Jim Green Memorial Lecture: Observations in Community Development — February 26, 2013

Jim Green Memorial Lecture by Ken Lyotier

February 26, 2013 | 7:00 – 9:00 PM
FREE, but an RSVP is encouraged.

Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema, Goldcorp Centre for the Arts
149 West Hastings St, Vancouver BC

Supported by SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement

Observations in Community Development in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside

Since the 1970’s there has been a growing public awareness of the Downtown Eastside as a distinct community in our City.

In the first annual Jim Green Memorial Lecture at SFU, Ken Lyotier, a long time resident of the Downtown Eastside, will share some observations and recollections. He will use a “social change” lens to examine how DERA, CRAB Park, United We Can, non market housing development, and other community building projects have affected life in this part of Vancouver.

The lecture will focus on how common emotional and learning experiences can generate a legacy of social bonds that in turn become a source of social capital to be used by social change agents in the Downtown Eastside.

Ken Lyotier was born in North Vancouver in 1947. He has lived and worked in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside for the past 30 years. In 1990, along with other members of his community, Ken began work to improve beverage container recycling services in Vancouver. He participated in discussions, which guided the drafting of regulations to expand industry stewardship of beverage container recycling in British Columbia.

Motivated by social justice issues, Ken has attempted to change inconsistencies in his own response to the world as a starting point for the constructive engagement of others in his community.

Ken believes that effective social transformation occurs by seeking a better understanding of how things actually are and then taking specific action aimed at moving us closer to how we think they ought to be. Evidence of change needs to be continually assessed and new actions adjusted to reflect our changing understanding of reality.

Ken was also the founder and Executive Director of United We Can, a non-profit bottle depot, which has operated in downtown Vancouver since 1995. Ken’s work has been well recognized and he has received numerous awards and commendations including a Medal for Meritorious Service from the Governor General of Canada and an honorary Doctor of Law Degree from the University of British Columbia.

Reception to follow this event