Announcement: Future of Good partners with Co-operators to launch editorial fellowship on community resilience

Communities large and small build a sense of belonging, keep vibrant cultures alive, foster local enterprise, fight social isolation, and encourage our sense of collective identity. 

Meanwhile, between a pandemic, climate crisis, digital divides, social isolation, and rapid shifts in work that continue to reshape almost every way of life, the past year has been the beginnings of deep community transitions across Canada.

At Future of Good, we’re interested in the ways communities are adapting, responding, and organizing for the wellbeing of their members. That’s why we’re excited to announce that we’ve partnered with Co-operators to launch an editorial fellowship focused on community resilience. 

“Much of Future of Good’s reporting covers the inspiring social change work happening at the institutional and formal organizational level. I’m so excited to read and collaborate on stories of changemaking and organizing happening within communities. This is a vastly underreported topic, and there’s so much for our readers to learn,” says Kylie Adair, editor of Future of Good. 

“We’re thrilled at the opportunity to uncover community-level needs, insights and solutions that are emerging in the wake of the pandemic,” says Shawna Peddle, associate vice president of citizenship at Co-operators. “Through the voices and perspectives of local changemakers, this fellowship will help catalyze dialogue around critical issues like the inclusive economy, social wellness, mental health, and climate action, and will further our co-operative efforts to build more resilient Canadian communities.”  

For the next 10 months, writer Neha Chollangi will report powerful stories from transitioning neighbourhoods and cities, and start new conversations about collective resilience for changing communities.

Neha (she/her) is a reporter and writer currently based in the South Okanagan region of British Columbia. She has spent the last year as a local reporter in the town of Osoyoos, diving into the various facets of the place and connecting with the individuals and groups who form the community. Living in and reporting on a small town (as someone who has only ever resided in cities) has shaped Neha’s idea of community and how locals can band together to create collective change. These moments of resilience were particularly evident in 2021 when the province was hit with a heat wave, wildfires, and floods, and the community didn’t hesitate in volunteering their time to help and starting relief fundraisers. Neha holds a keen interest in understanding these monumental changes by zooming in and highlighting how communities are dealing with them together in creative but effective ways. Outside of her work, Neha interests include cooking, street photography, watching movies, and frequenting flea markets on the weekends. 

Stay tuned for Neha’s first story in this fellowship, coming in the new year.

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