Creating a happy place
Happy Community Project takes off in Windsor-West Hants as momentum continues to build
Barry Braun is a grandfather. That’s usually one of the first things he tells people as he’s describing what the Happy Community Project is all about.
With sharp glasses, grey hair, and a calming, low voice, he talks about what he hopes to achieve with this initiative.
“I started the Happy Community Project with my grandkids in mind. Where are they going to find a happy place 20 years from now?” Braun asks. “The answer is, if we can remember how to be a happy community, one that takes care of each other, then maybe they’ll have a chance.”
Wanting to shy away from, or perhaps redirect the spotlight, Braun is quick to emphasize that it’s not just him running the show. Hundreds of people have stepped up to make this happen.
“At least once a week, somebody comes forward with some idea on creating a new project,” he said. “So, I’m always supportive of them, but they have to follow through. Some don’t show up, some do.”
Several initiatives on the go
With 11 active projects in only six months, Braun has been trying to guide, but not interfere with all of these community groups trying to get ideas off the ground.
One of the latest concepts is what’s known as a ‘Little Library,’ enclosed cabinets in the shape of old British telephone boxes, where passersby can leave a book or take a book.
“It’s not a unique idea to Windsor, but there’s nothing like that here yet,” he said. “The main people who have been working on that were acting in Quick As A Wink, and just finished all of their obligations with that, so now it’s starting to come back to life.”
The boxes are being constructed and should start showing up soon, Braun said.
But these won’t just be showing up in Windsor — The Happy Community Project is all inclusive of Windsor and West Hants.
Other projects include reviving the defunct farmer’s market, a community garden, a youth hangout, and more — the common thread amongst all of them is getting Happy Community Project founder Barry Braun and Acadia University lecturer Mary Sweatman prepare a presentation April 4, 2018 at the Hants County War Memorial Community Centre. Students from Acadia University recently completed research that detailed the impact that the Happy Community Project is having on Windsor.
people to interact with each other.
Will this concept work? It’s hard to say, but at least one of the projects, the recently saved Ellershouse Community Breakfast, is doing well and growing.
“The new team that’s been leading it has now put on two breakfasts,” he said. “The last time, they had 208 people at the community breakfast, and the first one they had 175 people show up. So a little bit of momentum.”
The breakfast, which has been an institution for years, was on its last legs as the original organizers were
becoming fatigued with the lack of volunteers to help it out. They were ready to throw in the towel.
But, then, the Happy Community Project stepped in.
“It had its death notice, the people running it said Nov. 24 is the last one. They had been asking for two years for someone to take it over, they wanted to pass it on. So we asked, ‘Who wants to help keep this going?’ And about 35 people put their hands up,” he said.
“The difference between asking for a volunteer and saying ‘this is our community, how do you want
to help make it be a community?’ there’s a really big difference in response.”
The Ellershouse experience is a fitting example of what Braun is hoping to achieve with the Happy Community Project — bringing people together to enhance the sense of cohesion and cooperation in an area.
But 11 projects is a lot to take on, even though they’re all run by individual groups.
“The citizens have voted with their feet with where they want to show up and make these things
happen, so they’re doing all of the real hard work,” he said.
The Happy Community Project is providing background community support, he adds.
“These are good-hearted citizens that are making these ideas into reality, but they don’t necessarily have the personal project management skills, the expertise necessary to make them happen,” he said. “We also help to create the buzz and excitement that draws some attention to these projects.”