Bowen Response Group

On February 22nd, we convened a meeting to begin a community conversation on Bowen Island. Here are some resources to help find ways to respond to the decline of democracy and violent rise of authoritarianism we see in the United States, and its echoes in Canada. 

Slideshows

Cartoon: the Titanic is tilted at a forty-five degree angle and is half-submerged. From a tiny stateroom window comes the dialogue balloon saying "We'll be fine. We're in a deluxe cabin." At our first meeting we discussed the dimensions of the problem, and to kick things off I presented a slideshow. You can view Situational Awareness – February 2026 here in PDF form.
An image on a cement wall by Bansky. A little girl in a headscarf has planted a seedling, and is putting a little sign beside it with the icon for Exctinction Rebellion. Beside her are the words: "From this moment despair ends and tactics begin."At our second meeting John presented a way of looking at the polycrisis  of our times and how to decide on personal action. See Topics & targets, strategy & tactics here in PDF form.

Resources

A woman at a Democracy Rising protest against ICE clutches a sign that reads 'Our Humanity', and her clutched hands cover up the rest of the message. We mentioned  Democracy Rising, an advocacy group in Vancouver we’re working with. We echo US events like No Kings Day (March 28th) and are leading a campaign to stop Vancouver company Hootsuite from collaborating with ICE. New members are welcome to participate in many capacities.
A west coast beach with large white longs and blue water and sky. Message in a Bottle. Bowen Response member Don Shafer has been listening to prominent thinkers (who are well worth following themselves), and noticed a common thread. “Narrative framing doesn’t just explain reality – it wires us for it.” Read it on Substack.
During our meeting, someone mentioned US financial commentator Scott Galloway, who is championing economic boycotts as a way to more directly ‘hit the jugular of American authoritarianism’. Hear him describe his strategy.
An illustrated portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. over a rubble-strewn landscape with smoke, and the quote "Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but the means by which we arrive at that goal."

Communications

Logo of Signal App, with the words 'Bowen Signal Group' superimposed.The Signal app is commonly used by communities organizing activities and sharing news and encouragement. It’s basically a chat window, similar to WhatsApp, but is not mined for personal data. It is end-to-end encrypted.
  1. Download the Signal app on your phone. It will work on iPhones and Android phones. It will also run on computers, if you have already installed it your phone. It works on iPads but not Android tablets. 
  2. Create an account with a username and PIN, and look in your email for verification codes.
  3. Once you’ve got it working, follow this link and ask to join our Bowen Response Signal Group. Once approved to join you can put messages in the chat for all to read. You will also be able to contact participants directly.
  4. Here is a video to step you through the process:
    youtube.com/watch?v=oxWhU1zBUCY