If you are looking to become more involved in your neighbourhood, now is a great time to start! Boyle Street Community League has welcomed me, Kim Smith, to the team. My role is to build up the community league, deepen the richness of neighbourhood life, and help residents feel more at home.

At the Annual General Meeting for the Boyle Street Community League in July, I invited everyone present to chat with each other about what they love about the neighbourhood, what they would love to nourish in Boyle Street, and what they want to nourish in themselves as community members. The conversation was just a small taste of the type of questions I’ll be bringing to Boyle Street over the next few months. 

In that conversation, people expressed their love for the multicultural nature and diversity of the community. They appreciate that the neighbourhood is rich with relationships, and that it is easy to walk to many interesting nearby attractions. 

While some people also mentioned feeling isolated in the community, others celebrated how connected they feel. Some long-time community leaders said they would like to step back from their leadership roles and help to mentor a new generation. 

I will be inviting all interested Boyle Street residents to join us in more of these types of conversations until the fall. To ensure we have as many people as possible involved, in the first phase of the work I will connect with current Community League members, those who respond to the posters and handbills delivered around the neighbourhood, and people other neighbours connect me with. We are looking to connect with anyone who lives in the neighbourhood and cares about it! You can chat with me without committing to any long-term involvement.

Once we have spoken with a good number of neighbours, we will host some fun workshops sharing what we love about the neighbourhood, what we would love to nourish in the neighbourhood, and how to ensure this work supports us as whole humans. We would love to have you involved! 

After that, we’ll make a plan to do the things we’ve identified and head into the next phase of nurturing Boyle Street as the beautiful place we call home.

I’m excited to meet people in the neighbourhood! If you are a Boyle Street resident and would like to be involved or learn more, contact me at community@boylestreetcl.com, or fill out this form: https://tinyurl.com/5cu5c58h.