Insights from the SDP Communications Working Group Meeting of Regent Park

By Lawrence Rodrigues
Lawrence is a youth journalist with FOCUS MEDIA ARTS CENTRE

On March 21, 2024, a virtual meeting of the of the Communications Working Group of the SDP was held including members of the evaluation and benchmarks committee, and a representative of the Hello Neighbour app.

Those in attendance of the meeting (in order of appearance) are Adonis Huggins, Murshida Samsun, Walied Khogali Ali, Amine Diba, Ismail Mohamed, Kaitlyn Ferreira, Stella Chao, and joining later in the meeting, Thunder Cloud.

The purpose of this meeting was to discuss and review a study of the current performance of the working group. Ismael Mohammed, who lead a presentation to discuss these findings, conducted a survey among Regent Park residents on their thoughts and opinions of the meeting process. During this review, they discovered there were issues such as a low attendance rate, unclear and vague goals, and general communication difficulties. Ismael Mohammed talked about ways to improve current conditions, such as tracking attendance, increasing community outreach efforts, and exploring different communication methods.

As the meeting progressed, it was emphasized that active communication with community members, further community engagement, and inclusivity is vital to a more successful result moving forward. When the meeting concluded, members agreed to experiment and try new methods of community engagement and retention. The insights and data from the answers of the survey aimed at the community members  proved to be invaluable, leading the members of the meeting in a direction to find an improved way to better serve the community of Regent Park, and to build a stronger community.