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Teaching & Learning - May 24, 2022

I am teaching again! I’m one of the people in this beautiful, wide world who has had a plethora of positive experiences with education - from my public school education in Thunder Bay, ON, to seeing both of my parents teach (Mim as an alternative secondary school teacher, Dad as a college instructor), to applied learning with Katimavik in 1996/1997, to my Recreation and Tourism Management degree at Malaspina University College (now Vancouver Island University), and through my Masters in Sustainable Leisure Management (also at VIU). I’m grateful for the teachers and leaders who encouraged me to explore my interests, to learn about people and places and ideas, and to find my own ways to contribute to the world.

I didn’t really know what I wanted to pursue as a career (I applied for criminology and millwork) right out of high school, so I changed direction and joined Katimavik for 7.5 months. When the program ended, I took my $1000 stipend to the interior of BC to train for and get certified as a whitewater rafting guide, then was a server for a year (Katimavik gives lots of experience and room and board, but at the time, I was making $3/day, so I had some earning to do), spent one more summer raft guiding, then set my sights on recreation and tourism for my post-secondary education. For me, VIU was top notch (which is why I did two degrees there), with community partnerships and opportunities for academic and personal growth being cultivated in ways we didn't even know (at the time) was happening. Many of my teachers were actively engaged in their own paths of lifelong learning, and they challenged and supported my thinking and actions both within and outside of the classroom.

Twenty four years later (I had to do the math a few times, because what??!?!), I continue to reflect on how I can best engage students in learning, just like my teachers taught me. Education occurs in many places and spaces and I see my role as a teacher as one who fosters and encourages learning, personal growth and development, and finding one’s own interests and direction. Tomorrow, I start co-teaching an Indigenous Tourism & Hospitality micro-credential, alongside a Nuu chah nulth language instructor, with Huu ay aht First Nation and North Island College as the lead organizations. I am both humbled and stoked at the opportunity to share space with my co-teacher, a new community of learners, and Huu ay aht citizens. As we develop our curriculum and learn more about one another, we get the opportunity to create meaningful and intentional dialogue about how and where community, culture, and tourism intersect.

I love being part of positive and impactful initiatives and I think we can be doing so much more to uplift one another. Teaching and learning are two of my ways, and so I begin…

Ethics, asking good questions, and helping people give answers

February 11, 2022 (It’s Women in Science Day!)

I like asking questions. I like learning about how people interpret their own behaviours and actions. I find it fascinating how much information we are all willing to share through almost every digital transaction we make, yet we are very suspicious of completing a survey that is directly relevant to an organization that we have (most likely) chosen to be part of.

I know it can be challenging. I have struggled to choose the pre-defined answer to a poorly-designed question, I’ve wondered what possible relevance a particular question could have to a topic at hand, I’ve looked for the n/a option (because it really isn’t applicable to me) and come up empty. I think of all of those scenarios when I design surveys.

And I rely on my experience, my education, my practice, and my values when I take on a project that involves asking participants to share their feedback. In university, I learned, through course work and research for my Master’s thesis, what research ethics is, and how to apply those ethics to every project I take on. In my transition to private business, I worked in partnership with Vancouver Island University on multiple visitor survey projects, which gave me much more experience in how integral sound research practices are to providing good data. I take seriously the responsibility I have as a researcher to assess the potential opportunities and impacts of collecting data from both the participant and the gatherer, and to be someone trustworthy to ask the questions and see the answers in their raw form.

When I create answers to the carefully-crafted questions, I follow best practices and apply innovative methods (when needed) to help people find their best answer. We make countless decisions every day, and often, our answers are within a range that most people can identify with (and if they don’t that’s what ‘other’ is there for), so as I research, I find the most accurate responses to the questions asked. Other questions are not so closed, so I create a balance of closed and open questions to answer the overall purpose for the survey. (On the sub-topic of purpose, out of respect for everyone’s time and the value of collecting real data, know why you are surveying participants. If you’re not going to do anything with an answer to a question, don’t ask the question.) I always provide an open space at the end of survey that invites participants to share additional feedback that hasn’t already been addressed.

Yes, there are artificial intelligence tools that are specifically built to create, manage, and analyze surveys. But somewhere along the process, you need a person to humanize the experience, particularly when you’re asking humans about their experiences (as a Sociable Scientist does). Research is a delicate balance of subjectivity and objectivity, and I recognize my role in bringing my experience, education, and values to projects that I work on.

Keep Learning

May 8, 2021

This month, I have challenged myself to post one blog per week, with the intention of creating a habit that will last year round.  During the month of November, I challenged myself to post daily (during the work week), and I did! Lesson learned on that one - every day is too much/unsustainable. (Between then and now, I ran for Campbell River City Council in the by-election, so I was writing quite a bit, sharing my perspective on various issues within my community, and trying to help potential voters learn more about who I am as a person.) One of the reasons I take on a new daily challenge each month is to identify and alter a behaviour that I want to enhance or diminish (remove?) from my life.  The challenges are most often related to my personal life and choices, but my personal life and career are not mutually exclusive (are anyone’s?), so the challenges often impact my whole self.  

I titled this one “Keep Learning” because part of learning for me involves reflection and absorbing learning that comes my way.  This past week, I was an attendee of B Corp Leadership Development Day, where I was able to listen and learn from leaders and change-agents connected to the B Corp community.  On the whole, being part of positive and engaging dialogue and discussion on the business side of climate solutions is a space that I’m very interested in, and more directly, hearing from leaders who continue to up their own learning and involve more sectors and communities in healthy and uplifting movements resonated with me and where I’m at.  Celebrating connections to the earth and one another are some of the best ways to include more people in creating solutions with depth of impact - scaling up is an option for some, but depth is something that we can all individually aspire to and be. 

On a practical level, this equates to thinking globally and acting locally.  I can absolutely have a deep impact, right here where I live and within my own circle of influence. Every dollar I spend matters - every act of kindness in my own community, every bike ride, every time I show up to a City Council meeting, every acknowledgement of the land I live on - my actions can be deep and meaningful.  And while my influence may not extend far beyond the geographic boundaries of my home community, my actions matter, right here, where I live.  I am definitely concerned about the social and economic challenges across the globe, but often, the enormity of issues across the globe can be overwhelming and that can lead to a sense of helplessness and apathy, while the people living in our own neighbourhoods can use a smile or a few volunteer hours or patronage of their business. 

To be clear, my learning and takeaways from the B Corp Leadership Development Day may not be (and are likely not) the same as others who were in attendance.  As I reflect on the diversity of speakers from a variety of sectors, I did see that each of them were digging deep into their own organizations and spheres of influence to create positive impacts, and that through their shared experiences, all attendees were given a glimpse into how and where we can apply their teachings into our own spaces.  There is no doubt that we are all connected - this one earth that supports an abundance of life is so very precious and finite.

This month, as I continue on my quest of lifelong learning, I’m going to finish reading Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (I’m savouring it as it is beautiful and inspiring and illuminating!), then find and read All We Can Save, edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine Wilkonson (Katharine was an absolute pleasure to listen to and learn from at the B Corp event). 

I encourage and invite you to explore your own learning journey.  Seek out inspiration, notice what’s around you, find ways to connect, sign up for events that peak your interest, start where you’re at, go deep where you can.      
#IlovewhereIlive #whatsyourleisure

Take Notice

May 13

One of the things (and there are so many - maybe I’ll make a list one day) I love about riding my bike, walking and running, and being out on trails in general, is that I get to see people out riding bikes, walking and running, and being out on trails in general.  As a promoter and facilitator of healthy leisure experiences, my heart fills up and my smile definitely reaches my eyes when I see my fellow community members and/or visitors to the area being part of an individual, yet shared pursuit. And while we each have our own motivations for participating, I feel a sense of connection when I can look someone in the eye, smile, and potentially remark on the weather, the beauty of the forest, the smell of the ocean, or some other shared experience simply from being in the same place at the same time.

With all the benefits of our globalized interactions, I also see an increased need to make sure we notice what is happening within the places we live, and to connect and interact with people in the physical spaces where we are.  Apathy is real.  We see it in our low voter turnouts, we see it in increased isolation and dependencies on harmful substances, we see in it the degradation of our fragile and mighty natural ecosystems.  I think we can be better.  I think taking notice of our surroundings is a simple and effective way to reconnect with the people and places who live right where we do.  Acknowledging other humans with eye contact, a smile, or a hello when we pass one another on a trail feels good to me.  (And I do know that not every culture encourages this behaviour - I am sharing my experience and learnings and perspective as the human that I am.)  I want to live in a community in which people feel safe, and interactions with one another are friendly and respectful.  I also recognize that in our individual motivations for walking on a trail or out riding a bike, being introspective or listening to an audiobook or talking on the phone to a loved one who lives far away means that not everyone is open to smiling or acknowledging others.  I’ve been that person.  I’ve been sad or consumed with my own thoughts that I haven’t looked up when I pass by another person.  But I also need to remind myself that I am part of this diverse, beautiful, vibrant community, and that being engaged and present where I am gives me greater meaning and helps me feel more connected to what is happening where I am.  

I think we humans need to humanize our interactions more.  Somehow, we’ve let our social media notifications dictate how we interact with the people right in front of us. As more of a confident and extroverted person than some of friends and family, I recognize that not everyone wants to walk around saying hi to everyone they see everywhere, but there must be some middle ground that we can reach wherein we notice one another, and we feel and promote safe, friendly, and respectful interactions amongst one another where we live.   

As a Sociable Scientist, my lens through which I view the world sees our shared leisure spaces as places that can breed social connectivity and support healthy relationship building. Just by sharing that leisure space, we know we have at least one thing in common with the other humans in that space.  And while our experience in that space may be different, we can find a thread of commonality, and perhaps acknowledge that many of us have much more in common than we are sometimes led to believe.  You walk down this street because it offers the best views of the ocean - me too!  The smell of cedar trees makes you smile - me too!  Had to get out and ride your bike because you love riding your bike - me too!  Love being part of your community and want to help keep/enhance the friendly vibe and live a high quality of life - me too!

#whatsyourleisure #IlovewhereIlive

Connecting in Community

May 25

You know those people in your life who show up? The ones who attend your son’s dance recital, who drop flowers at your door when they know you’re having a tough day, who water your garden when you’re away for a few days, or volunteer to help you move into a new home? The people who show up because they care, because they want to be part of your life, your celebrations, your challenges? I feel blessed to have a lot of peeps in my life who show up for me. And I try to be someone who shows up too. For my friends, for my family, for my community.

Over the past month, I’ve been vending at the Pier Street Farmers’ Market in Campbell River. As a part time employee of Wayward Distillery and resident of Campbell River, it’s been highly rewarding to connect, face to face, in a truly community-driven initiative - one that directly supports local food, local producers, local growers, and a downtown that needs more vibrancy. And as I observe and interact with the organizers, my fellow vendors, and the Farmers’ Market patrons, I notice who shows up for this community event and I notice who hasn’t (yet?).

I have much admiration for the people in my community who show up. I see you. I see the work that you are doing to foster an ecosystem of inclusivity and cooperation, a place where entrepreneurs and farmers can sell directly to their customers, and place where craft producers can educate guests on what makes their offering unique, a place where human interaction is encouraged, and a place that celebrates the regional highlights of our community. And for those customers and potential customers, I see you too. I see the diversity of ages and genders and ethnicities, I see the friendly and curious interactions amongst customers and vendors, and my heart feels happy. Yes, some of these interactions are transactional, but that’s okay. People are showing up for their community, connecting as humans, spending money directly with the growers and producers in their local area, and helping to create diversity and vibrancy in a space that needs people for that vibrancy. Thank you to each and every one of you who has shown up.

We all have choices in how we spend our limited time, and where we spend our (often limited) dollars. We have seen and felt the impacts of our increasingly disconnected communities - local shops and restaurants closing while Amazon and Hello Fresh boxes plug up our recycling stations, streaming services dominating our evenings while community theatres remain dark, increasing numbers of people experiencing homelessness and food insecurity while social programs get squeezed and scrutinized by those who only see a sliver of a multi-layered issue. I know we live in a globalized economy, I know so many of our systems are complex and that my above examples are not simple and absolute in their correlations, but I also know we need to take more action locally. We need to show up for our communities. We need our elected officials, people in positions of leadership, and those in positions of power (these categories are not always mutually exclusive to one another) to show up. How do you learn about the complexities of your community? How do you make decisions about who and what gets funded if you’re not experiencing the full spectrum of who and what is in your community? Where are you spending your time and energy beyond what’s required of you at your job? Where do you buy your food? Do you know where it comes from?

Local farmers’ markets are one place in which we can think globally and act locally. One place where customers can buy directly from local growers and producers, supporting and driving a more food sovereign community. One place where the community can connect, ask questions, contribute. One place where we are invited to show up.

*I know I could write a similar piece on behalf of a community festival, fundraiser, or cultural celebration. I’ll keep showing up for my community; I invite all of you to join me, and to invite your friends!

#IlovewhereIlive