5 conversations you don’t want to miss this term

University of the Streets Café provides a space for members of the greater Concordia community to congregate in cafés and talk about, well, pretty much anything. The series, hosted by Concordia’s Office of Community Engagement, occurs about once a week.

One or two guests typically set the context for the talk, and the conversations then continue with the help of a moderator. Program coordinator Susan Edey describes it as a multidirectional learning experience in which everyone should feel welcome to participate.

“I try to have as many of the conversation topics suggested by the community as possible,” she says.

Edey has been hard at work organizing the winter semester’s 13 conversations, which kick off January 22 with a look at how decision making in role-playing games translates to decision making in the real world.

Here are five conversations to look out for this term.

1. A deadly taboo: Why are we so afraid to talk about death?

Death is often framed as softly as possible — “He is no longer with us” or “She has passed away” — and that’s when it’s talked about at all. But what if North Americans spoke of their own mortality in more earnest and realistic terms?

“What would be different if we did talk about it?” Edey asks.

This conversation will be about addressing death and mortality head on.

Monday, January 26, at 7 p.m. at Le Milieu (1251 Robin St. in the Gay Village)
 

2. Rent, study, move, repeat: Where and how do students live in Montreal?

This conversation leads up to a housing fair at Concordia University co-organized by the Off-Campus Housing and Job Bank (HOJO) and student-housing advocacy group UTILE.

Edey says students in Montreal spend, on average, $100 more a month on rent than other Montrealers — partly because they may not be familiar with the province’s housing laws and their rights under them.

The conversation looks at “studentification,” a form of gentrification in student-heavy neighbourhoods in the city, and how it affects the rental markets.

The locale of the conversation itself is a strategic choice — Le Caravane Café in Côte-des-Neiges is a short trip from the Université de Montréal, in one of Montreal’s most densely populated and diverse neighbourhoods. 

Wednesday, February 11, at 7 p.m. at Le Caravane Café (3506 Lacombe Ave.)
 

3. Empowered patients and healthy citizens: What role can we play in the healthcare system?

Quebecers’ access to healthcare often depends largely on who’s in power at the National Assembly, leaving many to feel as though they have to fend for themselves.

The feeling of disempowerment is pervasive. Citizens try to take care of themselves for as long as possible, but when they inevitably have to deal with the healthcare system for one issue or another, the experience is often frustrating, Edey says. There is little room for community members to play a role in how healthcare is managed.

“As citizens, we don’t have any ability to weigh in on it,” she says.

The Pointe St-Charles Community Clinic, however, sets an example for how healthcare can be powered by community engagement. One of the doctors from that clinic will participate in the conversation.

Monday, February 16, at 7 p.m. at Oui Mais Non Café (72 Jarry St. E.)
 

4. Aging gracefully: What does quality of life mean to seniors?

Conveniently held in a seniors’ residence, this conversation will ask participants to consider what they want their lives to look like beyond health and financial concerns.

As baby boomers age into their sixties, they represent the biggest cohort of seniors our society has ever known. Public institutions, pension plans and assisted living facilities are all scrambling to prepare for increased demands, but how often do we actually stop and ask this next generation of seniors what they really want?

In this conversation, guests David Suliteanu and Janet Torge will share their opinions and ideas on aging and happiness.

Thursday, March 19, at 7 p.m. at Habitation Du Fort (2101 René-Lévesque Blvd.)

5. Olympic and World Cup legacies: Are mega-events good for cities?

It took Montreal 40 years to pay for its 1976 Olympics, and the city is still saddled with a burdensome high-rise white elephant known as the Big O (or Owe, depending on whom you ask).

Vancouver’s 2010 Winter Olympics triggered outcries from a number of groups, including local aboriginal people. And Rio de Janeiro’s upcoming 2016 Olympics and its 2014 World Cup have sparked social unrest over the vast sums of public money used to fund these massive, international events.

“We get sold on these things being good for the city,” Edey says. But the real question is: Who benefits?

This conversation is a bit different in that it originated not from the community at large but rather from the CUPFA Showcase/Special Project Award. Award recipient, James Freeman, of the Department of Geography, Planning and Environment, will share his observations on how cities are affected by major international events.

“He’s noticing real impacts, particularly on marginalized communities,” Edey says.

Tuesday, March 24, at 7 p.m. at Café Un Coin de Jardin (251 Duluth Ave. E.)

Eight other conversations take place this term, and the series wraps up with a conversation about personalizing Alberta’s oil sands on April 29. For more information, check out the winter 2015 University of the Café schedule.