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GREEN WOOD COALITION 

Historical Blog Archive


All are welcome to join us for Green Wood Coalition's Annual General Meeting Saturday, May 28 at 10:00 AM 18 Ontario St,, Port Hope, ON​ We'll be celebrating the past year's accomplishments, taking care of some business, nominating some board members, and looking to the future of the Green Wood Community. As well, we are pleased to be hosting a talk by Mark Vander Vennen, Executive Director of Shalem Mental Health Network. He has been a marriage and family therapist and has worked in child welfare (Northumberland Children’s Aid Society) and in children’s mental health (Kinark Child and Family Services).


Mark is Chair of Wrap Canada, and a trainer for the Wraparound process, as well as for Restorative Justice Facilitators, and is the co-author of Hope in Troubled Times: A New Vision for Confronting Global Crises, Foreword by Desmond Tutu.


This garlic, planted last fall in our community garden, is up and thriving. A hardworking team (including some students from Trinity College School) recently spent a day waking up the garden after its winter dormancy. The hope of spring and newly planted seeds are in the air as we look forward to a great garden season at our site on Peter St., in Port Hope (generously shared with us by Dr. Tiffany Wolters of Ganaraska Animal Clinic).

Our resident occupational therapist, Ruth, gave a lesson on the ergonomic use of a shovel..


If you'd like to learn more about participating in our garden program this summer, send an email to greenwoodcoalition@gmail.com, or join us at the garden on Monday, May 16 at 5:00 pm.


Our annual Summer Solstice Garden Blessing will be celebrated on Monday, June 20 at 7 pm at the community garden.

IMAGINE THAT! 4/30/2016


IMAGINATE 2016 was a non-stop evening of ideas, stories and performances that moved, inspired and delighted its enthusiastic audience. Hosted by David Newland, and featuring Lorraine Segato, Sounds of the Next Generation, Rosana Koberinski, Northumberland Contemporary Dance Collective, Rosana Salvaterra, Nicole Whitmore, Tom Power and Jordan Axani, it truly was "An Evening of Possibility".


IMAGINATE 2016 was made possible through the generous support of Cameco., as well as in-kind support from The Waddell Hotel and Cultivate: A Festival of Food and Drink.


This collection of photos by Port Hope's favourite photographer, David Goodfellow, captures some of the highlight of Imaginate 2016.


Green Wood Coalition would like to thank the presenters and performer for giving their best. Thanks also to the Imaginate team for their work in organizing the event: Lesley Boileau, Nell Frair, Lana Missen, Rob Quartly, Kaye Torrie and David Sheffield. Of course, an event of this scale would not be possible without a committed group of volunteers, and the staff of the Capitol Theatre. Thank you to each and every contributor.



Radio broadcasting prodigy, Tom Power, has been added to the list of engaging speakers offering TED-style talks at IMAGINATE: An Evening of Possibility, this Thursday evening at the Capitol Theatre in downtown Port Hope, ON. Power, best known as one of the youngest hosts of a CBC Radio national program, was originally slated to be the event’s host, but a scheduling change has led to an added value for IMAGINATE.


“If you know anything about Tom Power, you know he's from Newfoundland,” says IMAGINATE organizer, David Sheffield. “He knows what he's made of and that’s what he’s going to be talking about—remembering where you’re from.”


A beloved presence in the music industry across Canada, Power sits on the board of the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts Society, he is a juror for the Polaris Award, and a member of the JUNO Roots/Traditional committee. Power began hosting CBC Radio’s Deep Roots in 2008 while he was a student of folklore at Memorial University of Newfoundland. When he’s not on the air, Tom leads his own band, The Dardanelles.



Writer and musician, David Newland, will take on hosting duties for the night. He was recently named a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a distinction that reflects a lifelong engagement with landscape and story. Newland is currently developing his musical presentation/performance, The Northwest Passage in Story and Song, based on his travels in the Arctic, to tour Canada-wide in 2017.


Green Wood Coalition’s annual, community-wide event, IMAGINATE: An Evening of Possibility is set for Thursday, April 28 at 7 PM. Over the past three years, IMAGINATE has gained status as an event that is “a must attend” for a growing number of Northumberland residents. It’s expected that the choice of Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre will increase the profile of this year’s event.

IMAGINATE will showcase outstanding speakers, music, film and an original contemporary dance performance-- each exploring this year’s theme, "We All Have a Story". A reception, featuring locally-sourced cuisine, catered by Cultivate: A Festival of Food and Drink, will follow the main program.


A BIG IDEA 4/16/2016


What if a town decided to give everyone enough money to live above the poverty line? What would change?



Those questions were put to to the test in Dauphin, Manitoba from 1974 to 1979 and the results of this research, long ignored in boxes, are now all the buzz. Basic Income Guarantee or BIG is once again being explored and experimented with, as a way to address the income gap and the social costs of material poverty, in countries as diverse as India and Finland.


At IMAGINATE: An Evening of Possibility on Thursday, April 28, Dr. Rosana Salvaterra will share some of the findings from the Dauphin, Manitoba Mincome project and make the pitch for a national BIG solution. Dr. Salvaterra is the Medical Officer of Health for Peterborough, and an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto. She thinks that the Basic Income Guarantee is one of the best ideas for solving poverty and health issues--an idea that has agreement from both the right and left ends of the political spectrum.



Tickets for IMAGINATE 2016 are available at the Capitol Theatre Box Office in Port Hope.



Cardio-vascular disease. Obesity. Alcoholism. Diabetes. These conditions may have one surprising factor in common: childhood trauma -- according to a massive study called "Adverse Childhood Experiences", or ACE.


This is a very different lens through which to view poverty in our community. ACE is the framework behind Green Wood's RedPath addiction recovery program.


In a series currently running on CBC Radio's Ideas program, Mary O'Connell explores the ACE study and how its findings are being integrated into medical practice today, as well as, what happened at one high school when suspensions and punishments were replaced with new "trauma-informed" approaches.


You can listen to this three-part series here.


You can read more about the ACE Study here.




IMAGINATE is thrilled to host a return visit by one of last year's best-loved acts, Northumberland Contemporary Dance Collective. Principal dancers, Rebecca Baptista, Katie Flindall and Stephanie Booth are professionally-trained, world-traveled, classical and contemporary dancers who are engaging new audiences by creating dance works that express, and relate to, the experience of life in our community. Their repertoire includes “Go Where The Love Is" based on homelessness and addiction, “Girl from Roseneath" a folk tale poetry collaboration and the newly choreographed, “Settlers Day” inspired by the writings of emigrant sisters Suzanne Moodie and Catharine Parr Traill. "Settlers Day" will premier at IMAGINATE on April 28. IMAGINATE 2016 offers so much for the mind, the heart, and, of course, the palette, making it a "must see" on the spring calendar. Tickets are available through the Capitol Theatre Box Office.

Jordan Axani, a globally-renowned entrepreneur, author and speaker, is set to speak at IMAGINATE 2016 in Port Hope, Ontario on April 28​



Jordan was the focus of the most viral human interest story in the history of the internet. On a dare, he posted a simple message on Reddit in late 2014 offering anyone who shared the same name as his previous partner a leftover plane ticket for a trip around the world. This simple deed of trying to pay it forward earned a shocking 4 billion media impressions, landing him on Good Morning America, CNN, BBC, ABC and 30,000 other press outlets globally.​

However, the real story began when he ended up in a Hollywood cyclone of public and media pressure to fall in love with his new travel companion. This sent him into a downward spiral as he duked it out with media, often on camera, about how that’s not how reality works.


With a “let’s cut the crap already” approach, Jordan argues fervently that imperfection is the gateway to profound breakthroughs, both personally, and in business.


Jordan is the founder and CEO of Bounde, the world’s first peer-to-peer support mobile application for people undergoing mental health challenges.


Tickets for IMAGINATE 2016 are available through the Capitol Theatre box office: capitoltheatre.com




SPRING COLOURS 3/31/2016



Peterborough artist, Deb Reynolds, led a three-week series with our weekly art group, introducing printmaking techniques using gel plates. We also hosted Art Blast with Heather Roy, exploring colour through less conventional media, in a four week series, open to all members of the community.



Monday, March 28, 7:00 PM

​This month marks a year since we started Community 101, and, as usual, we have several, very interesting guests, including Dr. Alan Konyer, staff physician with Ontario Addiction Treatment Centres (OATC). Dr. Konyer will share OATC's approach to harm reduction and will take questions from the audience. ​We also have a couple of surprises in store for Monday night. Community 101 is an interactive series that explores ways of becoming a more healthy and vibrant community through caring for each other and seeking long-term change. Presenters from Green Wood Coalition and other like-minded groups share information and stories about the good things that are happening in Port Hope and surrounding area, seeking to inspire further thought and action. The series runs monthly, on the last Monday (7-9 pm) of each month at Green Wood's space, 18 Ontario St., Port Hope, ON.




IMAGINATE 2016 LINEUP LAUNCHES 3/17/2016 Green Wood Coalition presents IMAGINATE: An Evening of Possibility at Cameco Capitol Arts Centre in downtown Port Hope. Six outstanding presenters will explore this year’s theme, We All Have a Story, followed by a locally-sourced reception by Cultivate.​



This year's IMAGINATE stage host is popular Canadian broadcaster and musician, TOM POWER. As the one of the youngest hosts of a national program on CBC Radio, Tom Power is a rising star in broadcasting.


Hailing from St. John’s, Newfoundland, he started his career programming folk music on college radio, eventually becoming the permanent CBC RADIO 2 MORNING host in 2011.


A beloved and well known presence in the music industry across Canada, Tom sits on the board of the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts Society, he is a juror for the Polaris Award, and a member of the JUNO Roots/Traditional committee.

See the rest of the lineup for IMAGINATE 2016 here.


IF YOU CAN'T GO HOME 3/4/2016 A Port Hope resident, Laura, and her family have been on journey they hadn't planned to take when they welcomed a young man into their home a few months ago. They've had a series of lessons in the painful reality of homelessness, here in Northumberland:

I have chosen to share this picture today to tell you a story. While you can’t see the owner of the shoes, he does exist – his name is Kyle. This is Kyle’s long board (his method of transportation if weather permits), and his “kicks” … bought recently to replace his very old and worn out shoes …


Kyle is homeless. Kyle lives mostly in my son’s top bunk bed … he has waited over 3 months to find housing here in Port Hope … he is one of our invisible homeless … this is part of his story, which he has permitted me to share with you today ...


"After struggling with homelessness and unemployment (or very little employment) in Kingston, I relocated to Port Hope in November of 2015, believing I was going to have a home with my father for December 1st. There was no place for me to stay until December 1st – until the Steen family offered me a temporary solution. I am very grateful for their kindness.


While I have been here looking for permanent housing, I have been caught in 3 vicious cycles … and I believe these would be common to many in my situation


Cycle 1 – no job, no permanent home; no permanent home, no job. This is a frustrating cycle for someone who is trying to make changes in their circumstances. I need a job to have a home, and I need to have a home (a permanent address) to have a job … Talk about being hungry for a change in your life …


Cycle 2 – no references, no apartment; no apartment, no references. Even though we explain our situation, no private renter will approve us for accommodation. We don’t qualify without references. And we cannot gain references by remaining homeless. Talk about hurting …


Cycle 3 – this is perhaps the most difficult cycle of all … you have a small glimmer of hope for an accommodation – maybe through a discussion, or an “I’ll call you soon.” from the landlord … but, no call comes, you call back, the property is rented, or worse, they just don’t want to rent to someone in your circumstances, someone wearing shoes like mine. So you move from hope to despair … and are caught in this cycle with each little glimmer that makes itself known. Talk about hopeless …

​​

I would change my circumstances if I could, and I am working on it; but these cycles make it terribly difficult. I am working within a system that has so many gaps. I look around and see space in town not being used at all … large, empty space … yet, I don’t receive enough money to be able to afford a single room. I am on every rent geared to income housing list, but there is a wait of at least 18 months. Landlords ask for money just to make an application … yes, they take advantage of our desperation.


​I have been grateful to connect with Tower Inn and Green Wood Coalition … they understand those gaps, they understand my circumstances, they offer me community – they see me … but they can’t work miracles … it’s a difficult system .. and the uncertainty for me seems endless. So I struggle on, not knowing from one day to the next whether this may be the day that I find housing … that my Dad and I can begin to be a family … with space of our own … a place to kick off our shoes, and call our own …"​




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