Finding My Voice – River of Life
On the heels of my community development project experiences in Mexico in 2001 (see “My Privaledge, My Commitment), I traveled to the South Pacific where I worked as Community Economic Development Project Assistant & Assessment Officer in a Community Eco-Forestry Portable Sawmill project, in response to global logging companies cutting down forests. For 4 months I lived in a remote village, conducting informal interviews (in the local Bislama / Pidgin English language) to evaluate the project’s process and progress in the eyes of the local community. The intention was to determine if the goals of the funded NGO office met those of the local community.
Although I had built strong ties with the community by spending time in the village and through local capacity building workshops in Participatory Rural Appraisal Techniques, the result of the project was … well, not great. Once the sawmill arrived on site, local “strong men” stole it, and rented it out daily for large sums of cash to those who were wanting to cut trees down, and make profit. Basically, this was the opposite effect the project had intended; rather than supporting local community based initiatives, cash (in a non-cash economy!) was being funnelled into the hands of men who did not have the communities’ best interests in mind.
As a man, I was devastated, wondering how my gender — those who I thought cared for their community — could act so poorly, directly opposite to the benefits of the whole.
Having spent time with many community members, I was approached by a few women, who had become afraid and asked me “what is going to happen to us once you leave?”. I was shocked, as I didn’t see myself as having any influence in the community, but they did. I found myself unable to support, as an outsider, looking in. It was here that I realized how challenging any community economic development project would be, and I was committed to finding ways to better support community wellness, within my own communities.
After these pivotal experiences in Mexico & Vanuatu, I knew that I had to return to University to complete my studies, and find other (more effective) ways to support this world in so much trouble, wherever I live. Recognizing that just being a privileged white man was not a means by itself to effect change.
In the following years, I continued to witness and research the broad global reach of oppressive, dominant power over systems, also prevalent on the streets of my University commute on the downtown east side of Vancouver — the highest population of drug related communities in North America. What hope did I have to support any change to the systemic oppression which I benefited from as a white man, born in Canada?
Aware of this colonial privaledge, I wondered what I could do that would shift this imbalance at a larger scale? Since I had been working with Oxfam to support NoSweat campaigns, I saw an opening to makes changes to purchasing policies of large institutions. To gain a larger voice in this field, I applied for an Action Research Master’s degree, and continued to build coalitions of dialogue with large institutions. The city of Vancouver had recently purchased uniforms from sweat labour factories in Burma, “because they were within budget”; because Vancouver had a progressive mayor who was leading up to the 2010 Olympics, he wanted to more directly find ways to support worker and environmental rights, and the door was open to create collaborative change.
“No longer was our tax paying dollars going to buy the “cheapest” products, that exploited workers, and the planet”
Eventually after 6 years, and bringing together a group of 30 multi-stakeholders to ensure what was created was actionable, the City of Vancouver adopted a new purchasing policy for all their products to work collaboratively with their suppliers to abide by Canada’s signature to uphold UN labour and Environmental policy standards. This Ethical Policy and Supplier Code of Conduct is still in effect today, and has influenced others at the municipal level to follow suit. No longer was our tax paying dollars going to buy the “cheapest” products, that exploited workers, and the planet.
None of this was easy. I was often ridiculed for my “non-academic methods”, and it was even suggested that if I were to walk away now, there’d be no shame in it. I wanted to quit, many times, but my commitment I made in Mexico, along with my awareness of the immature masculine in the south pacific and globally stayed with me – to find effective ways to support this world in so much trouble.
Finding My Voice. Finding Yours.
I have now been working in the field of Community & Economic Development for over 2 decades, on the ground, with communities. I am a board member of the Community Development Alliance of Scotland to participate in, uphold and support the Scottish Government's Community Empowerment Act – one of the strongest governmental policies I have ever seen as it is combined with staff and funding channels to support community empowerment, from the bottom up.
I also hold HealthyMasculine.com circles for all genders to support a healing away from a culturally learned power-over dominance behaviour, and to harness a positive masculine presence in our families, friendships, and communities. I facilitate these circles in order to begin to move towards more partnership modelling, which Culture Garden is based on.
This is my story, and I am curious:
Have you reflected on your life journey?
Are you present to your personal inspirational moments that guided you towards your gifts for this planet?
Have you completed a “River of Life” exercise to get present with the important and meaningful aspects of your life, and see where it has taken you to today?
We support our clients to become present with where they have come from. Being present with where you have come from – your historical, cultural & socio-economic context of your own voice – will support you to see your commitment, and the gifts you have to offer.