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2020 HOW TO START A COMMUNITY OVEN PROJECT GUIDE By Front Street Community Oven, United Church of Canada, and Bedford United Church

Introduction 2 Front Street Oven Model Overview Our Process Shared Values and Clear Purpose Makes Everything Easier Create a First Draft of a Concept Document Stakeholder Engagement Community Development Patterns Bookings Design: Oven, Structure & Space Equipment Volunteers Health & Safety Regulations Construction Fundraising Promotion/Social Media Budget/Cost Considerations Events/Activities Safety/Liability Appendices Example of one-pager Values Exercise Chaordic Stepping Stones Budget Insurance Requirements Acadia Community Development Report Acadia Nutrition Department Report 2 2 3 3 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10 11 11 12 13 15 17 21 30 31 32 50 2

Introduction Thanks for picking up the community oven ‘getting started’ guide. This document goes through the process that was used to start the Front Street Community Oven in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada. It outlines planning considerations, how to get support for oven projects, how to encourage community involvement, and other important details. The latest draft of the Front Street Community Oven Operations Manual, as of June 19, 2020, is also available for you for free. Front Street Oven Model Overview ● Volunteers always operate the oven; it is not open for the public to use on their own. ● Open ovens on Saturdays, from 12pm-3pm, for all members of the community; other bookings of the oven are done online. ● Bookings cost money. We operate on a sliding scale to accommodate different income levels; those who can pay more are encouraged to do so. ● Whenever the oven is up and running, it is open for the public to use. ● It is all inclusive and is open to everyone. We design the space and all processes around using the oven to be a safe environment, with no discrimination. ● The oven operates on the Town of Wolfville’s land, so therefore has an official agreement in which to operate. ● It is designed to be a social enterprise, a non-profit with the goal of paying a coordinator and revenues to cover operating expenses. ● Created and run by a non-profit board, registered through Nova Scotia joint stocks registry. Our Process 1. Sketch out the idea; create a compelling argument in 2-pager to show community partners, funders etc. 2. Figure out where the barriers are and what sort of opportunities exist by making a list then talking to members of the community. 3. Approach the Town of Wolfville about the idea and what would it take to get something like this off of the ground and on town land. 4. Start developing relationships. Town of Wolfville, Wolfville Business Development Corporation (WBDC), Farmers’ Market, Acadia University (student projects), etc. 5. Figure out who we need to make it work: Architect, engineer, builders, community builders, fundraiser etc. 6. General oven and building design to create a budget; start fundraising process. 7. Develop the language around the project and create values statements: Why it is important, how it can work, and why it matters. 8. Go public. Start spreading the word and get people excited about the project. Visited Farmers’ Market community booth as a way to connect with the community. 9. Gather team to create a board and create working groups. (We would have done this earlier if we were to do it again). 10. Get everything lined up to start building the oven. We ended up building the oven without a shelter first so that we could get it in use right away in which to get exposure and garner more support. 11. Started open ovens and taking bookings. 3

Shared Values and Clear Purpose Makes Everything Easier In the Canadian context, community ovens have not been around for several generations in most places, so being clear about the values is critical for inviting your team into the project, for getting funding, and for getting partners. Of all the planning steps, having clear values was the most important as it helps create team cohesion, saves time later on, and serves as a reference point for the team when making decisions; this step is often skipped but we consider it to be crucial. Even if the oven project is through another organization, the values may be more specific to the project and should be clarified. Having everyone on the same page with the values makes everything easier. Here’s a basic exercise to figure out your project values: 1. Set a timer for 5 min and have everyone quietly look at a values list together (here’s the one we used for reference ) and have everyone on the team select 5 values that they think best represent the project. 2. Collect all the values and as a group choose a process for how to decide which ones make the list. For example, you could have one person take notes, you could look at the list of values the team chose together, group similar values together, have everyone share what the values mean to them, and then have one or two people on the team write up a first draft. You can find the Front Street Community Oven Guiding Values here: http://frontstreetoven.ca/ Create a First Draft of a Concept Document The concept document should be 1-2 pages and explain the overview of what need it fills in the community, what activities you may have at the oven, how the oven operates, who manages it, etc. For the Front Street Community Oven concept document, we started by answering some of these basic questions in the document, added some photos, then filled in the gaps using the questions in the CHAORDIC Stepping stones (see below). Our concept document was added to many times over 1.5 years of development. Getting it created and out there was more important for us than getting it perfect. ● Here’s one of our concept documents for reference ; you are welcome to copy and paste whatever you like from ours and edit it for your own needs. ● Here are the CHAORDIC Stepping Stones to help fill it in. Stakeholder Engagement Some tips: ● Create a one or two page write up that explains the project; speak to what it is, why it is important, what the timeline is, and who it is for. Make it simple so that the reader can easily connect with the project. ● Figure out who the people are that will support your idea and reach out to them; start with the obvious ones and personal connections to get started and build momentum. ● To make your support more official, ask for letters of support on the letterhead of the organization you are connecting with. Having official letters of support shows that you have done work within the community and that others believe in your idea. It also helps when dealing with any sort of bureaucracy to have these in advance as it makes it easier for decision makers when there is official support from the community that they are meant to represent. ● Try to gather support from a diverse network, showing how the project will benefit many different elements of the community. Some organizations or segments of the community you might want to connect with: Farmers’ Markets, local schools, mental health professionals, advocates for those with disabilities, etc. ● Find ways that the oven can connect with other community projects, needs, and initiatives. Do some research to find out what is already being done and how a community oven might support someone else in their work. 4

● Build your community and create active supporters of the project; word can spread fast, especially about a unique project. Having active supporters will help create a buzz about the project and will bring about connections and partnership opportunities that otherwise might not have been thought of. ● Be prepared for push back as some people might not understand the concept or see its value. Try to get people excited about the project in whatever way feels natural. ● Attempt to make it as accessible to everyone; talk to necessary local community members with different accessibility needs for how to make it as accessible as possible. If you are looking to build a community oven on public land, it will be important to reach out to the town, municipality, or community early on. Depending on where you are in the process, you can get letters of support first or follow up after making initial contact. Having letters of support and names to mention is a good idea if possible as it shows that research has already been done and there is community buy-in. Below is a list of some of who were contacted at the beginning stages of the Front Street Oven: ● Wolfville Farmers’ Market ● Library ● Acadia University ● Wolfville Business Development Corporation ● Blomidon Naturalist Society ● Canadian Mental Health Association Community Development Patterns We were lucky to have Community Facilitator and Business Counselor, Anne Stieger, on our team as she introduced us to patterns of success research in social entrepreneurship and community development, which made everything easier. We used some of the patterns in the Social Enterprises Akademie deck ( https://pattern-publishing.de/social-entrepreneurship-von-der-idee-zur-umsetzung-en ) that Anne developed and some patterns that haven’t been published yet to guide our actions. They were sort of a ‘mentor in our pocket’ as they were based on successful social enterprises around the world. We do not have permission to share the full patterns at this time, so we’ll just list the names of the patterns and how we used them in our context below. Here are a few key success patterns that helped us along the way: ● Know your ecosystem . For us this meant contacting potential partners, businesses, the mayor and town councillors and sending our 2-pager to ask for their advice. We also offered to meet them in person or have a voice/video conversation. (Food and Safety, Town council, by-law officer, etc.) Essentially, we introduced ourselves, let them know the general idea, and asked their advice. Get them on your side. ● Ask for advice, get money; ask for money, get advice. People want to be a part of something and have their investment mean something. So for funders and sponsors, we both asked for advice and how they might want to collaborate. By asking for advice first, people get invested in the idea, want to help, and then are more likely to contribute resources. We also think it’s just the respectful and helpful thing to do to connect first at a human level rather than at a transaction level. ● Make the mayor look good . Mayor and town councillors became advocates of the project early on because we shared the idea with them and asked for their advice. We also filmed a video with our mayor, discussing the project, and he publicly endorsed it. This gave us initial credibility and helped to promote the oven as the mayor continues to support the project and mentions it to people he sees in his travels around town. ● Connection first . We build true partnerships and everything runs easier if at the beginning of meetings you connect as humans first, before discussing business. When we first started, we would ask partners and sponsors: What intrigues you about the project? What would you like to try cooking in it? Who would you bring with you to the oven? ● Be a hub . A physical hub, online hub, knowledge hub. We selected the location for the oven by choosing one of the busiest walking areas in town. The oven is beside the library, on a path from downtown to the 5

farmers market, beside the liquor store, between several coffee shops and pubs, and near the main bike trail that goes through town. For people to learn about the oven, and for all members of the public to participate, it must be in a visible area that is easy to access. ● Use what’s available . This pattern has many applications. For example, when choosing a location, we selected an area that had a public washroom nearby, electrical outlets, water access, and extra storage. When looking for building materials, we attended business incubation events and asked businesses directly in the community if they had things we needed; we were gifted $17,000 worth of rolling doors by doing this. We also have asked the community for numerous things we needed and we got them for free or for very little money. Be specific in what you are looking for and take the time to build relationships. Other Resources and Ovens ● The Park Avenue Community Oven (PACO) were incredibly helpful in the early stages of setup and were a big reason why our first year was so successful. Check them out: https://www.parkoven.ca ● Students from both Acadia University’s Community Development Department and Nutrition and Dietetics Department conducted research on community oven best-practices across Canada and examined how these practices could be applied to the Wolfville area. (See appendices.) Bookings Bookings can take a lot of time and coordination, especially if managing volunteers. Before getting the oven up and running, determine how you are going to manage bookings (assuming this is part of your model) and who is going to do this task. If at all possible, try and find a way to pay the person that will be managing bookings and volunteers as this can be at least a part time job if your oven is used often. Volunteer burnout is a real thing and should be factored into how bookings are managed. ● If yes to taking bookings, first determine your capacity. How many bookings can you handle? Making this decision in advance will help when people are asking to use the oven for various events. ● Consider having bookings far enough out that you can secure volunteers. (We recommend 3 weeks.) ● There are many online booking platforms that make it easy to schedule when the oven is available and then have the public book from their computer or phone. ● Try to have the bookings as automated as possible; it is worth taking some time in advance to figure out a system that is efficient, consistent, and accurate; think quick and easy, smooth and professional. ● Have an option to call somebody in case someone doesn’t have computer access or a way to pay electronically; try not to limit those that might want to participate. ● If there is a cost to booking the oven, consider using a sliding scale; this allows for people with less expendable income, along with more affluent people, to pay a cost that is relative to what they are able to pay. Choosing an online booking platform. There are many options available online. Some of them are free and others have an associated cost that can sometimes offer up more options. The Front Street Community Oven decided to use Square Appointments as it met our general criteria, but you might choose something else that better fits your needs. Considerations ● Online payments (credit card, paypal, e-transfer). Option for different pricing. ● Appointment scheduler with calendar. Ability to block off time, etc. ● Automatic emails (drafted and based on specific actions). Send out reminders leading up to the event, details about the booking, etc. 6

● Low-cost. Try to avoid monthly fees. Percentage of sales (credit card fees, processing fees) are normal. ● Calendar will link with Google Calendar that can then be shared with others. ● Easy for the customer to use. Finding available dates should be easy; bookings and payments should be uncomplicated. We recommend test driving whatever system you choose to use before purchasing it. Design: Oven, Structure & Space Designing the oven and the surrounding space is an important part of creating an environment that suits your needs and intentions. There are the basic considerations regarding building an oven that works well and is durable, but even this can come in many forms. Take your time and do your research; make sure you have a sense of why you are designing it and who it is for. Create sketches and designs in advance to make sure the construction is suitable to the space. Bring in people that can help you design an oven and surrounding space that will meet your initial needs, but also provide room to grow. Questions to ask: ● How big will the oven be? How many people can use it at the same time? ● What is capacity for the surrounding space? Does the space facilitate needs? ● Do you want/need shelter? Over the oven or nearby (rain, shade, sitting area)? ● How accessible is it, or could it be, for wheelchairs, elderly, disabled, mobility issues, etc.? ● Are there bathrooms nearby? Hand washing stations? ● What is your budget? How much do you have to spend? ● Can it be built in phases? Or will it be done all at once? ● Do you need permission to build where you want to? Are permits required? ● Is it volunteer built or will it be done through contractors? ● Is community engagement part of the process? Who decides on design? If the community, then it's important to plan to do this so it is effective. More people involved means more people to please. It can be worth it, but it is extra work and requires a well thought out process. VIP Connections Builder → To help design and build the oven, create a budget, work with building code, etc. Architect → Help with design concept and planning. Also helps in presenting to town council or similar. Engineer → To make sure it is safe and to sign off on architectural drawings, permits, etc. Front Street Community Oven Criteria Space ● Centrally located so it is seen by as many people as possible to increase engagement. ● Suitable space around the oven in which to host a lot of people so the oven can be included with bigger and shared community events. ● Close to local amenities; within easy walking distance to get ingredients, public bathrooms. ● Green space so that people can be in a park, lay out blankets to picnic, etc. ● Water on site for drinking water, washing stations, cleaning tables, and equipment. ● Flat ground and accessible for wheelchairs, mobility-challenged, etc. ● Power nearby so we can run tools for building, as well as for lighting and other equipment as necessary. Oven ● Big enough to hold a large capacity of food. We want the space to be used by a lot of people and also as a way to have food production for food banks, etc. The Front Street Community Oven’s oven is 48 inches in diameter on the inside of the oven; we do not recommend making an oven smaller than 36 inches on the inside as it needs to fit a fire and multiple food items. 7

● Beautiful. We wanted it to be an eye-catcher so that people are drawn to it. ● Durable. We wanted the oven to last many years and to be able to withstand Nova Scotia winters. ● Insulated. Because it is outside in an unheated building, we added rockwool insulation between the oven dome and our cladding brick; this keeps the oven at the same temperature for longer and allows for slow-cooking food items throughout the night. Structure ● Shelter, so that people can prepare food in wet or hot conditions. ● Enough space inside so that 3-5 people could be preparing food and cooking at the same time. ● Enough space that 10-12 people could sit down and eat together. ● Most of the walls are garage type doors that open up, allowing for the space to feel open air when rolled up, with the ability to pull down the walls to protect from the elements, as well as to lock up when not in use. ● Have it fit aesthetically with where it is located. We wanted it to be noticeable, but not to stand out as being incongruent with the surrounding area. ● Use as much local wood and materials as possible. ● Be efficient in terms of storing wood and equipment, as well as making it easy for people to use. Equipment There are a million different gadgets for wood fired oven cooking and these items can add up depending on where you get them. We worked a sponsor deal with our local Home Hardware to get a considerable discount and shopped around online as much as possible. We’d recommend budgeting at least $500 for the items listed below (not including stainless tables, $200); we spent just under $400, but this includes donated items. Here you’ll find our essentials list, items we added part way through our first season, and wish list items. 8

Essential Items ● Pizza peels (suited to the depth of your oven); our local cooking supply store couldn’t get ones with long handles, so we ordered from Nella Cutlery . ● Heat proof gloves (we like the leather kind) ● Kitchen safe sanitizer (restaurant supply places often have this) and clean rags and paper towels. ● Fire tools (long fork fire poker, or tongs to move logs around inside) ● Ash removal tools: hoe or something to pull the cold ashes out (fireproof broom) ● Metal fireproof ash can ● Fire extinguisher ● Infrared Thermometer to check the oven temperature from a safe distance ● Aprons for firemaster volunteers; to keep their clothes clean, to identify them as the firemaster, for some added ember protection. ● Goggles (for eye protection) ● First aid kit ● Pizza cutters ● Garbage bins ● Stainless steel tables or counters; stainless steel is the least expensive, most durable surface that can be easily cleaned and sanitized. Items Added in Our First Season ● Baked goods cooling racks; these are important for baked goods to cool well and people generally do not think to bring them (they aren’t technically essential, but our community thought they were). ● Extra long ash remover; a long stainless uncoated garden hoe would work just fine too. Our oven is 48 inches deep, so it requires a long item to reach the back and remove all the ashes before the next firing. Because most fire tools are shorter, this item becomes the main tool for moving the fire around when it’s hot or at the back of the oven. Wish List Equipment ● Bellows; to get the fire started faster. We have yet to use these as our chimney is quite tall and pulls air through well. These are particularly helpful if an oven doesn’t pull air in/out well or you have wood that isn’t very dry. ● Large cast iron dutch ovens for overnight slow cooking using the oven’s residual heat. Volunteers Like so many community run initiatives, volunteers are the backbone that keep things running. Depending on your project, you may need volunteers in different capacities. Planning in advance for how many volunteers you might need, and in what capacity, will help determine what sort of outreach is needed. It’s best to have too many volunteers to choose from than to only have a few and need to depend on them all the time. Whenever working with volunteers, it’s important to remember that they are doing work in their free time and they should be recognized and appreciated for their contributions on a regular basis. Most volunteers join because they love what they are doing, but burnout is real for volunteers, just like with paid workers, so make sure to check in and communicate regularly. Where you might need volunteers: ● Fundraising events ● Communications ● Helping to design the oven and surrounding space ● Professional services (architect, engineer, carpenter, etc.) ● Construction ● Putting together events 9

● Managing the oven ● Taking bookings and/or organizing other volunteers ● Promotion/marketing As part of the Front Street Community Oven model, the facility is only open to the public when there is a volunteer onsite to open and run the oven. For this task, we have recruited volunteers and call them ‘Firemasters’. Firemasters will have been trained in advance about how to operate the oven safely and how to work with the community, following guidelines, managing logistics, etc. If possible, try to find some key volunteers that love their job and will show up on a regular basis. Having lots of volunteers is good, but having some key Firemasters that are experienced will save a lot of work in the managing of bookings and events. What makes a good firemaster ● Dependable; they show up when they are scheduled and communicate if there are any issues. ● Friendly and approachable; firemasters manage the fire and logistics, but a lot of their work is to welcome people in who are curious about the oven. ● Organized; keeping things moving well with a lot of people making food together and sharing the one oven requires a lot of moving parts to work together. ● Clean and tidy; this is for health and safety, but also so that people feel comfortable using the space and trust that it is clean and regularly sanitized. ● Able bodied; most likely, there will be a lot of equipment to move around depending on the event, so it is beneficial to have people that can move around comfortably and with confidence. Health & Safety Regulations Considering this is a community oven, the idea is to be able to have people come and cook and share food together. As simple as this concept seems, there are inevitably going to be some food and safety regulations that you will need to follow, which will be determined by rules and regulations where you are located. These rules will change whether you are on your own land or if you are in a public space. It’s important to do the research about what sort of regulations are in place that might limit what you want to do with your community oven. The Front Street Community Oven is based in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, so we need to follow the rules as dictated by the province. It is also located on private land owned by the Town of Wolfville, so it also needs to consider any bylaws or other rules that the town might have in place. It is highly recommended to reach out to your Food and Safety officer (or similar) early on in the project to get their advice. Pro tip: mention what you want to do, but ask them for the best way to do it as there can often be some power dynamics involved depending on how this is approached; tread lightly and with respect.1 Some of our specific regulations that needed to be considered: ● We are not allowed to serve food to the public. To clarify, a volunteer cannot prepare food and then serve it to people at the oven. The rules state that people can come and prepare their own food, cook it, and eat it themselves or share it with their friends/family. This is one of the most limiting factors when the oven is up and running. One way around this issue is to build walls. If the structure around the oven has walls (along with having stainless steel tables, cleaning equipment, etc.) then there is the option to prepare food and serve it to the public. ● Hand washing stations need to be set up when the oven is in use; this is for both volunteers and the public using the space. ● Volunteers should have their Food Hygiene Handling Cer

Construction Building the oven and the surrounding space is something that needs to be planned out well. It’s important to consider who is going to be building the oven and what sort of experience they have. The main choice is to either hire a contractor, or else to try and find volunteers that have these sorts of skills. There is also the opportunity to have the community come together to help in the build, which can be excellent for a sense of ownership in the project, but also brings in a number of logistical challenges. Whatever route you decide to take, be sure to map out all elements of the construction and ensure that you have the funds to acquire materials and that they are available when you need them. It can also be worth considering whether the project can be built in phases and if this is a viable option. For the Front Street Community Oven, it was decided that we would: 1. Build the oven and have it operational. This meant that the oven could start to be used by the public in which to gain more community support. 2. Build the timber frame structure with a roof. This provided shelter from the elements and allowed for the planning of more events with more reliability. 3. Put walls up around the building in which to keep out the elements. This expands on when the oven can be used throughout the year, while also providing the opportunity to lock up the space and all the equipment when the oven is not in use. Other considerations: ● Building code and permits. (Make sure you check in to see what needs to be done to meet any local regulations.) ● Whether it is a contractor or volunteer builder, ideally there should be a lead builder or project manager; it can be confusing to have many people trying to coordinate the many moving parts in which to get the project complete. ● Put the word out to your community about materials needed; many things could be donated and incorporated into the build. ● Shop around on Kijiji (or similar) well in advance and see about finding savings this way. ● Make sure insurance is in place before building starts in case anything happens during construction; ensure that the society is covered and all legal elements are in place. Fundraising Below you’ll find a selection of fundraising options we tested. ● Online options: ○ We started with a Kickstarter, but set our timeline to be too short to reach our goal. We stopped it at $2500 as we weren’t going to make our target number. If we did it again, we’d use kickstarter, but set a lower goal that we’d surely make in the amount of time we set. The rewards system that Kickstarter offered worked well as contributors could buy things such as: $100 - name on a brick, $250 - two pizza making workshops, etc. We raised money at a quicker speed than through GoFundMe. ○ GoFundMe gives you the ability to raise donations, but not to set specific rewards for amounts donated. For the Front Street Community Oven, the lack of rewards is why we think we raised money slower on this platform than kickstarter. ● “Buy a brick” type of campaigns; we did this as part of the Kickstarter campaign and directly selling bricks at the market. Selling in person was quite time consuming, but it was most useful for building awareness and getting people to understand the concept. We raised around $650 this way before moving on to other 11

fundraising activities. We took the buy a brick onto our website and raised another $650 throughout the season on our Donate page. Make sure to keep track who donates and thank them publicly. We sent out thank you card postcards at the end of the year to our supporters. ● We had a strong team of grant writers and approximately $11,000 of our budget came from Nova Scotia Community Culture and Heritage, Canada Summer Jobs, and the Nova Scotia Health Board Wellness fund. ● Sponsorship took the least amount of effort for most money raised. Two businesses gave us $3500+ in cash and other businesses gave us $12,000 worth of building materials. Our process was to send them a letter with our 2 page overview, then schedule a meeting to see how they might want to collaborate. ● Other events to specifically raise money: ■ We hosted a Pizza and Jazz evening at a local restaurant - this raised over $1500 with everything donated, including labour. If we were to do this again, we’d add a silent auction. ■ We did a bake-your-own beavertail at the Devour Street Food Party, which was a lot of fun and raised the profile of the oven, but only made around $500 after expenses. ■ Future event ideas: ● Competition at the oven where people have to pay to sign up as a team ($500 per team) and there is some kind of cooking competition, while other things are sold at a silent auction. Promotion/Social Media In 2019, the best way to build an online community and reach people directly was email. With email addresses you can ensure people get the messages, whereas when social media platforms change their algorithms you may not be able to reach your community as effectively. We used Instagram and Facebook to get people to the website where we made announcements and asked people to join our email list. Social media did help people share what we were doing in the early days, which is where it had the most value by building awareness and telling the story of the behind the scenes process of starting the oven project. Since the Front Street Community Oven was in a rural area and we were looking for funding, we also asked several newspaper writers to write about what we're doing and six articles were published. When we had updates we just sent them over and they crafted their story. Here are a few specific comments about our approach: ● Strategy : Who are you promoting to and where do they get their information? What’s the easiest way for you, your team, and your friends to get regular updates? ● Email List: Wherever we were, we brought along paper for people to sign up to our email lists: one for general interest and one for people to sign up as Firemasters. Even though we know how to do this digitally, it was easier to use paper for the email lists because people struggle with devices and it can take attention away from the connections being built. ● Newspapers/Online Media/Blogs : Contact writers/editors who you know personally and gauge interest in them doing an article about your oven project. If you don’t know a writer at a newspaper, ask your online network for an introduction to one. If all else fails, send your concept document to all the “community editors” of your local newspapers/websites. ● Facebook and Instagram: Post behind the scenes events, share photos of people, invite engagement in regards to using the oven; for example, you could post questions such as “ what’s the first thing you will cook at the oven?”. ● Website: Ask a local web designer to make a decent looking website or use a platform like Squarespace that has good templates and is easy to use. Your website is the information, purchasing, and email list sign-up hub, so all emails, newspapers, social media, printed media, etc. should lead to the website. Budget/Cost Considerations This section will include basic budget considerations and ways to reduce costs. 12

Building Budget and Considerations ● Planning Support : we had a grant writer, architect, engineer, and builder on our volunteer team; this made everything dramatically easier and less expensive than if we had to hire people. ● Building Labour : we had help from a recently retired mason, five local carpenters, skilled community members, as well as a few runners and general labourers. Our initial oven and roof overhang structure was 95% built by volunteer labour. ● Building Materials : our different budget options were between $20,000 (bare minimum oven and basic shed design covering it) and $50,000 (unique building design); we landed somewhere in the middle (our finishings are not done yet, so we don’t have final costs). We asked for quotes from various builders to get our numbers. ● Prepping the ground : If in a public place, check with the local municipality about water lines or buried power lines. We had two options for the “foundation” to build the oven and surrounding building: a concrete foundation or Helical screw piles. Our oven and building needed to be technically moveable if the library were to expand there, so we opted for helical screw piles. In 2019, screw piles were $250 per screw (installed) and we needed 12 of them for our building and under the oven. If you are using screw piles, we recommend designing the building to minimize the number of screw piles you need to save money. Because of our soil type, and because of the weight of our oven, we had to install concrete around the perimeter of the oven and building to hold the screw piles in place, as the ones under the oven were a little loose in the soil over time. This is very uncommon, but worth noting to your engineer if your oven is near an ocean tidal area. ● Community build : If you do a community build, make sure to budget for food, coffee, and hydration for the volunteers. We had very happy volunteers who got to have pizza, hot from the oven, before anyone else in the community did. Operating Budget and Considerations Here’s a sample financial projections and expenses from our budgeting in year one when the budget was supplemented heavily by grants; it does not include our social enterprise activities. If you’d like more information about this, please contact Duncan or Adam at the contacts below. Yearly Operating Costs: ● Insurance - Our most significant yearly fixed cost. The Front Street Community Oven is insured for Bodily Injury, Property Damage, and Personal Injury by Anderson McTague through Gates Insurance as the broker for $2,000,0000 per occurrence. (See the full breakdown of what the Town of Wolfville requires in the appendix.) Our insurance costs are approximately $1350/year. ● Firewood - Needs to be seasoned and to be stored somewhere convenient. We budgeted $750 for 3 cords of wood in our first year. We ended up getting all of our wood donated for year one. ● Volunteer Coordinator/Operations Manager - It’s encouraged to have a paid coordinator to manage bookings, schedule volunteers, coordinator events, and to keep track of what is happening at the oven. The Front Street Oven funded this position through Canada Summer Jobs and a small programming grant in the first season. In year two, the Front Street Oven plans to fund at least half of this position from revenue and sponsorship. The grants in year one were not enough to fund the amount of work that needed to be done and we relied heavily on the board of directors to complete the season. From other oven projects, we hear that volunteer burnout and board burnout happens frequently when there is no paid staff member. Events/Activities To build the oven community and have regular attendance, it is essential to have events where there are no financial or skill barriers to try baking/cooking in the oven; this is much easier if you’ve already built the relationships with chefs, foodies, and people in the community who already organize food events. We recommend finding one to three

excited about the oven and brainstorm with them about what could happen. Then find money (sponsor, grants, etc.) or create paid events to pay these people to run events down there. It’s also a good idea to approach potential partners who could provide ingredients for people to pick up to cook in the oven and partners who could run events at the oven. We partnered with Just Us! Cafe to provide us with dough for our public events and to sell it in their cafe so that anyone could quickly get high-quality pizza dough, any day of the week, to use in the oven. Here’s a list of events and partners that happened at the Front Street Oven in the first year: ● Pizza party after Mayor’s Bike Ride ● Acadia University Department Socials and BBQ’s - Business School, Community Development, Biology Department, etc. ● Wolfville Day Camps ● “Where to Cycle in Nova Scotia” Book Launch ● “Try it in Wolfville” - Free Wood-Fired Pizza Making ● Citta Slow Day in Wolfville (local apple turnovers and corn on the cob) ● Devour Food Film Fest Street Food Party (Make-Your-Own Beavertail fundraiser) ● Glooscap First Nations (making Luski Bread at the oven) ● Various learn-how-to-make events, such as “Pizza w Italian Grandmother” Safety/Liability One of the most important elements in running a community oven is that people feel comfortable and safe when using the space. This pertains to personal safety when using the oven and/or navigating the space, but also in regards to personal space and not feeling discriminated or harassed in any way. Running a community oven and inviting people into the space is a big responsibility and all aspects should be considered to make sure that people have a positive and safe experience. Have a protocol in place that gives direction if any sort of verbal or physical abuse occurs, as well as any sort of sexual harassment. It is advised to speak to a lawyer in terms of what sort of procedures should be followed to ensure that the community oven is safe from potential lawsuits. ● Train your volunteers on how to use the oven safely so that they can facilitate other users. ● Ensure people feel safe; both the participants and the volunteers. ● Have emergency numbers available onsite in case anything happens. ● Provide emergency procedures and make sure they are understood. Who is responsible? And for what? ● Have a ‘respect for all’ policy and make sure all volunteers adhere to the guidelines. Guide Original Author’s Contact Adam Barnett adam@frontstreetoven.ca Duncan Ebata duncan@frontstreetoven.ca Our sincerest thanks to United Church of Canada and Bedford United Church for making this guide possible and contributing thoughts and ideas. 14

Wolfville Outdoor Community Oven Introduction The idea of building a community oven for the Town of Wolfville came about from experiences with other similar ovens in various places: both in people’s backyards and in public spaces. They have an incredible ability to bring people together to share in the spirit of food and community while enhancing public spaces. Outcomes & Uses A project of this nature will provide a host of benefits to the Town of Wolfville and the surrounding area. Below are some benefits based on the many ovens researched by the organizers and community partners: Benefits • Community development; creating meaningful connections (attractive to both youth and seniors) • • Education around making food, utilizing local ingredients, and general food literacy • Encourage economic development and provide small business opportunities • • • Create more public gatherings adding to health and vitality of downtown Wolfville Job and entrepreneurial skills (communication, risk taking, planning, creativity etc.) Provide safe and supportive social and physical environments for all people • Mental health and wellness: help to address social isolation and build a sense of community belonging • Potential partnerships with local events such as Deep Roots, Devour, Apple Blossom, Mud Creek Days, Acadia events, etc. How the space might be used: • Weekly baking of bread (regular, gluten-free, etc.) for food kitchens, low-income, etc. • Teach slow cooking skills such as using cheaper cuts of meat to make soups and stews. • Educate people on how to make and prepare nourishing food by incorporating vegetables and whole grains into their diet. • Community members can book the space and have gatherings and celebrations there. • Outdoor movie viewings could be shown, with hot snacks being served. • Live music, theatre, and other performing arts. • Provide toppings from our community gardens for people to make their own pizzas in a safe, welcoming, and relaxing outdoor space. What it is: • We will be building a wood fired brick oven, capable of making pizzas, bread, and other baked products. It will be open for regular public events and will also be available for bookings. It will be located in Robie Tufts Nature Park in order to be accessible and convenient to the public. • • A shelter will be built that will protect the oven, make space for prepping of food, and allow the oven to be locked up when not in use. Increasing food security (free access to a kitchen, providing space for dignified free access to food, etc.) 3D Sketch-Up model of oven in Northwest Corner of Robie Tufts Park (to scale) 15

Project Development to Date: • • Project was put into motion in November of 2017. • Worked with Economic Development Officer and Town Planners to put proposal together for the Town of Wolfville Town Council. Presentation at Town Council was warmly received and approval for the project was granted. • Worked with the university to gather information to create a long term, impactful, community asset. • Local builder is lined up to build both the oven and the shelter with the help of volunteers. • The building will start in July and be finished by September of 2018. • We have done the work to the line up the project and are planning to start building in July. We are now in the phase of finalizing funding to make the project happen. Total Cost of Project • Oven and structure: $10,000 (using volunteers, donated materials) • Part-time Volunteer and Events coordinator for 2018/2019: $16,000 (full year, living wage) • • Kitchen Equipment, Wood, Contingency, Repair, Maintenance (3-5 years): $15,000 Insurance: $900 (first year) Total: $41,900 - - - - - - - - - - - - Wrap Up Building a communal oven and redesigning the use of Robie Tufts Park will breathe new life to this part of Wolfville and will provide regular opportunities to create a more dynamic, cohesive, and connected community. So far we have received many letters of support from people and organizations such as: the Town of Wolfville, Acadia University, Wolfville Farmers’ Market, Slow Food Nova Scotia, mental health providers, and others. We are very excited about making this project a reality. We feel we have the support and the vision we need to make this community oven a success and for it to be spectacular. We look forward to discussing opportunities of how you can support this exciting community project. Thanks for taking the time to learn about the oven! Sincerely, Co-Organizers of the Wolfville Community Oven Duncan Ebata duncan@duncanebata.com 902-692-9421 Adam Barnett gadambarnett@gmail.com 902.225.4714 Close working relationship with the community oven in Dartmouth (PACO) that has been in operation since 2012. 16

CLARIFYING VALUES Here are some exercises that may help you clarify your values. Try the ones that speak to you, or try them all! After you have made some notes, take a few moments to “pull out” the core values from each one. You may want to refer to the “EXAMPLES OF COMMON VALUES” sheet for inspiration. WHAT MATTERS? What do you really want? What matters to you in the big picture? What do you want to stand for? Is there anything in your life right now that gives you a sense of meaning, purpose, vitality? ONE MOMENT If you only had one moment on earth, what would you want to do? How would you want to be? THE SWEET SPOT Vividly recall a rich, “sweet“ memory and get in touch with the emotions. What is meaningful about this memory? MISSING OUT What important areas of life have you given up or missed out on for lack of willingness? CHILDHOOD DREAMS As a child, what sort of life did you imagine for the future? ROLE MODELS Who do you look up to? Who inspires you? What personal strengths or qualities do they have that you admire? SPEECHES Imagine your eightieth birthday (or twenty-first or fiftieth or retirement party, and so on). Two or three people make speeches about what you stand for, what you mean to them, the role you played in their life. In the IDEAL world, where you have lived your life as the person you want to be, what would you hear them saying? a community project based in Wolfville, which cultivates heartfulness and mindfulness in our everyday lives www.hear twideopen.ca “When you begin to touch your heart or let your heart be touched, you begin to discover that it’s bottomless, that it doesn’t have any resolution, that this heart is huge, vast, and limitless. You begin to discover how much warmth and gentleness is there, as well as how much space.” — Pema Chödrön 17

EXAMPLES OF COMMON VALUES adapted from a sheet by Russ Harris, 2016 Acceptance to be open to and accepting of myself, others, life Adventure to be adventurous; to actively seek, create, or explore novel or stimulating experiences Assertiveness to respectfully stand up for my rights and request what I want Authenticity to be authentic, genuine, real; to be true to myself Beauty to appreciate, create, nurture or cultivate beauty in myself, others, the environment Caring to be caring towards myself, others, the environment Challenge to keep challenging myself to grow, learn, improve Compassion to act with kindness towards those who are suffering Connection to engage fully in whatever I am doing, and be fully present with others Contribution to contribute, help, assist, or make a positive difference to myself or others Conformity to be respectful and obedient of rules and obligations Cooperation to be cooperative and collaborative with others Courage to be courageous or brave; to persist in the face of fear, threat, or difficulty Creativity to be creative or innovative Curiosity to be curious, open-minded and interested; to explore and discover Encouragement to encourage and reward behaviour that I value in myself or others Equality to treat others as equal to myself, and vice-versa Excitement to seek, create and engage in activities that are exciting, stimulating or thrilling Fairness to be fair to myself or others Fitness to maintain or improve my fitness; to look after my physical and mental health and wellbeing Flexibility to adjust and adapt readily to changing circumstances Freedom to live freely; to choose how I live and behave, or help others do likewise Friendliness to be friendly, companionable, or agreeable towards others Forgiveness: to be forgiving towards myself or others Fun to be fun-loving; to seek, create, and engage in fun-filled activities Generosity to be generous, sharing and giving, to myself or others Gratitude to be grateful for and appreciative of the positive aspects of myself, others and life Honesty to be honest, truthful, and sincere with myself and others Humour to see and appreciate the humorous side of life Humility to be humble or modest; to let my achievements speak for themselves Industry to be industrious, hard-working, dedicated Independence to be self-supportive, and choose my own way of doing things Intimacy to open up, reveal, and share myself -- emotionally or physically – in my close personal relationships Justice to uphold justice and fairness Kindness to be kind, compassionate, considerate, nurturing or caring towards myself or others Love to act lovingly or affectionately towards myself or others Mindfulness to be conscious of, open to, and curious about my here-and-now experience Order to be orderly and organized Open-mindedness to think things through, see things from other’s points of view, and weigh evidence fairly Patience to wait calmly for what I want Persistence to continue resolutely, despite problems or difficulties Pleasure to create and give pleasure to myself or others Power to strongly influence or wield authority over others, e.g. taking charge, leading, organizing Reciprocity to build relationships in which there is a fair balance of giving and taking Respect to be respectful towards myself or others; to be polite, considerate and show positive regard Responsibility to be responsible and accountable for my actions Romance to be romantic; to display and express love or strong affection Safety to secure, protect, or ensure safety of myself or others Self-awareness to be aware of my own thoughts, feelings and actions Self-care to look after my health and wellbeing, and get my needs met Self-development to keep growing, advancing or improving in knowledge, skills, character, or life experience Self-control to act in accordance with my own ideals Sensuality to create, explore and enjoy experiences that stimulate the five senses Sexuality to explore or express my sexuality Spirituality to connect with things bigger than myself Skilfulness to continually practice and improve my skills, and apply myself fully when using them Supportiveness to be supportive, helpful, encouraging, and available to myself or others Trust to be trustworthy; to be loyal, faithful, sincere, and reliable 18

VALUES WORKSHEET adapted from Kelly Wilson’s Valued Living Questionnaire Deep down inside, what is important to you? What do you want your life to stand for? What sort of qualities do you want to cultivate as a person? How do you want to be in your relationships with others? Values are our heart’s deepest desires for the way we want to interact with and relate to the world, other people, and ourselves. They are leading principles that can guide us and motivate us as we move through life. Values are not the same as goals. Values are directions we keep moving in, whereas goals are what we want to achieve along the way. A value is like heading North; a goal is like the river or mountain or valley we aim to cross whilst traveling in that direction. Goals can be achieved or ‘crossed off’, whereas values are an ongoing process. For example, if you want a better job, that’s a goal. Once you’ve got it - goal achieved. But if you want to fully apply yourself at work, that’s a value – an ongoing process. The following are areas of life that are valued by some people. Not everyone has the same values, and this is not a test to see whether you have the “correct” values. Think about each area in terms of general life directions, rather than in terms of specific goals. There may be certain areas that you don’t value much; you may skip them if you wish. There may be areas that overlap – e.g. if you value hiking in the mountains, that may come under both physical health and recreation. It is also important that you write down what you would value if there were nothing in your way. What’s important? What do you care about? And what you would like to work towards? 1. Family relations What sort of brother/sister, son/daughter, uncle/auntie do you want to be? What personal qualities would you like to bring to those relationships? What sort of relationships would you like to build? How would you interact with others if you were the ideal you in these relationships? 2. Marriage/couples/intimate relations What sort of partner would you like to be in an intimate relationship? What personal qualities would you like to develop? What sort of relationship would you like to build? How would you interact with your partner if you were the ‘ideal you’ in this relationship? 3. Parenting What sort of parent would you like to be? What sort of qualities would you like to have? What sort of relationships would you like to build with your children? How would you behave if you were the ‘ideal you’. 4. Friendships/social life What sort of qualities would you like to bring to your friendships? If you could be the best friend possible, how would you behave towards your friends? What sort of friendships would you like to build? 5. Career/employment What do you value in your work? What would make it more meaningful? What kind of worker would you like to be? If you were living up to your own ideal standards, what personal qualities would you like to bring to your work? What sort of work relations would you like to build? 6. Education/personal growth and development What do you value about learning, education, training, or personal growth? What new skills would you like to learn? What knowledge would you like to gain? What further education appeals to you? What sort of student would you like to be? What personal qualities would you like to apply? 7. Recreation/fun/leisure What sorts of hobbies, sports, or leisure activities do you enjoy? How do you relax and unwind? How do you have fun? What sorts of activities would you like to do? 8. Spirituality Whatever spirituality means to you is fine. It may be as simple as communing with nature, or as formal as participation in an organised religious group. What is important t to you in this area of life? 9. Citizenship/environment/community life How would you like to contribute to your community or environment, e.g. through volunteering, or recycling, or supporting a group/ charity/ political party? What sort of environments would you like to create at home, and at work? What environments would you like to spend more time in? 10. Health/physical well-being What are your values related to maintaining your physical well-being? How do you want to look after your health, with regard to sleep, diet, exercise, smoking, alcohol, etc? Why is this important? 19

LOVE (deepest, most meaningful relationships — including children, partner, parents, close friends and relatives) My Values: WORK (paid work, studying/education/apprenticeships, and unpaid work such as volunteering, or domestic duties) My Values: Short Term Goals: Short Term Goals: Medium Term Goals: Medium Term Goals: Long Term Goals: Long Term Goals: PLAY (rest and relaxation, hobbies, creativity, sport, and all forms of leisure, recreation and entertainment) My Values: HEALTH (physical, psychological, emotional, or spiritual health and wellbeing) My Values: Short Term Goals: Short Term Goals: Medium Term Goals: Medium Term Goals: Long Term Goals: Long Term Goals: copyright © Russ Harris 2010 | www.thehappinesstrap.com 20

THE CHAORDIC STEPPING STONES A Planning tool for designing participatory processes Chris Corrigan www.chriscorrigan.com Working in the chaordic space The term “chaordic” comes from combining the words “chaos” and “order.” It is a word coined by Dee Hock to identify organizations that intentionally blend characteristic of chaos and order. In this document, we use this term to indicate that we are working in a space of complexity, where there is much that is unpredictable and unknown. Our job as people who are hosting strategic work in this space - whether it is a conversation, a meeting or a longer term strategic initiative - is to bring some form and order to the unpredictability while letting the emergent properties of complex systems bring us new ideas, insight and innovation. This is difficult to do without a road map, and the chaordic stepping stones provide both a guide path and a set of lenses to plan and reflect on this work. 1 21

This tool can be used by callers - those who see that there is work to be done in the world - in order to get their thinking straight and create good containers for planning and action. It can also be used by core teams that come together around a strategic need and purpose, to continually refine their design for their work. The tool is designed to be used collectively, structured around a series of questions that can be answered by a group. Participatory processes require participatory leadership and these question will help you guide your planning to get the most out of a group. The tool can be used sequentially to plan out a project and it can be used as a reflective tool to review and refine the work. Designing Meetings and Processes In designing a meeting or a process, each of these stepping stones is activated by asking key questions. In beginning to design work together we can select from these questions (or create others) to help us explore each stone as we lay it in place. In this document we have given you a basic definition of the stepping stone, some sample questions to help guide your design and some ideas about how and what to harvest. These steps will lead you through three phases of strategic work and are applicable whether you are planning a single meeting or engaging in a multi-year strategic process. The three phases are: • Inviting • Implementing • Structuring INVITING Participatory processes, whether single meetings or long term strategic interventions, require a solid invitation in order for people to show up and contribute. Because participatory processes are still a relatively unorthodox way of meeting and tackling strategic issues, invitations need to be participatory too, and they must unfold over time, inviting people specifically and in a way that engages them long before the meeting begins. The saying “The conversation begins long before the meeting starts” should guide the way you plan an invitation. It is both content and process. The first four stepping stones are most useful in beginning the invitation process. Need “This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.” - Martin Luther King. The need is the compelling and present reason for doing anything. Identifying the need helps to anchor an invitation. Sensing the need is the first step to designing a meeting, organizational structure or change initiative that is relevant. Needs can be 2 22

identified in a number of ways through research, dialogue, large meetings or individual sensing interviews. Context is important. • What is going on in the world right now that makes our work important? • What are the challenges and opportunities we are facing? • Why is it important that we do this work? Harvest: • A needs statement for the project. • A shared understanding about why it is important to do work now. • A clear statement of urgency or timing with which to create an invitation Purpose “Purpose is the invisible leader” - Mary Follett Parker Purpose statements are clear and compelling ideas about where we are going that guide us in doing our best possible work. Discerning a shared purpose is helpful to guide work and seek outcomes, but don’t get too attached. Working in a chaordic space means constantly making adjustments as you learn and create new ideas and solutions. A purpose statement should be a direction, not a necessarily a destination. Once you have a purpose statement, continue to check in to make sure it is valid and true. Adjust it if you need to based on what you’re learning as you go. • If this work should live up to its fullest potential, what do you imagine is possible? • What could this work do/create/inspire/result in? • Where should we be heading? • What are the stories we want more of? Harvest: • A common understanding of the basic direction for the work • Commitment and buy in to a direction and intention for the work • A clear statement of purpose around which to build an invitation Principles “Obey the principles without being bound by them” - Bruce Lee Principles of cooperation help us to know how we will work together. It is very important that these principles be simple, co-owned and well understood. These are not principles that are platitudes or that lie on a page somewhere. They are crisp statements of how we agree to operate together so that over the long term we can sustain the relationships that make this work possible. 3 23

The best principles help to guide us when the plan breaks down, so make them observable and simple to remember. • What key principles guide us in our work? • What commitments are we willing to make to one another? • If the plan breaks down, what principles will guide us anyway? Harvest • A shared set of principles to rely on when your work enters a complex or chaotic space and you need to reground. • A set of commitments to one another that helps keep good work going. People Once the need and the purpose are in the place and we have agreed on our principles of cooperation, we can begin to identify the people that are involved in our work. Mapping the network helps us to see who is in this work for us and who will have an interest in what we are doing. To map the network, create a diagram with a set of three or four concentric circles. In the centre of diagram goes your purpose 4 24

statement. Place the names of your team in the first circle. This is the core team of people most fully committed to and responsible for the project. These might include callers, logistics people, process hosts and harvesters, those with a strategic perspective and others with key skills and roles to offer an initiative. Space hosts can be people responsible for both physical and virtual spaces, where people stay connected through the life on an initiative, project or gathering. On the second ring, place the names of individuals who are essential participants in the process, but not a part of the core team . These might be people whose expertise you need, or whose approval or political influence are required to sustain the work. On the third ring, place the names of people who you will consult with and keep closely informed about the process. They may not have decision making authority, but not including them in meetings and gatherings will diminish the project. Finally on the fourth ring, place the names of people who will need to know what you are up to, even though they may not be directly engaged. This scheme and process needs to be customized for your work and your project, whether you are planning a single event or a longer term strategic initiative. In general people closer to the centre will be more committed, more involved and more responsible for the outcomes. The closer you move to the centre the more time and energy you need to spend on communications and involvement. Those towards the edges will require less intense communications - perhaps brief communication updates, or one way blasts of information. Those in the middle rings can be engaged using different types of processes that will bring them into the heart of the project on a more frequent basis. Organizing people this way also makes it easier for people to become more or less involved in your project. For example someone on the core team who needs to step out for time or other commitments can move out to a wider ring and still be involved. they can be replaced by someone closer to the centre, who will have to do less work to get up to speed on the work of the core team. • Who needs to be at the core of our project? • Who do we need to talk to to make this work, and what questions do we have for them? • Who has answers or expertise we need? • Who has the authority to accelerate or impede this work and how can we involve them? 5 25

• Who will be affected by this work? • How should we communicate to the rest of the world? Harvest • People and commitment • Contact lists, invitation lists, and a set of differing levels of engagement • Communications and engagement strategies tailored for each ring of people. IMPLEMENTING Participatory processes and chaordic work is all about getting better results. As we produce good results, we need to be conscious about the form and shape of the outputs of a process and how to support them. In chaordic processes we cannot know the result before hand, but we can plan for the outputs and the architecture we need to put in place to support our results. Doing this before we choose the structure and processes for our initiative helps ensure that our strategic work has a life past the events we are planning. Outputs Whether you are planning a single meeting or an ongoing strategic initiative, it is crucial that you focus on the outputs: the concrete results of your work. While we can’t know the content of emergent processes we can plan for the kinds of outputs we expect. Depending on what you are doing you need to know if your work will result in reports, decisions, ideas, further conversations, new structures or ways of doing things. You need to make choices about how to represent these outputs in a way that is usable and appropriate for the group you are working with. This is the realm of results and measurement, things, decisions and processes that are created in the container of strategic work and that are to live beyond the scope of the work. Outputs must be realistic and gauged against the need and the people and resources available. • What are we trying to make together? • How will we be able to measure or understand the effect of our work? • How will we make our work visible and usable? • What are we hoping the tangible and intangible results of our work will be? • What results will prove the worthiness of our work? Harvest • Physical artifacts that effectively share the results of the work. • Plans for implementing and evaluating the impact and results of the work. Architecture of Implementation 6 26

The ongoing practice within the structures we build is important. This is the world of to do lists, conference calls and email exchanges. The invitation here is to practice working with one another in alignment with the designs we have created. The architecture of implementation refers to what you will build to sustain the work you have created. If you are doing innovative work your organization or community will need to develop an innovative approach to sustaining it. It is critical that you make decisions about how you intend to support the outcomes of the process before you begin to undertake the substantive work of the project. While you can also rely on commitment and sustainability to be generated within the process, it is important to do some early planning to know what has the best chance of supporting outcomes. • What resources (especially time, money and people) do we need to sustain our work together? • What power and influence do we need to enable our work and support results? • What capacity and learning do we need to build to sustain this work? • How do we leverage relationships and support the work that arises from them? • How do we sustain and nourish our own relationships after the work is over? • What commitments are we willing to make to contribute to the success of our endeavour? • What are you willing to do differently? • How do we end what we have started? Harvest • Resources and commitments that will support the sustainability of good outcomes STRUCTURING Once we have established the centre of a project by connecting a need and purpose to the people who should be involved, and we have an idea how we will support implementation, we can turn our minds to the kind of structures, processes and activities that help us address our purpose. We move through three stages of identifying a concept, investigating our limiting beliefs and then finally deciding on a project plan for moving. Concept As we move to a more concrete idea of what our structures are, we begin to explore the concepts that will be useful. This is a high level look at the shape of our endeavour. For example, if our need was to design a way to cross a body of water, we could choose a bridge, a causeway or a ferry. The concept is important, because it gives form to very different structures for doing our work. Coming up with a concept delays final decisions about structuring work, and it allows us to pause and check out our general direction with those who are resourcing and enabling the work. Avoid the temptation to jump immediately to a final design. 7 27

Conceptual plans are valuable because they can be used to test limiting beliefs and discover what’s missing before making final decisions about how to organize the work. • What is a good high level approach to addressing our need and meeting our purpose? • What basic elements, activities and processes will best serve our purpose? • How will we ensure that our work reflects our principles? • What prototypes can we develop that will teach about our final design? Harvest • A first draft, set of prototypes or sketch of what the work might look like. Limiting Beliefs So much of what we do when we organize ourselves is based on unquestioned models of behaviour. These patterns can be helpful but they can also limit us in fulfilling our true potential. We cannot create innovation in the world using old models, approaches and ways of thinking. It pays to examine ways in which we assume work gets done in order to discover the new ways that might serve work with new results. Engaging in this work together brings us into a co-creative working relationship, where we can help each other into new and powerful ways of working together, alleviating the fear and anxiety of the unknown. Limiting beliefs appear in both individuals and groups and so it’s useful to engage in practices that work at both the individual level and the group level to surface and deal with fears, anxieties, shadows and limiting beliefs before we inadvertently build them into our plans and processes. • What makes us tremble, and what do we fear about new ways of working together? • What are we skeptical about? • Who would we be without our stories of old ways of working? • What is our own learning edge in working together? • What are the cynics and skeptics saying about our work? Harvest • Clarity and shared courage and commitment • A naming and recognition of what might hold us back • Clarity about how to support people and the process as they confront their own limiting beliefs. Structure Once the concept has been chosen and we have worked through the limiting beliefs, it is time to create the structure that will channel our resources and enable work to happen. This is where we decide upon a plan of action and define the roles and responsibilities of those involved. It is in these conversations that we make 8 28

decisions and choices about the resources of the group: time, money, energy, commitment, and attention. • What are we going to do together? • How will we enable our work to happen? • What resources are needed in time, money and attention and where are these going to come from? • What will happen with the results of the work? • What logistical questions need to be resolved? • What expertise can help us with our work? Harvest • A project plan with roles, resources, activities and outcomes This tool was developed based on ideas and collaboration with people throughout the Art of Hosting community worldwide. www.artofhosting.org The Chaordic Stepping Stones by Chris Corrigan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.chriscorrigan.com. Updated June 15, 2016 9 29

Oven Building Budget Our original estimate was much lower for the cost of the building materials, around $12,000, we can still build around this, but after seeing a design that had more weather covered space, windows to let more light in when closed up, and an oven one end of the building, we're revamping the design of the building The cost has gone up with windows, doors with glass etc. Revenue Grant Sponsor Company In Bank Account Grant Sponsor Company Market Cash less Pizza and Jazz expenses of $260 Private Fundraiser Roof (donated) Building Labour (donated) Cladding bricks and stainless steel Chimney (donated) Total Capital Costs Kitchen equipment Labour (donated) Oven Materials Roof (donated) Signage Total Cost Net $590.00 $1,500.00 $5,000.00 $15,000.00 $5,000.00 $27,090.00 Now $2,000.00 Building Structure (windows, flooring, doors, insulation, fo $20,000.00 $15,000.00 $2,500.00 $5,000.00 $5,000.00 $1,000.00 Cladding bricks and stainless steel Chimney (donated) Lighting $50,500.00 -CA$23,410 - without potential other sponsorship $35,111 Potential Notes We could scale all of these costs back tomrorow and start building But we want to have a full season building Now Potential Notes $5,000 Applied for and will know in early April $15,000 We should hear back week of Mar 11, 2019 $2,110.62 Could go to either building or programming, right now it's in programming $10,000.00 meeting with them as a followup soon $3,000.00 for programming, we've had initial meeting Pizza and Jazz expenses were plates and band $200 Just us is keen to do a larger partnership, likely with programming 30

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Prepared by: Luke Moffatt Jacob Fenchak Lydia Broderick Natasha Johnson Kayla Winsor Mariah Skater Chris Evans 32

Table of Contents Introduction Social Determinants Operations Stakeholders Environmental Scan Safety and Health Grant Applications Other Community Ovens Opportunities for Engaging Youth Justification Moving Forward References Appendix 1 1 2 3 5 5 7 8 9 9 10 1 1 33

Introduction Community Ovens, originally referred to as communal ovens, were first used in Italy and France in the 14th century. These ovens belonged to the local lord and were originally not created with the intent to bring the community together. However, shortly after the French Revolution, the ovens became part of the community: no fees were charged to use the oven and community members came together to bake their bread for the week. While the bread was baking, community members would gather around the oven to share news and tell stories with one another.1 Today, community pizza ovens have been implemented in various towns across the globe to bring individuals together to build social capital within the community. A community pizza oven would be an excellent addition to Wolfville as the space would bring community members together to share delicious food and create meaningful memories. Social Determinants Social integration is defined differently depending on the community. In Wolfville, social integration is viewed as a definite goal, seeking equal accommodation and opportunity for everyone within the community. When looking at social integration, it is essential to consider the social capital that currently exists or can be created within the community. Social integration involves building social capital, which is the network of relationships that are generated by the people in the community.2 Nova Scotia has a well-established stance on social inclusion and defines it as “capacity, willingness, commitment and investment necessary to ensure that all community members have the opportunity to become engaged in the community development process and can access its social and economic benefits. This means taking into account gender, race, culture, language, social and economic status, age and disability, during the community development process, as well as in determining its outcomes”.3 It is essential to ensure that the Wolfville Community Oven (WCO) reaches its full potential in order to have a positive impact upon the community’s social integration. One of Wolfville’s major barriers for social integration is in regard to issues surrounding nutrition and food security. In order to reduce these barriers, various options have been explored to provide better access to ingredients for the participants. For example, having the farmers market and all of their stakeholders involved could allow the WCO to supply fresh local veggies to the users. Not only would this make these ingredients more accessible but it would also be a mutually beneficial relationship as it would increase business for the market vendors. Other ideas that have been discussed have been partnering with the Acadia Community Farm, creating a small herb garden and implementing a community donation bin. These ideas have been further expanded on in the Operations and Nutrition chapters of this report. 1 Community Brick Oven. (2016). History of community ovens. A Resource Center for Organizations with Community Ovens and Those Considering Building an Oven. Retrieved from https://communitybrickoven.com/history-community-ovens/ 2 Town of Wolfville. (2017). Social integration. Town of Wolfville: White Paper. Retrieved from https://www.wolfville.ca/component/com_docman/Itemid,264/alias,1556-wolfville-white-paper-socialintegration/category_slug,planning/view,download/ 3 Town of Wolfville. (2017). Social integration. Town of Wolfville: White Paper. Retrieved from https://www.wolfville.ca/component/com_docman/Itemid,264/alias,1556-wolfville-white-paper-socialintegration/category_slug,planning/view,download/ 34

Wolfville Community Oven Another social barrier that has been identified is the divide between Wolfville residents and Acadia University students. The WCO would be an inclusive space to bring a variety of individuals together and thus has the potential to bridge the gap between these two groups. This could be done through a variety of approaches such as special events, open oven times and co-bookings which would consist of bringing two separate organizations together to share the oven at the same time. The connections that are made within Wolfville have a direct impact on the overall well-being of the community. The WCO will be a great space to make these connections, all the while enjoying a delicious meal made from local ingredients. Operations Ideally, the oven will be open for anyone to use through an online booking platform as well as open cook times throughout the week. For the oven operations to run smoothly, it is recommended to seek volunteers to fill the following suggested roles: ❏ Organizing and coordinating the online bookings ❏ Overseeing and lighting the oven ❏ Facilitating events and open cook times ❏ Accounting and finances ❏ Coordinating volunteers Ingredients and Food Waste Oven users will be required to bring their own ingredients for the pizza and use a pack in/pack out method for their leftovers and waste. This means that it will be encouraged for oven users to bring Tupperware containers for their leftovers and the necessary bags for garbage. In addition to bringing the dough, sauce and toppings for the pizza, users will also be required to bring their own cutlery, dishes, cooling rack and oven mitts. The ‘host’ for the event will be encouraged to communicate with the group to ensure that all ingredients and materials are brought. Pizza Dough Eventually it would be ideal to work with various stakeholders in the community to have better access to fresh, affordable pizza dough. For example, an idea that has been discussed is having uncooked pizza kits available to be purchased at the Wolfville Farmers Market or other locations in town. Some of the stakeholders that have come to mind are: The Wolfville Farmers’ Market, EOS Natural Foods, The Acadia Community Farm, other local farmers markets (Hennigar’s, Noggins, Elderkins, Avery’s, etc.), The Kentville Farmers Market, La Torta, Fox Hill Cheese House, and other local restaurants in town. Community Donation Bin/ Pantry A community donation bin/pantry would be a place for community members to donate ingredients and supplies to be used for the WCO. Community members could replace/donate back what they use from the supply cupboard at the oven if they are financially capable. 2 35

Wolfville Community Oven Herb Garden Looking into the future, there are various opportunities for expanding the surrounding area of the oven. For example, building a herb garden in the park would be a great way to provide users with herbs for their pizza. This would also be an excellent opportunity for community members to learn more about gardening and promote other shared gardens such as the Acadia Community Farm. It would be ideal for this space to be operated by volunteers and it could even create a learning opportunity for a student from a nearby high school to get involved. This garden would provide access to fresh herbs and veggies to those who may not have them otherwise. Organizations that could be interested in playing a role in this project could be: Blomidon Nurseries, Canadian Tire, the Home Depot, Kent, and community members who might have extra soil, seeds, tools or skills to share! Stakeholders There are many organizations and businesses that have been identified as potential stakeholders for the WCO. The first group of stakeholders that were identified are those that are affiliated with Acadia University... Acadia Athletics For many big athletic events throughout the year, the community oven could be used to host gatherings with current students, faculty, and alumni before the game. This would be a great tool to create a fun and unique environment for pre-game festivities at all varsity home games. For example, this past fall, the Acadia Football team played St. Mary’s in the Looney Bowl championship. A community oven would be a great way to gather the fans for a big cookout before the game. It would connect students, faculty, locals, and alumni before a meaningful game. Also, next fall the Acadia Women's Rugby team is hosting the USports Nationals. A location like this would be a great spot for teams from across the country to connect off the field and get a good meal. Acadia Student Union (ASU) The community oven could partner with the ASU to host a variety of events and gatherings. For example, the WCO could be used for events like “frosh week” to bring a new group of people together over something that everyone bonds over - food! With a connection to the ASU, students would be able to run and host events at the community oven, which would enable a new setting and a very welcoming area for community members and students. The WCO could even be used for something as simple as ASU weekly meetings from time to time. Finally, the ASU would act as an excellent connector to other internal and external organizations on campus. Acadia Alumni: The WCO would be a great location for alumni events, and for alumni to put support behind. Acadia University has a fabulous alumni group that loves to support the town of Wolfville as well as the school. Not only would they love to support a new community project, but it would be an excellent space for them to gather and socialize. At events like homecoming, alumni presence is huge. An open area like the WCO, provides a much more “social” area than a restaurant would for a large sized group. S.M.I.L.E: Every week at the Acadia S.M.I.L.E. program there are different events and themes such as visiting noggins corn maze. The WCO would be an excellent option for one of these weekly themes. This would be a fun opportunity for 3 36

Wolfville Community Oven participants and their buddies to make food, cook, sit down, enjoy the outdoors and get to know each other better! Many current S.M.I.L.E. activities are indoors, and this could lead to a great new atmosphere for participants (of course this could only happen if those involved were okay with the change of scenery). The potential stakeholders within the Wolfville Community that were identified are... Paddy’s Brewpub and Rosie’s Restaurant: Since the WCO would be setup is right behind Paddy’s Brewpub and Rosie’s Restaurant it is important to have an open conversation with the business about any concerns that they might have. This would be a mutually beneficial relationship as both Paddy’s and WCO could promote one another! Rotary Club: As the Wolfville Rotary club supports the wellbeing of the community, the WCO would be something that the organization would likely support. The Rotary Club also has a large influence on the community and could potential play a key role in promoting the WCO. Wolfville Farmers Market: The Wolfville Farmers Market has a wonderful reputation in Wolfville and has a large influence on many of the community members. In addition, it is important to establish a good relationship with the Wolfville Farmers Market, as the oven will be located just across the street. Some other stakeholders that have been discussed would include Acadia University summer camps, the Wolfville Business Development Cooperation, Blomidon Naturalist Society, the owner at La Torta, Mayor Jeff Cantwell, and various Councillors that are apart of the Wolfville municipal government. Previously stated stakeholders are specific examples from Acadia University and Wolfville. However, more general important contacts would be local sporting organizations, schools (elementary, high school, or postsecondary), local restaurants, and nearby community influencers. Also, it is important to consider any individuals as stakeholders such as business owners and community members. 4 37

Wolfville Community Oven Environmental Scan The environmental scan of the WCO refers to both an environmental risk assessment and research on what other community ovens have done to manage the maintenance and environmental impact of their oven. Obstacles ❏ Noise Pollution: The WCO will not be located close to any residential areas and with proper facilitation, events should not disturb the peace. Another issue that was discussed was the possibility of noise keeping wildlife away. This however should not be a problem because the oven will not interfere with any pre existing habitats. ❏ Air Pollutants: Burning apple wood is considerably less harmful than burning coal. 4 ❏ Seasonal weather and operation: The oven takes longer to heat up during the winter months and wind/air flow for the fires is key for it to start it up and keep it burning hot. The fire will heat up and burn hotter depending on the size of the chamber (2.5 hours for the small Alexandra Park oven in Toronto) ❏ Maintenance: Dust and ash from the wood burning can be difficult to manage, using water has been found to push the ash in between and under the bricks which can build up over time. Bricks can erode and crack over time as well, such as the Dufferin Park oven that after 15 years had to be renovated and removed. It can also cause heat leakage from the oven if there is a fault.5 ❏ Chimney Swifts: There is a large population of these small birds in Wolfville, they have nested in a chimney near the area where the oven will be located. During the summer, the Chimney Swifts will come out at dusk, circle around the sky and will all synchronically dive into their nest all at once. It is a summer spectacle that many residents will come out to watch on a warm summer's night. Upon doing research it is determined that the amount of noise/smoke pollution that will be given off by the oven will NOT be detrimental to the health of the birds. In order to cause any behavioral or health changes the birds would have to experience large amounts of toxic by-products from burning materials such as coal, paper, or plastic and the noise amount would need to be close to the amount of that on the streets in a city. The chimney swifts could provide entertainment to residents while the use the community oven on beautiful summer nights in Wolfville.6 Safety and Health To ensure that the Wolfville Community Oven is a safe space for members of the community to gather it is important to be aware of the health risks associated with wood smoke and safety risks of using the oven. This section outlines 4 The Community Bake Oven Handbook | The Working Centre. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2018, from https://www.theworkingcentre.org/community-bake-oven/2651-community-bake-oven-handbook 5Public Bakeovens. (2015). Dufferin Grove Park Oven's History. Retrieved from http://www.publicbakeovens.ca/wiki/wiki.php?n=DufferinGrovePark.History 6 Birds, wildlife impacted by smoke, but how much isn’t certain. (n.d.). Retrieved April 3, 2018, from http://www.spokesman.comhttp://www.spokesman.com/blogs/outdoors/2017/sep/07/birds-wildlifeimpacted-smoke-how-much-isnt-certain/ 5 38

Wolfville Community Oven the health risks of burning wood and also provides suggestions for rules that should be put in place to reduce safety hazards. Health Risks Associated with Wood Smoke There is a variety of pollutants that can be found in wood smoke with the most common being particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In large quantities, these pollutants can contribute to a variety of environmental hazards and cause health issues. Exposure to wood smoke can cause side effects such as headaches, dizziness and nausea, as well as general irritation to the nose ears and throat. Wood smoke is more likely to affect individuals who have heart or lung problems, children or those with respiratory problems such as asthma.7 These side effects are important to be aware of, however, they are more of a concern when wood is being burned indoors rather than outside in an open space. Suggested Rules and Regulations for Oven Users A variety of community ovens have a ‘host’ at every event. This host is either a volunteer or the individual who books the space and are responsible for ensuring that the operations of the oven are safe. The following suggested rules and regulations would be given to the host ahead of time when they book the space. ❏ The fire must be attended once it is lit and the pizza is cooking ❏ Only those who are cooking the pizza should be in the ‘cooking zone’ ❏ Children under the age of 16 are not permitted in the ‘cooking zone’ if they are not accompanied by an adult ❏ Oven gloves must be worn when putting pizza into the oven and taking the pizza out (participants are expected to bring their own oven mitts) ❏ After using the oven, the participants are expected to clean the countertop that was used for pizza preparations ❏ Once pizza is removed from oven, it must be placed on a cooling rack ❏ Do not use toppings that are raw (for example, if you are putting meat on the pizza, please ensure that it is cooked ahead of time) 7 Government of Canada. 2012. Indoor air contaminants: wood smoke and indoor air. Government of Canada. Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/airquality/indoor-air-contaminants/avoid-wood-smoke.html 6 39

Wolfville Community Oven Grant Applications A grant is a portion of money given by an organization to complete a task. Many grants require one to fill out a form with certain information about the company or project. The grants found in this area that would work for the WCO are: The Legacy Fund, The Town of Wolfville Grant and the Culture and innovation fund. The money for this project would be put toward building the oven and maintaining it into the future. Below are specific details and requirements for the relevant grants that were found. Culture Innovation Fund https://novascotia.ca/programs/culture-innovation-fund/innovation-fund-proposal-application.pdf This grant is through the province of Nova Scotia and is called the Culture Innovation Fund. This grant is for initiatives and projects that use culture to create social or economic value. The fund supports partnerships and collaborations that use the full range of our broad and diverse culture to address social issues and opportunities in communities. There is a lot of information needed for this grant including all of the following: ❏ Summarize your proposal, providing the most pertinent information. ❏ Provide a brief description of your business/organization and its history. ❏ Provide details, outlining all activities. Include a list and short description of any partners and their involvement in the project. ❏ Identify project start and end date(s). Provide details on any key milestones within the project(s). ❏ This program will only fund part of the project(s) in this application. How will your business/organization finance the project(s)? ❏ Provide any additional documentation that may be helpful to better understand the project(s). ie : Business Plan and/or Strategic Plan. ❏ Detailed financial information for your proposal must be provided Legacy Fund https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/funding/building-communities/legacy-fund.html This grant is with the Government of Canada and is called the Legacy Fund- Building the community through arts and heritage. To apply you must be an organization that has been in existence for at least two years and plan to continue operating after the project’s completion. Can be either: ❏ local incorporated non-profit organizations ❏ municipal administrations and their agencies, boards and commissions that demonstrate an active partnership with at least one community-based group for the purposes of the proposed project. The WCO would meet the requirements because it involves the restoration, renovation, or transformation of existing buildings or exterior spaces with local community significance that are intended for community use and also encourage arts and heritage activities in the local community that are intended for and accessible to the general public. This grant can give you 50% of eligible project expenses up to a maximum of $500 000. There is no due date for this grant. Town of Wolfville Grant https://www.wolfville.ca/component/com_docman/Itemid,354/alias,1837-2016-03-29-grants-to-organizations 7 40

Wolfville Community Oven This grant is with the Town of Wolfville. It is a one-time funding opportunities grant. It does mention in it that it it is for a festival or event. But I think ours would count as an event as the plan is to host events at the oven. This grant can be worth 500-5000$. Some of the information needed that I did not have is: ❏ General organization information ❏ A proposed budget for the upcoming year ❏ Year-end financial statement from the previous year or business plan ❏ a report outlining the activities of the previous year’s festival or event with a breakdown of This grant would be used once the oven is built in order to have a budget for hosting community events. Other Community Ovens This section of the report provides an overview of outdoor community ovens in other communities, primarily those in Southern Ontario, and analyzes success rates, impact on communities, major problems experienced, and operational structures. Specific research went into how the community ovens operated financially and their impact on the community, including the frequency of use, acceptance by the community, and community programming. ❏ Most ovens were facilitated by a small number of paid staff as most communities commented that the time requirements and responsibility were too much to be justified as unpaid positions and, therefore, staff were hired to diminish the responsibility of the volunteers.8 ❏ Some community ovens used fundraisers, primarily bake sales, to generate funds for ingredients for free community pizza nights.9 ❏ Collaboration with local farmers’ markets was perceived as a successful and beneficial partnership by many community oven groups. The community oven groups that did not have a community garden affiliated with the oven often sourced their food materials from the local farmers’ market. Riverdale Park Community Oven in Toronto was also noted as unsuccessful partly for not operating when the farmer’s market was open.10 ❏ All community ovens had some form of nearby indoor facility in which to store ingredients, prepare dough, and for clean-up. The Regent Park community oven had this facility at a distance noted this as a problem and hindrance to programming.11 ❏ The most successful ovens were the ones in which there was an interactive, educational element in which community members could play an active role in the use of the oven, and the oven was openly advertised to community members. Riverdale Park community oven group failed to adequately advertise their oven and 8 The Community Bake Oven Handbook | The Working Centre. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2018, Retrieved from https://www.theworkingcentre.org/community-bake-oven/2651-community-bake-oven-andbook 9Public Bakeovens. (2015). Dufferin Grove Park Oven's History. Retrieved from http://www.publicbakeovens.ca/wiki/wiki.php?n=DufferinGrovePark.History 10 Public Bakeovens. (2015). Riverdale Riverdale Park (Park Oven). Retrieved from http://www.publicbakeovens.ca/wiki/wiki.php?n=RiverdalePark.FrontPage 11 Public Bakeovens. (2018). Regen Park Oven. Retrieved from http://www.publicbakeovens.ca/wiki/wiki.php?n=RegentParkOven.FrontPage 8 41

Wolfville Community Oven offer frequent enough programming. As a result, the oven has remained underused and many community members are unaware of its existence. ❏ Most ovens had free community pizza nights but had a small fee for event booking. This did not appear to minimize the use of the oven for events or party bookings. ❏ One unique oven near JCPI in Toronto traded compost for a five-dollar pizza voucher. The compost was then used for their community garden. This oven was the only one with a garden. The rest of the ovens purchased their ingredients from nearby farmers’ markets with municipal funds or money generated through fundraising.12 Opportunities for Engaging Youth One of the beneficial attributes of the community ovens reviewed in this report was the abundance of youth programs. Many of the community ovens in Toronto, after successfully being accepted into the community, developed youth programs with schools or summer camps that introduce and educate children on the importance of healthy and sustainable food. These programs encourage youth engagement in communities which increases skills, knowledge, self-esteem and community connectedness for youth. By helping youth to become more connected to their communities, they are more likely to further engage in other productive and beneficial opportunities within the community, furthering their educational and professional development. An case example of the youth program developed at Montgomery's Inn Museum is included below: ❏ Montgomery’s Inn Museum community oven in Toronto, Ontario described a large youth program run on the premises which teaches youth how to bake bread at the oven. The bread baked by the youth is then sold at the local farmers’ market to raise money for the continued operation of the oven. Volunteers are also able to take some of the bread which they learned to bake home, increasing food security in the local area.13 Justification It is important throughout this process to be able to justify the reasons for building a community oven to maintain support from stakeholders by reminding them of the subsequent benefits of building a community oven. Below is a list of the aspects that other community ovens have recorded or mentioned as the most beneficial outcomes of building a community oven. ❏ Bayshore Park Community Oven group in Ottawa emphasized the benefits of engaging school groups and summer camps in the food education and preparation process. ❏ Bayshore also highlighted the benefits to community networking and fostering community relationships. The group explained that the oven was a great tool for connecting with community members from different 12 Public Bakeovens. (2015). Lawrence Heights JPCI Community Garden cob oven. Retrieved from http://www.publicbakeovens.ca/wiki/wiki.php?n=LawrenceHeights .CommunityGarden 13 Public Bakeovens. (2017). Montgomery's Inn Oven. Retrieved from http://www.publicbakeovens.ca/wiki/wiki.php?n=MontgomerySInnOven.FrontPage 9 42

Wolfville Community Oven cultures as the oven provided a means for sharing different cultural recipes and stories. In other words, it served as a talking piece for the community.14 ❏ Bayshore also commented that though there are a great many beautiful meeting places in Ottawa, residents do not always have a reason to visit these places. The presence of a community oven provided a reason for such. ❏ The Dufferin Grove Park Community Oven also experienced a great amount of success and the community oven has become a centre for large festivals, potlucks, theatre, dance and music performances, fundraisers, birthday parties, and street festivals. ❏ School groups have also integrated the community oven into their nutrition and wheat unit.15 Overall, out of the twelve ovens which were examined during this research process, ten of these were very successful within their respective communities. The two which were unsuccessful was due to inaccessibility to the community oven and a lack of communication with the greater community as to its availability for booking. In this case, it can be seen that should a community oven be effectively marketed to a community and have accessible hours for community members to participate, it is likely to experience a great amount of success within a community through facilitating community bonding, educational opportunities, and offer a reason to use a beautiful and underutilized community space. Moving Forward Moving forward some ways to ensure that the Wolfville Community Oven reaches its full potential are: ❏ Encouraging the students of Acadia University to fill the volunteer responsibilities at the oven. ❏ Connecting student clubs, teams and societies to the community oven ❏ Marketing and advertising the oven (newspaper, posters, fb, a grand opening event, etc.). ❏ Engaging the community through events such as: ❏ A sponsored grand opening with free food ❏ Pizza making workshops ❏ Pizza making competitions ❏ Community pizza party ❏ Block party ❏ Themed events ❏ Connecting the oven with pre existing, popular events such as the Apple Blossom Festival ❏ Live music at the community oven ❏ Sponsored cider or beer tasting by a local brewery ❏ #DoitinWolfville events ❏ Making sure the oven is well advertised to the Acadia Student population through various platforms 14 CBC News. (2016). Bayshore community oven hosts competitions at Harvest Fair. Retrieved from http://www.dufferinpark.ca/research/pdf/CookingFireInPublicSpace.pdf 15 blogTO. (2011). The Dufferin Grove community bake oven. Retrieved from http://www.dufferinpark.ca/oven/wiki/wiki.php?n=PizzaDays.FrontPage 10 43

Wolfville Community Oven ❏ Offering consistent open oven time/events throughout the week on a certain day (similar to Wednesday nights at the Wolfville Farmers Market) ❏ Promote a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone ❏ Acadia students and community members dinner event ❏ Adopt a local/ adopt a student concept for pizza making. Students and community members can be paired together similar to peer mentorship programs. This idea would promote bonding between the student and residential community in Wolfville. ❏ Ensuring that the space is physically and emotionally accessible ❏ Example: making sure that seating is accessible. ❏ Focus on welcoming students down to the oven/events to bridge the gap between students and residents ❏ Encourage organizations to incorporate the WCO into their schedule such as S.M.I.L.E, baseball leagues, etc. 11 44

References BlogTO. (2011). The Dufferin Grove community bake oven. Retrieved from http://www.dufferinpark.ca/oven/wiki/wiki.php?n=PizzaDays.FrontPage CBC News. (2016). Bayshore community oven hosts competitions at Harvest Fair. Retrieved from http://www.dufferinpark.ca/research/pdf/CookingFireInPublicSpace.pdf Mason, Jutta. (n.d.). Cooking with Fire in Public Space. Retrieved from https://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2011/11/the_dufferin_grove_community_bake_oven/ Public Bakeovens. (2017). Bake Ovens and Food. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/bayshore-park-community-oven-harvest-fair-1.3766293?cmp=rss Public Bakeovens. (2015). Dufferin Grove Park Oven's History. Retrieved from http://www.publicbakeovens.ca/wiki/wiki.php?n=DufferinGrovePark.History Public Bakeovens. (2017). Christie Pits Park bake oven. Retrieved from http://www.publicbakeovens.ca/wiki/wiki.php?n=ChristiePits.FrontPage Public Bakeovens. (2015). Lawrence Heights JPCI Community Garden cob oven. Retrieved from http://www.publicbakeovens.ca/wiki/wiki.php?n=LawrenceHeights .CommunityGarden Public Bakeovens. (2017). Montgomery's Inn Oven. Retrieved from http://www.publicbakeovens.ca/wiki/wiki.php?n=MontgomerySInnOven.FrontPage Public Bakeovens. (2018). Regen Park Oven. Retrieved from http://www.publicbakeovens.ca/wiki/wiki.php?n=RegentParkOven.FrontPage Public Bakeovens. (2015). Riverdale Riverdale Park (Park Oven). Retrieved from http://www.publicbakeovens.ca/wiki/wiki.php?n=RiverdalePark.FrontPage Sorauren Park. (2017). Bake Oven. Retrieved from https://soraurenpark.wordpress.com/permits/bake-oven/ Stove Master. (n.d.). Commercial Community Bread Oven for The Montgomery’s Inn Museum. Retrieved from http://www.stovemaster.com/html_en/pop/montgomery/montgomery_00.html The Stop Community Food Centre. (2018). About the Stop. Retrieved from http://thestop.org/about-us/about-the-stop/ 45

Wolfville Community Oven The Community Bake Oven Handbook | The Working Centre. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2018, Retrieved from https://www.theworkingcentre.org/community-bake-oven/2651- community-bake-ovenandbook 2 46

Appendix A. Dufferin Park, Toronto community oven plan. B. Christie Pits community oven table setup. Note lack of permanent infrastructure for preparation. C. Davenport-Perth community oven mosaic design. 47

Wolfville Community Oven D. Lawrence Heights JPCI Community cob oven. E. Mabelle Arts community oven design (lockable shed for community oven). 2 48

Wolfville Community Oven 3 49

Community Oven Renee Bujold & Courtney Parsons March 27th, 2018 Sustainable food initiatives, such as community ovens, provide individuals with an opportunity to participate in programs that aim to address various social justice issues that contribute to the inequitable distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within our food system. While current literature about community ovens is limited, community kitchens were determined to have similar benefits as they have similar programming concepts and mainly differ in structural design, where kitchens are within an enclosed building and ovens in an outdoor space. Community ovens are designed to be an informal gathering place that provides shelter and facilitates positive social engagement through the sharing of knowledge and emotional support. They have the ability to address issues such as food insecurity, social marginalization, and poor health, and can have positive impacts on stress, individual empowerment and confidence levels, as well as improve self-efficacy through increased food knowledge and food skills (Cashion, et al. 2014). Community ovens build capacity and resilience within a community by creating a space for social support networks to be developed, and are often seen as a less stigmatising option for obtaining food when compared to food banks, thus being the preferred option. Additionally, they can contribute to a community’s economic growth through programs and events, which attract an influx of people to the surrounding area. Community ovens are located within public spaces that are managed by community organizations, agencies, or government-run programmes (Fridman, et al. 2013). Programs should put emphasis on cooking fruits and vegetables, bread, meat, and traditional dishes, where community members can enjoy preparing meals and eating together (Iacovou, et al. 2012). These programs do much more than just educate participants to make healthy food choices, but also enable participants’ reconnect with their food, culture, with the land, and with each other (Mundel, et al. N.D). It is essential to have open channels of communication between potential users of community ovens and organizers of its programmes to ensure that the oven is accessible. By engaging collaboratively with multiple community members and stakeholders who have a variety of interests centered on a health focused food system will allow for effective community oven development. It is important, however, to recognize that community ovens are just one viable community food initiative, and are more effective when an element of an entire repertoire of initiatives that strive for a more socially just and sustainable food system. Community food initiatives contribute to more a socially just and sustainable system. Community ovens are more impactful if they are used in collaboration with other community food initiatives and organizations. Some specific organizations in the Town of Wolfville would include the Wolfville Farmer’s Market, the Acadia community farm, the food bank, and the Acadia Food Cupboard. A food initiative such as community gardening is the voluntary cultivation of plants by participation of community members, with supportive gardening activities. They are a sustainable intervention that combines physical activity, improved access to fresh produce, and education to support culturally tailored healthy living. They also enhance landscapes, reduce crime rates, and increase property values (Cashion, et al. 2014). A community garden in close relation to the oven, would therefore compliment the ovens programs, as the ingredients procured from the garden could be used during cooking activities or by individuals within the community. Food initiatives like community ovens are often evaluated through measuring their effectiveness at addressing individual-level food security, where their impact on household food resources, or behaviour change 50

outcomes such as consumption of fruit and vegetable servings per day are evaluated. This, however, does not assess their potential impacts on self-efficacy, community capacity and resilience, or their ability to develop social support networks. Alternative methods of evaluation, such as interviews or focus groups that attempt to quantify the mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits are necessary to determine in what way community oven programs are effective, and how they can be improved. Key Messages The potential benefits of community ovens are: • Access to food • Social connections • Food literacy • Economic impact Recommendations to maximize potential benefit: • Programs that facilitate access to food, social connections, food literacy and economic growth. o Programs such as cooking workshops, community meals, donations. • More impactful if they are used in collaboration with other community food initiatives such as community gardens and kitchens. • • Collaborate with existing organizations (such as the Wolfville Farmer’s Market, the Acadia community farm, the food bank, and the Acadia Food Cupboard). Interviews or focus groups should be used to quantify the mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits of community oven programs. References Cashion, T., Forbes, I., Knezevic, I. (2014). Initiating and sustaining community gardens and community kitchens: A preliminary study in Nova Scotia. Community University Research Alliance. Available from https://foodarc.ca/wpcontent/ uploads/2015/01/Initiating-and-Sustaining-Community-Gardens-and-Community-Kitchens-in-NSDec2014-Final.pdf Mundel, E., Chapman, G. E. (n.d.). A decolonizing approach to health promotion in Canada: the case of the Urban Aboriginal Community Kitchen Garden Project, Health Promotion International, Volume 25, Issue 2, 1 June 2010, Pages 166–173, https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daq016 Fridman, J. and Lenters, L. (2013). Kitchen as food hub: Adaptive food systems governance in the City of Toronto, Local Environment, 18:5, 543-556, DOI: 10.1080/13549839.2013.788487 Available at https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2013.788487 Iacovou, M., Pattieson, D. C., Truby, H. and Palermo, C. (2012). Social health and nutrition impacts of community kitchens: a systematic review. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980012002753 51

Additional Resources Kuskoff, L. (2014). Redesigning everyday practices toward sustainability: Potentialities and limitations of a community kitchen. Design Philosophy Papers. 12:2, 137-150, DOI: 10.2752/144871314X14159818597559 Available at https://doi.org/10.2752/144871314X14159818597559 Mason, J. (2013). Cooking with fire in public parks. Dufferin Grove Park. Available at http://thepod.cfccanada.ca/document/cooking-fire-public-parks-dufferin-grove 52

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