Scarborough Village empowered
Two years after Action for Neighbourhood Change came to town
Local resident, Saltan Islam signs up for the Children's Programs Committee at the Scarborough Village Community Association meeting.
On Saturday, June 2, 2007, a group of committed local citizens gathered together at the Scarborough Village Neighbourhood Association (SVNA) meeting. For some, this was the second year they were lending their voice to community improvement efforts. For others, it was their first exposure to grassroots community change. Both groups were curious, passionate and clearly dedicated to the cause.
Two years ago, there was no SVNA and many of these people had no outlet to express their concerns or effect positive change in the neighbourhood they call home. It was a distressed community in dire need of the social tools and infrastructure necessary to help create change for the better. Today, thanks to Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC), a major component of United Way’s Neighbourhood Strategy, residents in neighbourhoods like Scarborough Village are leading the charge with their vision for a better, safer, stronger place to live.
Among the many positive inroads being made, Scarborough Village is now home to a new playground at Scarborough Village Park, a community cricket program at the local Recreation Centre and a Bengali Social Club. As well, there is a new mural on Eglinton Avenue produced by local youth, and last summer the Toronto Raptors hosted two Raptorball camp sessions for area youth. If that wasn’t enough, a new youth leadership program teaches communication and public speaking skills, and coaches participants on the most effective ways to bring about change.
How did all this happen in such a relatively short time? ANC connected local residents and businesses to each other and to the programs and services available to them. The ANC team helped them identify needs and develop solutions. It also nurtured community-based leadership and resident-led change. In short, ANC helped people help themselves—people like Shamima Ahmed who along with her husband and three young children, is a resident of Scarborough Village and a very active member of the SVNA. She is also a part time student at Centennial College. But she always makes time for the SVNA. “I want to make our neighbourhood better,” she says. “I want to participate in many activities so that I can have knowledge about our different needs and help us get strong and prompt results.”
When the SVNA meeting wrapped up that warm June afternoon, Shamima and her fellow SVNA members didn’t take their civic duty hats off. Instead they mingled over sandwiches and juice and signed up for a host of committees where they felt their knowledge and talents would best be put to use for their community. Shamima? She signed up for three.
Read the press release United Way takes action in under-served neighbourhoods Across Toronto (pdf - 35 KB).
