Current Discourse

Building Strong Communities

On April 5th, 2005 Ideas that Matter and The Maytree Foundation jointly sponsored a day-long event which brought together over 400 civic, philanthropic and community leaders from the Toronto area. Conference participants shared key ideas, best practices, innovative programs and major challenges around the theme, "Building Strong Communities."

Proceedings of the conference will be published in the next issue of Ideas that Matter.
Detailed Conference Agenda
Keynote Address by Mark Starowicz (pdf)

The Revitalization of Regent Park: The Development of a Community Plan

In the fall of 2003, Ideas that Matter was retained to convene a process to engage stakeholders both within the neighbourhood and across the broader community in the revitalization of the Regent Park community in downtown Toronto. A city-wide forum was held in March 2004 with residents, community agencies, funders, and representatives from the city's economic, social, government and nonprofit sectors. A summary of the keynote presentation, given by Garland Yates of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, is included in the Volume 3, Number 3 issue ofIdeas that Matter.

The Regent Park Resident Council (RPRC), a resident group formed in 2002 and supported with a grant from The Maytree Foundation, is helping to organize the community's collective capacity to participate in the redevelopment process. One of the cornerstones of the revitalization plan is the development by the Regent Park Resident Council of a detailed community plan which includes strategies for employment and training, youth, arts and culture and education. The RPRC is currently developing workplans in each of these areas, plus a fifth, to look at the particular needs of youth.

For more information, see the Volume 3, Number 3 of Ideas that Matter or go to Regent Park Revitalization.