Tag: Wendy Sarkissian PhD

Community engagement with people with disability

  This week, I’ve been reflecting on the responses I’ve received to my recent blog post about Mary Ann Hiserman, my friend in Berkeley who was a wheelchair user and activist for people with disability. I’ve been thinking about the actual experience of being “locked out” of an environment. And comparing it to being “locked… Continue reading Community engagement with people with disability

What’s best practice in community engagement?

July 9, 2009 at 12:45 pm   The other day I went to a local community workshop in my small rural village. The topic is not important for my purposes and it’s not my intention to embarrass anyone.   Rather I want to make a point: there’s more to community workshops than a conversation at… Continue reading What’s best practice in community engagement?

Why is community engagement central to achieving sustainability?

15 June 2009 at 2:38 pm     Sustainability Fatigue   I’m getting the feeling that our communities are being engulfed in a wave of “sustainability fatigue”. “Don’t talk to me any more about climate change,” a friend says over coffee in the Village. She cradles her coffee and mumbles, “I’ve had a gutful of… Continue reading Why is community engagement central to achieving sustainability?

Evaluation Research: Must the Messenger Always Be Shot?

22 July 2009 at 2:39 am                             A few months ago, I was lucky enough to have to write a short piece on evaluation for a consulting report. I reviewed what I had in my library, did a quick Internet search and… Continue reading Evaluation Research: Must the Messenger Always Be Shot?

Chocolate Chip Cookies: A Migrant’s Tale

24 July 2009 at 2:26 pm This is a story about chocolate chip cookies: a migrant’s tale.   I was visiting a city friend recently.   We have no oven in our shed in the bush, so the sight of someone preparing to bake was deeply satisfying.   “What are you baking?” I asked Bill,… Continue reading Chocolate Chip Cookies: A Migrant’s Tale

Trouble in Paradise: Dual Occupancy at Jarlanbah

March 15, 2010 – 9:59 pm   Trouble in Paradise   Tomorrow evening my neighbours are meeting to decide whether or not to try to ban dual occupancy (commonly called accessory dwelling units: https://www.mass.gov/envir/smart_growth_toolkit/pages/mod-adu.html ) in this eco-village of 43 dwellings on 22 hectares.   The whole process has me mightily confused.   Imagine the… Continue reading Trouble in Paradise: Dual Occupancy at Jarlanbah

(re)visioning Jarlanbah Permaculture Hamlet

April 3, 2010 – 9:44 am   It’s Easter weekend: a time for reflection on renewal, blessings and hope.   I am awash with fresh insights following a fascinating community mediation about the dual occupancy (accessory dwelling unit) issue on this community.   Sometimes people leave intentional communities. See “Leaving Utopia”, click here: Leaving Utopia… Continue reading (re)visioning Jarlanbah Permaculture Hamlet

Why bother with community engagement, anyway?

April 11, 2010 – 9:43 pm   In the past couple of weeks I have been confronted by many aspects of the community engagement debate. Angry residents questioning my integrity as I try to help them with a local environmental problem I’d say qualifies as a “wicked problem” in their neighbourhood.   Then I experience… Continue reading Why bother with community engagement, anyway?

Silencing Dissent: charity begins at home

April 29, 2011 – 4:07 pm In an eco-village, there is more to life than managing weeds and water quality in the dams.   What we have learned about social reform and social change in Western countries over many decades is that burning books and silencing dissent are very dangerous practices. What is my dissenting… Continue reading Silencing Dissent: charity begins at home

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