NH and Community Building: A Study of BWIN Project

INSPIRE 2014International Neighbourhood House & Settlement Conference

Vancouver, BC, Canada

Miu Chung Yan, Ph.D.Gojjam Limenihe, PhD Student

The University of British ColumbiaSchool of Social Work

NHiMV Project

First systematic study of NHs in CanadaFour years, collaborative, funded by SSHRCResearch questions:

“How do neighbourhood houses, as place-based, multi-service, community-governed, non-profit organizations, affect social equity, collective efficacy, and inclusion, based on the cases of Metro Vancouver?”

Project Website: http://nhvproject.ca

What was BWIN?

Building Welcoming and Inclusive Neighborhoods (BWIN) Project

A first collaboration of 14 (out of 15) Neighbourhood Houses in Metro VancouverA 6-year pilot project funded by the BC Government as a part of immigrant settlement programThree implementation phases with different strategies:

Phase 1: 2008-2010Phase 2: 2011-2012Phase 3: 2012- March, 2014

Purposes of BWINPurpose: to explore the leadership role of NHs in building local community capacity for promoting welcoming and addressing social exclusion:

To make a difference in each community member’s sense of well-being Help the newcomers and established immigrants to adapt and integrate in the community.To generate new knowledge about inclusive and welcoming communities. To address racism and social exclusion by exploring innovative approaches (BWIN Proposal document, 2008).

Purposes of this study

To understand how NHs conceptualize community building and apply programmaticallyTo understand how BWIN helped the NHs to integrate newcomers and long-term residents in the community

Research Method

Qualitative research method Content and Document Analysis/Review:

Annual reportsPolicy documents

4 focus groups with all BWIN coordinators (N=13) and EDS (N=13)Key informant interview (1)

Document analysisThree identifiable assumptions of the BWIN project:

1. An inclusive and welcoming community is where people participate, cooperate and accepting others.

2. NH is an effective mechanism (tool) to connect people newcomers and existing residents.

3. Inter-organizational connection is an important asset for building inclusive community (BWIN, proposal document, 2008).

Phase 1Objectives Strategies Activities (e.g.) Output1. Expand

the role of NHs

2. Engaged the community

3. Improve NHs approaches to wards inclusion

4. Build capacity at all levels

5. Improve collaboration

Community outreach and mapping

Senor and youth mentorship, Multicultural family night, Welcoming new comer dinners, Community outreach programs

N(A):661N(P): 39,021 NC=31,411

Community Gatherings & Cultural inclusion

Multicultural community dinners, workshops on financial literacy, domestic violence, community meeting s,( dialogues and forums )

N(A)=209N(P): =77,722NC= 61,070

Organizational Capacity Building

Workshops on cultural competency, building NH for the staffs and training for volunteers

N(A)=45N(P): =2714NC=1825

Collaborative Planning

Partnership with with other organizations (NGOs, governments and businesses)

N(A)= 28N(P) =1007

Volunteerism and Leadership

Volunteer activities, community outreach, seniors multi-cultural health project, children’s after-school program

N(A)=595N(P): 4905NC=1464

Phase 2Objective Strategy Activities (E.g) Out put

1. Building cohesion and discrimination

2. Connecting newcomers

3. Engaging both newcomers & longterm residents

Two way integration

Community potluck dinner, dialogues, culture exchange programs, intercultural health workshops

N(A)= 322N(P)=7223NC=5040

Building skills & tools for facilitating welcoming communities

Diversity workshops, intercultural activities, skill trainings

N(A)= 245N(P)= 6700NC=2410

Strengthening collaboration and networking

Intercultural planning table meetings, research partnerships,

N(A)= 329N(P)=6543NC=2200

Facilitating community development issues related to immigrant settlement and integration

Community education on anti-racism and anti-discrimination,Community healing (storytelling/dialogues), Workplace rights workshop

N(A)= 294N(P)=21370T(NC)=1052

Phase 3Objective Strategy Activities (E.g) Out put1. Connecting

newcomers

2. Building collaborative programs

3. Capacity building for newcomers

4. Mainstreaming newcomer focused programs

Outreach and referral

Posters, proactive invitation to family activities, newcomer referral to various supports and services.

N(A):260N(P): 7,134 NC=3673

Fostering inclusion and participation for newcomers

Annual volunteer recruitment and recognition event, partnership educational programs for newcomers, training and educational programs for newcomers on access to service

N(A):554N(P): 7805NC=3112

Bringing together newcomers and long-term residents

Cultural connectors, welcoming newcomers dinners, community cultural dinners, welcoming new neighbors events, weekly meetings to exchange personal and cultural stories, recipes and food.

N(A):370N(P): 9100NC=4633

Summary In the six years,

108, 022 new immigrants for the different programs 34, 600 long-term residents. 3,317 Different programs7,624 Volunteers were trained and participated in BWIN

A vast number of programs were organizedto address ‘needs’ (settlement, skills, social and intercultural understanding etc.) to facilitate interaction, exchange, and dialogueto extend and strengthen inter-organizational collaborationto foster volunteerism among residents

How did the NH’s staff articulate BWIN?

Key questions:What is a welcoming and inclusive community?What is community building in NH setting?What did they do to achieve what they articulated?What challenges did they face?

A welcoming and inclusive community should be:

A safe environment Socially cohesive, a sense of community Openness and willingness among members to exchange ideas,

and work to minimize differences.Our definition about what welcoming and inclusive community is not that everybody agrees that there should be you know a recovery house in a street. Instead, it is about people can come together, to create their stories, create their solutions, the road to respect each other, give and take. (ED)For me, it a sense of openness and the willingness to learn about each other. I think it is where cultural competency achieved so that people who are marginalized can able to participate and engaged. I also see inclusive and welcoming neighbourhood when we offer bold opportunities for people to participate in the development of a community. I think the important thing is there is a sense of community where there is a room for world of differences, when there is room for conversation, it is that sense of belonging is a key. (ED)

What is a welcoming and inclusive community?

Building welcoming & inclusive community

Building community:• It is not an overnight effect or a program or service• It is almost a philosophy embedded in all services a

process of establishing relationships (networking) and nurturing and building a sense of belonging.

As one ED described, it is like gardening:… like community gardening. When we thinking of how diverse and organic a garden is, we are part of the community and we see our selves in the community and I think philosophically and professionally, we are really committed that cultural competency piece where when we are in training, we are in providing a service, paying attention to our old biases, power structures and you know all of that, there is that commitment because we all are in space together and it is not in the space to provide services but it is in the space to be in community development, I think whole focus is, we are talking about growing together, growing with our community.

Components of building W & I community

Social CohesionSocial Cohesion Inclusiveness

Values diversity Cultural Competency

Building Welcoming & Inclusive

Community

Inclusiveness NHs bring together diverse individuals and enabled them to meaningfully engaged and a connected.

As an ED said,I think what BWIN makes inclusive is, we define that we all have a story to share. We all have something to contribute and the coming togetherness, working together is about to share those things we have, --the skills we have, stories we have, and I think that this whole project helped us to put more on that the forefront.

Values diversity Participants articulated that diversity is achieved when there is: Promoting multiculturalism Bring together people from different cultural

groups Working for minimizing the differences

A BWIN coordinator suggested: I think the important thing is, when there is a sense of community where there is a room for world of differences, working together to develop mutual respect, and the willingness to learn about each other. I think it is also when our diversity is to be seen as an opportunity to reach out to each other rather than as a threat and separating the community members whether it is in gatherings, dialogue circles or multicultural events.

Social cohesionParticipants comprehend that social cohesion is about the level of belonging and connectedness in a community. It is also the road to building inclusive community that BWIN contributed.

A BWIN coordinator noted:If you assume that your world is like everyone else’s and if you have no idea that two blocks down, it doesn’t make a healthier community. I think, social cohesion is key. You know, you need to live in harmony with each other. It is not about a program, it is about living in the community and helping your fellow neighbors.

Cultural competency Cultural competency is viewed as the major element in the process of building welcoming and inclusive community.

One BWIN coordinator articulated that: For me, it a sense of openness and working to dawn of stereotypes that openness to the differences-- the willingness to learn about each other, not that passive piece when the people are shut of each other. Cultural competency is the step that punches to bring the differences down. I think it is when there is a cultural competency in the community, so that people who are marginalized can able to participate and engaged. I think the important thing is building a sense of community where there is a room for [the] world of differences.

Impacts of BWIN on NHs

BWIN project helped to shift and lift the NHs work enormously --philosophically and professionally and strengthen the NH tradition of:

Building community. Connecting newcomers with local residents Proactively reaching out to engage members of

the community Meeting the needs in the community Building capacity: promoting volunteerism,

leadership development Strengthening the NH movement by bringing all

the NHs to work together Building service network through developing

partnerships with other organizations .

Challenges 1. Tangible outcome vs. intangible process

The government pressure to tease out the specific measurable outcome has been a challenge. To NHs, BWIN is an ongoing process…As an ED observes:

BWIN as inclusive frame work it help us to search for some people who are not part of that community and try to contribute and develop a sense of ownership. This is really the good part of BWIN. However, they wanted to know where that 65 thousand dollars were to go and each house has a different approach. The focus on the number was very challenging. Government wanted to see clean and something very specific counting's.

Challenges (2)2. Scale of issue: Challenges to fully engage and work on anti-discrimination and anti-racism elements of BWIN

As one coordinator explained:I think in terms of integrating and promoting the diversity BWIN did great job but in terms of the harder and big issues like discrimination and anti -racism that is more of a challenge. BIWIN didn't is not addressing that.

3. Funding: The phase-out of the project will greatly affect the capacity of NHs in addressing the multifaceted concerns of the community.

One ED explained :I think, we will forced to cut some of the programs or stretch our programs. It definably affects our work because we might forced to mainstreaming some of the programs to existing program. BWIN created a place of opportunity particularly for the new comers and ‘socially excluded 'to be more engaged. Obviously, this work more money and human resource.

Summary BWIN reenergized NHs’ traditional mandate: to focus not only in providing services but also building a welcoming and gathering places where the ‘strangers calls them the second home’.

It offered NHs resource to play a central role in promoting inclusionIt offered NHs an opportunity to experiment a multicultural and innovative approach of community buildingIt recognized and strengthened NHs’ role in bridging newcomers with local residents, and helping them to establish functional ties in the community.

What will happen?No more BWIN or not more community building? Can NH sustain what they achieved? How can this traditional mandate be sustained without extra funding?

Thank you!