The Lilypad is inspired by the concept of a “Third Space” - a place that is neither home nor work where people can connect and engage in meaningful community, exchange and develop skills, learn new ideas, and be themselves. Coined in 1989 by Ray Oldenburg in his book The Great Good Place and recently updated in 2023 by his co-author Karen Christensen, Third Spaces are essential anchors to fulfilling, community life. Think of your local library, favorite watering hole, or nearby park. A great Third Space is somewhere were you can relax, join a friend, or meet new people and enjoy your time in public, ideally without spending a ton of money.

As a group of queer and neurodivergent folks who live, work (and some of us grew up) in the Westshore communities of Greater Victoria, we noticed that even as this part of the region has grown in population, there is still very little access to creative, safe and inclusive spaces for queer and neurodivergent folks in the Westshore. Most such spaces and events are hosted in Victoria and surrounding neighbourhoods, requiring folks to travel quite a distance in order to participate. We believe the Lilypad can be a catalyst for bringing creative gathering spaces to the Westshore communities, increasing local social connectivity, encouraging community bonding, boosting local creativity, and reducing loneliness.

We also think that there is an increasing interest and need to share access to creative tools and materials. As folks who’ve accumulated our own crafting supplies hoards (any other neurospicy dragons out there?), we recognize that there is a significant cost to crafting that can be a barrier for folks dealing with increasing costs of living. By collecting and sharing creative tools and materials, we believe Lilypad can help folks try and learn new skills, find their next favorite craft and rediscover their creativity without the burden of the extra price tag. Not to mention - sharing tools and materials and learning these skills can help to reduce waste!

The Lilypad is for folks who want to explore their creativity and gather together with community in the West Shore.

We are a queer and neurodivergent led group and do our best to be proactively inclusive and accessible. We expect folks who choose to participate in this community to uphold the values of mutual respect, kindness, generosity, and curiosity.

Anyone interested in developing and applying their creative skills is welcome, no previous experience or artistic ability is required.

Although we welcome folks of all ages, we do ask that children under the age of 14 are accompanied by their trusted adults/guardians, because we are not set up to provide daycare or child minding services.

Our current mainstay is monthly “Crafternoons”, which are free events where we provide informal instruction and supplies for a craft. Snacks and drinks are provided to account for increasing food insecurity in our communities. Entry is always free, and we gratefully accept donations of funds and craft supplies to help us continue doing this work. Examples of previous Crafternoons include:

• Notebook-making at Metchosin Cultural Centre, making blank notebooks from scratch out of paper, cardstock, old magazines/maps, thread, and glue.

• Blackout Poetry at Langford’s Centennial Park, taking extant written materials (e.g. a page out of a book) and artfully redacting or removing words to make a poem.

• Scrap Fabric Patch Making at GVPL Juan de Fuca Public Library, making decorative and functional fabric patches out of scrap fabric and decorations.

Our goal is to open a permanent “brick-and-mortar” location in the Westshore. The Lilypad Makerspace Cafe will include:

• A workshop space for larger tools (3D printer, printing press, kiln, etc.)

• A lounge space with seating, tables, and some open storage for materials and lighter tools. Seating would be arranged in a variety of ways to encourage folks to socialize in a way that works for them - including quieter zones, community tables, and comfy lounge spots

• A cafe space offering food and drinks

• A teaching space for lessons and workshops, available for use by local artists and educators

• A shop space to sell locally crafted items and feature local artists

In addition to always providing free or by-donation events, we believe that it is important that Lilypad should provide many of its future services on a sliding-scale or pay-what-you-can model to reduce barriers and increase equitable access. To support this, we plan to explore applying for grants, seeking sponsorship, offering membership level services, paid courses, and items for sale.

• Spread the word and introduce us to interested partners: Help us get the message out there and ensure that the audience we’re trying to reach knows about the Lilypad.

• Become a funder: Lilypad is currently self-funded and is receiving donations from our supporters. Local grants, sponsorships, or large donations would give us the ability to accelerate and expand our current programming, enable us to source locally, and achieve our goal of opening a permanent location in the Westshore.

• Provide access to storage and/or workshop space: We are looking for access to a shared or dedicated storage/workshop space that would allow us to increase our stock of materials and tools, enabling us to expand our programming.

• Donate tools or supplies: Are you a crafter or do you have one in your life looking to rehome quality crafting supplies and/or tools? We gratefully accept donations of crafting supplies and tools from people in the community.