needed assets in this work. We recognize that young people with disabilities are going to be among the leaders to design, create and foster a new version of Canada – a version that nurtures everyone’s sense of belonging.
The Belonging Initiative believes that solutions employed to end the isolation facing people with disabilities will ripple outwards and improve the situation of other isolated people. The experience and knowledge accumulated in ending isolation and loneliness for persons with disabilities will be directly applicable to other groups that are isolated as well, including the vulnerable elderly, youth at risk, refugees and new immigrants.
Thus, the Belonging Initiative is proposing to develop, and later foster, language, attitudes and policy focused on a sense of belonging. In order for this design process to be true to itself it must be informed by a broad range of people with disabilities. Many adults are already working on this larger design process. However, given the complexity and pervasiveness of isolation and loneliness faced by young people with disabilities it is critical we find ways to include their perspectives and experiences as we create our long term strategy.
Objectives:
• Include in the Belonging Initiative, youth organizations that are not, thus far, focused on disability – Check Your Head and TakingITGlobal.
• Engage 50 young people with a broad cross-section of abilities and disabilities in a participative action learning process.
• Create and support a web based presence that will facilitate the engagement of young people in their communities.
• Add talent, resources, energy of young people to Belonging Initiative and inform and influence its strategy.
• Strengthen and deepen the work of Independent Living Resource Centres, Check Your Head and TakingITGlobal through their involvement in the Belonging Initiative collaboration, and vice versa.
• Develop further the learning and communications network of the Belonging Initiative.
• Lay the groundwork for continued, longer-term strategy of youth engagement in issues affecting people with disabilities.
• Produce Solutions Identified by Youth: a white paper on ending isolation and loneliness.
Milestones:
• Early March – we’ll be working with a small group of youth to design effective workshop sessions.
• March 31st, we’ll conduct the first session in Richmond, BC.
• April 2nd, we’ll be gathering to reflect on the Richmond session.
• April 13th, we’ll head to Regina and conduct a session on the Saturday or Sunday.
• April 16th we’ll gather again to reflect and plan ahead.
• April 19th, we will be doing a session as part of the CCEDNet National Conference in St. John’s, Nfld.
• April 20th, we’ll be contributing another element in the Youth Forum hosted by FINALY in St. John’s, Nfld.
• April 26th, we’ll gather again to reflect, stand still for a moment and then begin planning for the last two sessions.
• June 2nd, we’ll be in Montreal to do a session at the YMCA.
• June 3rd, we’ll be in St. Catherine’s to do the last session or this tour.
• June 7th will be a final chance to gather and reflect before beginning our data analysis and website development processes.
Needs:
more participants;
recording equipment
creative innovations to address isolation and loneliness.
Contact Name: Brian Smith
Contact Email Address: bsmith@plan.ca
Contact Phone Number: 604-928-8931
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