By: Brook Lahey
Brook is a cooperative student at Focus Media Arts Centre

On October 19th, 2023 the planning committee of the Regent Park Social Development Plan (SDP) held their weekly meeting via Zoom. Ismail Mohammed was the facilitator of this meeting.

The Regent Park Social Development Plan, also known as the SDP, is a community-wide initiative aimed at fostering unification and community collaboration. The social development plan is constructed by four areas of priority; these include the community building working table, the safety network, employment and economic development, and lastly, the communication table.

The central topic of discussion was an upcoming Stakeholders Table meeting where they updated the budget by exchanging problems they had faced at the last Stakeholders Table meeting. One issue that they had was with the catering. They did not have enough food at the last meeting, and they had to debate if they should increase the food budget but in the end, they did not. They concluded that $1200 original budget assigned for entertainment could be put to better use elsewhere. Ultimately, the planning committee lowered the entertainment budget to $200 and put the money that would have been used for entertainment into more prizes to keep participants engaged in the activities.

After discussing the updated budget they talked about the agenda for the stakeholder's table meeting. The outline had topics ranging from The Terms of Reference - this document outlines the structure and objectives of the Regent Park Social Development Plan Stakeholders' Table, which is responsible for implementing the plan aimed at promoting inclusivity and cohesion in Regent Park. The Terms of Reference highlight the key focus areas of the plan, the roles of various stakeholders, and the commitment to equity and inclusion. Additionally, it specifies the involvement of the City of Toronto and it documents the annual review process to support the community's well-being and development and to evaluate the progress of the Community Building and Outreach Work Group (CBOWG). There were updates from various working groups and important tasks to be done , such as catering arrangements and space bookings.

As the Planning Committee continues to play a pivotal role in the SDP's strategic decision-making process, it remains dedicated to fostering community engagement and collaboration. Stay tuned for further developments from this essential committee in our upcoming broadcasts.