So we’ve recently learnt about a great new project which is a collaboration between Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House and Queen Alexandra Elementary School at Broadway and Clark Drive. The Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House received financial grants from Evergreen Learning Grounds and Neighbourhood Small Grants to allow them to co-ordinate a garden and workshops at Queen Alexandra Elementary School. On May 26, 2016, they kicked off the Queen Alexandra Garden Project. They will be hosting garden work parties every Thursday between 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm until October. This project has several goals. Outside of creating the garden itself, they also wish to create a Garden Committee consisting of teachers, parents, school staff, community individuals and organizations. Most importantly, their aim is to create a community among the volunteers giving them the opportunity to make connections while at the same time learning to grow food. I have a personal soft spot for this particular project as Queen Alexandra is my alma mater and some of my best experiences in the school system were at this school which also fueled and nurtured the imagination and creativity you see here today. So if you are able to provide some support whether it’s time, knowledge or skills in building a shed or an irrigation system, you are invited to contact Joey Liu at Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House at jliu@mpnh.org. If you wish to learn to grow food, make new friends, learn about native plants in your community, check out the weekly workshops on Thursdays at Queen Alexandra Elementary School between 3:00 and 5:00 pm. Everyone is welcome to participate.
Queen Alexandra Elementary Garden Project
7 JulFresh Curbside Markets Are Back June 14 to October 28th
16 JunIf you are looking for fresh food at low prices, you may wish to check out the Curbside Fresh Market which have returned for its third season. The Curbside Fresh Market brings affordable local produce to select Vancouver neighbourhoods every week from June 14th to October 28th. You can find them at the following locations and times in East Vancouver:
Mt Pleasant Neighbourhood House
800 E Broadway, Vancouver
Wednesdays 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Collingwood Neighbourhood House
5288 Joyce St, Vancouver
Thursdays 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Mt Pleasant Community Centre
1 Kingsway, Vancouver
Fridays 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm
For more locations, visit them on Curbside Fresh Market. Fresh Food and Low Prices is what you can expect. Be sure to stop by one and check it out.
100 In 1 Day Workshop March 16 At The Mt. Pleasant Neighbourhood House
14 MarOn Saturday, June 4th, 2016 100 in 1 Day returns to Vancouver. This is a festival of civic engagement and you are invited to participate. The idea is to bring together hundreds of people on ONE day in various parts of the City, each taking one small action to improve their city. On March 16th, organizers will be holding a Public Workshop where you can share your ideas and visions for a better city. All ages are welcome to attend this free one day workshop. The session on March 16th will be held at the Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House from 6:00 – 8:00 pm. To RSVP for this event visit Eventbrite. If you wish to participate and can’t attend this date, there are a few other dates offered at different locations. To learn more about this festival visit 100 in 1 Day.
Free Puppetry Workshop & Puppet Show In Mount Pleasant
27 OctThe Vancouver Star Theatre is hosting a free puppetry workshop and puppet show for families in Mount Pleasant. The workshop and puppet show will be hosted by two puppet masters. Firstly, Randi Edmundson who is an experienced puppeteer and drama teacher. She currently teaches theatre classes for Vancouver Performing Stars and Place des Arts. The second puppet master is Kaeden Derksen who is a children’s performer, musician and drama teacher. Kaeden recently spent time in India facilitating intergenerational theatre workshops for seniors and children.
MAKE PUPPETS & TELL STORIES – Sunday, November 1st
Randi Edmundson and Kaeden Derksen are experienced puppeteers and will be leading a free puppetry workshop for children aged 5-8 at the Mount Pleasant Community Centre on Sunday, November 1st. Participants will make their own simple puppets and learn manipulation techniques. They will also have the opportunity to practice their newly learned techniques in front of their class mates. The workshop runs from 10:45 am to 12:45 pm and registration is required. Contact the Mount Pleasant Community Centre directly to register.
THE MAIN EVENT – Tuesday, November 10th
Randi and Kaeden will be sharing a free puppet show at Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House. We hear that the performance will be zany, interactive and full of surprises. It will also incorporate music as well as stories created by the workshop participants. The puppet show will begin at 4:30pm and run for 30 minutes. For those wishing to take in this puppet show, you are encouraged to show up early to reserve a seat.
The workshop and puppet show is brought to by the Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House, the Mount Pleasant Community Centre and the Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood Small Grants Program.
Broadway East Art Walk Community Film Festival Saturday October 11th
10 OctThe folks at Broadway East Art Walk will be hosting their second annual Community Film Festival on Saturday, October 11th from 6:30 – 9:30 pm at 303 8th Avenue. You are invited to come celebrate the places and stories that make our neighbourhoods unique and see them unfold through the screening of local short films. You will experience a wide range of locally made films in a variety of genres, ranging from documentary to music videos and experimental films. The event is free but an RSVP is required which you can do via this link at Eventbrite. If you would like a run down of the all the films that will be showing, visit Broadway East Art Walk.
AND for something else artistic, fun and environmentally friendly, the Broadway East Art Walk will be collecting broken umbrellas to upcycle them and create the Mount Pleasant Canopy Project. If you wish to get a sense of what this type of project ‘could’ look like check out these great displays in Agueda, Portugal. You are asked to bring your broken umbrellas to the Community Film Festival. You can also leave the umbrellas at the front desk of The Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House, 800 E Broadway, during their normal hours Monday – Friday from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. This is another great community project funded by the Vancouver Foundation through the Neighbourhood Small Grants program.
Umbrella Photo: Flickr user pmtn
Theatre For The Living Presents “Corporations In Our Heads” at Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House
8 OctThe Theatre For The Living announces a BC/Alberta tour of “Corporations in Our Heads”. This tour consists of 26 events in British Columbia with 7 around Vancouver. The project investigates how corporate messages are planted in our minds hundreds of times per day, in ways we may not even notice. Many of the messages planted in our collective psyche tell us what to buy, how to feel, how to perceive and what kind of person we aspire to be and how we relate to the world around us. Corporations In Our Heads uses theatre to “evict” these messages with a desire to move to transformative action. There is no play, no actors and no script. They are touring a process in which the theatre comes from the audience each night. Corporations In Our Heads will be taking place at the Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House, 800 E. Broadway, on October 10th and 11th at 7:00 p.m. Admission is by donation and RSVP is requested by emailing RSVP@theatreforliving.com. You can learn more about Theatre for Living at www.theatreforliving.com or contact them at 604.871.0508.
TrashTalk: Wanted Recycling Enthusiasts in Condos and Apartments
9 JulLets talk trash. Come 2015, all organic material in the Lower Mainland must be diverted from the landfill. What are you doing to plan for that eventuality if you live in an apartment or a condominium? Over the past year, the City of Vancouver has expanded its food scraps recycling program to more than 100,000 single-family homes and duplexes. But there is no program for apartment dwellers. So what can you do today if you are in an apartment or condo? Well now there is TrashTalk.
What is it? The project is a partnership between Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House, Gordon Neighbourhood House and the Recycling Council of British Columbia, and is funded by the Greenest City Fund, Vancity and TD Friends of the Environment Foundation. It is looking for recycling champions in condos and apartments to create food scrap programs and educate their fellow residents and neighbours. Why should you participate in TrashTalk?
- it’s free
- receive expert assistance to plan and implement food scraps recycling in your residence while engaging your neighbours
- receive financial assistance
- connect with and learn from other recycling champs
- be prepared for the Metro Vancouver ban when it arrives
- help the City of Vancouver achieve its Zero Waste goals
The deadline to apply for this project is July 15th. To find out how to apply or for more information, visit Vancouver TrashTalk or contact Murray Mollard, Project Director E: trashtalk@telus.net or T: 604-767-7421.