Change Can Happen. Profiles in community leadership: Kathleen Leahy

Central City Foundation is once again celebrating examples of extraordinary community leadership and innovation from the organizations we walk alongside and support. These individuals and their organizations have demonstrated that change can happen in our community. As part of this celebration, we asked each of our profiled leaders to share their thoughts on leadership, community and hope for a brighter future.

Kathleen Leahy, Director, UBC Learning Exchange

For over 18 years, Kathleen has worked tirelessly to establish the UBC Learning Exchange as a valued community asset that makes learning accessible to the community. She has worked to create opportunities for students, academics, and other partners to come and learn from the DTES community. By turning the idea of expertise on its head, she has been able to ensure the voices of those in the DTES have been afforded the respect and value they deserve. Kathleen’s extensive experience in community development has made her a sought-after collaborator in innovative projects in the DTES, bringing together diverse partners who might not otherwise collaborate.

Q:  How does your work help address some of the challenges faced by people in inner city communities? 

The UBC Learning Exchange helps address challenges faced by people in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES) by serving as a community-based non-traditional learning hub. We’ve built trusting relationships with community members, engaging on both day-to-day challenges and long-term priorities. We offer free educational programs, including our English Conversation Program, computer skills workshops, and arts-based and cultural learning opportunities, that are shaped by what the community tells us matters most. Many community members haven’t had positive experiences with traditional education, so our approach begins with listening. We strive to understand community priorities first, then explore how UBC faculty, students, and staff can support them. This means fostering reciprocal, sustainable relationships – both in the DTES and at the university. Although the DTES is a heavily researched area, community members often face barriers to participating in or accessing research. Working closely with faculty, we also create opportunities for community members to shape research questions and ethical practices that directly affect their lives and communities. 

Q:  How would you describe some of the common lived experiences, systemic inequalities/inequities and other challenges faced by the people you work with?

The people we work with are impacted by systemic inequities, including poverty, housing insecurity, and a lack of tailored educational opportunities, to name a few. What’s less visible is how these issues intersect and compound one another, amplifying their negative effects. Someone who can’t find stable housing may struggle to hold down a job, not because of a lack of motivation, but because of the instability that comes with being unhoused. A person with a learning disability may never have received the support they needed in school, which can affect their confidence and access to further education or employment. There are also broader challenges – like the climate emergency – that disproportionately affect people in the Downtown Eastside, yet are often overlooked. These intersecting issues shape daily life in ways that are difficult to grasp unless you’ve experienced them firsthand. 

Q:  How would you describe the importance of community connections and a sense of acceptance and belonging for the people you work with?

Relationships and connections are at the heart of our work at the UBC Learning Exchange. We recognize that learning can involve risk and vulnerability, so we focus on creating a welcoming environment where people feel safe to bring their whole selves. Respecting and celebrating every step of someone’s journey helps maintain a sense of dignity and builds trust. For community members, this means having lots of opportunities to try things out, explore interests, and be recognized as the experts of their own lives. We aim to co-create everything we do – ensuring that learning goes both ways. It’s in our name: everyone has something to learn and something to teach. Community members often tell us that this reciprocal approach is one of the reasons they feel a sense of belonging at the Learning Exchange. 

Q:  Looking ahead, can you share with us some of your thoughts about where you see that change can happen?

Looking ahead, the UBC Learning Exchange sees the need to continue centring community-driven solutions in our work. Despite the intersecting challenges and the very real sense of struggle many people feel when it comes to creating change, we believe in the power of bringing people together across different lived experiences to draw on diverse perspectives. We’ve learned that those closest to the issues often have the clearest insights into the solutions. The university, with its research expertise, is well-positioned to bring an interdisciplinary, evidence-based lens to support community priorities. At the same time, the community is uniquely positioned to ensure research is relevant, respectful, and impactful. It’s exciting to see what becomes possible when these two groups come together, creating outcomes that neither could achieve alone.

Q:  What are some examples that give you hope for a better future for the people with who you work?

I’m hopeful because of the steps I see individuals and organizations taking to support one another. There are many more peers working together and supporting each other, alongside allied organizations, to achieve both personal and community-driven goals. I also see institutions increasingly recognizing and valuing lived and living experience in meaningful ways. What excites me most is the developments in the community where different networks and collaborative tables are coming together – pooling their voices, talents, and resources to address key issues. These groups are combining evidence-based research and evaluation with their direct experience in the community to inform advocacy and program development. In an age of misinformation, this kind of grounded, informed collaboration is more important than ever. 

Q:  How would you describe the value of developing relationships and collaboration in your work and organizations like Central City Foundation?

Collaboration is at the core of our work. We can’t achieve our goals without centring collaboration in everything we do – it’s an approach, a guiding principle, and often an outcome of our work. After more than 25 years in the Downtown Eastside, we’ve come to understand the importance of collaboration on a very tangible level. We’ve developed strategies and promising practices to ensure we’re taking the practical steps needed to be truly collaborative. That means paying attention to the context, taking care of the details, and sometimes doing what our partners need – even if it doesn’t have an immediate benefit to our own work – because we’re in it for the long haul. It’s about being part of the fabric of the community. We see Central City Foundation working in the same spirit, and we’ve benefited from their thoughtful, community-centred approach.

Q: What has support from Central City Foundation meant for your organization or your work?

Support from Central City Foundation has meant a timely, meaningful partnership for the UBC Learning Exchange. It has provided just-in-time funding for DTES community projects that needed support to ensure a peer-led approach. It has also meant backbone support – helping to ensure that community voices are included in important developments that impact the DTES, such as the new St. Paul’s Hospital project. Central City Foundation has helped us build strong connections with thought leaders in the community and has encouraged the inclusion of diverse viewpoints to strengthen the case for feasible, community-driven solutions. We also deeply value how Central City Foundation shines a light on people who often don’t make the news – those working every day to improve conditions in the community in ways that benefit all of society.

Q: If you could describe a vision for the future of the inner city and the people who live there, what would that vision look like?  

A vision for the future starts by asking the people most affected. At the UBC Learning Exchange, we believe in centring community voices – because those who live in the Downtown Eastside have the clearest insights into what a better future could look like. When community members speak about their hopes, they often mention the need for more income-generating opportunities that also benefit the environment and community. For example, hiring peers to lead arts and cultural programming, or to support alternative emergency responses – situations where community members with lived experience can offer meaningful support alongside traditional responders. People also want more opportunities to directly influence decisions that affect their lives. Whether it’s shaping public policy, guiding research, or designing programs, the vision is one where community members are not just consulted – they’re leading.

Q:  Do you have a call to action for our CCF community that you would like to share?

If you’re part of the Central City Foundation community, we invite you to continue championing the voices and leadership of people with lived and living experience. Act hopefully by supporting organizations that are grounded in community relationships that prioritize peer-led, collaborative approaches. Ask questions, listen deeply, and advocate for solutions that are shaped by those most affected. Central City Foundation’s mission – to improve the lives of people in the Downtown Eastside and other areas of the inner city of Vancouver by bringing together neighbours and resources to transform communities and help them thrive – is one we deeply align with. Whether it’s funding a grassroots initiative, amplifying a community-led idea, or simply showing up with curiosity, your support helps build a future where dignity, equity, and belonging are possible for everyone.