An interview with Ksenia Stepkina
Ksenia Stepkina, founder of Good Neighbour Kitsilano, reflects on her experiences at the Living Together Symposium.
What does it mean to be a “good neighbour”?
In this short interview, we spotlight Ksenia Stepkina, founder of Good Neighbour Kitsilano. The mission her team is championing is simple yet powerful: to make the Kitsilano community more connected, caring, and resilient.
As Ksenia puts it,
“We are the grassroots, we are the boots on the ground, bringing this work hyper-locally and connecting with neighbours. My biggest takeaway [from the symposium] has been seeing just how many people, sectors, and organizations are inspired by the same issues and share the same vision for a better world.”
Background
This interview is part of a collection of interviews emerging from Living Together 2025: Connecting housing, social health, and resilience.
Living Together 2025 was a two-day ‘collective action’ symposium that convened over 200 housing experts, public health professionals, municipal planners, architects, place-based community organizations, emergency management professionals, senior government policymakers, academics, and students.
We are deeply grateful to the many attendees who took the time to share their reflections and insights in brief interviews. From student research assistants to housing operators, policymakers, and public health practitioners, these voices capture the rich diversity present at the symposium.
