Distant, Not Disengaged was a weekly, experimental, interactive online co-learning series which met the need for community to stay connected during the height of COVID lockdowns in Canada, produced by SFU Public Square, SFU's Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue and CityHive. In this remote presentation to the 2021 University Social Responsibility Summit 2021 at the University of Pretoria, Janet Webber (executive director, SFU Public Square), Dr. Jennifer Wolowic (Centre for Dialogue) and Doug Hamilton-Evans (communications manager, SFU Public Square) spoke about how the series developed, the emerging issues it tackled, how it made space for communities to share and learn from each other.
Lecture abstract:
As physical distancing measures were enacted to address the COVID-19 pandemic, SFU Public Square pivoted the focus and format of our community engagement activity. The shift from in-person programming to online engagement prompted innovative and responsive content including Distant, Not Disengaged, a weekly, experimental, interactive online co-learning series which met the need for community to stay connected even as we are apart. We host discussions exploring emerging issues related to the impacts of COVID-19 and the inequities it is exacerbating e.g. mutual-aid responses, the arts and culture sector, elder care, anti-Asian racism, race and representation in the media, the overdose crisis, food justice, social cohesion and democratic engagement. The events aim to inspire future action and collaboration, combat social isolation and promote community resilience. The core partnership includes a community organization as well as another university unit, but the breadth of collaboration extends to include partners from both within and outside the university, and offer viewpoints from practitioners, those with lived experience and researchers. To date, 15 events with 100 to 350 attendees each have taken place. The format includes opportunity for participants to connect and engage in facilitated breakout rooms with survey respondents indicating that these events help them feel connected to others and increase their understanding of issues from diverse perspectives. Privacy, security, accessibility and inclusion are priorities, with honorariums provided to all speakers and closed captioning a regular feature. Post event, resources and links, videos and blog post summaries are shared with the broader community and policymakers.
For more about Distant, Not Disengaged, go here: www.sfu.ca/publicsquare/events/2020/mental-wellness-and-covid-19.html#events-resources
For a video about the series, go here: kzitem.info/news/bejne/xXxt0J6FgX2BjKA
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