When I had the opportunity, I met with the town planner to learn about municipal development plans, land use bylaws and area structure plans. He instilled in me how important it was to map out a community’s future with these documents.

However, when municipal elections appeared on the calendar, most residents didn’t feel it was important to map out their town’s future. Typically, voter turnout was below 50 per cent in the five municipal elections that I covered in three Alberta communities. Very disappointing for the candidates who put in a lot of effort in their campaigns.

As a voter, I have never missed a chance to cast a ballot. My Grade 8 history made an impact on my decision to vote after she told the class how Hitler was elected because of low voter turnout. Imagine how history would have changed if more Germans were engaged in the 1930 elections instead of Hitler only needing 18.3 per cent of the vote to win.

When the 1995 Quebec referendum date was set, I sent in my vote by mail from Slave Lake, Alberta. There have been many times when I have been handed a ballot and only made my decision at the polling station but at least I participated and didn’t let the opportunity slide.

When people choose not to vote, their excuses are usually – the decision has already been made, the candidate is a shoo-in, that election doesn’t effect me or why bother, my opinion is never heard.

Get a grip on reality. Your mark on the ballot does make an impact, especially in municipal politics. So when people grumble that they don’t like their councillor or the mayor, they should remind themselves about their voting history.

Could you believe only 27.26 per cent of Edmontonians cast a ballot in the 2007 civic election? It’s quite a drop from the 2004 election when 41.79 per cent of eligible voters determined the outcome. The last time voter participation was higher than 50 per cent was in 1995 with 50.3 per cent.

There’s been a lot of grumbling lately in Edmonton about city council, with the focus on issues of a new arena and the possible closure of the municipal airport.

With the upcoming municipal election in October, now is the chance for Edmontonians to make an impact on the future of their city and how they want to guide council to plan it. But the problem remains – how do we get the electorate to participate and engaged?

Another reason why this particular election will be interesting is the use of social media for candidates and lobbyists to push their platforms. What I’m interested in is if the discussion on Twitter will translate into more votes cast on October 18. It’s easy to engage in discussion online but what really matters is engaging people around what they care about. And usually it’s how will these issues affect me personally?

But whether or not the issues do, what matters most is making the effort to vote. The future of your city depends on it. Use your vote to communicate what matters most in your community.

Moving to Alberta, Jews were few and far between, especially in small towns. I lived in four small Alberta towns and I think I was the sole Jew in all those communities.

It made me realize how precious my heritage, culture and religion was to me. I reached out to the Edmonton Jewish community when I was living in Slave Lake and traveled almost every weekend to the city to be a part of it.

To much of the surprise of my parents, I started attending synagogue. In Montreal, I adamantly refused to go when my mother asked. I felt no connection despite the fact that there are over 100,000 Jews in that city.

So what changed? Once I put my foot in the door and began my learning curve, I couldn’t step away. I realized what rich culture and heritage that Judaism had to offer me.

In just over a week, one of my favourite Edmonton festivals will shine upon us. The Heritage Festival showcases over 85 cultures from around the world, including Israel. It’s a great way to recognize our rich and diverse communities within the city, our province and Canada.

Culture shouldn’t be forgotten or tossed aside. As I child, I attended Hebrew school but decided not to have a bat mitzvah when I turned 13. Now I can only recognize Hebrew letters and read the language phonetically. What’s amazing about being Jewish is you can walk into any synagogue in the world and hear Hebrew. I do plan to have a bat mitzvah as an adult to recognize how I have embraced Judaism.

As individuals, we should find a way to recognize our own heritage and culture. Don’t take it for granted like I had. You’ll be surprised about what you can learn.

Shalom.

Jennifer Banks was asking for new ideas for authors and novels to read. Then the discussion turned to creating a book exchange.

We all have different tastes, likes and dislikes when it comes to reading. Literacy is a powerful communication tool. So does this mean when we recommend a book, a blog or a magazine, we are intentionally trying to change the way others’ think around us? And those receiving the idea, how will their thoughts or actions be influenced by accepting the recommendation?

For example, take my reading preferences. I lean towards mysteries, historical fiction, and some supernatural. I would have never considered opening a book on a love struck teen who seeks the life of a vampire. The Twilight series only intrigued me after two people I know ranted how great the books are. My curiosity rose so I started reading and then couldn’t put the books down until I read the last one.

In order to be influenced by new ideas, words and authors, we have to be willing to receive them. There are book swaps all over the world or others are leaving their books behind, hoping to inspire another to pick them up and start reading. This is in addition to recommended reading lists, book clubs and the face-to-face discussions around the printed word.

Book exchanges and clubs only work with people who are willing to be influenced and who are open-minded. And when I contemplate that, I find it so powerful because their tastes can change and then they may go on to influence others.

So how does this fit in with communication and communities? If you think about it, many communities are formed based on similar interests, ideas and values. In one form, a book club is a community. So is a political party.

And when an idea is communicated within this group, it’s up to the individual members to decide to accept or reject it. Even if they accept the idea to read a new blog, book or printed material, their personal preferences may push them to dislike it after absorbing it. And what is more powerful – personal perferences or a group of peers whose positive recommendations will become an influence and change the way we read?

I think peer pressure or influence heavily outweighs our personal preferences the majority of the time. Part of being in a community is participating or following the group’s choices. It’s human nature to want to be part of a group or a community.

That’s how best sellers are born. Once the majority starts bellowing, “This book is a must read,” then the readers flock to the stores and the libraries.

So it will be interesting to see how a book exchange, especially on Twitter, will influence the majority.

Don’t get me wrong. I love the social aspect of these events such as tweetups and various camps. However, does any concrete action or change happen in our community as a result? There has been fundraisers, which many have supported, myself included.

PKN7 was the first Pecha Kucha that I have attended. I thought the premise was to inspire ideas or to motivate the audience into action. The presentations were great and brought forth possibilities that can or may happen in Edmonton. I was disappointed to read only reviews of the presentations and no one stating what they really took away from the evening. I’m wondering after so many gatherings such as ChangeCamp, MediaCamp and PKN7 if there are any concrete changes or projects arising.

Understandably, we all lead busy lives. I am balancing a full-time job, parenting, obtaining my public relations diploma through part-time courses, two volunteer positions and personal projects (when I can get to them like this blog). But many of us take the time to attend these functions. We walk away with more contacts, knowledge and insight. How should we be funneling this information after the event?

Projects, community action and even ideas coming to fruition take a while to become reality. The problem is many of us become inspired after attending a conference, a meeting or a presentation. Then we let that idea fade away as quickly as it transpired in our mind. Procrastination is our own worst enemy and I’m guilty of it plenty of times.

There is talk of holding a second MediaCamp. But what is the goal besides connecting journalists, bloggers and public relations practitioners? And what is the intention or purpose of other similar events in our community, especially the social media community?

Awareness and showcasing our talent and projects is wonderful. What I’m hoping is for a domino effect. People attend an event, hear about a project or an issue, become inspired and then act. But they also have to create awareness to others that they are taking action and why.

Do we really want to be in a perpetual meeting? Or do we want concrete action or change to happen in our community?

So the next time that you attend Pecha Kucha Night, a social media event or a networking function and feel a flicker of inspiration – act on it. And let’s see what a difference you can make in our community. I know I’m going to try.

As a Terwillegar Community League (TCL) board member, I have experienced many of these challenges. The TCL board decided to partake in a strategic planning session this past weekend; the purpose of which was to set goals and priorities for the next few years.

We first looked at how we defined our community, what community issues we are facing and what challenges we have as a community league.

Board members were encouraged to put their thoughts down on stickies, which were then placed on the wall where we could group similar ideas.

The TCL encompasses Terwillegar Towne, Terwillegar Gardens, Sandalwood, South Terwillegar, Magrath and MacTaggart. Board members used words such as accessible, family friendly, safe and involved to describe the community. Issues facing the league are lack of planning, the need to focus our goals, volunteer and membership recruitment, how all the communities are not represented, the ability to create awareness through communication and better process to liaise with the Terwillegar Towne Residents Association and the City of Edmonton.

We decided to focus on four areas – to be a well run and well organized community league, to engage all community segments, to be an advocate for community concerns and to deliver community programs.

To be honest, I think we came up with issues that we knew we were already facing. My fear is this process will help the board for a short period of time but as volunteers with many other commitments, we may eventually let this plan drop by the wayside.

The main problem that TCL has, like many community leagues, is engaging more residents to become involved so all the work does not fall on the shoulders of the same people all the time. If people don’t feel they are benefitting from the league, they are not likely to want to participate.

Although we do have a list of goals and priorities, it is a matter of how much we accomplish before a turnover of board members occurs at our annual general meeting in October.

Was the strategic planning session worthwhile? It helped the board re-examine ongoing issues while providing goals and priorities. The session most likely re-ignited passion for the community, the reason why we are engaged as board members and what we really want to see accomplished.

But time and commitment to get through our list will result in the real outcome.

If you sit on a community league board, I would be interested to hear if you have experienced the same issues that TCL is facing and if you have come up with solutions to engage your residents. If we want better communities, we need active participation.

I have never defined myself as an activist. But let me start by explaining why I love to connect with audiences or communities. When I worked as a journalist, I loved to write stories that would move people into acting or reacting around an issue. I use communication, even now as a volunteer and a full-time public relations practictioner, (if I may say so a bit politely) to get people off their butts and get involved.

Involvement means perhaps attending events that I may promote or swaying them to volunteer in the community league.

I’m not the type to be waving placards or jumping in with protesters to push an issue forward. If I am passionate about a cause or an issue, I will start by working on the communication strategies around it.

Ken’s comment also had me look up the definitions of an advocate and an activist. The Canadian Oxford Dictionary describes an advocate as “someone who recommends or supports by arguement a cause or a policy. Activism  is a “vigourous action to support a cause”.

After looking at these definitions, I would say that how I am involved with community engagement is as an advocate. Ken would point out and say that I’m on my way to becoming an activist.

However, my passion still lies with overcoming the challenge of community engagement and pushing this engagement forward through communication. Define me as an advocate but I don’t think I’ll ever be an activist.

Many find tagging or graffiti is a way to express themselves or as a method to mark their territory. But it comes as an expense to others’ property. A 2007 Edmonton Journal article examines the opinions of street art. But for myself, graffiti is what it is – taking advantage of a blank wall without permission and spray painting it with terrible markings.

The City of Edmonton has a program dedicated to eradicating graffiti. Do you really think any of this street art is the best way to beautify a community? Art is open to interpretation but instead of using someone’s property, we should provide opportunities for youth. The Edmonton Public Library took the initative earlier this month when it provided a graffiti wall at the Calder Branch as part of Edmonton Youth Week.

And here’s an interesting case. What happens when the building owner permits graffiti to occur on his property? Who should interpret the definition of graffiti versus art? The government or the citizen? Who has the rights?

Kristy Trinier of the Edmonton Arts Council wrote an interesting piece in 2007 discussing graffiti as a free art or if it is a crime. She has a point that communities need to provide an outlet for these artists (which is still open to interpretation) with legal spaces.

What I prefer to see is more funding for murals that tell a story about a community. I see many blank walls in Edmonton crying out for murals instead of the terrible tagging that takes place. The City of Edmonton does have a community mural matching grant program but it is only offered to non-profit organizations. If a business owner wants to participate, he or she would probably have to seek out an organization to encourage to apply for the program on his or her behalf.

But there is another program that business owners can take advantage of called the Giants of Edmonton. However, funding will only come through if the theme is followed.

We need to become more open-minded of what types of murals can and should be funded and how they will be paid for. I’m not advovating for a mural that mirrors graffiti but perhaps we can also permit the mural to reflect the property owner’s business without it becoming another piece of advertising.

What is bad, ugly or beautiful on our city walls is open to debate. However, when I’m taking a walk, I don’t need to look at the damage of what tagging leaves behind.

EAVB_HBLEMYZBDD

I visited the Normandy area of France for three days – touring old German bunkers, admiring the villages’ stoned walls and buildings and absorbing the beautiful countryside. My friends and I drove to Omaha Beach yesterday, one of five beaches that were involved in the D-Day landing on June 6, 1944.

Omaha and Utah Beaches are where thousands of American troops faced the Germans in a battle that helped determine the outcome of the war. Juno Beach is known for the Canadian landing while Sword and Gold Beaches are the British.

The sight of the beach was breathtaking as the sand and sea were pushed along by the strong wind. Along the cliffs, you could see the remnants of German bunkers. During this windy, yet calm and quiet day, I began to imagine what it was like as the Americans attempted to reach the cliffs where the Germans had the vantage point to shoot down at their enemy.

The damp chill from the wind stayed with me as we drove on to tour the American cemetery, which overlooks Omaha Beach. The sight of over 9,000 white crosses (and Stars of Davids among this) contrasted with green, growing grass is startling. It appears that the rows upon rows never end.

Take a look at one of the photos from the cemetery:

We were informed that the cemetery was closing with a ceremony of taking down two American flags from the flagpoles. While we were waiting, we encountered one of four Americans who work year-round at the cemetery. We didn’t catch his name, so I’ll call him Jim. Jim is originally from Saskatchewan and is a Vietnam vet. He’s been stationed around the world for his military career and generously shared his wealth of knowledge with us by giving a private tour.

Jim pointed out gravesites of women, Canadians, brothers and famous Americans, like Theodore Roosevelt Jr. He told us stories of families and of love. One woman did not discover that her husband was buried in the American cemetery in Normandy until 2005. She never married after the war because this man was her only love and she has flowers delivered to his grave regularly, most recently for Valentine’s Day.

We also learned that Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks were told after filming Saving Private Ryan at Omaha Beach that the reality of D-Day fighting was 10 times worse than what was shown in the movie.

Seeing the beach and hearing stories relayed the importance of history to me. Too many times we brush off the past and its impact on the present and future of communities and people.

Providing historical perspective connects people to the significance of buildings, places, dates and events. If you look around, every person has a story to tell.

We must keep communicating our history, especially with personal perspective, to relay its impact. It’s easy to forget our past but at what cost?

Presently, there are no details on the website how the party will do this except through a grassroots campaign and kitchen table discussions. And I’m sure with social media playing a big role.

It’s great that the Alberta Party wants to reach out to the populace with face-to-face meetings. But what will really happen with the information that it gathers?

I’m not trying to be cynical but we’ve seen this process before, especially with the former Reform Party. Preston Manning began this party, please correct me if I’m wrong, with a kitchen table discussion and grassroots intentions. But where is the Reform Party and its principles and beliefs now? Folded into a national Conservative Party and I don’t see any grassroots playing a role there.

The party has great intentions of listening to Albertans who haven’t seen a change in government since 1971, before I was born. But how will it translate Albertans’ concerns that it hears through The Big Listen into reality?

If the Alberta Party is elected as the next government, it will face the same problems as all politcal parties. How to balance the budget with all of our provinces’ needs and wants while trying to satisfy many different views and keeping to its party principles.

Will it also eventually follow the footsteps of the Reform Party – evolve into an idea of grassroots that was sustainable for a period of time until an opportunity to merge platforms so it can win an election?

I’ve been watching this political movement in Alberta from the sidelines and admit that I don’t have hands-on experience. I do hope that the Alberta Party defies the history of many Canadian political parties and doesn’t compromise its principles to gain political power.

The Big Listen presents an opportunity and a challenge for Albertans. They must set aside what they have seen happen in provincial and Canadian politics in the past and trust that they will really be heard after March1.

Good luck to the Alberta Party. I’ll be watch how you will use communication and community engagement to succeed with Albertans and overcome what other parties have failed to do in the past – stick to principles during the political process.

Read about the Alberta Party and The Big Listen from other bloggers:

Chris LaBossiere

Alex Abboud

Dave Cournoyer

The Alberta Altruist

Dave King

Sirthinks (John Winslow)

Alain Saffel

I was fortunate to be part of a blogger’s tour of the new Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA) yesterday. The building, which opens to the public on Sunday, is striking with its curves, its texture and its colours. What stayed in my mind is how the AGA will bind Edmontonians together because of art.

The AGA features not only galleries but education space, a theatre, Zinc, the restaurant, a gift shop and much more.

If you look past what the AGA offers as a building, you’ll see the deeper meaning behind the facility.

What art does is provokes conversation. Even when the new AGA’s $88 million price tag was announced, there was much debate in the community whether that amount of money was worth spending on a gallery.

Architect Randall Stout’s conceptual design drew discussion as well because it was a type of building that had never been seen before in Edmonton.

Art pieces drive this type of conversation as well in a community. They can provoke emotion, outrage or invoke curiosity from people to see what is causing all the fuss.

The AGA will attract Edmontonians not only because of its facility and its exhibits but for a reason to communicate as a community.

Let’s see where and how art will lead the discussion in Edmonton.

Check out photos and links to other bloggers who attended the tour.