A Social Solution - Michelle Li, Steveston Bubbles
Michelle Li
Breaking down barriers and beating isolation through the power of bubbles! Steveston neighbour and community actionist shares the purpose and impact of her family’s Steveston Bubbles project.
2024 Summer Update
A new message from Michelle Li, Steveston Bubbles event organizer :
The bubbles are back!
We are thrilled that our little community-building project, Steveston Bubbles, was able to reach so many people last year and was awarded another Neighbourhood Small Grant this year in 2024 to continue what we started.
It’s a simple thing really—putting out buckets of bubble juice and giant bubble wands at sunset. Then the waves of bubbles begin, and they naturally draw people, and those lucky few who take a risk engage with strangers. They tentatively come out of their bubbles to watch, then to play, and to celebrate the beauty and joy as our community gathers.
And it’s not just for kids—I love kids, but they get bubbles all the time! I wanted to bring joy and community to adults—seniors, people with disabilities (visible/invisible), new immigrants, LGBTQ+ community members, all ages and stages—yes, adults! Everyone is truly welcome.
This week, I had a woman who had just immigrated from Ukraine stop me to say she doesn’t speak English well but pointed at the goosebumps on her arm!
Humans seem to be drawn to beauty, creativity and play. We just need more welcoming and accessible opportunities to explore these parts of our shared humanity. In doing so, we gather, create art, build connections, fight loneliness and isolation, breaking down those bubbles that prevent us from engaging with strangers. Those strangers often become bucket mates, helpers, phone-holders, picture-takers, laughers, music-makers, joy-sharers, and then they become our community.
We welcome you to join us over at Steveston Bubbles to come see what it’s about. We usually post at least a day or two in advance on Instagram @stevestonbubbles to let people know when and where we will meet. Come and say hi!
Original article by Michelle Li, 2023:
Hi, I’m Michelle Li.
I am a local teacher, Master Gardener, and community actionist, who has lived in Richmond for the last 17 years, and in Steveston for 13 of those years. I grew up in Quesnel in Northern British Columbia but there is nothing quite like living on an island near the Pacific Ocean! I am still thrilled to hear the seagulls squawking overhead and the horn blowing at the cannery.
I am committed to issues around social justice, particularly around affordable housing (a member of the Richmond Rental Housing Advocacy Group), farmland preservation, and climate change/sustainability.
My involvement in this community began when I moved to Richmond and noticed the city was spraying pesticides in the park right beside where my toddlers were playing. I started a letter writing campaign and met many local environmentalists and concerned parents in the process—and it is a beautiful reminder of how citizens can shape their communities! 17 years later, my kids are no longer toddlers, but they are the reason that I do everything I can to help create a better, and more resilient, community.
So what’s the deal with those magical giant bubbles floating around Garry Point Park?
Steveston Bubbles started as a grassroots grant funded project to engage with people in our community. The Neighbourhood Small Grant (NSG) is funded by the Vancouver Foundation in local partnership with Richmond Cares, Richmond Gives (RCRG) for projects up to $500.
Before this project, our family had started making giant bubbles at Garry Point after seeing a bubble enthusiast making them at Olympic Village in Vancouver. We asked for his recipe and we’ve been working on perfecting it ever since. We realized that giant bubbles are very engaging to people. Many people would stop and talk to us because it’s an activity that they haven’t tried before, so we decided to make this activity available to the public through the Steveston Bubbles project.
We have been almost exclusively at Garry Point at sunset about once a week because the location is spectacularly beautiful and attracts people based on the location alone. We get some new people every week, some visitors, and some who are return bubblers!
Accessible to everyone
We’ve had all ages participate, but what I love most is that there are few barriers to participation in this project. We’ve had older adults participate, children, youth, people with disabilities, and lots of adults get in on the fun. There are also no language constraints as everyone can speak the language of joy—you can see it on their faces even when we may not be able to communicate with words.
Because bubbles can break barriers
I’ve been a project coordinator for several Neighbourhood Small Grants over the years, and I’ve sat on the Lower Mainland Neighbourhood Small Grant guiding committee called the NSG Community Action Table. I’ve learned more about the effects of loneliness and social isolation because of that work. One of the most important things we can do to build resilient communities is to build social connections.
Hundreds of people died during the heat dome in BC a few years ago due to lack of social connections and not having friends or neighbours to check in on them. The Canadian Mental Health Association has also written that in a recent survey nearly a third of people aged 18-24 in Vancouver have said that they felt lonely. Another survey found that it was “particularly challenging for people who are members of a visible minority, who are Indigenous, who have mobility challenges and who identify as LGBTQ.”
We can extrapolate similar numbers for Richmond. We need to do what we can to break down those barriers with community engagement that is fun and welcoming to all.
The work behind the bubbles
Preparation: Every week we need to clean the wands and buckets and make massive quantities of bubble solution! We also watch the weather to check for best conditions (sunny, little wind) and post the date/time we will be going to set up.
How long it takes: It takes a couple hours a week to clean and dry the wands, buckets, and make solution! It takes quite a bit of work but it is so worthwhile!
Materials: We used grant funds to buy bubble wands and large quantities of Dawn Professional Dishsoap, guar gum (gives it the strength), and baking powder to mix the giant bubble solution. We were thankful that B & P Ice cream donated lots of used ice cream buckets for the solution at events and for our friends who drink lots of milk as we mix the solution in gallon jugs.
Volunteers: My family has helped with this project for months now. It has been a true labour of love. This could have been an event that we did once or twice but we were so energized by the feedback from people that we’ve tried to do everything we can to keep it going!
We have also had friends come help to refill buckets with solution, talk to people (because people do want to talk and often don’t have opportunities to do so!) and play instruments.
Usually my husband and son are behind-the-scenes cleaning the equipment and making bubbles. My kids like helping because they can see the joy it brings people but I think they are getting tired of mom asking for their help week after week so we will need to take a break soon!
Most memorable moments
It’s a pretty magical experience. I sometimes wear sunglasses because I am tearing up. Seriously. I am an easy crier but there can just be moments and interactions that fill my heart with so much happiness and awe. Here are some things that have stuck with me from the last few months:
A visiting friend was able to speak some Russian to a new immigrant family.
A man was helping his elderly dad hold the bubble wands and the smile on his face was like he was experiencing childhood joy again.
A few young people with disabilities just getting lost in the joy of bubbles with their families.
An older adult approaching me to say it was one of the most beautiful things they have seen with tears in their eyes and thanking me.
A woman travelling alone from the US who had recently gone through a very difficult experience stayed for the evening, chatted with a few of us, and said that she will take the idea home with her because she felt it was such a great way to engage community.
We met many new immigrants to Canada and a few have said that they were feeling down—but this project cheered them up to know that people are able to apply for grants to do things like this.
We also met travellers from Ukraine, Eastern Canada and the US. Many said that they want to do giant bubbles where they live because it was so fun and they witnessed how it brought the community together.
You can create the community you want to live in
We can’t rely on others to do all the work, we need to jump in and do what we can, when we can. So I hope to inspire people to create the community they want to live in.
Take advantage of grant funding
There are a few different opportunities in Richmond for individuals to apply for money to create events or experiences. These grant committees usually want to see proposals for projects that create engagement and connections between participants. This can take many forms such as skill sharing with cooking or arts and crafts classes (virtual or in-person), to block parties, garden projects, sports activities, making little libraries, etc.
Steveston Bubbles was a Neighbourhood Small Grant awarded by the Vancouver Foundation in partnership with Richmond Cares, Richmond Gives.
This year I also applied for a Richmond Celebration Grant through the City of Richmond, which is for slightly larger community projects with more funding. A friend and I worked with local artist, Laura Kwok from Art & Soul Creative, to do a mural at our school and to involve the community in making our garden and park a more beautiful and welcoming place.
Let’s keep in touch!
Thanks for taking the time to read about the Steveston Bubbles project! If you’d like to connect with me, you can find me on Instagram @stevestonbubbles where you’ll see photos and announcements of when we’ll be setting up during the weekends. There’s also contests to win prizes donated by local vendors! And if you’re into gardening, you can also check out @mintgreenapron where I share my love of food and gardening.