This week March 8-11 the Tamarack Team is hosting Community Engagement: The Next Generation in Ottawa, Ontario.

The idea of Community Engagement has me thinking about a group that I recently heard about from my colleague Sienna Taylor. I am particularly inspired by this group, and the work they do, as they are striving to make positive, lasting social change. Additionally, their work offers an example of how young people are taking the lead in engaging their community in a multitude of ways. And, of course, their art-focus grabbed my attention too!

This group is a great example of community engagement happening in London, Ontario.

Please allow me to introduce you to a local project led and fueled by actively participating youth: Reclaim Honour!

THEIR APPROACH

As explained on the website:

"Youth take the lead. This means this project is designed and implemented by youth. Youth hold valuable insight. We draw upon their knowledge, creativity and skills while investing in their leadership. Most importantly, we honour this approach because when youth take leadership roles, it benefits them, their peers, their families and their communities.

We create safe spaces to have “difficult” conversations. This means we hold safe spaces for sensitive conversations to be had, with a focus on identifying and challenging problematic thinking. We want to grow the spaces for Muslim girls, women, families and communities to genuinely and constructively discuss gender-based violence. Through safe spaces, people are afforded the comfort to reflect and speak honestly and candidly. These conversations are a necessary starting point for change. 

We find strength in our communities. This means we view our communities as capable, skilled, knowledgeable and filled with potential. We capitalize on community strengths to address existing challenges. We do this in the belief that a strength-based approach focuses on possibilities, which is constructive, inviting and empowering.

We work with multiple stakeholders. This means we bring together leaders and service providers from many sectors that all have the passion and capacity for positive social change.

Prevention before intervention. This means we believe that violence is constructed and thus can be prevented."

THEIR WORK

From their website, I would like to share the different ways that Reclaim Honour contributes to the London community in support of their Mission Statement:

1. Workshops that engage young Muslim women and men, including creative arts-based strategies to help us enrich our understanding of gender-based violence.

2. Provoke constructive dialogue within the Muslim communities and the larger London community through facilitated community conversations.

3. Raise awareness and promote a critical shift of ideology and discourse around notions of ‘honour’ and ‘honour-related' violence through our campaigns.

4. Collaborate with other institutions and organizations with similar mandates to share and learn best practices surrounding community engagement.

5. Host workshops for service providers with the hopes of better equipping them with the resources needed to serve victims of gender-based and ‘honour-related’ violence.

RECLAIM HONOUR CONNECTS MUSLIM YOUTH 

One way Reclaim Honour engages and connects young women and men is through their workshops. The workshops create safe spaces for girls and women to engage in honest and meaningful dialogue on the issue of gender-based violence. These spaces are sites of sharing, growth and healing for all involved. Some of these workshops include:

"A Platform for Voices” are conversation circles for high school girls to speak their truths on issues of gender, identity and gender-based violence. Together, we explore these topics through artistic expression, activities, stories and case studies.

“Talk it Out!" is a discussion series that serves as a stage for the voices of Muslim women ages eighteen to twenty-nine. These workshops provide a safe environment where sisters can listen to, share with and learn from each other. Here we will explore topics like media representations of Muslim women, the normalization of gender-based violence and what safety looks like. 

“Expression Zone” is a workshop series that uses arts-based strategies, such as spoken word, photography and theater to explore issues of identity, media representations, family violence, and any and all conversations relevant to our lives. This series is open to all young Muslim women and men to come and channel their creative juices. 

Looking for more?

If you are looking for ways to deepen community or create positive change in your neighborhood, consider joining the Deepening Community team, along with a variety of compelling speakers in Edmonton, AB this June 2016 for our Deepening Community: Resilient Neighbourhoods | When People Care gathering

To learn more about Reclaim Honour, visit their blog or get in touch

You can also follow Reclaim Honour on twitter