On June 4th, citizens of Edmonton gathered on a rainy Wednesday evening at Latitude 53 for the Kick-off event for NextGen Month. Here is a quick recap of the night’s events.
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NextGen Month takes places in the month of June and it is an exciting time to connect with young people in Edmonton. There are a number of great events taking place in June (see below) so make sure to attend the NextGen Month kick off event to hear more about them!

NextGen, an initiative of the City of Edmonton is proud to be working with the next gen community and TD to create and promote NextGen Month. 

Check out all these events taking place in June! #nextgenmonth

If NextGen Month is new to you and you want to learn more about how to engage Edmonton’s next gen demographic in your organization’s activities, we’d love to talk to you. Come to our NextGen Month event or the other events taking place in June and hear all the great things that NextGen and community organizations are working on!

Celebrate the kick off to NextGen Month, June 4

Celebrate the kick-off to NextGen Month on June 4 at a reception at Latitude 53, featuring music, entertainment and the NextGen Month proclamation by Mayor Don Iveson.

When: June 4

Where: Latitude 53 at 5:00pm, Speeches at 6pm

Thanks to everyone who RSVP’d!

The Ideas4Yeg project closed with over 55 entries of creative proposals to showcase Edmonton.  The variety of imaginative ideas is itself a demonstration of the energy that is increasingly more common when people talk about Edmonton. Here at NextGen, we are excited to announce the three proposals that you have voted to be the next big ideas for YEG! (more…)

Thank you to everyone who came out to Designing Downtown activities on October 5, 2013!

This inspiring day of activities, fostered and made possible by the vision of the Designing Downtown movement, is a testament to the incredible people, organizations and businesses committed to conversations around the development of urban cores.

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Designing Downtown, one of the largest and richest citizen-driven conversations about urban cores in Canada, returns to Edmonton October 5, 2013. For a full list of upcoming events, visit www.designingdowntown.ca.

 “For Progress Unlimited, MADE and Edmonton’s NextGen to brainstorm, curate, and welcome this outstanding group of speakers to Edmonton is an incredible opportunity to foster national dialogue and exchange about the role we all play in urban development,” says Lisa Baroldi, Vision Holder – Progress Unlimited.  “We’re thrilled to showcase Edmonton created content throughout the day at makescape 2 and in surprising ways at Pecha Kucha Night.” 

Pecha Kucha Night 17 Speakers   

• Johanna Hurme (Winnipeg) – Architect, 5468796 Architecture Inc.
• Sophie Mankowski (Montreal) – Author, Sur les Traces du Montréal
• Dalton Higgins (Toronto) – Author, Hip Hop World
• Janice Abbott  (Vancouver) – CEO, Atira Property Management
• Simon Taylor (Yellowknife) – Architect, Pin/Taylor Architects
• Kamala Todd (Vancouver)-  Consultant/Facilitator/Filmmaker, Dialogues Project
• Micheline Clouard (Montreal) – Landscape Architect, VLAN Paysages
• Curtis Olson (Saskatoon) – Owner, Shift Development Inc.

Special Presentation by:

• Roman Mars (San Francisco) – Host/Producer, 99% Invisible

Designing Downtown is a movement to transform downtowns founded by Progress Unlimited, MADE , and Edmonton’s NextGen. Designing Downtown is a vehicle for inter-city exchange for partnerships that seek to enrich and advance the conversations and actions we take to shape downtowns as spaces for everyone. Designing Downtown is an experiment and exchange; an opportunity to create dialogue that celebrates & critiques; and a space to be a fixture in and designer of the urban experience.

Pecha Kucha Night 17, doors at 6:30 pm at the Winspear Centre, challenges presenters to follow the 20 images x 20 seconds format that has gained popularity in more than 600 cities around the globe. Tickets are on sale now via TIX On The Square; charge by phone 780-420-1757 or online at www.tixonthesquare.ca. Tickets are $35 for general admission, $30 for students (with I.D.), and $30 for groups of 10 or more; all tickets plus services fees and GST.

Edmontonians are encouraged to immerse themselves in the Designing Downtown movement with makescape2 at Centennial Plaza (behind the Stanley Milner Library) from 3 pm – 11pm; prior, during and following PKN 17. This project is an urban intervention that transforms an underutilized space using design and art elements, food, and entertainment into a space that entices passerby to interact with the environment and each other differently.

Join the conversation online with hashtags #DD2013 and #yegpkn. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.designingdowntown.ca.

Founding Partners

June is NextGen Month! Just in time for some serious sunny weather and long days at the park or on the patio, NextGen and our partners are proud to host some great events this month to celebrate all that is vibrant and fresh in Edmonton (that’s you, by the way).

We’ve got some great stuff going on and can’t wait to see all of you out making the most of what our city has to offer. Mayor Mandel will be proclaiming NextGen Month at Pecha Kucha Night on June 13th, so make sure you stop by and check out some of our events:

Pecha Kucha Night 16 | Thursday, June 13th, Citadel’s MacLab Theatre -  Buy your tickets here

DIYalogue Talks Fashion | Tuesday, June 25th, ATB Financial Arts Barns (formerly TransAlta) - Buy your tickets here

Looking forward to seeing all of you out and about this month!

Are you looking for an opportunity to present your ideas to an audience of more than 700 engaged and creative young people?

Edmonton’s NextGen is currently accepting presentation submissions for Pecha Kucha Night 16, taking place June 13, 2013 at the Citadel’s Maclab Theatre.

More than 150 presentations have been given at Edmonton Pecha Kucha Nights to date on wide reaching topics, from lighting up Edmonton’s bridges to in vitro meat and everything in between.

Read the 10 steps to a great Pecha Kucha presentation and then email your presentation submission to .

When submitting your application, please include: your full name, email address, position title and organization, phone number, website and/or twitter handle, a title and abstract for your presentation, as well as a minimum of 10 up to a maximum of 20 sample images that match exactly what you want to share. Images should be sized to 1024px x 768px in landscape orientation.

Deadline for submissions is May 17, 2013. Submissions will be reviewed the week of May 19, 2013 and applicants will be notified the last week in May whether they have been selected to present.

Questions? Email

PKN 16 is sponsored by: Capital Power Corporation, City of Edmonton, Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria, Graphos, Klein Dytham and Northlands.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW! 

Edmonton’s NextGen presents Pecha Kucha Night 15 on March 7, 2013 at Northlands’ Edmonton EXPO Centre in the Alberta Ballroom. PKN 15 features presentations on local ideas, projects and musings in the 20 slides x 20 second per slide format made popular world-wide by Klein Dytham Architecture. Tickets are on-sale now via TIX on the Square, charge by phone at 780-420-1757 or online at www.tixonthesquare.ca. Tickets are $10 for students (with I.D.) and $12 for adults. Doors and bar open at 6:30 p.m., with presentations beginning at 7:30 p.m.

More than 150 presentations have been given at Edmonton Pecha Kucha Nights to-date on wide ranging topics, from Showing nature’s naughty bits to Light it up, #yeg! and everything in between. New for PKN 15, Edmonton’s NextGen welcomes Firefly Theatre & Circus for a special aerial performance and music provided by Girls Club. Famoso Neapolitan Pizza returns with gift cards for all ticket holders.

Pecha Kucha Night 15 presentations include:

• Jason Lee Norman | Writer, Dreamer | The 40 Below Project
• Jonathan Christenson and Bretta Gerecke | Artistic Director & Resident Designer, Catalyst Theatre | Creative Catalysts
• Stuart Cullum | Vice President, Agriculture, Northlands | Debunking Myths
• Caylie Gnyra | Language Ally | Little Cree Books
• Greg Whistance-Smith  | Architecture Student | Changing the Game
• Steven Hodges | Full Frontal Nerd | Full Frontal NERDity 101
• Owen Brierley | Executive Director, Guru Digital Arts College | Cross-disciplinary Arts
• Michael Carlos | Physiotherapist | Braving Alberta’s Winter Roads
• Neil Burkard | Public Education Specialist, City of Edmonton | Waste to Energy in Edmonton
• Gilman Cardinal and Tashina Makokis | Elder & Youth, Wicihitowin: Circle of Shared Responsibility and Stewardship | Merging of Generations
• Brian Webb | Artistic Director, Brian Webb Dance Company | Dance: A Life of Discipline for Hedonists
• Michelle Lam | Student | Project Three Six Five

*Presenters appear in the order they will present

Tokyo’s Klein Dytham Architecture first devised Pecha Kucha, the Japanese phrase for “the sound of chitchat” in 2003, as a night for young designers to meet, network, and discuss their projects. The catch: each designer gives a presentation containing only 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds, for a total presentation length of six minutes 40 seconds. Conceived as a venue through which young designers could meet, show their work, exchange ideas, and network, the format keeps presentations concise, fast-paced and entertaining.

Join the conversation on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #yegpkn.

PKN 15 is sponsored by: Capital Power Corporation, City of Edmonton, Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria, Graphos, and Klein Dytham.

Have a little extra time on your hands during the holidays? Are you looking for an opportunity to present your ideas to an audience of more than 700 engaged and creative young people? Edmonton’s NextGen is currently accepting presentation submissions for Pecha Kucha Night 15, March 7, 2013 at Northlands’ Edmonton EXPO Centre. More than 150 presentations have been given at Edmonton Pecha Kucha Nights to date on wide reaching topics, from lighting up Edmonton’s bridges to in vitro meat and everything in between.

For more information on Pecha Kucha Nights and to apply to present, visit http://edmontonnextgen.ca/pkn/applying-to-present-at-pecha-kucha-night-edmonton or fill out this handy form!

Deadline for submissions is February 7, 2013. 

November 19, 2012

Office of the Councillors
2nd Floor, City Hall
1 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Edmonton, AB  T5J 2R7

RE: Growth Coordination Strategy

Dear Mayor Mandel and City Council,

Edmonton’s NextGen Steering Committee requests that Executive Committee consider postponing item 6.15, Growth Coordination Strategy, to the next Executive Committee meeting. This will allow for sufficient time to review and comment on the new draft Growth Coordination Strategy which wasn’t released until November 15, 2012.

Over the course of developing this strategy NextGen has made several attempts to provide input as the outcomes of Edmonton’s Growth Coordination will have a substantial impact on future Edmontonians. To date, there has not been a clear or meaningful way for NextGen to engage its membership and provide this necessary feedback. We are hopeful that through Council’s review of this strategy and the creation of the implementation plan, NextGen is incorporated into the public engagement of this strategy.

We are aware that two drafts of the Growth Coordination Strategy have been made available for public review. The first in May 2012 and the current report which was released just last week.  We have done an initial review of the current draft and have noted that there are substantial differences between the two documents. Some of the most concerning deletions from the new draft include strategies and actions to promote infill development and create new sustainable communities.

Future growth of the city including, competing infrastructure demands, will greatly impact our generation. As such, we feel strongly that our input and consultation is crucial in the development of a Growth Coordination Strategy and subsequent implementation plans.  The Growth Coordination strategy must take a holistic approach to managing sustainable growth in Edmonton, including the management of infill development to meet the targets set out in the Municipal Development Plan.

It is our hope that you will allow NextGen and the community adequate time to review and provide feedback on the draft strategy prior to it returning to Executive Committee.  We would like to thank you for your time and consideration of our request.  If you should have any questions or concerns, please contact us at tegan.martindrysdale@redmontonnextgen.ca and brian.murray@edmontonnextgen.ca.

Best Regards,

Tegan Martin-Drysdale

Edmonton’s NextGen Committee

Community Co-Chair

Brian Murray

Edmonton’s NextGen Committee

Civic Co-Chair

cc: Gary Klassen, General Manager, Sustainable Development
Peter Ohm, Manager, Urban Planning and Environment, Sustainable Development
Kathy Barnhart, Manager, Community and Social Development, Community Services

Note for our Edmonton NextGen website readers: For more information on the Growth Coordination Strategy and to read the November 2012 draft, visit http://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/urban_planning_and_design/growth-coordination-strategy.aspx.

Who is Lars Callieou? The little fat headed kid with the annoying voice from the children’s cartoon? No, but you’re close. The fat headed adult comedian from Edmonton, with the slightly less than annoying voice.

When I received an email from Edmonton’s NextGen blog I was intrigued. They said, “We like to have guest bloggers from ‘authorities’ on Edmonton’s entertainment scene”. I’ll start by saying I’m proud of comedy in Edmonton. From The Comic Strip, an A room in North America, to Yuk Yuk’s to the Comedy Factory (over a decade in the business), we have more comedy clubs than Toronto and as many as Vancouver.

Edmonton has a legit comedy scene, which I just made less legit by using the word legit.

Jay Leno has been to Edmonton. Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Cosby, Joan Rivers, Dane Cook, Russell Peters – they all put us on their tour schedule. If Edmonton were a city in the United States, we’d be the 9th biggest city in the country. With 1.2 million people, we’re a REAL city. We often think of ourselves as ‘small time’ but we have a lot to be proud of. The second largest Fringe Festival in the world, more theatre seats per capita than anywhere in Canada and a comedy festival that hit the ground running last year (ATB Edmonton Comedy Festival). Our comedy scene should be proud of itself (not too proud because everyone hates a braggart comedian).

What makes me an authority on comedy in Edmonton? I’ve stuck around longer than most of my generation. Guys who started 9 years ago, they’re in Toronto, LA, Vancouver or England. I like to think of myself as the Bull Durham of Edmonton. I’m close to the record for home runs in the minor leagues (that’s a reference to the Kevin Costner movie and not a review of my shows). It’s not really a record you want, but I too, have been to the show.

I’m going to assume you’ve been to a comedy show in Edmonton in the last decade. When you were at said comedy show, whether in a club or a theatre or at an amateur night, you were pleasantly surprised. The comedians were funny. You might have been surprised to learn most were homegrown. There are GREAT comics in our city. Sean Lecomber, Sterling Scott, Kathleen McGee (off to LA soon), Kenny Valgardson… great comics. Names you might not recognize but people who have had you in stitches if you stumbled upon a comedy night they were on.

I was going to use this opportunity on Edmonton’s Next Gen to talk about how

stand up comedy is the bastard stepchild of the entertainment world.

I’d put us ahead of mimes and clowns, unless you’re a mime clown, then you’re above a comic on the proverbial entertainment ladder. They gave us an opportunity at The Works Festival this year, between bands, while equipment was being set up. It’s a start.

Want to find out what the arts world thinks about stand up comedy, put a straight stand up show in a Fringe Festival. You’ll get panned in reviews worse than Michael Richards at the Apollo Theatre. They don’t think we ‘belong’. After 4 straight years in the Fringe, they gave us a little love, we found a little acceptance. For that, I’m grateful.

Sam Kinison said, “If you want to be a success in comedy, don’t go away.” Our city supports the arts. Folk, Blues, theatre, Jazz, comedy, they love it. I believe Edmonton to be an oasis, like Austin or Minneapolis. It’s surprising how great the crowds can be. So Instead of complaining, I want to say, give stand up a try.

With all the great options for entertainment, give comedy a chance.

There are comedy open mics every night:

• The Druid Pub – Sunday
• O2 156 ST – Monday
• Overtime – Tuesday
• Rouge Lounge and/or Hydeaway Pub – Wednesday
• Yuk Yuk’s – Thursday

Those are just the open mics. Amateur nights so to speak. Want to see a pro show, go to a club on the weekend. You’ll see your own comics opening for the likes of Nikki Payne, Brad Garrett, Damon Wayans or Rob Schneider. You’ll leave saying, “That was great! Why don’t we do that more often?”

Live comedy, when done correctly, is the BEST form of entertainment (in my VERY biased opinion). Laugh yourself silly for 90 minutes, then tell me that wasn’t the best experience you’ve had in a long time. You’ll laugh more than any movie, play or concert. To quote Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption, “If you’ve made it this far, perhaps you’re willing to come a little farther.”

Check out a comedy night, give them your attention, don’t text or talk.

Most comedians have poured their heart and soul into each word, into crafting each joke, we just want to make you laugh.

Why you ask? So you’ll leave and say, “The fourth comedian was my favorite.” We’re just trying to be a random number in your program, but number one in your hearts. Until then, we’re happy to be on the edge of the arts, looking in, wondering if they’ll ever ask us to be with the musicians, painters, sculptors, photographers, writers or poets.

An unknown Jazz musician quote was once told to me third person, Mike Wilmont told Dan Brodribb who told it to me, I wish I could attribute it to an author but I haven’t been able to. Here it is: “There are day people and there are night people. Day people work all day just so they can give their money to night people.”

I’ll see you at a show sometime, you’ll recognize me as comic number 3, your second favorite.

Bio:
Lars Callieou
Lars has been a stand up comic in Edmonton for 9 years. He’s been to the Just for Laughs Festival and has a comedy special on the Comedy Network. He hosts The Druid Comedy Night every Sunday and DJs a comedy radio show Wednesdays at midnight on CJSR 88.5 FM. He loves his Mom and is on Twitter. @extralars

www.extralars.com

Disclaimer
NextGen Speaks Out, our guest blogging series, is envisioned as a hub for information and discussion. NextGen is a non-political, non-denominational organization focused on giving all nextgeners a voice. NextGen does not represent the opinions expressed by the individual columnists.

I’m very fortunate to work alongside artists; helping share their work with audiences. Art, specifically dance, is such an influential force in my life and the idea of bringing artists & audiences together is still a constant thrill.

Just like birthdays, family reunions and Christmas mornings, there are dance moments that measure milestones in my life, evoke memories and shape the way I navigate the world:

• Standing in a dance studio, geared up head-to-toe in ballet gear, and having no clue what was going to happen next
• The waltz scene by the river in An American in Paris
• Seeing La La La Human Steps at the Jubilee for my big 15th birthday
• Finding out the hanging meat & underpants performance I convinced myself I made up was in fact a reality, courtesy of Brian Webb

These dance moments reflected the experiences of others, the possibilities of the moving body* and the courage to express opinions and feelings in a way nothing else has or likely will for me.

Ben Cameron, Program Director, Arts, at the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, when he was in town as part of the Percolate Speaker Series spoke about the importance of arts participation. He shared an insight that Americans were, in part, so invested in sport because they saw many images of J.F.K. participating in sporting activities and mirrored that in their own lives. This notion really struck a chord with me: one of the reasons I was so drawn to dance was that it was easy for me to transport the dancers’ experience to my own.

It got me thinking that the opportunity to experience dance from a young age, both as a student and an audience member, also gave me the confidence to participate in other types of art, whether it was going to an opera or a gallery.

Having a connection to one art form made it easy to put my trust in all artists that their work would inspire, challenge and entertain.

Just as we trust dentists to keep our teeth healthy, police officers to keep us safe and teachers to educate us – I trust artists to share their stories, to find the amazing connections that bring us all together and archive the human experience in all its permutations. It’s an incredible calling that takes sacrifice, bravery and dedication.

The third item on my list of memorable dance moments, La La La Human Steps, came full circle this year when Louise Lacavalier returned to Edmonton to perform new work as part of the BWDC season.

 

Image reprinted with the Author’s Permission by Brian Webb Dance Company on August 8, 2012

As a teenager I was amazed by her strength, precision and sexuality on stage. Frankly, I was shocked that my parents would send me off to see the show. As an adult, watching her perform was equally awe inspiring. Rather than being moved by the sheer physicality of her performance, it was the incredible ability to reign in her body that gave power to the emotional elements of the work. On the way home from the theatre and the days that followed, I thought often of how fortunate I was that someone was willing to share that kind of honesty and commitment with roomfuls of strangers.

As we move closer to the 2012-2013 arts season,

I encourage you to put your trust in artists and try something new.

Dance might not be your cup of tea but in Edmonton’s thriving cultural communities there’s a bounty of options to choose from!

*The moving body is a favourite phrase of Brian Webb, Artistic Director of the Brian Webb Dance Company.

Bio:
Stephanie Enders
Stephanie is ecstatic about promoting the arts in Canada and is currently a Project Manager at Bottom Line Productions, a marketing and communications agency with a focus on arts and not-for-profit clients. Stephanie is passionate about the arts and thrilled to be working in an industry where the main focus is on supporting creativity. A long-time Next Gen volunteer, Stephanie values the opportunity to shape the city she chooses to live, learn and work in.

Disclaimer
NextGen Speaks Out, our guest blogging series, is envisioned as a hub for information and discussion. NextGen is a non-political, non-denominational organization focused on giving all nextgeners a voice. NextGen does not represent the opinions expressed by the individual columnists.

August’s NextGen Speaks Out! theme will be the Arts

 
The Arts are in the air during the summer and most of us have caught the bug. Whether you are headed out to a festival or block party, are hitting up an improv show, going out to a see a band play, or watching a street performer on the street you are bound to come up against Edmonton’s arts scence.

This month we will be bringing you posts on and about Edmonton’s arts scene in Edmonton. Edmonton artists and supporters will be sharing their perspectives about Edmonton art scene in all shapes and forms. An artist thrives on expression and needs your help to support their art.

We also want you to engage in discussion. Come on nextgener’s we know you have opinions and thoughts on these themes too. We’d love for you to comment, start a discussion, and share these posts with your networks.

Check back weekly as we will be adding new NextGen Speaks Out! posts regularly. We’re looking forward to it and hope you do too!

Disclaimer
NextGen Speaks Out, our guest blogging series, is envisioned as a hub for information and discussion. NextGen is a non-political, non-denominational organization focused on giving all nextgeners a voice. NextGen does not represent the opinions expressed by the individual columnists.

The problem, I find, with the food industry is that…

Soon after you feed your customers, they are hungry again and they come back for more.

This pressure of continual hunger from your customers has put a great strain on the industry, encouraging businesses to fill that hunger need with whatever means possible. This pressure is true not only for the little local minded food businesses, but also for the large multinational food corporations.

You can go into a fast food chain and find the same hamburger across North America because of the demand for consistency for that hamburger. And you can also find chefs of small restaurants sacrificing sleep whilst they scour the city for a bag of locally grown onions for tomorrows special because there is a demand for the knowledge of where your food comes from. The pressure is the same for all sectors of the food industry.

 
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It’s official: the backlash against local food has begun. May it be as short-lived as it is ill-conceived.

Earlier this year, a Toronto couple released ‘The Localvore’s Dilemma’, critiquing the localvore movement and turning on its head many of the valorous claims it made. Lower carbon footprint? More ethically sourced? All quantifiably bunk, say authors Pierre Desrochers and Hiroko Shimizu.

But they miss the most important motivating factor of the local food movement.

It’s never been about quantitative trade-offs on miles-trucked or litres-of-pesticide-sprayed. It’s about satisfying a deep, emotional desire to feel connected to what’s on our plate.

Two years ago, at Pecha Kucha night 8, I delivered a talk about some of the tensions of local food – the need to overcome the geographic barriers of our cold, continental climate; the fickleness of the tastemakers that deem local food trendy and authentic; and the risk of cooption from bigger players in the agrifood business. But in my talk, I forgot one divisive, and perhaps unsolvable challenge: isolation.

 
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“We as a society and as an economy need to start optimizing for a large number of small things, not just relying on a small number of large things.”

– Woody Tasch, Founder of Slow Money Alliance.

This quote would resonate with most people who are thinking about the next generation. So then, what is the direction of restaurants in this next generation going to be? Are we happy eating at any establishment that is not a chain, a ‘large thing’? I think we can do better than that. I like this quote mainly because of the word ‘optimizing’ and I will explain myself.

 
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July’s NextGen Speaks Out! theme will be Food

 
Summer is in full swing. Do you know how I know, besides the weather? Well the signs are all there. I know that you will be able to identify with at least a few of this signs.

• The BBQs are out in full force, the aroma of my neighbours’ dinner taunting me on my way home. An unspoken challenge to get out there and make something on the grill.
• Gardens are starting to produce fresh vegatables, fruit and herbs. Now you can go just a few steps to your backyard/balcony to collect ingredients for dinner instead of something trucked into the store.
• Then there is the multitiude of Edmonton and area farmers markets which are now bustling with people on weeknights as well as weekends.
• Patios are quickly becoming a hot commodity on lunches and after work. You almost have to leave early to send someone to “save” you a table, so you can enjoy your libations in the sunshine.
• Last but not least we are on the brink of the festival season. It won’t be long before we can rub elbows (litterally and figuratively) at the Taste of Edmonton and then Heritage days is right around the corner.

 

This month we will be bringing you tantalizing, and thought-provoking posts on and about the food scene in Edmonton. Ww’ll share what that means to a consumer, to a foodie, to a business owner, to an activist, and to someone who loves to cook, bake, and create.

 

We also want you to engage in discussion. Come on nextgener’s we know you have opinions and thoughts on these themes too. We’d love for you to comment, start a discussion, and share these posts with your networks.

 

Check back weekly as we will be adding new NextGen Speaks Out! posts regularly. We’re looking forward to it and hope you do too!

 

Disclaimer
NextGen Speaks Out, our guest blogging series, is envisioned as a hub for information and discussion. NextGen is a non-political, non-denominational organization focused on giving all nextgeners a voice. NextGen does not represent the opinions expressed by the individual columnists.

tagged with blog, community, edmonton, engage, farmer's market, festival, Food, guest blog, nextgen, slow, speaks out, yeg

Hello, My name is Paul. I believe that there are moments in our life and experiences we have that shape who we are and the type of parent we’d like to be/become. In order to to tell you my story, and why I feel juggling is an important life skill to pass on to my children it is necessary to take you on a journey into my past.

Way back in the land before time…

It is 1993 and I’m attending Red Deer College.

Instructor Larry Reese walks into Studio A and says to us,

“Today, you will learn how to juggle”.

 
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At one point, I knew I was the smartest person in the world. I knew more than anyone else, especially my parents. I was about 14. It was at that time that I also decided I never wanted kids.

It’s funny to see how much I’ve learned since then. My kids – Abigail, 8, Amalie, 4 and Andon, 1 – have taught me much of it.

The chemical and spiritual change that occurred in my life the second I met my first child brought about a different perspective altogether.

But living amidst their honest and innocent simplicity has taught me new lessons as well.

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Edmonton’s NextGen presents MEÆT 3.0 | MICRO-FUNDING TOGETHER | Mystery MEÆT Edition on June 28, 2012, at 6:00 PM at a mystery location! A project of ENGAGE, producers of the popular DIYalouge and Candi{date} forums, MEÆT brings local creatives and Edmontonians together for an evening of short pitches followed by a shared meal. At the end of the meal, all diners (each of whom put $10 to the pot, no charge for the food) vote on which proposal receives the pot of funds to move forward with their project: immediate funding for awesome ideas! For more information on MEÆT, to register as diner, or to pitch an idea, visit www.meaet.com.   All diners and presenters are to meet at Century Park Bus Terminal at 6:00 PM sharp to be whisked away by ETS to the top-secret MEÆT 3.0 location.

“MEÆT 3.0 brings us together for a meal and to fund home-grown projects. By getting together and pooling our wealth we can avoid bureaucracy, get right down to the meat of an idea and make it happen. We’re thrilled to partner with ETS and the City of Edmonton to offer our Mystery MEÆT edition. We hope you’ll join us on this adventure; stay tuned to the NextGen Twitter and Facebook pages for  updates and more information,” says Carol Neuman, Engage Working Group Co-Chair.

Edmonton NextGen is looking for MEÆTing participants – limited space is available:

1. Presenters: Apply to have a project funded, present your project & come enjoy dinner;
2. Diners: Come enjoy dinner, experience the presentations, vote for your favorite, and donate $10 to fund something awesome;
3. Less than 30 spots remain; register as a Presenter or Diner at www.meaet.com.

For as long as I can recall the number 3 was my favourite number and any number with a 3 in it was always a close second. One day it clicked: three 3s are 9 and when written together they form 39. Perfection! From that point forward I chose the number “39″ as my so-called favourite number. It was the number I had on my back when playing competitive sports and has appeared in various combinations in my passwords and phone numbers over the years. 39 was, and is, “my number”! Sitting down to write this post is when I first recognized the personally significant fact I was 39 when our son was born. I’m shocked I didn’t notice it before now!

This little read isn’t about sports, it isn’t some off-the-wall numerology lesson, and it’s unlikely you’ll glean any keen insight on how to be a dad. It’s a few random thoughts on fears that have plagued me since becoming (what I would consider) an ‘older’ father three-years ago and my take on how, despite my irrational fears, I believe I am better equipped to be a dad in my forties than I could possibly have been in my 20s or 30s. It’s a brief reflection on what becoming a first-time father later in life has meant to me, to us, and to our son.
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Pecha Kucha Night 13 will share Hawrelak Park with runners & walkers participating in a Corporate Challenge event. Please keep an eye out for participants as you drive into the park. Limited parking is available in the main-surface lot of Hawrelak Park, with additional parking located near the front entrance to Hawrelak Park and across the road at Emily Murphy Park.

Avoid parking all together by taking the FREE PKN Shuttle Bus, running continuously from 6pm – 11pm, picking up at the Stadium Car Park, U of A Main Campus, on 89 Avenue and dropping off at Hawrelak Park every 15 min. Stadium Car Park rates are in effect: $5.00 per vehicle entry for the night.  NOTE: FULL PARK ROAD CLOSURE WILL BE IN EFFECT FROM 6:00 PM – 6:15 PM, PLEASE PLAN ACCORDINGLY.

Attendees are encouraged to come prepared for the elements. A bright, massive LED screen, provided by Allstar Show Industries, makes presentations before nightfall possible. Music provided by Justin Foosh (All Out DJs). Two food trucks join PKN for the festivities; service begins at 6:30 pm: The Act and Molly’s Eats. Food trucks and ticket sales accept cash only; an ATM will be available on-site.

Tune in to a livestream of PKN13, on edmontonjournal.com, from 7:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., and join the conversation on Twitter, hashtag #PKN13.

Doors and bar open at 6:30 p.m.; with presentations beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for students (with i.d.) and $12 for adults and are on-sale now at TIX on the Square.

Special thanks to prize sponsor:

Welcome to motherhood. One day you’re slinging your purse over your shoulder to run and meet a friend at a moment’s notice. The next day you’re slogging 20 lbs of baby, carseat and stuff out the door – if you even get off the couch from cluster feedings.

This shift in lifestyle is the part that most people don’t talk about. And for those of us who love to be social and out-and-about it’s quite a shock.

Venturing out of the house the first few times as a new mom can be daunting. Trying to time naps, feedings and the inevitable poop-up-the-back. Be easy on yourself, but don’t let that stop you from getting out. Consider a one-hour outing a success. Heck, walking around the block is a win too.
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