News and Updates

View POP Praxis’ Year In Review 2025-26 by Divija Madhani.

In March 2025, I wrapped up a federally-funded climate misinformation project with UBC Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions (CSDI). During the project, I was able to situate the importance of trust and relationship-building within communities—especially citizens and institutions of authority, such as government, healthcare professionals, and journalism outlets—to maintain effective communication and create responsive policies that the public is willing to care about.

I was able to carry forward that insight into my programs impact evaluation work with CityHive Vancouver. Once again, I approached this from a relational perspective—considering what kinds of stories matter and reflect the impact that programs create in their communities by working on multi-stage evaluations for CityHive’s various incredible programs related to civic literacy and engagement.

At this time, I also expanded my approach to knowledge-building with the public by delivering a series of climate justice webinars with the South Vancouver Seniors Network at the Marpole Oakridge Family Place. I had a wonderful time discussing topics such as the polycrisis, the role of community in building resilient solutions, and engaging in dialogue and emotionally compelling questions about what it means to take care of each other during events that create vulnerable populations—such as seniors—due to infrastructure that doesn’t support them, and the role of intergenerational solidarity.

I continued these conversations during a mental health and climate resilience workshop I delivered for Tanah Air Project at the Newcomer Climate Camp, where I spoke with young immigrants working professionals new to so-called Canada about the importance of belonging in the field of climate solutions. We discussed how knowledge of cultural practices and the ability to hold space for engagement are essential components of grassroots-led resilience, rather than policies that are top-down. This kind of self-organizing community resilience is critical for navigating various forms of uncertainty. These dialogues revealed a strong desire among participants to participate in and lead their own community-connected solutions.

I saw this sentiment surface once again in the fifth cohort of the North Shore Young Civic Forum, which I had the pleasure of facilitating for the North Shore Community Resources Society in partnership with three municipalities on the North Shore and local First Nations. Forum participants learned about functions of local governments, modes of operation, types of issues handled by planning departments, and how, as active community members, participants themselves can direct their agency toward improving their neighbourhoods. Participants were encouraged to identify causes they care about, work with their peers to act, and present proposals to council members. It was an honour to witness these efforts firsthand and to hear how well received their presentations and proposals were by municipal councillors and staff throughout the Forum.

My two latest projects are products that synthesize these interactions and confirm that the neighbourhood level is a critical stage for building capacity to address problems in realistic and meaningful ways.

The first project is the Next-Door Table, funded generously by the Youth for People and the Planet microgrant from DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society and Thaumazo’s Changemakers Collective stipend. This funding allowed me to validate the hypothesis that a sense of community can be retrofitted for buildings that may not have been originally designed for community connection. As science and evidence continue to demonstrate how vital trust, familiarity among neighbours, and a sense of belonging are to people’s quality of life, sense of agency, and participation in the local community and economy, it is incredibly exciting to consider what expanding such models across buildings could mean for neighbourhoods—ultimately making them more connected and resilient in the face of various manifestations of the polycrisis.

The second project I am working on, Community Conversations, is in partnership with Marpole Oakridge Family Place and the UBC Sustainability Hub’s Sustainability Ambassadors, funded by the Community-University Engagement Support (CUES) Fund. We are hosting intergenerational dialogues to tap into the collective knowledge held by local residents in the Marpole community, recognizing that this collective wisdom is most valuable for contextualizing general solutions to the metacrisis within hyperlocal priorities. I am very excited to see what results emerge as we explore topics related to health and affordability. Stay tuned for more updates as we roll out these dialogues this fall.

I find excitement and intellectual challenge in asking questions about what systemic change looks and feels like at the neighbourhood level through a relational lens. I am interested in continuing to learn and grow through applied projects in this space and I welcome any opportunities on such themes. If this resonates with you, please get in touch. I would love to support this kind of work through research, programming, or engagement contracts.