IN-PERSON Barcelona. Section A

Abstract

A space within the Jane-Finch (JF) community north of Toronto, Firgrove shares similar challenges as other social housing projects in fighting negative media portrayals that situate them as hubs for crime, drugs and social issues. Affectionately known as Connections, it boasts rich cultural diversity and an unbiased caring spirit. In 2014, it was identified as 1 of 31 Toronto neighbourhoods to be designated as a Neighbourhood Improvement Area (NIA) and was subject to a “revitalization” process to redevelop aging community housing in the area, resulting in a progressive displacement of residents and dissolution of communities. In 2018, a partnership was struck between the community and creative Technologists at York University with the focus on empowering the youth of this community with critical and technical skills as well as cutting edge media production technology to allow them to record, express, archive and disseminate the stories of this vibrant community as it presently exists. The project was originally motivated to function as a creative outlet for the youth to articulate the way these changes to their geographical and cultural landscapes have exposed a myriad of intersectional issues, but the outputs of the project – 2 virtual spaces that were co-created with youth now function as the only immersive archives of the buildings and community spaces that do not exist anymore. The paper will detail this ongoing collaboration including the various collaborative workshops and participatory action research activities that have ensued.