It started with a conversation in Seattle. I had been told I should “really meet Jenna Smith from Montreal” and we were at the same conference. We grabbed some time together to chat about my wonderings around starting a fresh expression of StreetLevel, the Canadian network of front-line workers that had been an important part of my story when it was active. Jenna mentioned Daria Nardozza, the person building a Domestic Network within Kentro, a connecting point for Canadian Christian relief and development organizations and professionals. She suggested we meet. 

Jenna, Daria and I went on to connect via a zoom call. We introduced ourselves and learned about each other’s work. We noticed a shared desire to organize and bring people together. The time went too fast, so we determined to meet again. Not long after, Daria invited me to join her Advisory Team. I invited her to attend Story Day: Hospitality, an event inspired by StreetLevel. We both said yes. 

Daria flew to Toronto from Montreal to attend Story Day last fall. We then spent the evening around a table with a variety of friends. She slept over at my house. The next morning she and Carl Amouzou (another friend who travelled to Toronto for Story Day) joined us at The Dale, the community organization and church I work at, for our breakfast to go and some impromptu aerobics led by a community member. I always find spending concentrated time with others helps to deepen relationship, and this was exactly that kind of experience. 

It has been a year since the inception of Kentro’s Domestic Network. During that time, many people have helped in the process of discerning how to draw charities and churches together. Meanwhile, I have continued to collaboratively work with a number of people to animate gatherings for those engaged in addressing poverty and injustice in the spirit of StreetLevel. What I love is how these things overlap and hold space for the other.

While at a recent Kentro Forum, I shared about what Jane Jacobs refers to as the “weaving of an urban fabric”. One definition of weaving is, “the act of making something by combining different parts”. I believe there is a lot of weaving going on right now. People from a variety of contexts are seeking connection. The shape of the fabric is still emerging, which is both scary and exciting. I think that what will ensure a tight weave is our relationships. It can all start with a conversation, just like the one Jenna and I had that day in Seattle.