The people of the capital of British Columbia, "Victorians" as they are called, are a most welcoming, open-minded and engaging people. My experiences during the #SaveYourCity book tour to Victoria, BC last week provides living proof.
The tour kicked off with two tweets from Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps encouraging people to attend #SaveYourCity book events and meet this "inspiring author" - that's me! This Mayor keeps a book in her knapsack or back pocket at all times and shares it in a way that seeks to broaden the public discourse, collective imagination & add to the breadth of ideas "on the table" in this vibrant local democracy. Thank you for the warm welcome Mayor Helps!
Everywhere I went, people wanted to talk, understand, and share their stories of rising incivility in the workplace, the public square, school and online. I met highschool students who wanted me to know that "toxic culture is getting worse", business owners who shared the ways they seek to lead by example and create safe environments, union representatives who seek broad community alliances, social workers who described the need to stem the tide of trauma in communities, city workers who shared how toxic political targeting of their Council members impacted them and youth workers seeking hope in a world where the culture shapers (big media) don't necessarily have the best interests of the next generation or our future in mind.
📗Get your copy of Save Your City: How Toxic Culture Kills Community & What To Do About It at Amazon, Chapters Indigo, Barnes & Noble and more. Full list of booksellers here.
This "citizen's edition" of #SaveYourCity has a book forward written by Sam Chaise, executive director of Toronto's Christie Refugee Welcome Centre & past head of Canadian Baptist Ministries. Sam shared this forward online this week, here.
Thank you Victoria, BC for the warm welcome and engaging discussions about fostering the type of community culture that sustain us, our democracy and our planet.
📘Exclusive edition of Save Your City: How Toxic Culture Kills Community & What To Do About It for #localgov folks published by Municipal World and available here. Includes forward by governance expert George B. Cuff & companion workbook.