On August 1st I found myself walking through my James Bay neighbourhood enroute to the B.C. Day festivities at the Legislative Buildings. The residential streets were full of people and, as a long-time James Bay resident, I noted how few people I actually recognized. This caused me to think about the history of community activism in our neighbourhood. I thought about the James Bay Community Project (where I worked for a number of years), the James Bay Community School, South Park Family School, the neighbourhood association, etc. I thought about the people who founded some of these organizations, I thought about the people who had been active in the organizations and I thought about the people who are no longer active in the community.

I thought about the nature of community activism and what inspires people to work for the betterment of their city and their neighbourhoods. At that point I found myself in front of the Bird Cage Confectionary (Victoria’s oldest corner store) which is owned and operated by my friend, Barb. Barb saw me walking by and came out and said: “You must have heard the news?” What news? Barb informed me of the sudden passing of Jesse Hyder. Jesse had been a resident of James Bay for decades, having found a haven in Canada from the politics and military activism of the U.S. in the early 1970s. For 30 years he had been a constant and positive presence in our neighbourhood and the co-ordinator at the James Bay Community School. I felt totally bereft on hearing the news. How could our community afford to lose such a positive, productive and inspiring presence?

I had been thinking a great deal about community engagement of late. Would I be correct in assuming that folks are not as engaged in their neighbourhoods and in their city as perhaps they used to be? If that is the case, why is that the case? Are people, in general, simply overwhelmed by the demands of daily life and tending to focus their efforts inward? Do issues seem too enormous and complex to be tackled by the average person? Perhaps part of the responsibility lies at the feet of Victoria City Council. Do we engage our residents in a positive, results-oriented manner? Are our decisions informed by the members of the public who take the time to communicate their issues to us?

This perception may also be fuelled by a generational shift both in terms of where people are in their lives and where we are generationally as a society. Jesse’s memorial service was held outdoors, in a public park, on a blazing hot afternoon. The park was full of familiar faces, young and old, some I have known for decades. Some had inspired my community engagement. I observed the crowd and listened to the friends and family who came forward to celebrate Jesse’s life. I wondered where we are both in our own lives and the life of our community. I recognized that one response to Jesse’s passing would be to turn inward, to say that we cannot afford such a significant loss, to question what we can contribute simply as individuals who care about our community and love our city. That would certainly not be Jesse’s response. We should never underestimate the power of the individual to inspire, inform and bring about change.