Jun. 12, 2013 - Issue #921: Paying For It
Bestest (and most underappreciated) grassroots organization
Community leagues. Sure, every major city has a Chinatown and a Little Italy but you won’t find Vancouver or Toronto divided into sections and given names like Callingwood, Lendrum or Knottwood—with each having a certain degree of independence when it comes to having a voice and making decisions. These neighbourhood representatives which consist strictly of volunteers have become so inherent that we forget that Edmonton’s the Canadian city that has had community leagues the longest (since 1921), continuing to have a strong presence with 150 in existence today. While stereotypically portrayed to be of no use other than providing recreational facilities and community halls, these grassroots organizations create Neighbourhood Watches to help keep the area where you live safe, meet with schools to discuss new potential programs and generally act as a mediator between outsiders and residents to create discussions and arrive on a consensus about upcoming projects and developments in a particular area. They’re also a great source to find out what social events are taking place where you live. In turn, you can get to know your neighbours better and have a sense of community instead of fueling the urban isolation.New comments for this entry have been turned off and any existing ones are hidden. We apologize for any inconvenience.
