As rates of poverty, homelessness, and food insecurity continue to rise, people are looking for hope — and action — when it comes to tackling these key socioeconomic issues in their own backyard.
That’s the message the Basic Income Peterborough Network resoundingly hears from Peterborough residents, so it’s creating a space for connection, reflection, and more by hosting the Hope Festival from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 26 at Millennium Park in downtown Peterborough.
Supported by the United Way Peterborough & District’s Neighbourhood Fund and Peterborough Public Health, the Hope Festival follows the monthly “Hope Series” that the Basic Income Peterborough Network launched last October.
Each workshop was held in partnership with a local activist or advocacy group working on a different issue to draw connections between the work of those groups, and the Basic Income Peterborough Network’s own efforts towards a national basic income guarantee.
“We hope that people will leave the festival with a sense of joy, some new knowledge, hopefully new conversations with people they didn’t know, a sense of what they feel is key to fostering hope at the community level and some curiosity or maybe even a desire to participate in our next step,” Joëlle Favreau, coordinator of the Basic Income Peterborough Network, told kawarthaNOW.
Rooted in the values of hope, dignity, belonging, equity, and social justice, the event aims to bring together individuals, families, and community organizations “to reimagine a more inclusive and compassionate Peterborough,” according to a media release.
“We have been asking people of all ages what helps them gain a sense of hope and overwhelmingly, we heard that hope is connected to action,” Favreau said. “People want to know that something is being done about the issues that matter to them.”
To help facilitate that action, the festival will feature the “Hope Vision Board” through which participants can share one “ingredient” that they feel is essential to cultivating hope within the community.
Everyone is also encouraged to participate by bringing a personal object — such as a poem, drawing, photograph, or meaningful artifact — to add to the “Hope Gallery” and help shape the collective vision board with objects that represent hope, dignity, belonging, or equity.
The Hope Festival will also feature interactive activities led by local community groups doing transformative work and commissioned art projects celebrating creativity, resilience, and collaboration.
“This festival is more than just a gathering — it’s about planting the seeds of collective change,” said Favreau in a statement.
“By coming together to learn about the amazing work taking place in our community, be transformed by participatory art projects, and share what we need to gain hope, we are reminding ourselves and each other that a better future is possible — one built on dignity and mutual care.”
When asked about the next steps, Favreau said the Basic Income Peterborough Network plans to host another event in October to unveil a video that one artist will be creating with participants at the festival.
“We will also share what we learned from the vision board and explore whether there is some appetite to establish a Hope Coalition,” Favreau said. “This coalition will be informed by the various ingredients identified by participants.”
As for the July event, organizers invite advocates, artists, and people looking to connect to join them “to dream, share, and build community together.”
For more information about the Basic Income Peterborough Network and the Hope Festival, and to volunteer at the festival, visit basicincomepeterborough.ca.
