Reset’s Living Room is an antidote to our age of loneliness, disconnection, and division.
If you want to build your social connection, capital and capacity, back this project before March 31st and bring it to life.
What’s a Community Living Room ?
A Community Living Room is a concept that extends the idea of a traditional living room - a space for relaxation and social interaction within a home - to a larger, community scale. It’s brings self care together with community care. The key benefits of a Community Living Room is that it provides social connection, capital and capacity.
At Reset’s Community Living Room, you can access a variety of events, clubs and programs. There’s a sauna, rest areas and seating for many different kinds of body types. You can rest, eat, play and work. You can lock your phone away or be in silence. You can access programs where we create care packages for our friends, learn how to get better at connection and practice having tough conversations. If you want to start your own club or event, we’ll provide you with free space and resources.
From the Team
“The first thing you notice upon arriving is an embracing warmth. Not only from the bright colours and charming setup, but also from the folks that will greet you at the door and offer a hug to welcome you. You take off your shoes, grab a pair of complimentary slippers, and help yourself to a cozy seat on the plush red couches, or make a cup of tea in the communal kitchen. You see stacks of boardgames, books and craft supplies residing in nooks and crannies. The room smells of popcorn - freshly popped, and you can feel your mouth water. You hear some laughter and tapping keys over the ever changing playlists. You are invited to join in conversation if you wish to, but you can hear the sauna calling your name and choose to enjoy that instead.”
- Gen Melito, Managing Director
Why a campaign and why now?
We are more divided, disconnected and lonely than ever before.
According to the Toronto Foundation’s Vital Signs 2023 Special Report, Toronto is one of the loneliest places in Canada. Last year, 37% of adults in Toronto felt lonely three or four days of the week, 23% of Toronto’s adult population reported symptoms consistent with a major depression disorder, and 19% reported symptoms consistent with generalized anxiety disorder.
Since our inception in 2015, we’ve been exploring new ways to address our disconnection and for the last 2 years, we’ve been researching and prototyping new models for community spaces in Little Jamaica.
Our learnings lead us to the Community Living Room concept and to we’re inviting 250 people to be a part of this journey and join us as Founding Members by March 31. Much like a traditional crowdfunding campaign, you won’t paying anything unless we reach our target.
A note about lineage....
The idea of a Community Living Room is not ours and we are proudly building from the love, labour and leadership of many people.
We initially learned about the concept of a Community Living Room from similar projects led by the Centre for Social Innovation Regent Park, the Daniels Corporation and !Kona from Black Chat Vancouver.
It is also important that we acknowledge the broader movement of those exploring "third spaces" designed to address our increasing disconnection.
We’ve drawn inspiration from various bodies of work and wisdom. Those most impactful are by adrienne maree brown, bell hooks, Vivek Murthy, Priya Parker, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Jane Jacobs, Ted Lasso, Robert D. Putnam, Johann Hari, Gabor Maté, Valerie Kaur, Arundhati Roy, Mr. Rogers, Tricia Hersey, Brené Brown, Esther Perel and ALOK.
Additionally, this idea has been significantly influenced and inspired by the Reset Community, the Little Jamaica Community, the City of Toronto's Cultural District Program Plan led by Jay Pitter Placemaking and the Toronto Foundation’s Vital Signs Report.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge our property partners at 42 Communities, the City of Toronto's Cultural Hotspot program and the Government of Canada’s Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario’s Main Street Innovation program for their respective financial contributions to our prototypes that preceded and deeply informed our Living Room.
Meet the Community
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Joshua Fernandes
Community Care Convenor
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Melanie Ferrara
Community Member and Designer
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Micha Edwards
Community Manager & Artist
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Kiona Mercer-Tremblay
Meditation Teacher
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Mary Grace
Camp Collective Director
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Antoni Seloterio
DJ
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Genevieve Melito
Managing Director
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Jennifer Ocquidant
Community Member and Translator
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Rachel Rainbow
Living Room Volunteer
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dil
Executive Director
Become a Founding Member
Your membership is designed to build your social connections, capital and capacity and includes:
Unlimited access to the Living Room, our programs and amenities.
Two free passes per month to share with your friends and family.
A 10% discount for Camp Reset ticket (1 time use).
Support starting your community club or event and free space to host ($100/h value)
Included Amenities
Equipped Communal Kitchen
Flexible Living Room + Workspace
Outdoor group Sauna
Two Showers
Nap Zone
Lockers for personal items
Unlimited coffee and tea
Unlimited fresh popcorn
Musical Instruments
Board Games
High Speed Wifi
Art Forest
Daily dancing
Natural Light
Sensory Toys & Tools
Membership Pricing
We are employing a sliding scale pricing model to ensure our membership is accessible and sustainable.
What this means is that there are 3 different prices to membership but regardless of what you pay, you get the same thing.
Accessible
$50 + HST / Monthly Renewed
For those who couldn't access Reset Living Room without this option. Low-income or precariously employed; No savings and/or financial support from others; Little to no expendable income each month; Accessing self-care is a barrier.
Regular
$75 + HST / Monthly Renewed
For those who would need to consult their budget first. Mid-income with stable employment/source of income; Some money in savings and/or financial support from others; Has expendable income each month; Can access self-care.
Solidarity
$100 + HST / Monthly Renewed
For those experiencing financial stability. Mid-to-high-income with stable employment; Savings account and financial safety net; Can afford to take vacations and make other large purchases with relative ease; Can access self-care with relative ease.
Interested in donating or sponsoring us? Email hello@thisisreset.org and let’s have a conversation.
Not interested in becoming a member but want to drop in for a day or event? Passes will be available for $20 + HST.
We’re open to grants, donations and creative solutions.
We are a nonprofit social enterprise, which means we generate revenue to support our social mission. However, our impact can be significantly enhanced with your assistance, so email us at hello@thisisreset.org and let’s have a conversation.
Membership Campaign Tracker
51/250 of our Founding Memberships have been claimed as of
February 12th!
We’ll help you host your dream event and club
We're a supportive platform for the creative projects and the community clubs you've been dreaming about: Movie nights, book clubs, men’s circles, community gardening, love letter workshops or some of our beloved Camp favourites like Craftlandia, DDK, Poetry Play and Play 101!
Members work with our programming team to bring ideas to life and share their passions with the community.
It’s simple — you host an event or club in the space free of charge and, in return, open it up to our members to attend free of charge.
Sundays are Slowdays
For our community members who desire time for slowness, we introduce Slowday every Sunday @ the Living Room.
Slowday is for those who feel like the world moves too fast and require a reset from it all. Upon arrival, you will be invited to lock your phone away in a locker and enjoy the Living Room without your tech, without your work and without expectations of doing anything. We will produce nothing. We will do nothing. No programming will be provided. We’ll just be, either on your own or together.
Amanda Kwok
“I love coworking from the Reset Centre - it has all the comforts of working from home (e.g., comfy spots to work from, coffee + tea, clean bathrooms, places to nap) with the added bonus of a super friendly and welcoming community.”
Jaymie Rosen
“The best way I can describe Reset is like going to a friend's house. It's cozy, warm, and welcoming.”
Schedule
Here is a visual of a monthly schedule at Reset Living Room. Each month, the format will stay the same but the specific topics or themes may change depending on community feedback.
Programs
Care-full Coworking
Daily
Monday - Friday
10am - 6pm
Experience our one-of-a-kind coworking offering, designed so you feel energized and not exhausted by the end of the day. We have diverse seating for all body types, phone-lockers to enable deep work, an artisanal sauna, cozy corners, nap areas, optional dance breaks and lots of tools and toys intended for creative stimulation and collaboration.
Care Packages for Platonics
4th Tuesday Monthly
6pm - 8pm
At Care Packages for Platonics, we write, draw and collage letters and packages for platonic people in our lives and then drop them in the mail. Yes, the actual mail! The intent of this experience is to build our muscles around friendships, encourage community, support community building and promote acts of kindness.
Connection Club
2nd Tuesday Monthly
6pm - 8pm
Connection Club is part accountability group, part support group for those seeking to increase platonic connections in their lives. Those who come out share their blocks, their steps and their insights in order to foster a community of learning and personal growth in building meaningful relationships. This is a place where we celebrate the sometimes awkward and sometimes awesome journey of connection.
Hello Walk
Daily
Monday - Friday
12pm - 1pm
Every day we go for walks in the community and say hello to folks we pass by. This simple social intervention provides physical activity, social connection, social skill development and an improved level of belonging in the broader community.
How to Be a Good Friend
1st Tuesday Monthly
6pm- 8pm
Our 'How to be a Good Friend' conversation circle is a nurturing space for discussing and learning the art of friendship. Through these dialogues, community members can enhance their social skills, deepen empathy, and understand the key elements of maintaining meaningful relationships.
How to Have Hard Conversations
4th Thursday Monthly
6pm- 8pm
Our 'How to Have Hard Conversations' event is a supportive gathering where community members role-play challenging dialogues, preparing for real-life situations. This interactive experience not only strengthens communication skills but also builds empathy and understanding, essential for navigating tough conversations with confidence and compassion.
How to Listen
3rd Tuesday Monthly
6pm - 8pm
How to Listen is a workshop designed to master the art of active listening, a key component in effective communication and relationship building. Through practical exercises and guided interactions, participants will develop stronger empathy and understanding, essential skills for creating meaningful connections in both personal and professional settings.
Inshallom
4th Thursday Monthly
6pm- 8pm
Inshallom is a monthly dinner event bringing together Muslim and Jewish individuals, along with their allies, to literally and figuratively 'break bread.' Deriving its name from 'Inshallah' and 'Shalom,' this gathering fosters community, understanding, and unity across cultural and religious lines.
Meditation
Weekly
Wednesdays
6pm - 8pm
Join Kiona Mercer-Tremblay from Brownhill Wellness for a live meditation from 630 - 730 followed by an optional tea and talk after.
Men Who Talk About Feelings and Stuff
1st Thursday Monthly
6pm - 8pm
Men Who Talk About Feelings and Stuff is a conversation and connection circle for male-identifying individuals. It's a space to hone the art of expressing emotions, develop active listening skills, and learn to supportively hold space for the feelings of others. The intent is to build a 'container for feelings,' acknowledging that while men often experience deep emotions, many struggle with articulating them effectively.
