Abstract: | Small cities face intricate challenges. No Straight Lines provides the basis for a refined model of community-engaged leadership and research designed to realize equality of quality of life. With particular attention to the small city of Kamloops, BC, this book explores the impact of extended, short-term, and unique leadership collaborations and local responses to homelessness, sustainability and food security, aging populations, and the recovery of local history. It offers exciting insights into the role of the university in the small city, from generating local learning opportunities to the integration of undergraduates and faculty in achieving positive change. Based on active engagement, No Straight Lines reveals the barriers present in addressing local needs, and the transformations that can be achieved through effective collaboration. It offers rich accounts and valuable insights into flexible practices that respond to the needs of community organizations while recognizing the challenges associated with resource constraints and limitations in capacity. This unique collection provides new insights into the twists and turns of leadership and learning in the small city Introduction: leadership, learning, and quality of quality of life in the small city / Terry Kadling -- Promoting "community leadership and learning" on social challenges: government of Canada homeless initiatives and the small city of Kamloops, British Columbia / Terry Kadling -- "What a difference a shower can make" / Lisa Cooke -- No straight lines: using creativity as a method to fight homelessness / Dawn Farough -- The Kamloops Public Produce Project - a story of place, partnerships, and proximity in an edible garden setting / Robin Reid and Kendra Besanger -- The Kamloops Adult Learners Society: leadership through organic partnerships and knowledge support in the small city / Ginny Ratsoy -- The Tranquille Oral History Project: reflections on a community-engaged research initiative in Kamloops, British Columbia / Tina Block -- Leadership initiatives and community-engaged research: explorations and critical insights on "leadership and learning" in the small city of Kamloops / Terry Kadling, Lisa Cooke, Dawn Farough, Robin Reid, Kendra Besanger, Ginny Ratsoy, and Tina Block |
