What's Up Edmonton Turns 1! Here's An Update

When I was but a young boy, I didn’t even begin to understand the extent to which my earlier surroundings would influence decisions & steadfast opinions I’d cherish into my adulthood. Allow me to explain…

I was raised in a loving, reasonably regular family in the immediate Edmonton region, though I didn’t always see it that way. My parents always exemplified a strong commitment to their local community, sitting on the local Ag Society board & volunteering at various events while simultaneously pulling their children into that fold.

As a child, this absolutely deterred me. Many a night I spent aside my father flooding the local ice rink, with equal days “lost” mowing lawns at the community cemetery or other associated grounds. A great deal of resentment remained with me for years, slowly departing only once I began to understand not only their motives, but rationale as well.

Both parents, but my dad especially kept close contact with a number of elderly folks throughout this aforementioned community. These folks were/are makers & breakers, similar types to himself who’d long committed themselves to a greater common good; all having spent copious amounts of their time doing everything from planning local events to maintaining existing infrastructure, working with local youth & more. All with no expectation in return.

As a child, ones focus is naturally upon their friends, but as we age, many of us come to understand that we aren’t necessarily defined by our friendships, rather our accomplishments & the (hopefully many) beneficiaries of our indefatigable output. As an adult, I now reflect fondly upon the many memories working alongside these highly formidable women & men, many of whom are no longer with us today. I didn’t always have the best attitude as a younger chap, but they still put up with me & molded my character into where it is today. Additionally, I now can clearly see the influence my parents decisions directly & indirectly imparted on me and boy I say boy, am I ever grateful for their efforts.

As many of you already know, my name is Jonah Chabaniuk. Exactly one year ago today, I started writing What’s Up Edmonton! It hasn’t been an easy journey & I’ve certainly felt like throwing in the towel on multiple occasions. But much like the folks who raised me right, quitting just isn’t an option.

I’ve been waiting for this annual milestone to share a little more about the letter. Why it’s here, my intent behind it’s origins & where I’m hoping to see it through to. More on this in a jiffy.

The Covid years were tough for everyone, no doubt about it, but even prior to that I experienced something that fully suppressed me in a way I hadn’t ever truly understood prior. I’d already been "adulting” for several years & was living up the bachelor life in a basement suite in South Central Edmonton. The Mill Creek Trailhead was literal steps away from my door & I spent a great deal of time on my bike or jogging on the trails, regularly venturing over to Hermitage Park or SW into Parkland County. Great times, most definitely. When I was home however, it was all doom & gloom. A stark lack of sunshine coupled with my otherwise solitary habits left me feeling (eventually) isolated, and it was a loneliness I wasn’t able to shake. Drawing back on my childhood experiences, I slowly recognized a need to escape the confines of my home & seek out people, get involved volunteering, find fun local events & ultimately kick the habit. And it worked. I was feeling fantastic, and once I made the moves, many great friendships assembled during that time.

THEN covid hit. Changing the game completely.

When the world eventually righted itself and we collectively pulled out of that situation, I noticed an interesting & entirely disturbing (in my opinion) trend in society. Folks had been socially secluded for so long that once basic human mannerisms were antiquated and often rendered useless when put to the test. It became difficult to converse with strangers in public & I often noted folks were always either in a total hurry or else completely absorbed into their devices; zombies… No in between. Additionally, my own infrequent romps through Reddit would almost always net me a post or two about how folks no longer had friends (and couldn’t seem to make new friends) & couldn’t find a thing to do in “Dead-monton”. They were recognizing a need for change but didn’t know where to begin.

What’s Up Edmonton originally started as a means to show folks who were long experiencing the post covid withdrawal (as I likened it to, in my head) and recognized a (sometimes dire) need for community interaction. With an ever cognizant eye on our local economy, I focused on finding FREE or otherwise inexpensive events that wouldn’t kill a budget while still providing ample things to do & partake in. Events that have a solid community aspect or create many opportunities to interact with fellow YEG residents often get re-listed, and I also love to promote the arts. We live in a very artistically talented & well optioned place… anyways.

That original objective, to promote opportunities for real life connections & also build a bustling digital community has held up well. There are many of you now, and it’s absolutely amazing to see = )

My spouse is incredibly supportive of the letter, and I’m extremely lucky to have her in my life. She is unwavering in her convictions & is a steady place to find clarity, especially when things are moving with pace. I usually work 50+ hours a week at my regular gig plus an additional 20 or so on the letter. Often, our weekends together get plugged up with me writing letter editions & not spending time with her. I’ve been writing this letter with zero monetization, but it’s taking a toll on my family life & in order to continue writing it, I will need to look at some forms of monetization.

I feel it’s necessary to give you, my loyal readers an advanced heads up on this matter.

I’ve long been considering various monetization strategies. In the newsletter world, common tactics include paywalling content &/or running paid in-letter advertisements, but neither of these appeal to me. The point of this letter is to be accessible, and ads are literally everywhere. I detest them as much as the next person, and getting something without ads is such a breath of fresh air. Letter-only subscriptions are also an option, but I still feel that limits the letter’s accessibility & quickly hurts the community. So those are considered to be last resorts.

In the mean time, I am much more inclined to keep the letter FREE and instead build real value within the community. How I plan to do this, you may ask? Well, I’m still brainstorming. But rest assured, I have some strong ideas & will write once again once I begin formulating plans. I love getting feedback from you guys and that will be the perfect time to dial things in.

I once heard a (rather cliché) quote… It takes a village to raise a child. Thing is, we all were children at one point in time and I feel we never stop being “raised” until our final breath. As such, thanks for subscribing to our digital village & helping to be the community that all of us need. It’s an honour to be able to write to you weekly and I highly look forward to our encounters in the wild.

I hope you have a wonderful week = ) Catch ya next Tuesday morning!