A space to call their own
In the Edmonds neighbourhood in Burnaby, B.C., a process was set in motion to find a property to hold the growing number of local core activities.
As community-building activities multiply in clusters across the country, a natural obstacle to growth often presents itself: where to hold activities when homes are no longer practical. In its 18 January 2022 to the Bahá’ís of Canada, the National Assembly wrote, “As we survey the horizons of the next Plan, we see that access to dedicated space will be a determining factor to support growth in community after community.”
Several clusters working with larger numbers have, with the guidance of the National Spiritual Assembly, taken the next step of renting a community centre dedicated to supporting the activities of growth. The following story, from the Edmonds neighbourhood in Burnaby, B.C., is one example of a process that is taking place in many clusters in Canada.
“We needed our own community centre for many, many years,” said Sanaz Niagan from Edmonds, a neighbourhood that has faced issues with reliable spaces to hold activities since 2009. At that time, animators and tutors were hosting activities in the common room of a housing complex. As those activities grew in number, the animators soon faced opposition from the property manager and had to transition to renting a space in a community centre.
Following the series of global youth conferences in 2013, the Edmonds neighbourhood became a focus one for the country and activity there intensified. By this time there were about 80 junior youth involved in the spiritual empowerment program and two schools were also being used to host activities in addition to the community centre.
Although using many different spaces was not practical, it was the only option available to keep up with the growing activity. Unfortunately, the community centre which nearly half of these activities relied on changed its policy, preventing its use, and then; a short time later, the school district also stopped such programs from being held in their schools.
At that time, the team desperately sought another feasible space. “We went to every single public place in the neighbourhood and unfortunately we couldn’t rent any of them,” said Ms. Niagan. The team resorted to using two pioneer homes in the neighbourhood, but the number of participants began to dwindle.
Eventually, by building relationships with people over a number of years, the team was allowed some access to the schools again, but only one day a week and one group at a time. The team carried on like this until the pandemic hit in March 2019 and all activities went online.
During this time, the team was finally able to secure a five-year lease on a commercial space that met their needs. The space, which is a street-front location at an intersection, can accommodate up to 50 people and three groups at once.
The space, which is a street-front location at an intersection, can accommodate up to 50 people and three groups at once.
The process of transitioning to the new space was a gradual one. At first, social distancing requirements meant that the centre couldn’t be used to its full capacity. Children’s and junior youth activities were given precedence, as those groups were struggling with online learning the most. But when social distancing restrictions were loosened, there was a flurry of activities at the centre.
The team tries to keep the centre open as much as possible. In addition to core activities, it is used for animator and tutor gatherings, as well as team meetings for pioneers. On a typical weekday afternoon there are usually several groups happening at once.
Children’s and junior youth activities were given precedence, as those groups were struggling with online learning the most.
The central location of the centre has also increased the profile of the Bahá’í community, with people often walking in off the street to ask about the junior youth program. The team also now feels comfortable to reach out to other community programs to collaborate.
The centre formalizes the neighbourhood activities, with parents having less reservations about sending their children to participate than they would with activities held in a home. The team has found that they have a more formal mindset about the programs as well, with members striving to be on time and ensure that everything is clean and prepared. “We want to make sure we are getting the most out of the space,” said Ms. Niagan.
The centre formalizes the neighbourhood activities, with parents having less reservations about sending their children to participate than they would with activities held in a home.
There are currently 17 neighbourhood centres in operation in Canada, and the National Spiritual Assembly projects that 150 will be needed by the end of the Nine Year Plan. The Community Properties Fund, established in 2017 is intended to serve as a reservoir “for this critical area of activity.”[1]
[1] From the National Spiritual Assembly to the Bahá’ís of Canada, 18 January 2022.
