Our Future First

✨ Make & Mend at the Waterfront Neighbourhood Centre ✨

We did it! 💚 Together with Repair Café Toronto , Works in Progress .in.progress.to, and Our Future First , piloted a new way to bring repair + upcycling under one roof.

🔧 28 items were repaired (bikes, textiles, appliances, jewelry & more!)
🧵 12 reusable t-shirt bags & 5 pillows were made from upcycled fabric — diverting textile waste from landfills
👩‍🎓 3 people learned to sew for the very first time
🌍 Countless conversations sparked about reuse, repair, and community action

Our goals were simple:
✅ Reduce waste & harmful emissions
✅ Build practical skills in sewing, mending, and repair
✅ Make climate action accessible, fun, and free for all
✅ Connect neighbours and those with shared values to take collective action

What we saw: neighbours connecting, learning new skills, and leaving inspired to cycle more, mend clothes, thrift, plant trees, and even bring climate conversations to their condo boards. 🌱

A huge thank you to all the volunteers, fixers, and facilitators who made this possible—and to the Waterfront Neighbourhood Centre for hosting us.
(Eneyda, Gabby, Liz, Tanya, Leah, Kiera, Leslie, Talina, Ursa, Simon and all of the Repair Cafe volunteers)

We hope this is just the beginning with more community collaborations to come ✨

And, of course, big thanks to for all the support!

🔗 Learn more: https://ourfuturefirst.co/make-and-mend/

Mending is better than ending! Come learn how to fix your things and meet neighbours on September 20th!

Repair Cafe at Waterfront Community Centre is collaborating on a Make and Mend, with Works-in-Progress (www.works-in-progress.ca) and Our Future First (https://ourfuturefirst.co/initiatives/) on a climate action event. The shared event space will be the Dance Studio at WNC. There will be fixer tables for Household and Appliances, Computers and Electronics, and Jewellery, while Make and Mend will offer to assist participants with hand sewing repairs and to make bags out of discarded t-shirts. WNC sewing machines will be in use by Make and Mend, and one additional machine will be provided for RCT Sewing fixers. Outdoor Bicycle repairs will take place just outside of the room. There will be a refreshment table for beverages, snacks and fruit.

Learn more about Repair Café Toronto at: https://repaircafetoronto.ca

Peace with nature as a values-informed practice, was highlighted during the UN Environment Programme launch of Values, Culture and Spirituality for Sustainable Lifestyles by Dr. Iyad Abumoghli who introduced "A Roadmap for People and the Planet: Driving Values-based Actions Across the Faith Actors Network."

At the UNEP Faith for Earth Coalition, values, culture and spirituality are seen as a catalyst to drive sustainable lifestyles with benefits to people and the planet.

The road map highlights how faith groups, institutions and organisations can strengthen their approaches to guiding sustainable lifestyles and inspiring care for our shared planet:

https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/47876/Sustainable%20Lifestyles%20Roadmap_June%202025.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Five case studies are presented as well as other actions diverse faith leaders can take e.g. forming new multi-faith partnerships, hosting shared Green Faith Festivals or values-based environment education programmes.

For more sustainability strategies see:
https://www.oneplanetnetwork.org/sites/default/files/a_framework_for_shaping_sustainable_lifestyles_determinants_and_strategies_0.pdf

Peaceful people power in action. 275,000 and 325,000 attended the largest rally in Belgrade’s history this Saturday spearheaded by Serbian students.

Three months of anti-corruption protests are demanding accountability for the deaths of 15 people in Novi Sad. The 1 November 2024 collapse of the concrete canopy of a railway station in Novi Sad, Serbia – whose restoration was completed only months earlier, accompanied by great government pomp – killed 15 people.

Under increasing pressure, Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and Novi Sad mayor Milan Djuric resigned and protestors demand that documents tied to the renovation be released.

The students organize as a plurality, without a given hero, they collectively decide each step at plenary meetings through direct democratic practices of voting and harmonising their voting bodies at the level of the university, across universities. Through their actions, and non violent organising, they have sparked a cultural renaissance that includes school teachers, cultural workers, bikers and veterans protecting the rallies, engineers and taxi drivers. Peaceful vigils took place in more than 200 towns and villages.