By Adonis Huggins and Ana Higuera
(Adonis and Ana are journalists with the Focus Media Arts Centre)

The Regent Park Neighbourhood Association (RPNA) was formed in early 2015, with an aim of having an equal proportion of TCHC and Market residents involved in its membership. RPNA represents residents of Regent Park and provides a broad range of advocacy, services and events.
RPNA vision is to foster an inclusive, diverse and healthy neighbourhood in which all residents can feel at home.

Recently, in a public announcement made to the community in February 2022, it was announced by members of the leadership team that RPNA had incorporated as a not-for-profit organization and will soon establish an office on the third floor of the Daniels Spectrum Arts Centre. As a not-for-profit organization, RPNA feels that this will give them more access to resources to support membership initiatives and activities.  More importantly RPNA feels that resident involvement is critical in the success of the association.

According to Ismail Afrah, a TCHC tenant on the leadership team, " Regent Park is going through a massive revitalization, lots of decisions are being made about how this neighbourhood looks like, and resident leadership is important…without resident leadership this Neighbourhood Association wouldn't work and we need resident voices to help shape how this neighbourhood will be revitalized!"
Gail Lynch, a market resident on the leadership team, who grew up in Barbados, said that growing up her mother instilled the importance of been involved in the community. “Regent Park is a place I care about and where I intend to stay. I felt a need to get involved in what happens in the community and RPNA is one of those places I can do that.”

According to Zaheed Ali, a market resident, "RPNA is a forum for people to be able to express things that they would like to improve on in our neighbourhood and the RPNA is there to be a balanced place where we have both market and TCHC residents to help address these topics and move the community forward."

Moving together as a team is important to Marlene DeGenoa, another market resident. "I try to represent RPNA as best I can out there in the community. But we work together as a team, and everything we do is teamwork." Says Marlene.
 
The RPNA leadership team consist of Marleen DeGenova (a market resident), Walied Khogali (a TCHC resident), Miguel Avila-Velarde (a TCHC resident), Zaheed Alli (a market resident), Gail Lynch (a market resident) and Ismail Afrah (a TCHC resident).

View this video to hear what members of the leadership team have to say about RPNA and their activities.