As Vancouver’s renters continue to be renovicted at the whim of densification developments and a speculative housing market, the city's appetite to tear houses down continues. Renters are evolving to create new ways of belonging to a city that is constantly displacing them. In this Episode, we speak with Raj, a multidisciplinary improv artist, educational assistant, and psychedelic flight attendant reimagining tear down houses as temporary frames for temporary communities.

Take a virtual tour of Raj’s old home The Kid’s Castle, WOT Gallery, and Raj’s very own Mental Institution. The house is alive.

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Can collective living provide a radically different standpoint from which to reflect on the cultural forces at play in present day Vancouver?

On the pilot episode of Coming Home Podcast, George and Travis speak with Julia, a teacher and musician in Vancouver, Canada, to learn about her personal and philosophical reasons for living collectively. Remarkably, Julia has lived collectively since leaving her family home. Together with and within her community, she has worked through life’s challenges to build a joyful coexistence.

Julia weaves the important work of community-building, and the roles that work plays in personal development, through her personal stories. For us in the Coming Home Podcast team, Julia's articulation of the interplay between community-work and self-work expands potential avenues for our own inter and intrapersonal development within our communities, at home or otherwise.

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We begin with "Episode 0", the foundation of Season 1. Co-Hosts George & Travis weave together lived experiences, histories, and inspirations that inform what collectivity means to them. In this episode, the Coming Home Podcast Team shares who we are, where we are, and how we want to approach learning about collective living together.

Meet Our Co-Hosts:

George Berking (he/him) is a wood artist, educator, and organizer who draws inspiration from intersectional men’s work and collective living practices. As a second generation Chinese American born in Rochester, New York, he embodies a deep appreciation and curiosity for pluralistic points of view. George brings collective living from the fringe to the forefront of the conversation. He has been living collectively at The Homestead Mothership for six years with his friends who are more like family.

Travis Clifford (him/they) is a queer Moluccan performance-based artist who emigrated with their family from Indonesia to Canada. Travis found fortitude from visiting collective homes in Vancouver. The knowledge sharing and community care Travis witnessed in collective houses was a safety net amidst a chaotic and busy city life. Taking lessons learned from collectives, Travis returned to their family home being better equipped to handle mental health needs with a diligent sense of care. Travis brings a curiosity for how collective living may offer essential tools for sustaining public health.

Email us your questions, episode ideas, and feedback, and say hello on Instagram or Facebook.

Independently co-produced by George Berking, Travis Clifford, and Dania Clarke (the.cominghome.podcast [at] gmail.com)

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