Weekly Objectives & Achievements:

This week, the team was successful in completing the following objectives:

  • Organized meetings with two community garden (CG) coordinators (representing 4 gardens in the DTES/Strathcona neighbourhoods), who are (so far) the only responses to our group.  
  • Prepared a list of questions and a consent form for interviews with CG organizers
  • Contacted James O’Neill with questions to which he provided helpful answers as well as a relevant research document to reference in our final proposal
  • Compared and reflected on group member experiences at the Moment of Significant Change workshop
  • Individually researched critical sources for key issues that pertain to CBEL community project
  • Completed blog post

Listed below are the goals and objectives for the upcoming weeks:

  • Request CG coordinators sign consent forms
  • Interview CG coordinators and document the experience
  • Follow up with the CGs who did not respond
  • Analyze motivations and evaluate responses from CG coordinator interview

Moment of Significant Change:

Using the “What, So What, Now What” framework (Rolfe et al., 2001), the team reflects on last week’s Moments of Significant Change Workshop and discusses how the lessons relate to real life situations.

What:

The workshop facilitated a lens for identifying and discussing significant moments that have occurred during the CBEL project as a group, as well as individually, that initiated change. Utilizing the Moment of Significant Change (MSC) method, the significant moment the team chose to address this week was learning to cope better with challenges outside of the project when one of the group members was faced with adversity. With guidance from the Land and Food Systems TA, Josh Edwards, the group was able to support this team member through their absence and work together to achieve weekly objectives. Taking the initiative to actively keep this group member informed and involved within the project goals aided in the group dynamic becoming stronger and establishing a more collective and cohesive bond.

So What:

In any project or study, inevitably a variety of unexpected challenges and changes will be faced. The MSC workshop discussed skills that have helped the group in approaching such unexpected obstacles successfully, and will also hopefully help in avoiding possible issues in the future. Thanks to the workshop, group members can apply the reflective skills discussed in the workshop to potential future real-life workplace scenarios, where tensions and problems might occur in similar fashion. Using the MSC technique, the group openly shared and discussed individual moments of significant change throughout the project – both “high” and “low” moments – and collaboratively created a group MSC chart that reflected those challenges.

Now What:

After reflecting on the group’s moments of significant change, the team can take a “bird’s eye view” of the project and see where any goals or expectations must be further revised. Team members can now openly come together and share individual reflections more comfortably in order to recognize possible challenges or pitfalls, and revise project objectives accordingly. By taking a more honest and cohesive approach to managing challenges, it is hoped that the team can achieve a “graceful dismount” for the project’s conclusion successfully. Strategies are listed below in order to achieve this goal.

Strategies for a Graceful Dismount:

In order to determine techniques for the project’s “graceful dismount,” the team first outlined what a successful project would entail:

  • Producing a project that serves a purpose such as:
    • inspiring future LFS projects
    • raising future research questions
    • providing information to CG coordinators and the City of Vancouver
    • adding to a growing body of knowledge regarding the Vancouver Food Strategy
  • Contains high-quality writing and is presented professionally
  • Thoughtfully analyzed  
  • Respectfully and tactfully written
  • Meets the objectives set forth
  • A greater knowledge acquired by team members on CGs and project

Keeping this outline in mind, we have come up with a variety of strategies for a graceful dismount:

  • Do not procrastinate
  • Keep group members informed on project amendments
  • Keep the goals and objectives of our project in focus  
  • Reflect and assess personal experiences gained throughout the project
  • Reflect on the outcomes of the Asset-Based Community Development approach integrated into project objectives

References

Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., Jasper, M. (2001). Critical reflection in nursing and the helping professions: A user’s guide. Basingstoke; Palgrave, Macmillan.