I was honoured to be one of the first-ever speakers at a cool new community-building gathering called YOWYOW when it kicked off Thursday, February 3 at Raw Sugar Café in Chinatown.

Founded by Sophé B Poitras and Marc-André Plouffe, YOWYOW was inspired by the idea of the “unconference." The event is a relaxed non-profit speaking occasion that brings together people from different backgrounds who are doing interesting things locally.

Drawing on an article I wrote about Guerilla in 2009 for an online magazine called New Social Inquiry, I positioned the publication as a kind of public dialogue that helps a community understand itself in new and deeper ways … which is precisely what YOWYOW is all about, too.

The YOWYOW format calls for three 10-minute talks followed by five minutes of Q&A. Nice and tidy, which I always like. Boredom is virtually impossible!

Joining me at the mic on the night were entrepreneur and Algonquin College instructor Ian Graham (founder of The Code Factory), and Martin Canning, founder of the Sustainable Development Council, an emerging forum bridging commercial and civil society stakeholders.

All three of us spoke about ways to build community—in a place that is itself a vital community-building venue, Raw Sugar.

Congrats to Sophé and Marc-André. I look forward to more YOWYOW.

YOWYOW founders Marc-André Plouffe and Sophé B Poitras check out the latest Guerillla print edition at Raw Sugar.






Me, during my turn at the mic.