“We make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give.”
Winston Churchill
Greetings, fellow Scarborough residents.
When people think of our “social ecosystem”, we tend to think of business, government, and public institutions. They’re omnipresent and they’re important economic and social drivers. They’re also where most of us earn a living.
But there’s another dimension of our social ecosystem: our “civil society” organizations. Mostly small and informal, they’re an important part of Scarborough’s social fabric. They strive to improve our communities, they do things that business or government won’t or can’t do, and they’re all fueled by passionate volunteers.
We have many of them in Scarborough across a broad spectrum of causes.
Our residents associations, which are organizers of local events that bring a community together. They are outspoken but non-partisan advocates for local causes. They collaborate with our local politicians but also hold them to account.
Our public policy advocacy organizations, like the Scarborough Community Renewal Organization and the Scarborough Business Association, which bring public policy attention to Scarborough beyond the neighbourhood level.
The Scarborough Walk of Fame, which celebrates Scarborough’s high achievers and Scarborough ambassadors both near and far. The Scarborough Historical Society, which celebrates Scarborough’s heritage, both recent and long ago.
Our service clubs: Rotary, Lions, and others. They’re apolitical and community-focused. In fact, Rotary’s motto, “service above self”, says it all, eloquently and concisely.
Our food security organizations, like Feed Scarborough. Our literacy organizations, like The Reading Partnership. Scarborough-focused, grassroots organizations with small staffs and passionate volunteers, striving to empower local communities and help our most marginalized.
There are many more, of course. Our sports and recreation organizations, social clubs, cultural organizations, school community councils, and faith groups, which are organized primarily for other purposes but they help to bring communities together too.
It’s organizations like these that make big cities livable. They create social connections, build cohesive communities, advance public policy priorities, and enhance community pride and identity. That’s especially important here in Scarborough, which is a “community of communities”. These organizations (and our neighbourhood centres) strive to knit together one of the most diverse populations in Canada into a seamless whole.
