This session the Social Fixers aimed to finalise our project plan and explore different methods to employ in our project. In addition, we were looking forward to the tour of the neighbourhood Samira had planned for us. Despite the bitter cold that was waiting for us outside, we elected to continue with the tour as intended. Samira showed us around the neighbourhood, taking us to her former residence and enlightening us with her recollections of what Regent Park was like before the revitalisation. We got to learn about how aspects of her life have been altered due to her family’s displacement during the revitalisation process. For example, Samira noted how before the changes in Regent Park, she would often be able to go on walks with her grandmother and accompany her to the grocery store because she used to live in the building across the street from Samira and her parents. Although these walks and trips have continued now that Samira and her family have moved back into Regent Park, they have become more difficult. Samira and her grandmother are no longer afforded the convenience of proximity that they once had. In addition to changes in her personal life, Samira also enlightened us with context and the significance of different landmarks in the neighbourhood, and talked us through how the revitalisation has had effects in the larger community, as well.
Photo showing art installation in Regent Park displaying locals that have made meaningful contributions to the
community.
We were extremely grateful that we had the opportunity to go on the walk with Samira because it opened our eyes to the experiences of the community, and helped us understand what we hoped to do with our project. As a group we were having a particularly hard time understanding what direction to take the project in. However, as a result of Samira’s tour, we were provided with some perspective on who we hoped to reach with our timeline project, and how we aimed to get there. We decided to create a project that not only outlined Samira’s experiences of the revitalisation, but also highlighted the experiences of the community at large. As such, we elected to make our project an interactive one, where community members would be able to add their own experiences to our timeline, thereby bringing to light the multitudes of voices that are present in Regent Park, and that are affected everyday by the ongoing revitalisation. In addition, we want our project to be engaging for both newcomers to the neighbourhood, as well any other Toronto residents who may not necessarily have any connection to Regent Park. We hope that by highlighting residents’ experiences of displacement and social mixing, we can create a moment of enlightenment for those who may not fully understand the effects of Regent Park’s revitalisation.
Time lapse of our walk back to Regent Park Focus after our Regent Park tour with Samira.
While we have been very grateful to Samira for opening up to the group about her lived experiences and the stories about her childhood in Regent Park, there are also challenges that we have faced in the first two weeks working in our group. Coming into Regent Park and doing community work with locals is something that we feel very privileged to be able to do, as we are engaging with on-the-ground, first-hand knowledge that most students and professors at U of T are likely not able to experience. However, we have found it challenging at times to engage with Samira in a way that does not make her feel pressured to answer our questions or provide information to the team that she may not be comfortable with sharing. We appreciate and thank Samira for coming prepared to our last session, as she showed enthusiasm for the places she hoped to show us on her tour of the neighbourhood, but we also hope to strengthen our bond with her as the term wraps up so we can engage her in a meaningful way.
Our unique, intersectional identities allow us each to contribute to our project in different ways; however, as the members of our group each possess contrasting personalities, communicating with each other to achieve weekly goals has at times proven difficult. We’ve allowed ourselves to be curious about the possibility of clashing personalities to be the cause of some of the setbacks we have experienced as a group, so we hope to obtain some help from Aditi or Amna to facilitate productive group conversation, as well as come up with a plan that will allow us to stay on track with our project.
Production Plan & Timeline
March 4:
Establish plan and finalize project methods
Begin exploring project methods → go for a walk around the neighbourhood, take photos and videos
Begin research and explore Samira’s relationship to different places in Regent Park
March 11:
Finalize timeline
Research: archival photographs, planning & government documents, policy brief, consultation meeting minutes, etc.
Walk in Regent Park: take more photos on disposable camera
March 18:
Compile all photographs, documents, notes, etc.
Begin organizing research, assembling, and designing project
Collaborate with Samira to write stories and make connection to lived experiences to the places on interest in Regent Park
March 25:
Begin project assembly — continue working throughout the week on assembly outside of class time
At this point, we will likely need help with design methods
April 1:
Finalize project and send to printer
The Social Fixers are Lena, Sayem, Erika, and Samira.