Learnings & Reflections on Community and CDLI
By Aspen Williams
During my time as a practicum student with CDLI, I was able to learn what it means to be part of community development and understand how much of a positive impact the work has on individuals. I came into CDLI not knowing anything about community and feeling a bit intimidated about all there was to learn. I remember my first few days were filled with orientation, reading documents, and getting to know the work that I would be participating in. As overwhelming as those first days were, I was so happy to be joining a team full of people who were looking to make a difference. The CDLI team have been some of the nicest and most welcoming people I have met. Amanda and Tyson helped ease me into the process and asked me what I would be most interested in working on. They were supportive in all areas I needed help in and made me feel comfortable in asking questions when I did not understand something. Throughout my placement I had the opportunity to work on an “ABC’s of Community” project, which taught me many different approaches and methods in community development. In addition, I was able to expand my creativity and help design the graphics for the posts. One of my favourite things that the CDLI team did was team meetings. It was refreshing to get together and discuss resources, work that we were completing or just chat and get to know each other. I loved hearing about what the other team members were completing and sharing my own work, because I felt heard and valued as a team member. These meetings encouraged me to speak my opinion and allowed me to see different points of view from other team members, which opened my mind to ways of thinking that I would not have considered in the past.
“It is important to show up in spaces ready to learn more because you never know everything, it is amazing what others can teach you when you are open to it.”
I am so grateful for all the events I was able to participate in during my time with CDLI, the mini summit we held in June allowed me to be a part of three different sessions that I was unfamiliar with and taught me so much about community as a whole and how important it is to work together. I also enjoyed attending anti-racism and decolonization meetings with CDLI and hearing about the work they were doing with mutual aid. Being able to attend the Janes Walk at the beginning of my placement was so powerful, because I was able to see great results in the hard work Tyson and Sukhman had put into it. I enjoyed meeting in a new area that I had not been in before and discussing what we found beautiful and beneficial in the community. Asset mapping was such a great tool to learn about and an incredibly positive way of looking at community building.
At the end of my placement, I was given the opportunity to facilitate an ABCD Learning and Action Team meeting, where I chose my own topic to discuss and connected with individuals to hear their take on the resource I had shared. Facilitating this meeting was something I never thought I would be able to do, I have always struggled with public speaking but throughout my time with CDLI I gained a lot of confidence. Amanda was a great supporter while I was planning the Learning and Action Team meeting and supported me in any way she could.
I am truly grateful for all the work I have been able to be a part of with CDLI and I thank each and every one of the individuals I was able to connect with during my time with them. I have gained so much confidence and seen my potential in more ways than I could have ever imagined. It was a great new learning experience for me and encouraged me to take part in my own community and speak about important social issues that deserve the attention. I hope to continue being a part of community development and attending get togethers, where I can share my opinions and hear what others have to offer. Working with CDLI has taught me that we all have great ideas, and everyone has a story and experiences to share. It is important to show up in spaces ready to learn more because you never know everything, it is amazing what others can teach you when you are open to it. I am so thankful to have completed my practicum through CDLI and look forward to continuing learning about community development in my personal life and as a social work student. Thank you to everyone on the CDLI team for allowing me to be a part of your work!