Canadian Social Forum Day 1

Karri, Mariel and I are in Calgary this week for the Canadian Social Forum. This morning, before the Social Forum started, we received a tour of one of the largest shelters in Calgary, the Centre of Hope. The Centre of Hope is run by the Salvation Army. It offers emergency beds for the homeless, in addition to transitional housing, and an addictions program. They offer some very good programs, and are staffed by warm, engaging people. It was helpful for us to start out our experience here in Calgary with a closer look at poverty in Calgary and the efforts that are being made to combat poverty locally.

Then we were off to various meetings for the day. Karri had a Campaign 2000 meeting, I had a BIEN Canada meeting, and Mariel met someone from the Churchill Park Family Care Society. One of the benefits of the Social Forum is definitely the opportunity to meet with colleagues from across the country who are working on the same issues we are.

Finally, the Forum kicked off this evening with a reception and a presentation about Calgary’s 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness (which Mariel has blogged about before). It was nice to catch up with friends and meet some new acquaintances. There was a lot of energy in the room – I think this is going to be a really exciting event. People are really focused on creativity, bridging across the various sectors that work on aspects of poverty to dialogue together about solutions. I also noticed some Members of Parliament in the crowd, and we know that the House of Commons Human Resources committee will be here as well. As we have this dialogue and generate ideas and energy for moving forward, it is important to have politicians and decision-makers present to learn and share and understand as well.

We’ll be back tomorrow with more updates on the first full day of the Forum!