{"id":9415,"date":"2017-09-13T18:04:53","date_gmt":"2017-09-13T18:04:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/connectedcommunities.ca\/?page_id=9415"},"modified":"2023-07-12T11:01:37","modified_gmt":"2023-07-12T15:01:37","slug":"about-us","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/connectedcommunities.ca\/C3-2017\/about-us\/","title":{"rendered":"About Us"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"cs-content\" class=\"cs-content\"><div class=\"x-section e9415-1 m79j-0\"><div class=\"x-row x-container max width e9415-2 m79j-1\"><div class=\"x-row-inner\"><div class=\"x-col e9415-3 m79j-2\"><span class=\"x-image e9415-4 m79j-3\"><img src=\"https:\/\/connectedcommunities.ca\/C3-2017\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ABOUT-US-2.png\" width=\"1500\" height=\"150\" alt=\"About Us\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"x-section e9415-5 m79j-0\"><div class=\"x-container max width e9415-6 m79j-4\"><div class=\"x-column x-sm x-1-2 e9415-7 m79j-5 m79j-6\"><a class=\"x-anchor x-anchor-button e9415-8 m79j-7 m79j-8 m79j-9 m79j-a\" tabindex=\"0\" href=\"#guide\"><div class=\"x-anchor-content\"><div class=\"x-anchor-text\"><span class=\"x-anchor-text-primary\">Guiding Principles<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div><div class=\"x-column x-sm x-1-2 e9415-9 m79j-5 m79j-6\"><a class=\"x-anchor x-anchor-button e9415-10 m79j-7 m79j-8 m79j-b\" tabindex=\"0\" href=\"#history\"><div class=\"x-anchor-content\"><div class=\"x-anchor-text\"><span class=\"x-anchor-text-primary\">History<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"x-section-1\" class=\"x-section\" style=\"margin: 0px;padding: 0px 0px 200px;margin: 0px;padding: 10px 0px 200px;background: url(&#039;http:\/\/connectedcommunities.ca\/C3-2017\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/ESS17-Bkg-Towers.png&#039;) repeat-x bottom right;background-color: #0097d7; background-color: #0097d7;\" ><div id=\"\" class=\"x-container max width\" style=\"margin: 25px auto 0px;padding: 2.1em;background: #fff url(&#039;https:\/\/connectedcommunities.ca\/C3-2017\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/ESS-homepage-animated_figures.png&#039;) bottom left no-repeat; background-size: 150px auto; background-color:hsl(0, 0%, 100%);\" ><div  class=\"x-column x-sm x-1-1\" style=\"padding: 0px;\" ><hr class=\"x-line e9415-14 m79j-d m79j-e\"><\/hr><div class=\"x-text e9415-15 m79j-i m79j-j m79j-k\"><p>Catalysts' Circle helps people, organizations and institutions to unlock the potential of their own connected communities. Catalysts' Circle does this by:<\/p><\/div><hr class=\"x-line e9415-16 m79j-e m79j-f\"><\/hr><div class=\"x-text e9415-17 m79j-j m79j-k m79j-l m79j-m\"><p><b><i>Connecting<\/i><\/b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">community builders with ideas, knowledge, research, tools and each other<\/span><\/p><p><b><i>Translating<\/i><\/b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">knowledge across sectors<\/span><\/p><p><b><i>Celebrating<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and elevating the work of community builders<\/span><\/p><\/div><hr class=\"x-line e9415-18 m79j-d m79j-e\"><\/hr><div class=\"x-text e9415-19 m79j-i m79j-j m79j-n\"><p>By doing this we seek to:<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n \t<li>Increase the capacity of people to unlock the potential of their own communities and increase the resilience of their own communities<\/li>\n \t<li>Introduce creative, effective solutions, rooted in the Connected Community Approach across sectors and disciplines<br \/>\nIncrease opportunities for community builders to have an impact on the systems, policies and planning decisions that affect them<\/li>\n \t<li>Increase the visibility and the perceived value of community building as critical to our cities, regions and country<br \/>\nBring new energy to community development and community building efforts<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>At Catalysts' Circle, we understand that connected communities are a critical foundation to solving complex social issues.<br \/>\nPeople live in communities so communities are an important focus for resiliency and social change efforts.<br \/>\nCommunities are made up of the Individuals who live work or play in them. When individuals come together in meaningful ways, they have tremendous capacity to design by the community for the community resiliency and social change initiatives. It is people who are agents of change.<br \/>\nPeople and organizations in communities interact with one another in complex ways, therefore, strengthening relationships is foundational to strengthening communities.<\/p>\n<p><br \/>\nIf every community were a connected community strategies, plans, ideas and innovation would find fertile soil in which to grow.<\/p><\/div><hr class=\"x-line e9415-20 m79j-e m79j-g\"><\/hr><\/div><\/div><div id=\"\" class=\"x-container max width\" style=\"margin: 25px auto 0px;padding: 2.1em; background-color:hsl(0, 0%, 100%);\" ><div  class=\"x-column x-sm x-1-1\" style=\"padding: 0px;\" ><hr class=\"x-line e9415-23 m79j-d m79j-e\"><\/hr><h2 id=\"guide\" class=\"h-custom-headline cs-ta-left strfrnt blue h2\" style=\"color: #009BD7;margin-top:0px; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 3em; font-weight: 900;\"><span>GUIDING PRINCIPLES<\/span><\/h2><hr class=\"x-line e9415-25 m79j-d m79j-e\"><\/hr><div class=\"x-text e9415-26 m79j-i m79j-j m79j-n\"><p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">We are guided by our principles<\/span><\/p>\n\n<ul>\n \t<li>People and purpose before process and product.<\/li>\n \t<li>Integrative thinking.<\/li>\n \t<li>Issue agnostic, not values agnostic.<\/li>\n \t<li>Systems approach that considers and respects local contexts.<\/li>\n \t<li>All parts\/people in [the] ecosystem have a place\/role in change.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div><hr class=\"x-line e9415-27 m79j-d m79j-e\"><\/hr><h2 id=\"history\" class=\"h-custom-headline cs-ta-left strfrnt blue h2\" style=\"color: #E4287A;margin-top:0px; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 3em; font-weight: 900;\"><span>HISTORY<\/span><\/h2><div class=\"x-text e9415-29 m79j-j m79j-k m79j-l m79j-o\"><p>Catalysts' Circle is grounded in the pioneering efforts of one organization in a marginalized inner suburban community in the eastern most part of Toronto, Ontario.<\/p>\n<p><br \/>\nThis organization, the East Scarborough Storefront (The Storefront) has been experimenting with a new approach to community development. Their approach involves intentionally facilitating a connected community. The Storefront\u2019s role and purpose within the Kingston Galloway\/Orton Park (KGO) neighbourhood is intentionally connecting people, ideas, strategies, resources, programs and initiatives in order to create community social fabric that supports people, organizations and initiatives to thrive. The results have been inspiring.<\/p>\n<p><br \/>\nThe Storefront has worked with a diversity of players to co-create multiple successful initiatives and has received multiple awards. Their success rests on a spirit of inclusion, collaboration, optimism and intention. In a funding and sector environment that often encourages a focus on individual needs and programmatic responses rather than the creation of strong social fabric, establishing this approach, which they call the Connected Community Approach, has not been easy, and, has not yet reached its full potential. The Storefront\u2019s example, however, provides a glimpse into what might be possible if we focused on the interaction and connections between and among people and organizations engaged in the important work of community building.<\/p><\/div><hr class=\"x-line e9415-30 m79j-e m79j-h\"><\/hr><\/div><\/div><div id=\"\" class=\"x-container max width\" style=\"margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;\" ><div  class=\"x-column x-sm x-1-1\" style=\"padding: 0px;\" >&nbsp;<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"x-section e9415-33 m79j-0\"><div class=\"x-container max width e9415-34 m79j-4\"><div class=\"x-column x-sm x-1-1 e9415-35 m79j-5\"><hr class=\"x-line e9415-36 m79j-d m79j-e\"><\/hr><a class=\"x-anchor x-anchor-button e9415-37 m79j-8 m79j-a m79j-c\" tabindex=\"0\" href=\"http:\/\/connectedcommunities.ca\/our-relationship-with-the-storefront\/\"><div class=\"x-anchor-content\"><div class=\"x-anchor-text\"><span class=\"x-anchor-text-primary\">Read more about Catalysts' Circle\u2019s relationship to <\/span><span class=\"x-anchor-text-secondary\">East Scarborough Storefront<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Guiding PrinciplesHistoryCatalysts&#8217; Circle helps people, organizations and institutions to unlock the potential of their own connected communities. Catalysts&#8217; Circle does this by:Connecting community builders with ideas, knowledge, research, tools and each otherTranslating knowledge across sectorsCelebrating and elevating the work of community buildersBy doing this we seek to: Increase the capacity of people to unlock the potential of their own communities &#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/connectedcommunities.ca\/C3-2017\/about-us\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-blank-1.php","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/connectedcommunities.ca\/C3-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9415"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/connectedcommunities.ca\/C3-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/connectedcommunities.ca\/C3-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/connectedcommunities.ca\/C3-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/connectedcommunities.ca\/C3-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9415"}],"version-history":[{"count":42,"href":"https:\/\/connectedcommunities.ca\/C3-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9415\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14131,"href":"https:\/\/connectedcommunities.ca\/C3-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9415\/revisions\/14131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/connectedcommunities.ca\/C3-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}