It feels good to fight and argue, but when there’s no pressure to convince others or be convinced, we listen in ways that allow us to improve our communities.

Social Proximity, Civic Practice, Art of Hosting, Practices and ProtocolsBeth SandersFebruary 13, 2024Social Habitat, Social proximity, Agreements, speaking from, city making, Art of Hosting, Civic PracticeComment

It’s All in the Cards

City making, the weaving of city building and city caring, only happens when we have a social habitat in which we choose to weave these perspectives together.

Social Proximity, Civic PracticeBeth SandersOctober 25, 2023Social Habitat, Social proximity, Art of Hosting, Facilitation, city making, city caring, city building Comments

Community Learning

We only organize together if we are in the push and pull of conversation, wrestling with the action we feel we need to take. If not, we are being organized, passive participants in the status quo doing others’ bidding.

Social Proximity, Art of Hosting, Civic PracticeBeth SandersAugust 24, 2023Connection, Conversation, Community, Art of Hosting, Social Habitat, Social proximity, Conversation bypassingComment

Radical Reflection

Receiving a big award made me notice how integrity and values shape my life and work, from the scale of me to the scale of communities, neighbourhoods and cities.

Civic Practice, My WorkBeth SandersJune 6, 2023Civic Practice, Values, work Comments

Do it Scared

Radical honesty with my ski patrol colleagues makes me feel less scared. And more capable, too.

Civic Practice, Work, Social ProximityBeth SandersApril 27, 2023Ski patrol, Radical honesty, civicComment

The Inconceivable Inconceivable

There are two kinds of inconceivable: 1) the one I tell myself isn’t possible and 2) the one I can’t imagine.

Civic Practice, Work, Be the Best Citizen You Can BeBeth SandersMarch 21, 2023Ski patrol, Mountain, Skiing, Conversation, dream, Marmot Basin, Jasper Comments

Change as a Verb

Beth has landed in perimenopause, asking herself the question she asks others everywhere she goes: How do I make my way through this transition with care and compassion? The answer is in thinking not of The Change but of changing. Change as a verb.

Civic Practice, Social ProximityBeth SandersFebruary 27, 2023Change, Art of Hosting, Perimenopause, Thresholds, Transition, transition-making, Transition thinking Comments

The Agony of Conversation

How do you design a public meeting when you believe that everyone has something to share, not just the vocal few?

Art of Hosting, Civic Practice, Conversation, Social Proximity, WorkBeth SandersOctober 26, 2022Conversation, Art of Hosting, Engagement, Public Meeting, DesignComment

Award-Winning Work: Edmonton City Plan

Beth and her team just won an award from the Alberta Professional Planners Institute for their public engagement work on Edmonton City Plan. The team: POPULUS Community Planning Inc., GSA, Aubin Consulting and the City of Edmonton.

My Work, Civic PracticeBeth SandersOctober 25, 2022Awards, Edmonton, City Plan, city makingComment

Transition-Making is Choosing Changing

When we avoid sharing opportunities to make meaning of our experiences and make choices from the meaning we've made, we avoid the challenges and brilliance of community. And the choice, in every moment, rests with each of us. Choosing transition means choosing to participate in our changing.

Community Bypassing, Art of Hosting, Civic PracticeBeth SandersAugust 31, 2022Community, Bypassing, Relationship, Conversation, Connection, Art of Hosting, Facilitation, city making, Transition, transition-makingComment

Transition Bypassing

We want change to happen without changing ourselves, without having to do anything differently. Yet, choosing transition means choosing to participate in our changing.

Community Bypassing, Art of Hosting, Civic PracticeBeth SandersJuly 19, 2022Community, Bypassing, Relationship, Conversation, Connection, Art of Hosting, Facilitation, city making, TransitionComment

Community Bypassing

When we avoid sharing opportunities to make meaning of our experiences and make choices from the meaning we’ve made, we avoid the challenges and brilliance of community.

Community Bypassing, Art of Hosting, Civic PracticeBeth SandersMay 31, 2022Community, Bypassing, Relationship, Conversation, Connection, Art of Hosting, Facilitation, city makingComment

Upper Mountain Relationships

An emotional upset and a ski trip helped me unearth two limiting beliefs about my relationship skills.

Civic Practice, Social Proximity, ConversationBeth SandersApril 8, 2022Civic Practice, RelationshipComment

Relationship Bypassing

Agreements about how we’ll talk and relate to each other are a commitment to be responsible for the quality of our relationships. In this article: 2 symptoms of, and 7 antidotes to, relationship bypassing.

Civic Practice, Art of Hosting, Social ProximityBeth SandersMarch 29, 2022relationship, Conversation, Connection, BypassingComment

Conversation Bypassing

Assuming that the expertise in the room is in one or a few people disables and minimizes the resilience of a community. In this article: 4 symptoms of conversation bypassing and 5 antidotes.

Art of Hosting, Civic Practice, Social ProximityBeth SandersFebruary 15, 2022Bypassing, Connection, Conversation, Art of HostingComment

Connection Bypassing

Whether online or in-person, how we gather fosters connection between people only when we design in opportunities for people to make contact with each other. When we don’t, we engage in connection bypassing.