The term ‘locality’ typically conveys a sense of intimacy, the familiar and the known. The 'local' comes with the confidence of knowing. Typically, smaller the scale, the common presumption is it is easier to grasp. Except that according to some anthropologists like Arjun Appadurai, a locality is really a work in progress, it is constantly being produced by its inhabitants, in the very mode of being and belonging to a place. That means that even the most local places have elements of the unknown, an ability to surprise the most local of its inhabitants.
In this introductory video, meet the two co-presidents of the Ô P'tit-Sac association, Lydie Morel-Jean and Nathalie Gajić who are willing to be happily surprised by the ‘hidden’ IFRC park in their own neighbourhood. They have been participating in workshops since early 2021, actively writing statutes and organizing events for and on behalf of the association. They are hugely qualified to get more and more inhabitants involved in the ongoing brainstorming about the community park. They bring in their considerable knowledge of the neighbourhood, their connections with local networks and are eager to help discover / re-discover the surprisingly unknown and hidden park (in their own words) that is part of the IFRC campus.
It is this element of surprise about such ‘hidden’ spaces that adds value to the urban participatory process. The voices of those who are most active, shape the outcomes substantially. But the key ingredient is their willingness to be open to the unexpected even in the most expected of places.
Please respond to, communicate and connect with these dynamic co-presidents who are eager to network and collaborate on thinking through the possibilities that the IFRC community park has to offer. The association is involved in the life of the neighbourhood and offers events to connect inhabitants. The next event is a Christmas party which takes place on Saturday 17 December in the Petit-Saconnex village square. It is also a moment to introduce the people of the neighbourhood to the IFRC park and its forest.
Interview with the co-presidents of the association Ô P'tit-Sac
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