In mid-winter of 2024, John Wright invited JVCLT members and volunteers to his home to commence the group's first visioning retreat. Overlooking miles of snow-covered forests and fields, we shared a meal in his warm kitchen and began the groundwork for a community non-profit that we hope will benefit the coming seven generations.
In attendance were Mary-Kate and Mike Craig, Rose Kudlac, Sally Ludwig, Ana Gascon, Kelly Ross, Arlene Kamo, Sarah Best and Scott Drew. Heather Watt-Kapitain facilitated.
The following morning we convened among wooden play structures, arts and crafts projects, and budding plants, sitting around low tables in child-sized chairs at the Trillium Waldorf School. Sun beamed through the large windows as Heather guided our discernments, shaping a more tangible and defined vision for the JVCLT.
The Canadian Network of Community Land Trusts (CNCLT) gave us vital support and funding to enable expert facilitation. CNCLT's Celia Wandio drove out from Toronto to give us, and interested neighbours, a presentation on "Community Land Trusts 101," and to answer questions. The presentation included an overview of the history of CLTs, and practicalities within the Canadian context.
Following Celia’s presentation, the core group reconvened, inspired and excited to more clearly define our own CLT's mission and goals.
Mixed emotions arose as well, with many participants expressing feelings of sadness and frustration with regards to Guelph's escalating housing crisis. At the same time, there was a real sense of gratitude and empowerment among the group, as the possibility of creating alternative housing solutions not stifled by the capitalist real-estate market seemed to become increasingly realistic.
Arlene then led us through a rich and memorable creative visioning process.
We each received a piece of clay to shape into a symbolic representation of what the JVCLT signifies for us. Then, we collectively arranged our individual pieces into one communal work of art. Throughout this process, a number of concepts and metaphors arose to describe the CLT and its potential, with participants likening it to a flourishing ecosystem, or a nurtured meadow, or even to mycorrhizal fungi, emphasizing themes of interconnectedness and dynamic equilibrium. The image of an arrow was evoked to represent alignment as the JVCLT progresses, and many of us resonated with the idea of the CLT as a vessel or container to carry communities through processes of transformation.
This outpouring of concepts and words to define the JVCLT fed into the next part of this artistic workshop, wherein we collectively composed a haiku to describe our sculpture:
Transformation steers
our aligned vessel, guided
by nature and love
As our first visioning retreat came to an end, Heather led us in an exercise to decide on priorities and actions for moving the JVCLT forward.
The key priorities that emerged from this discussion included:
Relationship building by seeking partners and allies, including the municipality
Respecting and centring First Nations voices, values, and expertise–particularly those whose treaty lands we occupy, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nations
Actioning theory of change, including defining our mission, vision, and aims and solidifying our governance structure
Focusing on health and wellness as we work to build the JVCLT community
Unlocking abundance in perpetuity, including creating housing solutions that are affordable and replicable, and grounded in regenerative economics
The retreat ended with members feeling hopeful about the future of the JVCLT, with the recognition that transformation is possible when we work together.
Over the course of the two days, it became evident that the JVCLT is about more than just creating housing–at its core, this burgeoning non-profit is really about nurturing connected, flourishing, and resilient communities, while bringing people together to care for one another and for the land.
Comments