One way to understand what community wealth building is, it to see it in action.
Things that work towards system change are often bold and experimental, but that doesn’t make them complicated or hard to implement. Through demonstrations projects we are able to show how projects that seem ambitious are actually rooted in simple ideas: local control, democratic ownership, and supportive policies. When innovative ideas get put into practice, they become easy to understand, approachable, and replicable. Sometimes the easiest things to predict are the pitfalls of an idea.
Demonstration projects allow us to work through growing pains, build collaborations, set precedents other communities can lean on, and highlight ways community wealth building and relocalization are already being implemented.
Year: 2026
Themes: community engagement, community-owned infrastructure, volunteer engagement, municipal partnership, food security.
The Community Garden and Food Share Association of Shelburne County was established to advance community efforts to address food insecurity in Shelburne. This journey is not just about the construction of the greenhouse; it’s a story of how long-time residents, community newcomers and institutions came together to take matters into their own hands. There’s still a long road ahead, but a foundation of trust has been formed to build from.
“Do you have an idea for how to address a challenge facing your community, but aren’t sure where to start? Or maybe you’re already deep into a project and are encountering barriers you didn’t foresee?”
The Centre for Local Prosperity has worked with Dr. Annika Voltan, a researcher at Saint Mary’s University Sobey School of Business, and Taylor Davies, a recent MBA graduate, who led the data collection and analysis for the project. Together they teamed up with Community Garden and Food Share Association of Shelburne County to identify the key phases of a community led project.
Phase 1: The Spark is Ignited – Excited, hopeful, optimistic
Phase 2: The Idea Takes Shape – Structured, tedious, moving uphill, overwhelming (and exciting!)
Phase 3: Plans Come to Life – Fast-paced, exhausting but rewarding, hands-on, full of new learning
Phase 4: Fatigue Sets In – Heavy, depleted, disengaged, nostalgic
Phase 5: Energy is Renewed – Hopeful, rejuvenating, exciting, fun
Phase 6: Ongoing Sustainability & Maintenance – Routine, predictable, gratifying
Examples of demonstration projects we are interest in nurturing:
– food procurement pilots
– community food hubs
– cooperative housing
– community-owned infrastructure