MA Sustainable Leisure Management

SLM 604 Vancouver Learning Lab (VLL): December 2015

Change Makers, Social Innovation, and Leisure Environments
The following are a few extracts from select MA SLM student VLL related assignments that highlight
some of the learning impacts from the 2015 Vancouver Learning Lab, and describes some of the VLL
activities, experiences and work of the organizations that support our learning.

My attention is immediately captured when Marie Lopes begins her talk by paying respect to the First Nations
tribes whose land we are presently on. Forty-five minutes later the room has been filled with words like equity,
community engagement, commitment, reciprocity, and advocacy. I sense a strong feeling of introspection and
inspiration among my classmates, and I hear the soft sound of sniffling from a few rows back. In barely an hour,
Marie at the Roundhouse Community Centre has managed to move her audience by sharing the ways in which
Vancouvers only community arts and recreation centre is profoundly changing lives, socially innovating, and
developing community. These are the special gifts of change agents: the ability to motivate and empower others,
to share their power, and to nurture personal reflection and relationships (Dreschler & Jones, 2012). I feel
similarly inspired in the presence of David Eddy of Skwachys Lodge and Maya Goodwill of The HiVE, whose
innovative business models and glaring belief in their ability to enact change (Dreschler & Jones, 2012) make me
realise how much they truly understand that social issues are rooted in the complex systems in which we live, and
require long-term, intentional and collaborative solutions (Workman, 2012). Although I expect they would prefer
the words friends or partners, their stakeholders are many and diverse: the people who work and invest
themselves in these places, the governments and private firms who generously fund them, and the communities
and community members who benefit from their services. Community development and social innovation are
inclusive processes, and it is clear that input from all stakeholders is highly valued in these places, by these people
(Frank & Smith, 1999). I am struck by the intentional use of space through which collaboration and social change
are facilitated. Warm and friendly, I find myself wishing I lived closer so I could take part in their communities. I
also note the use of the word iteration, meaning to evolve and build upon. Much like change agents themselves,
social innovation requires constant learning and persistent adaptation (Mulgan, 2006). The presence of leisure is
also apparent, in the lounge area at The HiVE, in the activity room at Roundhouse, and among the art-filled walls
at Skwachys Lodge. Transformative change is at the heart of these socially innovative enterprises. This is
collaborative community development and positive social change in their truest sense. Michelle Harnett

Roundhouse Community Centre

Frank and Smith (1999) assert that it is important to understand that community development will mean
"different things to different people in different places" (p.1), and that any process of community development
will ideally "add value to everything that is done ... in a way that enhances all aspects of the community (the total
ecology) and is appropriate for today as well as for tomorrow" (p.6). Creative, vibrant communities tend to be
more resilient and are often better able to withstand change, as well as create new opportunities for community
development and increased capacity (Cahill, 2010, p. 262). Artists and other change agents from within
communities may offer innovative and creative ideas for communities who want to affect change, and
empathetic, respectful and collaborative efforts may realize powerful new ways to move toward "more inclusive
communities founded on equality and justices" toward strengths based solutions for social problems (Workman,
2012, p.114; Mulgan, 2006). For me, the VLL visits provided good examples of some of the significant differences
that may be found between communities - even those that might be located within a common geographical
location of a city. Granville Island, in its current incarnation as an artist and artisan community, enjoying a
symbiotic relationship with local communities also benefits from some tourism, and is sustained through its arts
identity. The Vancouver Native Housing Society (VNHS) showcases an innovative restructuring of tourism offering
art experience through social enterprises of the Skwachys Lodge and Aboriginal Art Gallery (Mair & Reid, 2007)
that serves to support its housing initiatives. The City of Vancouver, through employment of Vancouver Park
Board Arts Programmers and innovative use of space at Roundhouse Community Centre and other city facilities
and parks, provides opportunities for enhancing social engagement and community wellbeing across diverse
populations through a variety of experiences of art and leisure. These examples also illustrate something of the
value added capacity of leisure and the transformational power of the arts (Artists in Community Program, 2015;
Eddy, n.d; Scher, 2006; United Nations, 2015). Rio Bates
Nowadays, many organizations, communities, and businesses have applied innovative ways to make a positive
social change, which involves using innovations to address the root cause of social issues and helping to build a
better community and society (Wagner, 2012). Social innovation includes the creation of new ideas, concepts,
and organizations to meet the needs of communities and societies (Cahill, 2010). YWCA and MEC are two actors
that use different methods to promote positive social change and build a better society for humans and societies,
as well as also encourage these innovators to change the world in a better direction. Jennifer Liu

Skwachys Lodge and Aboriginal Art Gallery

Art has become an essential part in peoples life. Art is a change agent helping to solve social problems. In
Vancouver, the Roundhouse Community Centre, Skwachys Lodge and Aboriginal Art Gallery, and Granville
Island all trigger social innovations by using art to establish art-oriented communities, address social issues, and
promote community development. As Cahill (2010) pointed out, social innovation is about new ideas that work
to address pressing unmet needs (p.1). Homelessness, poverty and inequality are all current social problems
need to be solved. These three communities create accesses for common people to live with art, change through
art, and develop community impact by art. This art-change-society model just begins. As Frank and Smith (1999)
propose, community development is an inclusive process (p. 28). Diverse community members, different
organizations should be involved in the community development process. Community development is a complex
process, which needs time and patient to forge ahead. I believe more and more people will enjoy the change art
brings and get benefit from it. Olivia Li

Mountain Equipment Co-op

Everyone has the power to make a positive difference, whether big or small, local or global. This is clearly what I
took during our Vancouver Learning Lab (VLL); I had an opportunity to have hands-on experience by visiting
various organizations that applied or are currently using the theories and concepts that we learned in class. I also
had a chance to foster my ability to analyse leisure in relation to change, community development, planning,
stakeholders, sustainability and innovation. The things that strike the most for me during the VLL week is: 1)
social innovation and social enterprise both from Skwachys Lodge and Aboriginal Art Gallery and the YWCA;
and 2) community engagement and stakeholders for the Roundhouse Community Center. Sunil Kanumuri
Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) and the Roundhouse are two change-maker organizations that are
innovatively using leisure to create change in the community. This change is influenced by a community-based
strategic plan that balances its input from both top-down and bottom-up stakeholders, and taking the needs of
the community into consideration to provide community benefits (Mair & Reid, 2007). Numerous stakeholders
and partnerships are involved in the change-making process, both directly and indirectly, and span across all
three sectors (public, private, and non-profit). Within these community-based development strategies, MEC and
Roundhouse use leisure as a catalyst for change. This change-oriented work is in many ways reflective of
Mulgans (2006) process of social innovation; where needs are identified and ideas are generated (p.149), then
piloted (p. 151), then assessed (p. 153), and finally evolve to application in future practices and opportunities
(p.154). This process is evident when considering the events that MEC and Roundhouse host. For example, MEC
helps to enable people to experience outdoor recreation and lead leisure literate lives (MEC, 2015). Roundhouse,
on the other hand, connects communities to the arts and culture industry through singing, dancing, and drawing
(Roundhouse, 2015) which are other forms of leisure literacy. These initiatives from both MEC and Roundhouse
create a multitude of positive change within ones community. Communities that engage in leisure together,
become more cohesive, which fosters a sense of relatedness among individuals (Arai & Pedlar, 1997). MEC and
Roundhouse are actively influencing change towards sustainability in the community. Individuals who are
exposed to these initiatives are likely to become more leisure literate, and hence better equipped to sustain
leisure in their lives. Julia Froese

Mapping the Experience

Economy on Granville Island

Komives and Wagner (2012) suggested that the social change model of leadership development is a process of
art designing for a positive social impact, thus influence or change social behaviors. From this Vancouver Learning
Lab, it is absolutely understand that any successful social enterprises have ability from the attitude to affect user
preferences, from the cognitive provide details to the user and on action provides convenient to the people
Edible Canada and Skwachys Lodge are keeping the focus on cultural identity and the value of sustainable
tourism development. Wei Huang

Edible Canada

I always thought that if you want to understand a place you should go to public markets and eat local food. In my
attempt to find Canadian food on my first day in Granville Island, I found Edible Canada, a charming restaurant
right in front of the Public Market. I did not decide to eat there because it was a social enterprise or for their
business purpose and their mission/vision (Cahill, 2010). It was as simple as trying to find Canadian food. Now,
after my field trip experience with my class, I am aware of the actual goal of this business and I could get the
message that they want to send to the consumers. I understood that what I saw back then it was just the tip of
the iceberg, I did not see behind the scenes (Gibson-Graham, 2013). That makes me think about the importance
of well-informed consumers, they are key stakeholders and have an essential role in the business scene, as
Lorentzen (2015) stated, "What people do as consumers is much more powerful than what they do as voters.
They vote every three or four years, but they consume every day" (p. 203). The products and services that we
receive from social enterprises are useless if the story behind is not properly reached to the final consumers. After
this learning process, my take away is that the delivery of the message is crucial to foster social change. I have a
better understanding of some relevant issues in the city now, but also my attitude as consumer has changed. In
my opinion, the power of information is more clearly seen in the social enterprises context. Angie Granja

If a change agent believes in the power of change and effectively plans to create change, sometimes, a fruitful
social innovation will appear. Skwachys Lodge is a great example of how small change efforts can make a
difference to society. Skwachys combines a hotel with a street level Urban Aboriginal Fair Trade Art Gallery.
These both support first-nation artists to pursue their careers while using a social enterprise model to fund
housing for Aboriginal people who are at risk of homelessness. This model is totally different from those more
common ones that focus on charity to benefit the needy (Tisch & Weber, 2010, p. 10). Skwachys experience
tells us that small actions may appear to be meagre drops of water in the ocean; however, as long as you believe
in what youre doing, you can make the effort to change the world. Similar to Skwachys Lodge, Roundhouse
Community Centre also includes artists in their community activities. Roundhouse successfully organized several
community-based activities that reduces barriers and allows participants to integrate art into their lives. As long
as human society is progressing, change will never stop. Any of us can be a change maker, or at least be
supportive to positive changes. Jie Ding

Skwachys and Roundhouse provide good examples of building an experience economy through resilient
communities. By enabling the creation of art, they provide an immediate benefit for the artist, but they also lay
the groundwork for future generations through the creation of cultural memory and a sense of community. In
these two specific cases, they have also enabled the recovery and reintroduction of some First Nations traditions
that were lost during the residential school era. This sense of place and culture is what draws participants into the
experience economy. Sundbo (2009) suggests that art creates an environment that, by fostering creativity, can
lead to opportunities in an experience economy. I grew up in a household where imaginative play was
encouraged and fostered by my parents. I read countless books, played trumpet and guitar, and ran wild through
the forests and fields of Northeast Ohio. Life excited me, and I tended to approach it with a wide-eyed sense of
wonder. At some point, I decided that I needed to grow up and prepare for my adult life. I chose to attend a
military academy and enter the Army as an officer, where this kind of mental approach was tacitly discouraged.
After I left the Army, I bounced from corporate job to corporate job without realizing that I was suppressing a
huge part of myself. I was miserable and depressed. My story is just a microcosmic representation of what
happens to a community or society that doesnt foster art and imagination. This kind of life is not sustainable or
resilient. Without art, we cannot thrive. Seth Kretser

Growing up in a small town it has been a common personal reaction to feel out of place and uncomfortable in a
city. Besides the fast pace and chain store galore, one issue that personally caught me off guard was the feeling
of hopelessness and the inability to help when encountered with the homeless on the streets, this was one issue
not often seen in my small town. How was it that in a city surrounded by big buildings, expensive shops and
important looking people in their suits, that the issue of homelessness was not addressed? And why was no one
trying to fix these issues? Therefore, it was of no wonder I fell victim of Ellis (2007, pp.4, 8) thought trap in the
cycle of cynicism thinking thats just the way the world is and not knowing enough about the issue. This is
where the Vancouver Learning Lab for my MA SLM program helped me understand that there are organizations
out there in the city that are currently doing their very best to help tackle issues such as homelessness, affordable
housing and help fight cultural misappropriation: for every social problem that has existed there have been
people dedicated to solving it and creating positive social change (Ellis, 2007, p.4). The idea that little causes
can have big effects, and sometimes these can happen very quickly (Gladwell, 2006, pp.9, 11) was a term that I
believe that through the Vancouver Learning Lab some of my present and future fellow cohorts, will one day
become change agents towards creating a positive social purpose business (Cahill, 2010, p.264), support
organizations that offer social impact through social innovations and to help others become conscious consumers
and become involved. Examples of such organizations are the YWCA Hotel and Skwachys. As consumers looking
for accommodation, one is directly helping support and finance these organizations and their causes. If it wasnt
for the chance to become involved in this learning lab and dig deeper behind these social impact organizations,
my opinions would have remained cynical and I would have kept believing that a single person could never
change anything. Who knew doing your homework had its rewards? Roberto Donoghue

Groundswell
The Vancouver Learning Lab introduced me to social enterprises and social innovation in a way which I had not
previously encountered. Feeling the buzz and energy coming from the people behind organizations like
Groundswell and The HiVE, was intoxicating. As Paola Qualizza spoke to us about Groundswell and the very real
change they sought to make in the world, a picture came very much into focus for me. These places were real,
and real people worked there. Third sector solutions like social enterprises reframe not only which economic
activities are valued (Gibson Graham Cameron, & Healy, 2013) but also re-center economic activity away from
profit maximization and shareholder gain towards social purpose and reinvestment (Teasdale, 2012). Change,
through social innovation, occurs in response to the persistent existence of social problems which conventional
systems or organizations fail to address or resolve (Tisch, 2010; Murray, Caulier-Grice, & Mulgan, 2010). Be it for
problems of food security, inclusion, social justice, minority rights, economic mobility, or homelessness, there is
an increasing array of individuals and groups pursuing solutions outside of the traditional frameworks of markets
or the state. Maya Goodwill and The HiVE have also integrated the essence of social enterprises harnessing the
creative forces of the market for social impact with the conditions which lead to innovation in the form of an
innovation incubator (Westall, 2007). Inspiration and collaboration are the goals political action couldnt help me
reach. These change agents are doing something about that sense of dissatisfaction. Its about time I did too.
David Petroziello