I took this picture last week in Barrachois, Cape Breton. The sun is setting over Boularderie, and Long Island is in the foreground. This is SOOC - Straight out of the Camera. No alterations! We sure do live in a beautiful place.

This week the Dream Big Facebook group was fairly active, with group members sharing links to various things happening in Cape Breton. Once a week I try and round up these links in a list here on the blog. The links are proof to me that there is lots of hopeful stuff on the go – from busy community gardeners saving seeds for future veggies, to a singer-songwriter helping First Nation teens write a song about drug abuse, and more!

Click here to look at last week’s list of links.

Joining the Facebook Group: If you’re on Facebook and you’d like to join the group, just search Facebook for “Dream Big Cape Breton” and click on “Request to join group”. I usually get the notification very quickly and will add you.

If you’re not a Facebook user but you’d still like to share your community event or other news with Dream Big Cape Breton readers, you can either leave a comment on the blog, or send me an email!

Without further ado, this week’s links!

• The Baddeck Community Market is having a Seedy Sunday this Sunday, March 18th. From their website: “Join us for another adventure in seed-saving and trading. Michelle Smith, Northwind Farm, and Kim Tilsley, Glenryan Farms, will talk about why we save seeds, how it’s done, and how to use our own seeds. Bring seeds to trade, or buy something interesting. Find us at the Masonic Lodge at 24 Queen Street, Baddeck. The event runs from 2:00 to 4:00, and we’ll be serving tea and coffee. See you at the market!” They also have a Facebook Page.

• Angelo Spinazzola, a Cape Breton singer/songwriter, teamed up with some Unamaki First Nation teenagers to co-write a song about the problem of drug abuse. Here is a fun, energetic YouTube video that documents his songwriting workshop with the teens, that takes the song from initial ideas to finished recording. It’s a great, short video that captures the cooperative energy of the sessions!

• We also had some political stirrings on the group this week, with two members posting links to local young politicians. Derek Mombourquette is looking to be nominated to run for the Liberals in Cape Breton South, as is Neeta Kumar-Britten.

• A psychology student at CBU writes: “This is a neat talk I had to watch for my positive psych course this week. Thought I would share.” Silver Donald Cameron speaks about Bhutan and Gross National Happiness at TEDx Halifax – video.

• A local farmer shared the Low-Impact Living Initiative, a group in England whose basic message is: “We’ve got to build networks and create alternatives that allow us to side-step the corporate nightmare that’s engulfing the world.” Their website is clear and easy to use, and has lots of great resources.

• “Nestled down at the very end of Desbarres Street (in Sydney’s Northend) is a neglected and uninviting community space. It is a space, however, that has incredible potential to become the vibrant, useful and beautiful green space that it once was. A space people, both young and young at heart, from all over the CBRM will want to gather in. The Northend Park Project (NPP) aspires to revitalize this space with new trees, benches, a well-lit (and safe to use) running track and an updated, safe and accessible playground. This is just the start, the exact form will be decided by public input. When finished this space will be something the community can say “we built this, it is ours”. To make a donation or to volunteer, please email us at NorthendPark@gmail.com.” Here are pictures on their Facebook page of the space as it is now. Our Frugal Friday writer, Erika Shea, is involved in this group!