Who We Are
In 2023, a group of individuals in New Westminster came together as a working group to discuss an opportunity to create a local Neighbourhood House that would operate out of the St. Barnabas Anglican Hall and Parish.
St. Barnabas Parish is actively welcoming the community with ad-hoc drop-in programs, and the number of residents seeking support is rising nearly every week. Feedback from the Community Advisory Committee shows that while St. Barnabas Parish has been supporting some community-based programs, the space isn’t being fully utilized, and the demand is growing.
With initial funding support from the Alexandra Foundation, the working group completed Phase 1 of this project. Key activities in this phase included forming an Advisory Committee, drafting a governance structure, and planning a community engagement event.
The tasks were designed to assess the feasibility of developing a Neighbourhood House at the St. Barnabas site. Through Phase 1, various meetings with partner organizations were held to explore future opportunities and discuss strategic planning, including conversations with the leadership at St. Barnabas around long-term planning and the legal requirements to use the site to operate the Neighbourhood House.
The St. Barnabas Anglican Parish would like to provide an opportunity for a Neighbourhood House to operate out of its physical space in New Westminster. This project will establish a local Neighbourhood House as a not-for-profit society and allow the new society to create structure and policy around programming and governance, as it pertains to sharing the space. With its physical space and location in the City, St. Barnabas is well-positioned to offer its space.
If you are interested in joining us please read below. We are looking for Board Circle Members but also other volunteers to support our development.
Join our Board Circle
We are seeking community-focused individuals to join our Board Circle!
Who We Are:
We’re a group of like-minded folk who are enthusiastic about our volunteer work as Board of Directors for the New West Neighbourhood House. We are parents, educators, professionals, advocates for social justice and (mostly) all live here in the neighbourhood! We are currently looking for more board members to join our board circle.
The New West Neighbourhood House is operating as a sociocracy model. Sociocracy is a system of organizational governance that emphasizes collaboration, equality, and effectiveness. Decisions are made by consent rather than majority vote, ensuring everyone’s voice is heard and no objections are ignored.
Sociocracy promotes transparency, accountability, and shared leadership, making it especially effective for mission-driven, collaborative organizations.
What is a Board Circle you ask?
In sociocracy, the Board Circle is a top-level governance circle responsible for setting the organization’s long-term vision, purpose, and overall strategy. It connects the operational circles with the organisation’s mission and external stakeholders.
Key roles and functions:
- Sets direction and priorities for the entire organization.
- Links to outside stakeholders (e.g., funders, legal/regulatory bodies).
- Receives input from and gives guidance to the General Circle (operations).
- Makes high-level policy decisions, such as finances, compliance, and mission alignment.
All decisions are made by consent, not majority vote, and roles are selected by peer election within the circle.
Position: Member of the Board Circle
We are looking for folks with values-alignment with the New West Neighbourhood House and an interest in applying their knowledge, strong communication skills and leadership to the Board Circle. Experience with non-profits, and/or knowledge of the Brow of the Hill neighbourhood are assets. See below for more info on the role of board members.
About our Organization:
The New West Neighbourhood House is a small but growing community-based organization that was founded in 2024 to support local residents to gather, learn, and connect. It offers a variety of programs and services, such as educational workshops, recreational activities, social support, and cultural events, tailored to the needs of the community.
New West Neighbourhood House holds our meetings and events on the unceded and unsurrendered land of Halq’eméylem / hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ speaking people. We recognize that this acknowledgement is a tiny piece in the larger context of the ongoing work that must be done to challenge the legacies of colonialism and create palpable, disruptive change and true reconciliation.
To learn more about the New West Neighbourhood House please visit us at www.newwestnh.ca.
Our Approach to Community Development
As a new organization, the New West Neighbourhood House saw an opportunity to challenge the status quo and structure themselves differently from a traditional non-profit organization that was more in line with our values of inclusion and community development. As a result, we have adopted the sociocracy model of governance.
The Board Circle is unique in that it holds the fiduciary responsibility for the organization, but delegates decision-making to the Middle Circle to ensure a flatter, more inclusive, and less hierarchical approach to our work.
There is a certain ‘culture’ that is strongly evident in NWNH’s Board. Do you see these skills and values in yourself?
- Diversity Reflective of the Community: The NWNH Board focuses on elevating the cultural diversity of our team. It is vital that the strategic goals of the organization are consistent with and reflective of those in our community.
- Consensus Bias: The Board has always strived toward consensus decision making. All issues relating to key decisions are discussed thoroughly, and most often resolved prior to the decision being taken. Concerns are addressed such that the majority of the decisions are unanimous.
- Mutual Respect: Board members are all peers, regardless of background and personalities. Discussion and decisions are made objectively, with a respect for everyone’s viewpoint. Egos are checked at the door.
- Having Fun!: There is an overall casual, friendly atmosphere at NWNH’s Board. It is exciting and rewarding to participate or contribute at all levels of NWNH’s operation, and the Board is no exception.
Time commitment:
The New West Neighbourhood House Board is a working Board and it is expected that members play a very n active role in the regular and ongoing work of the organization. We are looking for individuals who can contribute between 10 – 20 hours per month between their work on the Board Circle and supporting other Circles.
The position is available to be filled immediately or at our upcoming AGM in September 2025. Ideally you would be interested in continuing on the NWNH board for the full-term of 3 years. Board members need to commit to meeting on the third Friday of each month. Anyone interested in more details on the position can contact Mary Trentadue at admin@newwestnh.ca.
The role of the Board is:
- To help establish NWNH’s mission and direction, and to lead us there
- To help provide continuity for management and administration
- To help provide an overall policy framework for running of the House
- To communicate NWNH’s identity to the community at large
- To serve on a Circle (Sustainability, Governance, and Strategic Planning)
How to apply:
Complete a brief application form by 4pm on Friday June 6, 2025. Again, feel free to contact Mary Trentadue at admin@newwestnh.ca to find out more about the New West Neighbourhood House and joining the board.
The New West Neighbourhood House exists to support and encourage different identities, lived experiences and perspectives, they make our neighbourhoods more vibrant and alive. As part of this, we recognize there may be skills comparable but different than those in this posting and welcome applications for those who have the skills and knowledge to meaningfully engage with our diverse communities.