Toronto's Annex community seeking to make community engagement easier and more inclusive with new tech

The Annex Residents' Association is the first to use Community Reflect, a new privacy-first digital platform built by Digital Public Square.

TORONTO, Sept. 9, 2021 /CNW/ - The Annex Residents' Association (ARA) and Digital Public Square (DPS) have teamed up to launch Community Reflect?a privacy-first tool built by DPS to help people get more involved in their communities.

"We need new tools that invite people into conversations so everyone can tackle tough topics that are hard to navigate on social media alone", said DPS CEO Farhaan Ladhani. "This is the right time to explore how healthy technology can help neighbours from all walks of life engage on what matters to them. From planning and development, to safety, and the environment, the goal is to make it easier for residents to weigh in with the Annex Residents Association - and each other."

Community Reflect seeks to build participation and shared outcomes that are more inclusive of everyone's needs?without forcing people to trade their privacy for participation. The platform is being used by the ARA to help Annex residents learn about their neighbourhood, share their views on what the ARA is working on, compare their own responses to their neighbours', and get more involved with the ARA directly.

"Reaching people from across our community matters now more than ever", said Elizabeth Sisam, ARA Director and member of the ARA's Planning and Development Committee. "The pandemic has done its part to keep us from each other, but the challenge is bigger than that. The Annex is growing and we can serve our diverse community better if we hear more from everyone. This is an opportunity to explore new ways of connecting with Annex residents who we aren't yet reaching through traditional community engagement. It matters so much to us."

Results from the initial pilot will help the ARA prioritize issues and guide day-to-day conversations with community leaders, stakeholders, and local government.

Learn more about the project: https://annex.community/#tryitnow

If you're working with a community that could benefit from access to DPS' technology, email us at: [email protected].

More on the ARA: https://theara.org

More on DPS: https://digitalpublicsquare.org 

SOURCE Digital Public Square