My name is Gabriel Meissner, and I am a student from the Humber College Film Program. I became a volunteer at Focus Media Arts in April, for my internship, where I would record various events (SDP meeting, Regent Park police quarterly meeting, Art Heart celebration, etc.), co-host a podcast about news on the Toronto East Side, and conduct interviews. In mid-May, I made a video about the Allan Gardens Encampment, and the neighborhood petition to have it removed. At the start of the video, I talked about the petition, and the comments made by Allan Garden residents talking about their disgust with the city for allowing the public parkland to become dangerous and soiled by the encampments. The second half of the video is a series of interviews with the campers, looking at their side of the struggle, and the injustices they have faced. Going into this project, I had my reservations about the homeless people in the encampments; I heard that they preferred not to use the shelter system because it limited their ability to use drugs. When I actually started speaking with them, I realized that that is far from the truth: the shelter system is at capacity, and it is very difficult to secure a spot. I also learned how dirty the shelters are (lack of cleanliness and infestations) and how exposed to danger one was (sharing bedrooms with unknown people who could have serious mental conditions or could be associated with gangs). Now, my understanding of the issue is less black and white, and I know that there is no one right answer. All I do know is that when we don't understand the reasons behind something (crippling addiction/ the anger of tax-payers/ the disposition for land-back activists to camp on city land), we shouldn't jump to conclusions, and should instead show compassion, and learn how to help. The video garnered 1.2 K views and sparked a civic debate in the comment section about the issue.
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About LJI
LJI Impact is the section of commediaportal.ca where the journalists and their organizations participating in CACTUS' Local Journalism Initiative can share their greatest successes.
Through the written stories, photos and videos you see in the LJI Impact section, you'll be able to read first hand accounts about how the presence of a community journalist is making a difference in communities across Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative and the Community Media Portal.
The Community Media Portal is a gateway to the audio-visual media created by community media centres across Canada. These include traditional community TV and radio stations, as well as online and new media production centres.
Community media are not-for-profit production hubs owned and operated by the communities they serve, established both to provide local content and reflection for their communities, as well as media training and access for ordinary citizens to the latest tools of media production, whether traditional TV and radio, social and online media, virtual reality, augmented reality or video games.
The Community Media Portal has been funded by the Local Journalism Initiative (the LJI) of the Department of Canadian Heritage, and administered by the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS) in association with the Fédération des télévisions communautaires autonomes du Québec (the Fédération). Under the LJI, over 100 journalists have been placed in underserved communities and asked to produce civic content that underpins Canadian democratic life.
