"We need community now more than ever” — Luc Lalonde

Luisa Ji is a multi-disciplinary creative, designer, and strategist. Luc Lalande is the Innovator-in-Residence at the Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre. They join Valery to unpack the topic of ‘Community Futures’ from unique, but complementary perspectives. 

In this episode:

* The barriers to community-building innovation found in many existing institutions 

* Why local, low barrier opportunities to engage in innovation and future visioning through the arts are essential to make sure we imagine the inclusive community futures we all need

* A community-centred vision for the decommissioned high school out of which the Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre operates

* The necessary revitalization of “third places” for social and community gatherings 

* Why we need more unglorified “third places” where grandmas and aunties gather to wash vegetables as young children play, and not just cafes, libraries, and other more formal, “clean” places for leisure

* What we can learn from ecological metaphors about the (sometimes messy) ingredients to a healthy ecosystem to help us imagine more inclusive community futures

* Why forces like deepening socio-economic inequality mean we need community now more than ever

* The opportunities and challenges of technology-centred futures: from biased Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms to the Free and Open Source Software movement

* What we can learn from emergent communities centring Indigenous ways of knowing such as the Vancouver Urban Food Forest Foundation

* The call into better practices for welcoming difference so that we don’t alienate people who think differently from collaborative futures.

Find Luisa Ji: 

Ground Work Instagram

Ground Work Website

UKAI Projects Instagram 

UKAI Projects Website

Nomadic Labs Website

Find Luc Lalande:  

Medium

Rideau Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre

Find Other Episode References:

Every One Every Day

Vancouver Urban Food Forest Foundation

Free and Open Source Software

Join Valery’s email list and get bonus content at lifewithoutuspod.com and hang out with her on Instagram @lifewithoutuspod

Thank you for listening, rating, reviewing, and sharing!