We kick off a new series focused on practicing presence and community care. In this episode, I discuss the challenges of professionalizing community care and introduces the concept of 'vernacular' care, emphasizing the need to embrace more personal, relational approaches over industrialized, standardized methods. Tune in for insights on how to foster genuine connections and rethink the ways we engage with and support vulnerable communities.

On the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, we honour the children who never returned home, the Survivors of residential schools, and their families—wearing orange shirts, observing silence, and acknowledging the land we live on. Yet sometimes it feels like performance. Can these gestures move beyond checkboxes and virtue signaling to true transformation? In this episode, I sit with Dr. Mike Hogetorp, facilitator for the Canadian Learning Community for Decolonization and Innovation in Theological Education with NAIITS, to explore how we can enter these rituals with sincerity, humility, and a willingness to be unsettled, taught, and changed—asking what it really takes to cultivate right relationship and authentic reconciliation.

Are we really giving people a voice, or just the illusion of one?

This episode dives into the tension between tokenism and true participation in community work. We look at what it takes to move beyond traditional charity models toward real collaboration—where power is shared, not hoarded. Through the story of the Toronto Underhoused and Homeless Union (TUHU), we explore both the wins and the struggles of creating spaces where people experiencing homelessness can shape the decisions that impact their lives. Along the way, we unpack what this means for food banks, church outreach, and any program that wants to move past symbolic inclusion toward authentic, empowering community.