Community Led Climate Action Co-Design: Safety and Abundance as Precursors and Outcomes
In community building we hear a lot about the necessity of building trust. And it's true. Trust is necessary to create meaningful relationships and the psychological safety to share openly. But trust is often not sufficient for engagement. In marginalized communities that are facing time poverty in addition to low income, violence and other traumas, trust may open the door, but it won't bring people to the table. Just as necessary is reciprocity. By this we mean a true exchange of energy towards shared, and sometimes divergent goals.
And so when we began our climate action work in Scarlett Wood, the first question we asked was what we could do to for community members. We heard back that folks wanted "colour", that announced their home as a joyful place. They also wanted to feel safe and to share this feeling amongst their neighbours. While these two desires on the surface may not seem to have much to do with community led climate action, they manifested in the establishment of colourful flower gardens throughout the neighbourhood, and a swap meet where community members shared resources. By beginning to establish a sense of shared ownership over common spaces, the gardens not only create future possibilities for pollinator habitats and pocket farms, they also create communal gathering spaces to enhance community cohesion and pride. By surfacing the hidden abundance already present in Scarlett Wood, the swap meet served as an alternative narrative to the scarcity stories we so often hear. And in countering scarcity, the swap meets further enhanced a sense of safety through community abundance.
Both of these interventions serve as examples of the inherent wisdom that springs up from communities with a long histories of adaption. By planting seeds for continued community engagement and opportunities to grow food, build community and share resources, the co-benefit of establishing safety and practicing abundance is climate resilience.
