Belonging In Community Doesn't Just Happen - Does It?

So, How Do You Belong in A Community?


At the Meet and Greet, many of you talked about wanting to know our Community more intimately - more than the average citizen.  

I wondered how we should start exploring our environnent..... so let's begin with some things to think about...and a citizenship challenge... (Do you remember who said, "Challenge me...make me uncomfortable!")

Nature is the ultimate metaphor for "belonging in community".
Photo by Richard Chicoine iCopyright 2010

Here goes: I’d like you to think about the meaning of “COMMUNITY”.
How would you define it?

Words like… “place”, “people”, “connection”, “home and family”, “neighbourhoods”, "nationality" ... ?

Let's expand on that.  What about:

What makes Thunder Bay a Community, and how do we know that we belong here?

We'll explore that question more at the Retreat.


Back to Roots

The word “community” has old roots from an Indo-European based “mei”, meaning “change” or “exchange”. Mei joined “com”, meaning “with”. The combined word became “kommein”, or “shared by all”.

The idea of “change or exchange, shared by all” is close to the meaning of community today. Community building is a core strategy for sharing the burdens and benefits of change and exchange.



Leading Community

In leadership terms, we will be exploring the ways that communities transform and shift from what they used to be, to what they can become. We will be thinking about the structure and dynamics of belonging. We will need ideas from diverse backgrounds and disciplines and translate them into simple, structured actions.

As Peter Block says: “We must be willing to trade problems for possibilities.”

• “How do we create community? "
• "How do we create a future that doesn’t only get better, but is of a different nature than the one we now experience? "
• "How do we create a community where all people feel they belong?”

Let’s Start Here: Belonging in Community - Citizenship

In other words, community and citizenship don’t just happen by chance. Neither does citizenship, the privilege of belonging to a certain community. Informal citizenship is easier than formal citizenship, isn’t it?

So here is a challenge for you…

Belonging in Community: Can You Pass the Test?

If you are Canadian born and bred, you most likely haven’t thought about trying to pass the Canadian Citizenship Test. We take our citizenship for granted. This is your chance to explore the requirements to officially “belong” to the Canadian Community.

An Alumnus from last year’s LTB class, Yolibeth Mejias de Pernia,

aced the actual Government test with a 100% mark. Could you?

(Yolibeth’s full story next week!)

She says: "Venezuelan by birth, Canadian by choice,"  I made Canada my country of choice for Permanent Residency. I have worked hard to build my future in this great country. Becoming a Citizen of Canada is one of the most important steps I have ever taken in my life. I thank god I became Canadian... after all these years of waiting and hoping... it end ups with a great feeling... although I've passed my citizenship test in 2008 but believe it or not I'm still feeling great and proud of this achievement which changed my live to the best."

The Canadian Citizenship Test

Here’s a sample of the questions from the Government of Canada’s website.

Time requirement: 30 minutes.

In order to become a Canadian citizen, you must demonstrate a basic knowledge of Canada by passing a multiple choice test.

All the questions found on the citizenship test are based on information provided in the citizenship study guide Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship.

You will be required to successfully answer questions on the following topics:


· The rights and responsibilities of a Canadian citizen (including the right to vote in elections, the right to run for elected office in Canada and voting procedures)


· Canada’s government and social, cultural and political history


· Canada’s geography

How many of these Citizenship Questions can you answer correctly?

1. Name two key documents that contain our rights and freedoms.

2. Identify four (4) rights that Canadians enjoy.

3. Name four (4) fundamental freedoms that Canadians enjoy?

4. What is meant by the equality of women and men?

5. What are some examples of taking responsibility for yourself and your family?

6. Who were the founding peoples of Canada?

7. Who are the Métis?

8. What does the word “Inuit” mean?

9. What is meant by the term “responsible government”?

10. Who was Sir Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine?

11. What did the Canadian Pacific Railway symbolize?

12. What does Confederation mean?

13. What is the significance of the discovery of insulin by Sir Frederick Banting and Charles Best?

14. What does it mean to say that Canada is a constitutional monarchy?

15. What are the three branches of government?

16. What is the difference between the role of the Queen and that of the Prime Minister?

17. What is the highest honour that Canadians can receive?

18. When you go to vote on election day, what do you do?

19. Who is entitled to vote in Canadian federal elections?

20. After an election, which party forms the government?

21. Who is your Member of Parliament?

22. What are the three levels of government?

23. What is the role of the courts in Canada?

24. Name two Canadian symbols.

25. What provinces are sometimes referred to as the Atlantic Provinces?

All the answers can be found in the citizenship study guide Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship. Go to: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/cit-sample.asp


Did you ace the test or struggle?  Tell us...

COMMENTS:  Go to www.xowhat.blogspot.com . Scroll down to the end of this article. Click on “Comment”. Write as much or as little as you like. If you're a first time blogger, just jump in!

What are your reactions to “belonging to community” and the Citizenship quiz.?



Yours in Leadership and in Community
Maggie

Yolibeth’s story about her Citizenship Ceremony will be in next week’s blog.

Sandwiches & Santa's Leadership

Photo Credit: Richard Chicoine iCopytright 2009

Sandwiches & Santa's Leadership

3 Stories from the Email-Bag

Mika Lees - who sent in the first correct answer of "Cicero" (yes, he spoke those words in last week's blog more than 2000 years ago - B.C.!) and "someone who is living it") sent in this story about her family's struggle with sandwiches.  Thanks Mika (class of 2009); a donation has been given to Shelter House in Mika's name.

Lessons & Tough Love

Keeping the theme in mind for December, I have a story (or a lesson depending on your perspective) to share:

As you know, in my efforts to save the world, I have added yet another endeavour to my already full repertoire of community services: I have made it my personal mission to drive good people and good friends home safely from their holiday celebrations - with Operation Red Nose! Of course, in doing this, something has to "give"...and what that was for me last weekend was that I did not get to the grocery store to buy lunch meat for my kids lunches; but we have canned tuna and salmon for backup, so we were good.

Monday morning last week, Scotia was kind enough to make lunches for all and proceeded to make tuna sandwiches...her choice, since she was making them.

When my kids got off the bus at the end of the school day, Scotia was ahead of the boys. Shane noticed the boys were taking longer than usual to get up the driveway, so poked his head out the garage door to see of they were OK. They were cleaning wrappers, etc. out their backpacks, into the garbage. He called me at work and told me this and I asked him to check the garbage, figuring they dumped their sandwiches. Sure enough...

I told Shane to go ahead and make supper like normal and that I would deal with it when I got home. The boys had commented a few times about how good supper smelled and that they were hungry.

I walked into the house, greeted by my cheerful brood and put my work things on the counter and went outside like I had to throw something in the garbage and removed their sandwiches: one whole sandwich, cut in half and a lone half that had been partially nibbled. I brought them into the house and asked Scotia if they were hers (knowing they were not, but needing to look objective here) and went into the boys' room where they were playing and asked them "who's are these?" They look at each other like "we are SO busted" and admit they are theirs.

I ask them why. They say they weren't hungry. I ask what they had for lunch..."chips"...hmmmmm...and a drink (that I know they did not get from our house)...My feelings are hurt and I tell them so. I tell them that I do not have the money for them to throw their lunches in the garbage. That I drive all the way down to Five Star Bakery (which from our house, that is almost as far as Nipigon) to get those buns specially for them so they don't have to eat plain bread sandwiches. I apologize for not getting lunch meat and tell them they could have chosen something else for lunch instead of wasting their sandwiches. I look to my older son, the one who should "know better" and take him back to the previous night, where he showed me a letter from their school saying that the students were supporting a single mother, with three young children for Christmas and could I "pleeeeeze send some canned goods and food for them?"...I remind them that we go to the Shelterhouse Soup Kitchen and feed the less fortunate almost once every two months and that we will be there again Christmas Day, spreading some cheer and how these two groups of people would LOVE to have a fresh baked bun sandwich ...or even someone who cared enough to make that for them. They sat silently...

I told them if they were hungry for supper, there were sandwiches on the counter, tuna sandwiches for them to eat, the ones from the garbage can...they would not be eating supper with us, but still had to join us at the table.

They did not eat. But we went to Cubs that night like we do every week. I considered not taking them to Cubs and feeding them instead, but figured they would not understand the lesson if they simply stayed home with full bellies.

I hope they remember this when we are at Shelterhouse on Christmas Day and each time we go there. I hope they really think about what we are doing and why, when they are wrapping the gifts I collected from some friends that we pool together for the single mother of two young children for the Faye Petersen Transition House (another thing I do every year).

It sounds mean...was it the right thing not feeding them? ...who knows? ...I may never know...I DO know however: they lived through it! I know it is not the popular choice. I know that some of my friends think this was drastic...not feeding them. I also know my own kids have not seen what I have seen or lived what I have lived...and I hope they don't ever have to!

I am also a single mother of three young children. Not unlike the families we help at Christmas time, or the people we help to feed at the Shelterhouse throughout the year. My kids do not want for much, if anything. And it is quite simply, NOT okay to throw out perfectly good food when I work so damned hard to bring it into our house.

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More to Check Out: Canadian Council on Learning

LTB Board Member (class of 2009) Stewart Kallio recommends:
"Nice little quote inside the cover of this just released report from the Canadian Council on Learning which is well worth the read especially following the recent Aboriginal Day (available at www.ccl-cca/sal2009 ). Even more interesting is the artwork by Thunder Bay’s Roy Thomas.
 
After Roy’s passing several years ago, his wife, Louise, felt strongly about honouring Roy and his work; as a result, she established the Anishnabae Art Gallery on James Street to continue promoting Roy’s work and his message. The gallery overlooks Mount Mckay, a most moving and spiritual place for the Anishnabae. Since opening she’s established quite a strong voice and artist's collective in the art world. She might be someone who’d be prepared to speak to a leadership and the arts context.   I know her because I worked with her to have two of my works reproduced and represented there.

Note:  Artwork at Shelter House!  Drive by and take another look...

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Innovation?   Santa Rocks! 

Nancy Milani (class of 2010) sent along a brilliant clip "Why Santa Rocks at Innovation.  Here's the short version. (If you'd like the full pdf, just ask and I'll email to you -m;)

Santa: 

• future oriented
• operational insight is pure genius
• fanatic about customer oriented innovation
• excels at customer service
• has mastered logistics
• inspires staff with a singular mission
• not afraid of those who are different
• mindful of work-life balance
• maintains the brand image
• excels at keeping up to date
• has integrity as a core virtue
• constantly transitions his brand to the next generation
• wizard at HR management
• reliable

Source:  Jim Carroll

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For You and Yours...

Blessings, Joy and Wonder

& the best of the best for 2010!

Yours in leadership,

Maggie