A Place for Convening on Fogo Island 

Through the years, Fogo Island has hosted a series of innovative community events exploring how to strengthen our economic future. The most pivotal of these was the series of conversations immortalized by The Fogo Process, a collection of 27 short films by the National Film Board that documented life on Fogo Island. These films kindled a collective spirit that led away from resettlement and towards the formation of the Fogo Island Co-operative Society. 

Since then, community-rooted and globally-minded gatherings have cemented Fogo Island’s reputation as a place that welcomes creative thinking, new opportunities, and locally grown solutions. Crucial to this spirit of connection and collaboration is the Community + Business Hub, a space dedicated to deepening relationships on Fogo Island and beyond.  

The History of a Building 

The Community + Business Hub is located in the former Orange Lodge No. 143, in the community of Barr’d Islands. Built in 1908 by the Loyal Orange Association as a space for the fraternal organization to hold meetings, the Orange Lodge No. 143 grew into the heart of the community. For decades, it hosted weddings, receptions, socials, rallies, and countless gatherings between friends, families, and neighbours.  

When Shorefast acquired the building, it set out on restoring the structure. These improvements ensured the preservation of the building and promised a legacy that would last for another 100 years. But beyond a physical restoration, our work focused on reviving the building’s purpose as a place that could host and activate the economic potential of Fogo Island. 

Exploring Adaptive Reuse 

In architecture, adaptive reuse is a term used when a new life is given to an old building, while retaining its historic fabric and character-defining elements. With the Community + Business Hub, we aren’t simply assigning a new purpose to the building, but expanding on its past. While its foundation as a social space remains, we want to build on it and transform it into a vibrant community asset for change.   

Regular community programming strengthens this vision. Weekly Co-Working Hours nurture and amplify Fogo Island’s entrepreneurial mindset by providing the space and equipment for organizations or individuals to meet and work, independently or collaboratively. Weekly and monthly gatherings, like Cards & Tea, Rug Hooking, and Makers’ Nights, hold on to traditions, yet spark new ideas stirred by collective creativity.  

As a dynamic space for activating business and local economic growth, the building is also the home on Fogo Island of the Shorefast Institute for Place-Based Economies, a national initiative to catalyze the holistic development of local economies. Through discussions organized by the Institute, we share our history and experiences to inspire and empower other communities working on their own revitalization projects. The partnerships created help us discover meaningful business development opportunities specific to Fogo Island’s local context, as well as grow the existing businesses on island.  

The Community + Business Hub will also be activated to: 

• Host speakers from multiple disciplines and information sessions on the impact of community economy  

• Host on-island networking events and meetings; technical equipment (projector, screens, microphones) would be available  

• Orient visiting groups and community leaders to Fogo Island’s economic development past, present, and future  

• Integrate with entrepreneurial programs at schools and off-island networks through co-hosted learning sessions 

• Identify key local assets and development opportunities through community-focused facilitation sessions 

• Share insights and information about Shorefast’s programs and initiatives through our resource library of books, frameworks, and case studies.  

Space to grow