We continue with more stories from students on their experiences working with the community! Stay tuned as we will be posting new stories for the next four weeks.
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Chinatown
I learned a lot about my strengths, weaknesses, and career interests during this process, and Exploring Communities helped me to develop and think critically about my interpersonal and project management skills. I had never really considered a career in stakeholder consultation or engagement, as I’m usually more attracted to research-oriented roles, so this project was interesting to me because it both played to my strengths and took me out of my comfort zone. Overall, working with the Calgary Chinatown Community Association board of directors was an incredible experience, because they are such a passionate group of people and they welcomed us wholeheartedly into their community. In addition, Chinatown is such a unique community, with abundant local history and a close-knit social life, making it especially rewarding to research, observe, and contribute to. I hope to stay involved with the Community Association on a volunteer basis in the future, to see how our Exploring Communities report influences the future development of this one-of-a-kind community.
-Charlotte Belot
Charlotte Belot is a lifelong Calgarian who is passionate about community planning and local government. As a senior undergraduate at the University of Calgary, she is pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Urban Studies with a minor in architecture. Charlotte has a professional background in project management from her work as a co-op student with the Government of Canada, and has academic experience in community visioning from her work on developing a station area plan for the new Inglewood-Ramsay Green Line station. She has also taken multiple courses in mapping, community planning, and data analysis. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking in the Rocky Mountains and volunteers her time with the University of Calgary’s bike share program. Upon graduation, Charlotte hopes to find work as a professional urban planner.
Erin Woods
Through my experiences working on the Exploring Communities project, I have learned an exceptional amount. It can sometimes be a rare opportunity within a university program to have the opportunity to really gain a holistic “on-the-ground” understanding of one’s field of interest. Over the months dedicated to this project even the small things ended up contributing in big ways to getting to know Erin Woods. By the small things I mean actually getting to the community. Which incidentally, 3 bus transfers later, does not end up being a small thing.
-Madeleine Miller
Madeleine Miller is an Urban Studies student at the University of Calgary with passionate research interests in creating equitable and enriching living spaces for individuals of all walks of life. With strong technical skills in geographic information systems, Madeleine utilizes geomatics in the pursuit of mapping urban issues and phenomena to better inform decision makers through visualization. Madeleine has also worked with Young Calgary, an organization working towards creating a better city for Calgary’s youth. Through a series of research efforts, Madeleine’s projects with Young Calgary seek to increase youth engagement in both community and municipal levels. Outside of the class or lab Madeleine enjoys volunteering with local Calgary-based animal shelters and dog rescues. Moving forward, Madeleine aims to work with non-profit organizations and NGO’s in the pursuit of bottom-up urban renewal.
Southview
I had a great experience with the making of our exploring communities report. I believe my enjoyment came from the feeling that I was getting more and more out of it each week. At first I found it very abstract and didn’t understand where the report was going. Once we actually got to engage Southview I think I got true purpose out of the report. Engagement as a tool to shape your research was my biggest takeaway. I didn’t have a proper understanding of how residents give an enlightened understanding to researchers like me, while we inform them until this report and engagement.
-Dustin MacDonald
Dustin MacDonald. Dustin MacDonald is a 4th year Urban Studies student at the University of Calgary who is passionate about community development, and addressing urban issues. His education centres on studying planning policy, transportation planning, and urban theory. Learning about these concentrations allows him to explore and advance his knowledge on how to build better communities, and how to address various urban issues. Dustin works first hand on addressing his aforementioned interests as the President of the Urban Calgary Student Association. As the President, he is able to lead events educating fellow Urban Studies and University of Calgary students on topics such as secondary suites, C-train expansion and current news and opportunities in the fields of planning and architecture. He is looking to pursue a Master’s in Planning upon completion of his degree, and work in the development or municipal planning field. Dustin is also looking to supplement his education with international urban experience attained from travelling the world.
Whitehorn
Working with the Federation of Calgary Communities and the Board of the Whitehorn Community Association was a very rewarding experience. The Exploring Communities program enabled a cohesive environment for analysis and understanding. The board members underwent an engagement session, which provided essential information and feedback on the asset mapping strategies that were used for the initial data collection. This project provides valuable information focused on the community and its major areas requiring improvement. We hope that our work on the Exploring Communities report will enable the board and the Federation to engage their members and make a tangible difference in their communities.
The Exploring Communities project provided a valuable environment for the growth of the urban studies professional with real world experience for both data collection and engagement. The skills developed in this project will prove to be useful tools in the future careers of the University of Calgary Urban Studies Graduates.
Julie Sorensen is a dedicated student working towards her Masters in Architecture at the University of Calgary. With her interests in the built environment, paired with an undergraduate degree in Urban Studies, Julie seeks to find solutions to real world problems in the design of communities. As a born Calgarian and assistant volunteer with the Calgary Stampede, Julie has a hands on understanding of the culture of this city and excels at public engagement. Last summer Julie worked for the city of Fort St. John, in British Columbia, gaining experience in both GIS and city planning. The tangible connection with the city through mapping and community engagement, as well as sitting in on Official Community Plan Meetings, have built a realistic understanding of common urban problems and the workings of city systems. Paired with a strong background in urban geography, Julie hopes to extend her academic and work experiences to improve the communities she engages with. Together with the Federation of Calgary Communities team, she hopes to make a positive and lasting impact on the communities engaging with the Exploring Communities project.