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<\/p>\nBy Randy Boswell<\/p>\n
Carleton\u2019s \u201cHere for Good\u201d motto certainly captures the spirit of a new initiative spearheaded by J-School alum Hilary Duff (BJ \u201912). Hilary, an Ottawa-based media relations and communications specialist with Nature Canada, is coordinating a community outreach network to support isolated and vulnerable residents of Ottawa\u2019s Sandy Hill community during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
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The launch of the Sandy Hill Community Response Team was recently featured on the front page of Image<\/em>, the neighbourhood newspaper, with a photo of Hilary posting a notice about the network.<\/p>\n \u201cI’ve experienced first-hand the importance of community-building in tough times,\u201d says Hilary, who has worked around the world as a multimedia journalist and communications consultant since graduating eight years ago.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the first days of self-isolation orders, we were seeing a lot of folks wanting to step up and help, but not necessarily having an outlet to do so,\u201d she says. \u201cOur system is about connecting these generous offers with neighbours who need that support. The City of Ottawa and established social services are understandably strapped and this leaves the space and need for community groups to step in and fill the gaps.\u201d<\/p>\n Described as a kind of \u201cbuddy system\u201d to pair volunteers with those seeking support, the Sandy Hill network was modeled on a similar initiative in neighbouring New Edinburgh, and was launched in collaboration with the Action Sandy Hill community association.<\/p>\n \u201cIn a practical sense, it’s important to have this hyperlocal system in place in case Ottawa faces more restrictive lockdown measures on par with what we’ve seen in Europe,\u201d notes Hilary. \u201cThese measures could restrict our geographic movements further and mean that response would need to happen at a neighbourhood level versus through city-wide services.\u201d<\/p>\n She adds that the network also recognizes a need \u201cto help Sandy Hill residents feel more connected\u201d to each other. \u201cHelping or ‘meeting’ a neighbour can be a great way to do that, and I believe it also temporarily shifts the focus to action and problem-solving as opposed to worry.\u201d<\/p>\n Hilary\u2019s career path since her time as a Carleton journalism student has been all about finding ways to create positive change in the world.<\/p>\n \u201cMy focus has been sharing solutions-oriented stories related to entrepreneurship and the environment,\u201d she explains. \u201cI recently completed a project where I travelled to six continents writing about the connection between human health and man-made environmental change. The multimedia case studies I produced will be used as course material at Harvard University. I continue to advocate for this type of cross-sectoral thinking in my new Ottawa-based role with Nature Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Randy Boswell Carleton\u2019s \u201cHere for Good\u201d motto certainly captures the spirit of a new initiative spearheaded by J-School alum Hilary Duff (BJ \u201912). Hilary, an Ottawa-based media relations and communications specialist with Nature Canada, is coordinating a community outreach network to support isolated and vulnerable residents of Ottawa\u2019s Sandy Hill community during the COVID-19 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1,38],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n