WUNGers, a Neighbourhood Discussion Group on the West Side

by Sheila Resels.
On the fourth Tuesday of every month I head over to Jeannie Corsi’s welcoming home. I am pleased because I know that I’ll be spending a stimulating afternoon with interesting folks. So, who are we?  And, why do we gather in this manner?  And, what in the world is WUNG?
Well, WUNG is the acronym for Westside Unitarian Neighbourhood Group (coined by Keith Wilkinson). It’s a neighbourhood group that is open to Kits-ish people as well as those further south (Kerrisdale and Dunbar) and west (Point Grey, UBC). We’ve been meeting monthly for a year now, averaging 12 folks each session. Approximately 30 people have participated. As Eva Allan, a regular attendee said, “It is always interesting and a great way to get to know better our westside UCVers”.
The Neighbourhood Groups define themselves. At our first meeting at Melody Mason’s home, we decided to select discussion topics that we were interested in and with which there was some expertise within our group.  We’ve had informative, engaging presentations on Civil Liberties, Naturopathic Medicine, World Federalism, Philosophy,  Earth Spirituality/Paganism, Compassionate (Non-Violent) Communication and Proportional Representation, to name but a few. Joan Balmer, another regular WUNGer, enthusiastically summed it up when she exclaimed, “I’m so happy we are exploring these important issues”. Not only do we have animated talks on important issues, we also simply hang out occasionally. December’s Holiday Celebration was a fine time as we sipped on wine, nibbled on appies while enjoying our Unitarian community.
Yes, I do look forward to my fourth Tuesday of the month as I head off to Jeannie’s home. Based on how quickly registration fills up each month I think others do too.  Appreciatively, Sheila (Resels).
If you’d like more information about Neighbourhood Groups in the Metro Vancouver area, give me a shout at sresels@gmail.com.
There are several Neighbourhood groups in the Metro Vancouver area in New Westminster, Richmond (south of the Fraser), East Vancouver, and Fairview/False Creek.  Each group develops its own ideas about when, where, how and why to meet.  Some groups will decide to have a focus for discussion; and others might be purely social. And in true Unitarian style, likely many gatherings will be both.

Categories:

Community • Recent News