All Posts By “Kiri Bird”

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LEDlab Field Book: A Look Under the Hood of our Structure

July 11, 2017 / no comments

LEDlab Field Book: A Look Under the Hood of our Structure

We are pleased to announce the publication of the LEDlab Field Book!

This field book looks at the Local Economic Development Lab partnership and funding model, and discusses organizational structure and accountability, budget, and our evaluation framework.

The field book was born from the regular incoming requests for information we receive about our program model. It is intended for universities, municipalities, non-profits and community development organizations that wish to replicate the LEDlab model, which is at its core a university-community partnership that leverages a large Mitacs research grant for social change.

However, this field book is not a step-by-step guide or a recipe for how to apply the model. We recognize that every lab is as unique as the problem it tries to solve and the environment it is embedded in.

The LEDlab Field Book is a work in progress as we continue to refine and iterate the model. We invite feedback on its content and design on an ongoing basis. Please send suggestions to info@ledlab.ca. Our hope is that by sharing this field book, the program model may have application beyond the specific geography of Vancouver’s inner city.

Take a look for yourself and let us know your thoughts!

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Welcome, Steven!

April 17, 2017 / no comments

New Interim Director for CEDSAC Hired!

We are pleased to welcome Steven Johnston as the new Interim Director for CEDSAC! Steven comes to the role with plenty of relative experience in developing community led programs, creating long-term partnerships, and understanding the concepts and complexities of community economic development work.

Before coming to Vancouver, Steven had worked in Toronto with Dixon Hall, an integrated social services provider for at risk residents of Regent Park and surrounding neighbourhoods, as the Senior Director of Development. Steven successfully developed and implemented an annual fundraising plan and played a key role in supporting the growth of the organization by merging with Mid-Toronto Community Services, which significantly increased both the operating budget and staff resources.

While in Toronto, Steven also took on a leadership role organizing the Waterfront Toronto Employment Initiative, an organization dedicated to creating employment opportunities for low-income residents.

Most recently, Steven has worked as the Executive Director for Tradeworks Training Society in the Downtown Eastside. From this experience he has come to understand and know the community of the Downtown Eastside and the complexities of the neighbourhood. He had successfully developed partnerships with other nonprofits and community organizations such as the Bloom Group and the Women’s Health Collective in order to enhance the support services that Tradeworks could make available to their program participants.

Steven has also been a committee member with CEDSAC since the committee was first organized in February 2016, and has a strong understanding of the values the committee holds and helped to develop the strategies that the committee has put forward and is now implementing.

Steven is excited to be joining CEDSAC as the Interim Director and believes that it allows him the opportunity to further the growth of a community led organization that can positively impact the Downtown Eastside.

A Q&A with Steven:

What drew you to the role of Interim Director at CEDSAC?

I’ve always been interested in developing partnerships, collaborating with others and engaging all stakeholders to create stronger and more inclusive communities. I believe this spirit of cooperation and commitment to community economic development is what drives CEDSAC. It’s exciting for me to be part of this nascent movement that’s dedicated to working more effectively and in unison to create positive change in the DTES.

What are your top goals for CEDSAC for your initial 9-month contract?

I have three key priorities that will guide my work over the next nine months; creating an organizational and governance model for CEDSAC, securing core funding to ensure the organization is sustainable through 2018 and beyond, and monitoring and supporting the current projects CEDSAC has initiated. Of course, underpinning all my work is a commitment to work closely with the local community to better understand and capture what type of an organization they think CEDSAC should be and what CEDSAC should focus on.

How will you ensure that CEDSAC remains inclusive of local low-income residents in its governance structure?

I think it’s essential to be inclusive of all residents as CEDSAC develops its governance structure. The organization will actively look to develop the leadership capacity of low-income residents by identifying opportunities for residents to actively engage in CEDSAC’s work and fill positions on the interim executive committee and working groups. As the structure of CEDSAC develops moving forward, primacy will be given to identifying and creating opportunities for low-income residents to fill governance positions that will guide CEDSAC’s work and ensure their voices are heard and respected.

Also over the next nine months I’ll be engaging extensively with residents to help me determine what type of organization CEDSAC should become, where it’s focus should be, and most importantly, what the values will be that become the organizations cornerstone.

What are the areas of greatest opportunity for CEDSAC?

CEDSAC has the opportunity to be a driver of positive change in the DTES. Harnessing the collective power of over 30 organizations, resident groups and other stakeholders, CEDSAC can help shape and drive policy that collectively builds a more vibrant and inclusive local economy.

Specifically, CEDSAC is working to identify ways that community benefit agreements can be structured to identify employment and procurement opportunities for local residents and social enterprises. In addition, CEDSAC working groups are focused on issues of retail gentrification and social inclusion, identifying and supporting the needs of low-income entrepreneurs, and developing organizational capacity and collaboration.

Harnessing the power of collective impact means CEDSAC can create meaningful change in all these areas.

What challenges is CEDSAC up against? What are the risks that you can see?

The initial primary challenge CEDSAC faces is securing core funding to ensure its long-term sustainability. CEDSAC appreciates the support the City of Vancouver has provided and will look to leverage the City’s commitment with potential funders to secure its future. Other challenges include ensuring the organization continues to have a voice as policy is created and implemented and that the needs and wishes of low-income residents are respected and prioritized as the DTES continues to develop.

Tell us one thing about yourself, that isn’t immediately obvious!

I’m an avid cyclist in the summer and skier in the winter. I love the mountains and all the outdoor opportunities this province presents!

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Oxford Global Challenge

March 28, 2017 / no comments

Anna and Kim Shine at Oxford Global Challenge

Anna Migicovsky MBA is Special Projects Manager and COO of Knack, which puts local skills to work for impact-drive companies. Anna was a LEDlab Project Coordinator in 2015.

Kim Mackenzie has recently completed her Masters of Public Policy at Simon Fraser University and has a background in Psychology and Critical Criminology. Kim was a Research Assistant with LEDlab and Potluck Cafe Society in 2016, looking at income assistance policy and its impacts on social hiring in the DTES.  

The Oxford Global Challenge is a unique competition focused on understanding social problems before trying to solve them.

On February 17, 2017, Anna Migicovsky and Kim MacKenzie won second prize in the SFU Challenge for their work on identifying gaps and opportunities in addressing employment, income generation and income assistance in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside

See their Visual Map and Report on the RADIUS SFU blog.

Potluck Cafe and LEDlab worked with Kim MacKenzie on a public policy research initiative in the summer of 2016, which resulted in an Infographic for employers who are hiring individuals on income assistance (excerpt below).

Infgraphic Clipping

Be sure to sign-up to LEDlab’s Newsletter to stay updated on all our activities!

Lease Signed on New Income Generation Hub in DTES!

March 15, 2017 / no comments

Lease Signed on New Income Generation Hub in DTES!

In late February EMBERS was confirmed as the successful new tenant of a City-owned commercial property at 57 East Hastings St. referred to by many in the neighbourhood as “The Lux” space. The Lux property was identified by the City of Vancouver last fall as a site that could be used for a collaborative Income Generating Hub, and was put to an open Request for Proposals process.

Urban Core, a network of more than 40 agencies and non-profit social enterprises, worked with EMBERS to craft the vision for the Income Generating Hub, and joined EMBERS as formal Co-Applicants on the RFP. In fact, Urban Core’s Resource Hub Committee had been working on an Income Generating Hub idea through a volunteer network for more than nine months. The early idea for the Hub came in part from the research study that the Local Economic Development Lab undertook with Urban Core in 2015. A rationale for the Hub was outlined in a Briefing Note from Urban Core to City staff in early 2016.  In October, the Local Economic Development Lab convened a design workshop with Urban Core members to identify what micro-enterprise and employment services might be offered at the Hub.

Moving forward, Urban Core will form an Advisory Committee to support EMBERS in operationalizing the project. Johanna Li, Director of EMBERS Ventures, worked with Urban Core members and potential partners of the Hub during the RFP phase, and will be leading the work of operationalizing the project moving forward.

Below is a short interview with Johanna about the vision for the Hub.

  1. What is the innovation happening at the Income Generation Hub?

The vision for EMBERS and Urban Core for the Low-Barrier Income Generation Hub is to create a safe and welcoming space that fills the current gap around employment in the DTES. This Hub will meet people where they are at but will also provide individuals an opportunity to move along the employment continuum should they choose to. Our approach is innovative in its use of multiple partners working in true collaboration using existing programs and expertise to meet the needs of the community while always taking a business approach to these complex problems. EMBERS sees our role in this as curators and connectors. We will harness the vast amount of knowledge and expertise in the community towards meeting our collective goals.

  1. What is EMBERS’ role specifically?

As the main operator of the Hub EMBERS’ key roles will be to curate the programming by working with the many partner organizations, finding further funding for program, overseeing onsite staff, creating suitable employment opportunities in the community by working with local businesses, BIAs and community organizations and generally overseeing the daily operations of the Hub.

  1. How will this new initiative improve the incomes and lives of DTES residents?

As mentioned there is currently a gap in employment services in the DTES. Many individuals are willing and able to work but not in the typical, mainstream full-time model. The Hub will create opportunities for individuals to earn much needed dollars in ways that suit their current situations. This may mean finding work for someone for 2 hours a week or helping them better sell a product they have created through self-employment training. Being able to earn money and to be connected to community organizations can vastly improve the lives of residents and provide the possibility for them to move along the employment continuum.

  1. Why is collaboration so important to the success of the Hub?

Collaboration is key to the success of the Hub as no one organization possesses all the skills, knowledge, expertise and resources to operate such a space all on their own. The DTES community is full of organizations that already do amazing work around creating income generating opportunities for the vulnerable. The role of the Hub will be to pull all of this together under one roof so that all the resources can work together in compliment towards their shared goals. Not only will this reduce redundancy and replication but it will use the power of collective action to ensure the success of the Hub.

  1. What are next steps?

The next steps will be to develop the specific programming with our community partners, create the physical space for the Hub and to find further funding to support all of this.

Stay tuned for updates on the new Income Generating Hub over the next few months! We will continue to post updates on the project as it evolves.

Be sure to sign-up to LEDlab’s Newsletter to stay updated on all our activities!

Welcome, Ara!

March 10, 2017 / no comments

LEDlab Project Manager Hired!

We’re pleased to welcome Ara Beittoei as the new Project Manager!

Ara is passionate about sustainability, social innovation, and empowering groups to take collactive action in addressing complex challenges. Ara’s diverse educational journey led him from studying mechanical engineering in undergrad at UBC to environmental studies and sustainability science in graduate school at Lund University, Sweden.

He has worked at the United Nations University’s International Human Dimensions Programme (UNU-IHDP) on assessing the natural resource wealth of various countries, as well as the UBC Centre for Community Engaged Learning (CCEL) where he collaborated with community partners, staff, and faculty to design and incorporate community-based experiential learning projects into curriculum. These experiences have provided him with a systemic and interdisciplinary view on complex problems.

Ara is delighted to be joining the Local Economic Development Lab team as a Project Manager and is particularly interested in how social entrepreneurship and university-community partnerships can be leveraged for community development in DTES.

A Brief Q&A with Ara

Tell us one thing about yourself, Ara, that isn’t immediately obvious!

I’m a huge soccer fan, so when I have time I’ll be catching up on scores, highlights, and analysis from different leagues and cups from Europe and North America. One of my favourite activities is playing soccer with friends and catching up over food and drinks afterwards.

What’s one lesson that you learned at UBC’s Centre for Community Engaged Learning that you think will inform your work with LEDlab?

Real world projects don’t always go according to the initial plan, which can be quite surprising and uncomfortable for students if they had specific expectations entering their working relationship. Successful experiences will depend on supporting students early on to take a curious and adaptive mindset, and to have them appreciate the iterative and sometimes messy process of arriving at a place where they can create value for their community partners.

What makes you excited about the work of LEDlab and our partners?

Building an inclusive economy in the DTES can be a difficult task given the different challenges faced by the community. But I’m quite impressed with the initiatives and progress made by the LEDlab and the many partners in a short period of time, and in particular, by the creation of new collaborations that previously many thought were not possible.

How will you navigate the challenge of being new to the Downtown Eastside community?

I recognize that I have a lot to learn from the local residents about what’s important to them, as well as the challenges and opportunities that they face. Since I’m in a completely new context, I will need to be in observation mode, be curious, and stay humble. I will also draw on the knowledge and experiences of my colleagues and partners as I’m processing my own observations and experiences.

Be sure to sign-up to LEDlab’s Newsletter to stay updated on all our activities!

Interim Director: CEDSAC is Hiring!

February 6, 2017 / no comments

CEDSAC is Hiring!

Position: Interim Director

Start Date: March 13, 2017

Contract: 9 months, full-time

Compensation: Up to $65,000, Depending on Experience

 

Main Purpose and Function

The Community Economic Development Strategic Action Committee (CEDSAC) is a network of representatives of Vancouver Downtown Eastside (DTES) resident groups, community organizations, and social enterprises that worked with the City of Vancouver from March 2016 to November 2016 to co-create a DTES Community Economic Development (CED) Strategy. The CED Strategy was adopted by City Council on November 30, 2016. Read the full report.

CEDSAC is now involved in the implementation of the CED strategy. One of the strategic actions is the development of a governance model for an entity to “enhance and support the range of CED work already going on and to fill gaps where major opportunities have been identified.” CEDSAC is tasked with developing this model. The intention is that the existing CEDSAC body will make the transition to the new model by the end of the year.

CEDSAC is seeking an experienced strategic leader who can facilitate this transition into a values-based ‘community backbone organization’ with a mission to enhance community economic development in the DTES. The Interim Director will play a crucial role in developing the structure for the new organization, including governance and funding.

In addition to this specific responsibility, the Interim Director will oversee the CEDSAC work in progress associated with the implementation of the CED Strategy, including supervision of the CEDSAC staff.

Specific Duties/Responsibilities

The Interim Director will:

  • Develop the governance, organizational and funding model for the new ‘community backbone organization,’ including:
    • Conduct research into potential governance models and organizational structures.
    • Solicit community input on the new organization.
    • Develop vision, principles, and mission statement.
    • Develop a funding structure that secures the sustainability of the organization and a 2018 operating budget.
    • Develop governance model, including membership framework.
    • Develop operating model, including staffing.
  • Organize the transition of CEDSAC into the new organization, including:
    • Plan and facilitate transition and new organization launch meeting (target: September 30th, 2017).
    • Prepare initial 18-month strategic and operational objectives.
  • Direct the work of CEDSAC currently underway, including:
    • Development of a collective impact framework for monitoring and evaluation.
    • Communications plan and website.
    • Supervision of staff (CED Coordinator).
    • Support of CEDSAC governance process.
    • Coordination of CEDSAC Working Groups and CED projects underway.

For more information including eligibility and application instructions, download the full job description. Position closes February 19th.

Be sure to sign-up to LEDlab’s Newsletter to stay updated on all our activities!

The Evolution of LEDlab

January 18, 2017 / no comments

The Evolution of LEDlab

Kiri Bird is Manager of the Local Economic Development Lab, a role she has played since 2015. Kiri was hired for an internship with what would become LEDlab by Ecotrust Canada and RADIUS SFU while completing a Master’s in Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University. 

Happy New Year and Welcome, 2017!

Much has changed since I began this journey in January of 2015. I think back to the eight themes that emerged from our early consultation work, which I conducted during my internship with Ecotrust Canada and RADIUS SFU. How many of them still hold true today? How have community needs and priorities changed? How has the lab’s ability to respond to these needs changed?

I love the New Year because it’s a time to pause for reflection and set intentions for what’s to come. Below are my thoughts and reflections on the evolution of our work as we head into the final 18 months of our program.

Where We Are Now

I can’t speak about ‘where we are now’ in January 2017 without acknowledging the devastating gravity of the fentanyl crisis. With more than 755 deaths registered in BC in 2016, the effect is staggering and heartbreaking. Every time I hear an ambulance, I cringe knowing that it is likely responding to an overdose. When I see the number of lives that have been lost, I also wonder how many more lives have been saved thanks to first responders and overdose prevention sites. The DTES Market has been orchestrating an incredible community-driven, crowd-funded response to the opioid crisis. If you don’t know about this important initiative, you can learn more here, and consider donating if you can.

To be perfectly frank: some of our partners working on the front lines report that things in the DTES are getting worse. People seem to be more housing insecure, and more food insecure than a few years ago; Income Assistance rates are stagnant, while the cost of living has increased; the gap between the rich and poor continues to widen in cities across Canada; and the effects of inequality might be showing up most acutely on the streets of neighbourhoods like the DTES.

Despite the gravity of the situation, for those of us working on community economic development in the DTES there is some hopeful energy and good momentum. The newly adopted DTES CED Strategy represents a very important step towards the shift in policy, practice, and culture that needs to take place in order to create opportunities and improve the lives of low-income DTES residents.

One important aspect of the CED Strategy is the future of the committee who co-created the strategy: the CED Strategic Action Committee or CEDSAC. The dedicated committee members who worked on the CED Strategy continue to have discussions about how CEDSAC can develop into an organization that will support and enhance community economic development in the DTES, including implementation of the CED Strategy.

What Changes Have Happened?

The most dramatic changes that I have personally observed and experienced over the last two years are the following:

  1. A willingness amongst agencies, social enterprises, and other community groups to work together and collaborate. The structure (more connected) and behaviour (abundance mindset) of the network has changed.
  2. New emergent intermediary organizations are forming – that is, organizations working between and amongst community groups and organizations without a personal agenda, that actively facilitate connections and relationships.

The first change can be exemplified by a number of large collaborative grants and RFP responses that have been submitted this year. Broadly speaking, there seems to be recognition that the complex problems we are working on can’t be solved by any one organization. When I first began work in this community I was told repeatedly, “there are people who just don’t work together!” Instead, I now hear, “there’s an energy to work together that hasn’t existed down here for decades!”

The second trend is slightly more nascent (of course there have been intermediaries in the past) but in particular, there are two new groups forming which propose to connect, support, and enhance the work of various agencies, advocacy groups, and community leaders all working towards poverty elimination/social inclusion/a transformed economy in the DTES. One of these is CEDSAC; the other is a proposal for a new collaborative income-generating hub, which recently went to RFP.

LEDlab’s Evolving Role

When we began this work, we were given clear instructions to ‘help put money in the pockets of DTES residents.’ We worked with grassroots organizations like the Binners’ Project and the DTES Market to build and enhance viable options for creating low barrier employment in the neighbourhood. You could say that we dedicated our resources (students, networks, time) to building the capacity of individuals and individual organizations.

As the neighbourhood and system around us evolves, we find that momentum is building around intermediary organizations that are operating at an inter-organizational or institutional scale. I now believe that we can add the most value to the neighbourhood by focusing our resources on these evolving intermediary organizations, and enhancing structures that bridge between sectors, and across scales.

What I know now that I didn’t fully appreciate two years ago, is that creating the systems changes (yes there are multiple) that we hope to see for the DTES will require the whole community. Within the broader movement, it’s important to be able to understand what your unique offering is, and how you add value to the whole. Recently SiG put out an article about ‘Mapping the Field of Systems Change’ that included a schema and a number of definitions for different roles within the field of systems change. Everyone can’t do everything, but we can find ways to meaningfully partner, to specialize, to share information and resources, to help each other understand, and to contribute where it makes sense on an individual and organization level and for the system as a whole.

Our intention for 2017, as we head into our final cohort, is to continue to refine our value proposition to the DTES community. The priority in the coming weeks we will be to ask and listen to what is needed of us, and to act in service of the work that is unfolding. We will remain committed to the co-creation of our program model, and continue to adapt in order to respond to what we are called to do.

Be sure to sign-up to LEDlab’s Newsletter to stay updated on all our activities!

The Value of Empathy

January 4, 2017 / no comments

The Value of Empathy

Teresa is a Project Coordinator with LEDlab, working with Knack to develop a database of training and skill development programs, and further develop an ecosystem of digital badges amongst inner city organizations. 

As Project Coordinator with the Local Economic Development Lab, I work on an employment initiative, Knack, at Potluck Café Society in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Here I use some entrepreneurship concepts to reflect on some of my experiences in this neighbourhood.

I have a deep appreciation for human centered design. I am glad that this ‘lean’ generation of entrepreneurship education focuses on providing value to customers that is based on empathy – understanding what people truly want and need. A valuable product or service is not what you think your customer or client wants but what they actually want. It takes integrity to stay focused on this.

Central to human centered design is talking to who ever it is you’re designing something for. This includes being aware of your own assumptions or prejudices and allowing these to change as you really listen to the person.

The DTES is a great place for challenging assumptions. Almost every day I am invited to be more open minded. Once when I was walking on Hastings a man, hunched over, shuffled towards me. I thought he was going to ask for money so I quickly composed a kind but firm response in my mind. What he actually asked me, with the utmost politeness, was, “Can you please tell me the way to Carnegie Community Center?”

Another time I was sitting at the bus stop ignoring two men who were casually exchanging insults above my head. When we got on the bus, one of them abandoned his aggressive manner to kindly arrange a seat for my crutches and me.

These days as I walk in the street I try to remember to look people in the face instead of looking past them or at external appearances. What I usually see when I do this is someone going about their life, carrying their own troubles with them, just like we all are.

In my work with Knack I meet community residents who are actively trying to turn their days in a good direction. They participate in our Soft Skills and Kitchen Hard Skills workshops because they really want to find work. People want work for the money (we know that income assistance leaves only about $18 a week for food) but there are other subtleties as well. For each person the true value of work is slightly different: something to do, a stable routine, being part of a team, learning a new skill, a sense of purpose…

Realizing this has helped me be more open minded about what work looks like. I met someone outside of Knack who told me how the work he does is perfect for what he needs. He drops by a certain NGO that gives honorariums for odd jobs. He works a bit and gets $5, which is what he needs for his cigarettes and beer. He meets interesting people and learns new skills. He told me he’s turned down offers for other work because he prefers the freedom. Our culture tells us we should work as much as possible and might chastise him for this. But, looking at it another way, it seems totally reasonable for a man of about 65. He’s taking his retirement while he still has the health to enjoy it.

Many individuals face incredible barriers. As I see it now, often the role of service providers is in helping someone stabilize enough that they can work towards what they want in life; able to regain control over their addiction/mental health/most recent crisis rather than being controlled by it. That is what I saw in that man. He knows what he needs and how to get it in a positive way. The alcohol is still in his system but it’s not controlling him.

How do NGOs and social enterprises know their beneficiaries? How can our services be of stronger value than a chemical fix? And so accessible that the myriad of other challenges don’t get in the way? How do we deeply empathise with those who use our services and iterate what we offer to meet their deeper needs and motivations?

Knack has discovered that our Soft Skills workshops teach us as much as they teach the participants. By coming together once or twice a week over 8 weeks in participatory workshops we learn snippets about people’s lives, their struggles and aspirations. When we match people with job opportunities we draw on all this informal knowledge of each person to try to make a match that will set someone up for success and growth rather than failure.

At this intersection of business and community we must always ask ourselves, who are we creating value for and how do we listen to them? May we do it with empathy and integrity, creating experiences of inclusion and empowerment.

Footnote: The stories I used in this post, fleeting moments of connection with people I may never see again. I would like to ask their permission, and know their take on what I saw. As this is not possible I offer a general disclaimer: these interpretations are my own and everything I think I know is always based on incomplete information ☺

Be sure to sign-up to LEDlab’s Newsletter to stay updated on all our activities!

LEDlab is Hiring!

December 13, 2016 / no comments

LEDlab is hiring!

Position: LEDlab Project Manager

Application Deadline: January 22, 2017

Commitment: 16-months full time

Start date: March 1, 2017 or earlier

Compensation: $50,000-55,000, plus benefits

 

Half-way through our planned three-year initiative, the Local Economic Development Lab is expanding to meet the demand and opportunity for systemic impact with our work. We are seeking an organized relationship-builder, storyteller, and project manager to lead our 2017/18 cohort of innovative projects, and to help us tell and share stories of impact from the lab and our community partners.

The Project Manager will:

  • Assist in scoping our 2017/18 projects;
  • Recruit, manage, and mentor a team of graduate student Project Coordinators;
  • Manage LEDlab website, and lead digital storytelling through blogs and newsletters;
  • Maintain and grow LEDlab relationships and collaborations with inner city networks;
  • Support program administration; and
  • Support in activating knowledge mobilization events and workshops.

The ideal candidate:

  • Is passionate about advancing equity and diversity in our cities, as well as in the social innovation space
  • Is comfortable working in a community setting, with a high degree of self-awareness
  • Has strong consulting and customer service skills; is able to listen to the needs of others and frame opportunities around them
  • Facilitates generative and impactful small group meetings
  • Can manage and mentor a team of 4-5 Project Coordinators
  • Is an experienced storyteller, excellent writer and editor, and creative in their approach to knowledge dissemination both online and offline
  • Is comfortable working in WordPress, Campaign Monitor, and can learn new digital tools as required
  • Has an understanding of social innovation labs, and design thinking methodology
  • Has relevant experience in economic development, poverty alleviation, entrepreneurship, or urban (economic) planning
  • Enjoys working in independent, highly dynamic situations with multiple stakeholders and deadlines
  • Is organized and detailed oriented
  • Is thoughtful, tenacious, and has a sense of humour!

Bonus Skills Wish List:

  • Social enterprise development, entrepreneurship
  • Experience in the Downtown Eastside (DTES)
  • Graphic design

 

For more information including application instructions, download the full job description.

Be sure to sign-up to LEDlab’s Newsletter to stay updated on all our activities!

New DTES CED Strategy Approved!

December 2, 2016 / no comments

New Downtown Eastside Community Economic Development Strategy Approved!

The DTES Community Economic Development Strategy, which lays out a shared vision for building a more inclusive economy in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, has been approved by Vancouver City Council.

On November 30th the DTES Community Economic Development Strategy (Phase II) was unanimously approved by Vancouver City Council. In addition to the $175,000 already invested by the City of Vancouver into the co-creation process, the CED Strategy recommends another $350,000 in cash for strategic initiatives of the next phase of the CED Strategy. Perhaps more importantly, the DTES CED Strategy represents a comprehensive shared vision for building an inclusive economy, and lays the foundation for further collaboration amongst inner city organizations and the City of Vancouver, as well as corporate and senior government partnerships.

More than 693 hours were spent by inner city organizations, residents, activist groups, and BIAs on co-creating the CED Strategy. The Local Economic Development Lab Manager, Kiri Bird, supported the co-creation committee in the role of facilitator to the process.

The strategic directions and key actions of the CED Strategy include the following:

CED Strategy directions and actions

The Council Report states:

“If successful, the CED Strategy can help us move collectively beyond crisis response, to long-term actions that help reach goals in the DTES Plan, Healthy City Strategy, City of Reconciliation Framework and work underway on Mental Health and Addiction and Poverty Reduction.

By utilizing the impressive range of talent, local assets, knowledge and experience available in the community the City’s resources can help community partners achieve these outcomes by enhancing the range of work already underway in the DTES and assisting in the development of new programs and projects to fill gaps and build towards major opportunities in the near future.”

Read the full Council report: Downtown Eastside Community Economic Development Strategy.

Simon Fraser University CED Certificate Program student Himy Syed videotaped most of the presentations to Council on November 30th, which are posted to his Youtube channel including:

  • Wes Regan, CED Planner, City of Vancouver
  • Alisha Maxfield, CED Coordinator CEDSAC
  • Kiri Bird, Facilitator CEDSAC, Local Economic Development Lab
  • Colin Stansfield, Co-Chair CEDSAC, Potluck Café Society
  • Davin Boutang, Resident, Binners’ Project
  • Landon Hoyt, Hastings Crossings BIA
  • Matt Smedley, Mission Possible
  • Wilson Liang, Resident, Strathcona Residents Association
  • David LePage, Buy Social Canada
  • Maria Wallstram, Carnegie Community Action Project
  • Ayesha, Carnegie Community Action Project

Be sure to sign-up to LEDlab’s Newsletter to stay updated on all our activities!