WAM is a conversation for people who care about neighbourhoods and a place for those who long for a community that is full of hospitality and connections. Each month, 15-25 people gather to spend time with neighbours and have conversations in small groups about things that are important to them. The topics typically include the sharing of people’s personal gifts and talents, ideas of connections they would like to create, and how they hope to make neighbourhood spaces more welcoming and accessible.
A recent group developed almost 100 ways that they could build on the gifts present in their neighbourhood. The ideas included things like art events, historical walks, neighbourhood cleanups and potluck dinners!
At the most recent meeting, a Mount Pleasant resident shared a story of how she was inspired to host a “Soup with Neighbours” night on the fourth Sunday of each month. To get this started, she went door to door and personally invited all her neighbours. 24 of them showed up at the most recent dinner, many of whom had never said anything to each other beyond “hello.” She plans to continue the dinners for the next four months.
The name WAM means “We Are Many” and was inspired by a poem written by Shane Koyzan. Some lines from the poem are:
The invitation is open to any,
Take my hand in yours,
Now we are many.
The initial round of WAM conversations is now coming to an end. It began in the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood, drawing people mostly from that area and others from Burnaby, Commercial Drive and North Vancouver. Now WAM Community Conversations are spreading throughout the Lower Mainland! To talk about WAM conversations in your neighbourhood, contact Joe at 604-365-9113. Support to seed conversations will be provided as needed.
