Street level sex work affects each and every member of today’s society. As a community we begin to find our voices on the issues of health and safety in relation to street level sex work through education and partnerships within our neighbourhoods. For all of us, residents, youth, business owners and sex workers, the first step must be to create safe spaces for talking and sharing information. We must all come to the table with the clear purpose of tapping into our most powerful and all-too-often ignored resource of knowledge. Meeting face to face with our fellow community members to share personal experiences and insights on tough and tender topics with the utmost RESPECT for one another is the first step towards positive change. Below is a set of simple guidelines to initiate this process:

1. Selecting A Topic:

• Clarify your topic
• Who needs to attend?
• How long should the discussion be?
• What is your desired outcome?
• How might this goal be achieved?

2. Securing A Space:

• Locate and secure a friendly, safe place in which to hold the discussion
• Present a proposal of your intended discussion to prospective locations (i.e. neighbourhood houses/community centers or any other comfortable spaces within you community)
• Set a date and time for the intended discussion

3. Planning The Discussion:

• Send out invitations, including topic or question to be discussed
• Enquire as to availability of tables and chairs for set-up
• Gather materials such as flip chart paper, markers, and table cloths (all other necessary items)
• Delegate tasks to be completed before, during and after the event so that roles are clearly defined
• Plan for refreshments (offering food and beverage promotes a comfortable café atmosphere)
• Advertise within the community (friends, neighbours and acquaintances) at least 2 weeks prior to event to ensure desired attendance

4. On The Day:

• Have refreshments ready for pick-up the day of your event
• Arrive at the location at least ½ hour prior to event to allow time for room set-up (tables, chairs, refreshments)
• Ensure that a member of the discussion group is in place at the front of the room, ready to greet community participants
• Make every attempt to start your event on time (but be mindful of latecomers)
• Above all else, make your discussion easy, comfortable and FUN
• Remember to Respect the host location (allow time at the end to leave the space better than you found it!!!)

Collect contact information from all participants so that information gathered including the results/outcome of your consultation can be communicated to those concerned individuals who took part. This helps to ensure that the participants involvement was both relevant and useful and that their voices have been heard. For more information on organizing a community discussion, please visit the websites listed below:

Association of Neighborhood Houses of Greater Vancouver - Works to improve the quality of family and neighborhood life and supports community groups in achieving this. Neighborhood houses serve children, youth, families and seniors, offering out-of-school daycare and enrichment programs for children, job training for youth, social programs for families and seniors, and special assistance services for individuals who are elderly, have disabilities, are new immigrants, or are culturally/socially disadvantaged.
Phone: 604-875-9111
Address: 203-3102 Main Street, Vancouver, BC, V5T 3G7
Web: www.anhgv.org

Kiwassa Neighbourhood House - is a grass roots organization that provides social, recreational, and educational services to children, youth, parents, families, seniors and the unemployed.
Phone: 604-254-5401
Address: 2425 Oxford St., Vancouver, BC, V5K 1M7
Web: kiwassa.vcn.bc.ca/index.pl/home

Collingwood Neighbourhood House – provides leadership, programs and services in response to the social, educational, economic, health, cultural and recreational needs of residents of Collingwood, and to promote the well being of the residents and community as a whole.
Phone: 604-435-0323
Address: 5288 Joyce St., Vancouver, BC, V5R 6C9
Web: www.cnh.bc.ca

The Centre (LGTB Community Centre) - Serves and supports lesbian, gay, transgendered and bisexual (LGTB) people and their allies.
Phone: 604-684-5307
Address: 1170 Bute St. Vancouver, BC, V6E 1Z6
Web: www.lgtbcentrevancouver.com

Ray-Cam Cooperative Centre - Facilities include a fitness centre, games room and gym. Services include a family drop-in and integrated daycare.
Phone: 604-257-6949
Address: 920 East Hastings St. Vancouver B.C, V6A 3T1
Web: www.raycam.com

Hastings Community Centre - Facilities include a dance studio, fitness centre, gym, raquet courts, seniors centre and playground. This facility operates the Hastings Family drop-in centre for parents and caregivers with children, from birth to age five. Provides creative play space, resource library, lounge area, recreational and educational programs.
Phone: 604-718-6222
Address: 3096 East Hastings St. Vancouver, BC, V5K 2A3
Web: www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/parks//cc/hastings/index.htm

Sunset Community Centre – Serving the recreation needs of Vancouver for over 50 years.
Phone: 604-718-6505
Address: 404 - East 51st Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5X 1C7
Web: www.mysunset.net

The Gathering Place - Is a City of Vancouver facility operating with the Vancouver School Board and Province of BC as community partners. The Centre caters to the disadvantaged residents of the Downtown South community.
Phone: 604-665-2391
Address: 609 Helmcken St., Vancouver, BC, V6B 5R1
Web: www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/commsvcs/GATHERINGPLACE/

Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre - Provides advocacy, workshops and crisis intervention to women of the Downtown East Side. The drop-in centre offers free clothing, showers, meals and programmed activities.
Phone: 604-681-8480
Address: 302 Columbia St., Vancouver, BC, V6A 4J1
Web: www.dewc.ca

Crabtree Centre - Provides a drop-in centre for women and their children, including boys 12 years and under. Also offers single mother support groups, advocacy and outreach services.
Phone: 604-689-2808
Address: 101 W. Cordova St., Vancouver, BC, V6B 1E1

Carnegie Centre - Provides a range of social, recreational and educational programs for the residents of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. It is often described as the community’s living room—a place where people can come to participate in programs or to simply relax and socialize with others.
Phone: 604-665-2220
Address: 401 Main St., Vancouver, BC, V6A 2T7
Web: www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/commsvcs/CARNEGIECENTRE/

411 Seniors Centre - The 411 Seniors Centre is an easily accessible, multi-purpose social and recreational drop in facility for seniors. Centrally located in downtown Vancouver, the Centre offers a variety of programs, services and special projects for seniors.
Phone: 604-684-8171
Address: 411 Dunsmuir St., Vancouver, BC, V6B 1X4
Web: www.vcn.bc.ca/411

Round House Community Arts and Recreation Centre - This facility includes a gymnasium, pottery and dance studios and a variety of meeting, exhibition and performance spaces.
Phone: 604-713-1800
Address: 181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver, BC, V6Z 2W3
Web: www.roundhouse.ca

West End Community Centre – This facility includes a dance studio, sauna, fitness centre, a gymnasium, racquet courts, pottery studio and ice rink. There are rooms available to rent ranging from the cozy Stanley Court Room to our large auditorium.
Phone: 604-257-8333
Address: 870 Denman St., Vancouver, BC, V6G 2L8
Web: www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/parks/cc/westend/website/contact.html

Coal Harbour Community Centre – This facility also has rooms to rent ranging from the multi-purpose room, suitable for weddings and parties to the activity room which is great for meetings and our full size gymnasium.
Phone: 604-718-8222
Address: 480 Broughton St., Vancouver, BC, V6G 3H4
Web: www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/parks/cc/westend/website/contact_CH.html

Barclay Manor - A beautifully restored seniors’ house located in the heart of the West End that offers meeting rooms and spaces for rent.
Phone: 604-257-8333
Address: 1447 Barclay Street, Vancouver, BC,
Web: www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/parks/cc/westend/website/contact_BM.html