100in1Day Hamilton reaches new heights in second year

Following a successful 100in1Day event on June 4, Hamilton can pride itself on its small-scale community-led actions. The Steel City boasted 154 “urban interventions” this year, the highest number in the country, beating out Toronto, Winnipeg, Halifax, Edmonton and Vancouver.

New to Hamilton last year, 100in1Day is an annual celebration of individuals creating positive change in their neighbourhoods. Initiated by Evergreen, the event was well-received last year, however, when asked what has changed since then, Hamilton Project Manager Jay Carter replied, “What hasn’t changed?”

While 100in1Day certainly had a bigger footprint in the city this year, its size and spread were not the only factors that were noticeably different from the 2015 event. In addition to individuals hosting interventions where they could share their passions with the city, organizations were eager to get involved as well, such as Canadian Blood Services, which held a blood drive.

“It's been incredible to see the uptake this year versus last year when it was very new … This year it's become something that's been really ingrained already and we keep hearing stories about the lasting changes that have come out of last year's event,” Carter said.

Despite the success of last year’s event, Carter was adamant about improving the situation for this year’s 100in1Day. One of the most important differences was a more efficient schedule.

“Last year it was really easy to see where things were taking place but not when. One of our volunteers put together a ward-by-ward schedule, which is awesome because not only does it help people understand where their ward boundaries are but of course helps people plan out their day much better.”

Another concern involved better support for intervention leaders. This took the form of more mixers for volunteers to meet one another and more coaching opportunities.

“A lot of the really exciting, really different urban interventions have come out of people [who don't know] one another coming together over a shared passion or interest and developing something out of that,” Carter said.

In addition to his excitement over the number of local events, Carter was also happy to see a change in how the city handles days like 100in1.

“The city has created a new pilot bylaw to reduce barriers to community-led action on public property because that was one of the biggest challenges last year,” he said.

These changes include reducing the 15-page application to two pages, and greatly reducing the cost of liability insurance.

“It's also been really exciting to know that they've been watching 100in1Day to see what residents want to do in their communities,” he added.

The city saw a number of return events, including the popular puppy kissing booth and multiple free yoga sessions in city parks. However, there were plenty of new, innovative ways Hamiltonians chose to celebrate their neighbourhoods. The Concession St. neighbourhood even hosted a dog parade.

“One of the things the Concession St. BIA really loved about their neighbourhood was that their dogs loved Concession St. And they wanted to do something to showcase that,” Carter explained. Other new initiatives included pollinator gardens and guided tours of Dundurn Castle’s expansive gardens.

When asked about his main goal for 100in1Day, Carter made it clear that the aim of the event is to always promote empowerment in communities.

“One of the biggest challenges I find is the cynicism people have about getting involved in community stuff– that 'what's the point' kind of attitude,” but he feels that the numerous lasting effects of local actions are more than enough to disprove the naysayers.

While Carter coordinates the entire event for the city of Hamilton, he was quick to explain that the event could not be done without the hundreds of volunteers who give up their time to host local interventions.

“Without the people of Hamilton, 100in1Day would not be possible. I'm just a very tiny part [of it all], and so is 100in1Day itself, because on any given day there are probably over 100 different free activities taking place in Hamilton. This is just an opportunity to showcase some of the great people doing great things.”