What is the Gaza Community Society?

The Gaza Community Society is a Solid State special project inspired by our work with Gaza Media Co-op and lead by Palestinian members of our community. Its goal is to build a coordinated national effort to support Gazans in Canada. It will ultimately be a hub for Palestinians to find community and resources, to connect with one another, to access training, education, housing, and employment, and as an organizing platform to launch and promote cooperative enterprises.

The Gaza Community Society is fully incorporated and has been making an impact in outreach by making initial partnerships with key organizations across the country. Team members Mohammed Zaqout and Matt Hern are working hard to secure funding for the ongoing first stages of the project including a cross national needs assessment and survey.  Stay tuned to learn how this ambitious and crucial project progresses.

La Libelula’s Nuestro Colores goes to Italy at Placemaking Week Europe 2026

Fiorella Pinillos went to Italy  last month to present La Libelula’s Nuestros Colores at Placemaking Week Europe 2026. She spoke in a panel titled Participatory Art as Placemaking Tools with folks from Curacao, Netherlands, Portugal, Italy and Canada. Nuestros Colores worked with Mexican artist Ari de la Mora to engage Latin American youth in BC, bringing their stories into a collaborative mural.

And more, on October 11th, La Libelula hosted a workshop at the South Cambie Rain Plaza called Inhabiting Our Forms. This highly attended event created a temporary public art installation made from works by a collective of Latin American female-identified artists. The turnout was great and despite the rainy weather the community showed up to create and have a great time together.

Co-op Developer Muryam Babar presents on Islamic Finance at Impact Conference 2025

One of our co-op developers and co-founder of Salam Central, Muryam Babar, just returned from the National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International’s Impact Conference 2025 in Washington, DC.  Muryam was selected to participate in the Cooperative Leaders Scholar program and presented her capstone project on Islamic finance as a non-extractive lending model for cooperative enterprises.

The Cleaning Co-op is also hiring. They’re looking for women who are eligible to drive, have experience cleaning, and enjoy working in teams. Are you looking for an opportunity to work with a worker-owned enterprise that is committed to paying living wages, prioritizing the well-being of each other and takes pride in a job well done? Are you collaborative, organized and ready to support other women? Apply below!

Keep up with Surrey Rainbow Project!

The Surrey Rainbow Project (SRP) is created by and for queer racialized communities.  They have been running programs and events that focus on creating welcoming, joyful spaces for connection and celebrating the cultural and social diversity within the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. The next issue of their zine, Duh, Babe!, will highlight the experiences and creativity of queer migrants in collaboration with Migrant Students United. Check out their Instagram to submit artwork for the zine. SRP is ramping up their social calendar and plan to host events once a month from November 2025 to June 2026.  Stay tuned for details on their next clothing swap which will take place next month.

Afiya Care Collective is Looking for Volunteers

Afiya Care Collective’s biggest priority is research and community engagement. They are actively doing outreach to encourage participation in their Black Health Survey. If you are a Black, African, or Caribbean (BAC) community member and have experiences and opinions to share regarding gaps in health care, we invite you to take part in the survey for a chance to win a $50 gift card. Please share with others who may be interested.

Afiya is also recruiting volunteers to support with survey outreach, events, and other initiatives. If you’d like to get involved or know of someone who would be a great fit, sign up by clicking the image.

Solid State community member and friend, Hala, has started a Palestinian jewelry, decor, and craft company. Follow her on Instagram to see her wonderful products, visit her on November 2nd at Comedy Night for Gaza at Slice of Life Gallery and look out for her booth at other local arts events.

We work, study, and live in a region south of the Fraser River which overlaps with the unceded traditional and ancestral lands of the Kwantlen, Musqueam, Katzie, Semiahmoo, Tsawwassen, Qayqayt and Kwikwetlem peoples.