What is the ‘tipping point’ for community building?

By Mary Littlejohn

I am always struck by the sound of London re-awakening as summer changes to autumn. The hum of traffic increases, cheering noises come in faint bursts from Western signaling the start of Frosh Week, and the gleeful sounds of people of all ages making the best of their holidays at the Western Fair can be heard. There is a real sense that we are all together in the community, poised for another year, ready for what comes next.

This year London is facing a unique set of challenges: a record high unemployment rate of 9.1 per cent, gas prices that make many people rethink their mileage, and a sense that we only just averted disaster in the wake of the US debt crisis. We now feel the impact of these things on our community, and if we listen closely we might notice another sound this fall. If that noise could be personified it would be the sound of creaking, the sound of shifting gears.

His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, the 28th Governor General Canada, and Mary Littlejohn of London Community Foundation at CFC 2011 Conference.

How can we safeguard our city from slowing down in response to these local and global events? The solution lies in building a strong community; becoming a city of community builders. The use of the relatively new term ‘community builders’ is increasingly in vogue in the media, yet still eludes concrete definition. Part of the problem may be that community builders come in all shapes and forms and, at times, can be difficult to recognize. They might not always be found in traditional roles, participating on boards or committees. Nevertheless, they are adding value to their communities.

We might consider the recent comments of His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, the 28th Governor General of Canada. At the Community Foundations of Canada 2011 Conference, he used the example of the Mennonite practice of coming together to assemble and raise a barn. It served to remind everyone of the very real ways we can have a positive impact on our fellow citizens’ lives, particularly in times of need.

What then is the tipping point for the community? Community builders are everywhere, and Malcolm Gladwell’s book The Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference provides us with an excellent framework for understanding their role in the community.

Three different parties, characterised by three signature styles, are required to tip the concept of community building “into exponential success”—connectors, mavens and salespeople. Connectors are individuals who have many friends. They function just as their name suggests; they are able to span many worlds. We all know the type; they have hundreds of friends on Facebook and they naturally bring people together. Mavens—information specialists—are irresistible forces for novelty. Their affinity for, and love of new ideas keeps them at the forefront of societal change. They are cultural barometers and we watch them to see what is coming. The salespeople build consensus. They integrate the work of the connectors and the mavens into the broader community. Together they all work to create the synergy of social development and build better communities—these are the `barn-raisers’ of our community.

What kind of community builder are you? I would appreciate your comments and insights.

Mary Littlejohn is Manager of Family Philanthropy at London Community Foundation

RAPP lends meaning to words for newcomers, and their children, in London

The Reading and Parents Program (RAPP) is helping words make sense to newcomers, and their children, in London, Ont.

LUSO Community Services founded RAPP in April 2008 to meet an obvious need. Indeed, 14 per cent of the City of London’s population were classified as visible minorities in 2006, with 10 per cent of Thames Valley students identifying their first language as something other than English or French, according to London’s Vital Signs.

RAPP is a practical family literacy program that provides parents, caregivers and their children with reading resources to use in their homes. It has received funding from the London Community Foundation, the City of London and Lambeth London Rotary Club.

Each RAPP pack consists of five elements: a quality children’s book, reading and language hints, poems and finger plays, a craft, and age-appropriate activity sheets, all of which reflect the theme of the story book.

Literacy staff meet with parents individually to demonstrate the pack and its use as a tool to encourage emergent literacy in children. Packs can be tailored to individual families to include books for younger and/or older siblings and/or books on topics pertinent and relevant to each family’s unique situation. Participants borrow and exchange the packs bi-weekly. Several of the kits are dual-language books, containing translated materials in a variety of languages, including Spanish, Vietnamese and Arabic.

“We loved the kits – we can find a story in our language (Arabic),” one excited mother told RAPP representatives. “My children loved the book and craft – me, too! I loved it. It helped me learn English.”

The program received a $6,050 Community Fund Grant from London Community Foundation, which is committed to welcoming immigrants and supporting them in the community.

“The Reading and Parent Program encourages literacy skill development through key parent-child interaction and bonding – skills that will be carried throughout childhood, adulthood and life,” says Elisabete Rodrigues, LUSO Community Services Executive Director.

“It’s a benefit to individuals, families, and the community as a whole.”

LUSO Community Services is a non-profit, charitable organization dedicated to promoting inclusiveness, well being and the prosperity of the London community. Founded in 1979, it provides a range of programs and services to help newcomers and immigrants of various cultural and ethnic backgrounds, as well as other disadvantaged populations.

London Community Foundation plants seeds for Clean Air Challenge

With much enthusiasm, London Community Foundation has launched the Clean Air Challenge, a competitive environmental grant program designed to help both aspiring and established environmentalists bring innovative green ideas, products and services to London and Middlesex County.

Up to $100,000 in seed money is available. The money comes from London Community Foundation’s Community Fund.

Focusing on environmental health is nothing new for us. Several years ago, environmental health was designated as one of our strategic granting areas. This decision was only reinforced by London’s 2008 Vital Signs® Report. This report underscored how crucial it is to invest in green technologies, products and services to improve air quality within our community.

Specifically we are seeking to fund ideas that will improve air quality in our community by addressing one or more of the following objectives:

·    Reducing emissions
·    Reducing greenhouse gases
·    Reducing particulate
·    Reducing waste
·    Improving water or energy efficiency
·    Engaging London’s residents, businesses or communities in pro-environmental behaviour change

The Clean Air Challenge is loosely based on Toronto Community Foundation’s very successful Green Innovation Awards.

It features a two-stage application process. During the first stage, applicants simply submit (by email – no paper!) an executive summary (500 word) of the idea by the June 15th deadline. A panel of community-minded environmental advocates, fundholders, and business specialists will review all entries and recommend the applications that merit further review.

During the second stage, the selected applicants will be invited to submit a more developed proposal of their idea and then present their case to the Clean Air Challenge selection panel – think Dragon’s Den, minus the television cameras and fiery attitudes!

The appetite for this kind of competition in London is big. Already the Challenge has been met with much excitement from local media and environmentalists. Londoners pride themselves on being entrepreneurial, educated, and open to new things. They care about the future and our environment.

The power for positive change is in the hands of each of us.

Martha Powell is CEO of London Community Foundation