At its core, community based research (CBR) is exactly what it sounds like. It does not happen behind a desk. It is research done with communities, not about them. It is a way of asking questions, collecting insights, and analysing challenges together with the people most affected. CBR values lived experience as much as data and listens … Continue reading Amplifying Community Impact through Research for Real Change
Talking to Strangers & Leaving a Positive Community Footprint
Today, while on the train, a woman in her eighties gingerly took the seat beside me. We exchanged friendly smiles, and she offered me a digestive biscuit (though I’m not sure why they call it that, as they are anything but easily digested). I accepted a piece and asked if I could take a picture … Continue reading Talking to Strangers & Leaving a Positive Community Footprint
Service User Support: Rethinking “Cultural Competency”
We hear the word culture all the time, but what does it really mean? It can mean shared values, languages, art, beliefs, customs, or even collective memories. But here is the thing, culture is complicated, it is often oversimplified, overused, or misunderstood. Helping professionals absolutely should consider culture, but they also need to see each service user … Continue reading Service User Support: Rethinking “Cultural Competency”
Catching Health in the Workplace
It’s relatively easy to sneeze a cold virus on to a coworker. Spreading great health habits, both personal and professional, however, is a much more complex task in the workplace. There’s no simple and fast way to do it but health is like a cultural virus and the ways that viruses spread can teach us a … Continue reading Catching Health in the Workplace
Creating Organizations that Foster Volunteer Loyalty
Boosting Volunteer Loyalty and Retention at Each Touchpoint The success and relevance of any business often depend on its ability to cultivate customer loyalty. When organizations make sure customers are satisfied at every touchpoint, whether in person, on the phone, by email, on their website, or through external media, that satisfaction can turn into loyalty. … Continue reading Creating Organizations that Foster Volunteer Loyalty
Reframing Self-Care Advice: Equity, Access, and the Social Determinants of Health
“The definitive factors in determining whether someone is in good health extend significantly beyond access to care and include the conditions in their life and the conditions of their neighborhoods and communities.” — John Auerbach Rethinking Self-Care Whenever the topic of self-care comes up with friends or coworkers, it sometimes feels… well, a little privileged. Because honestly, not … Continue reading Reframing Self-Care Advice: Equity, Access, and the Social Determinants of Health
The Value of Community Hubs: Four Reasons to Love Your Local Library
COMMUNITY HUBS SUPPORT COMMUNITY HEALTH: Do you know what a community hub is? You should. Community hubs promote healthy communities. According to the government of Ontario (2010), community hubs “make it easier for local residents to access the health, social, cultural, recreational and other resources they need together in one spot. It can be located in a … Continue reading The Value of Community Hubs: Four Reasons to Love Your Local Library
Peer Support 101: Strategies for Surviving College & University
College and university life can be exciting, and a little overwhelming. Between deadlines, finances, and everyday life, it’s easy to feel stressed. The good news? You’re not alone. Peer support can make a big difference. Connecting with other students helps you share experiences, swap advice, and build a community that cares. Here are three easy ways … Continue reading Peer Support 101: Strategies for Surviving College & University
Peer Support 101: Engaging Outside Your Support Group
Peer support groups provide individuals with a safe space to share experiences, address challenges, and receive encouragement from others who have faced similar situations (e.g., addiction, depression, diabetes, grief, etc.). However, chance encounters with fellow group members outside of the support setting can sometimes lead to uncertainty or discomfort. Many members may not be sure … Continue reading Peer Support 101: Engaging Outside Your Support Group
Peer Support 101: Using Peer Support to Tell Your Story
“Being heard meets a deep-seated human need for connection. The simple yet critically important act of being acknowledged, being listened to – truly being heard – changes everything. It changes the person being listened to and therefore everything connected to that person”. Center for Digital Storytelling We hear our first stories at home. These early stories shape our sense … Continue reading Peer Support 101: Using Peer Support to Tell Your Story
Give Back, Feel Good: Your Guide to Volunteering
Volunteering isn’t just good for your community, it’s great for your health too! Whether you want to give back, meet new people, or support a cause you care about, there’s a volunteer opportunity waiting for you. And just to share some interesting stats, Canada’s charitable and non-profit sector makes up over 8 per cent of … Continue reading Give Back, Feel Good: Your Guide to Volunteering
The Toronto Distress Centres Support Social and Mental Health in Toronto
Many people in Ontario struggle to access mental health support that is both affordable and available when they need it. Since 1967, Toronto Distress Centres have been stepping in to fill that gap, providing critical support exactly when it matters most. The centre offers free, confidential, 24/7 phone support for anyone feeling lonely, stressed, or … Continue reading The Toronto Distress Centres Support Social and Mental Health in Toronto
Election Day is Approaching: Are You Ready To Vote Canada?
Voting matters! And, just as important as voting is “understanding” who - and what - you are voting for. Before you vote, take some time to find out about all the registered political parties (i.e. visit their websites, research their political track records, research what causes or policies they are supporting, etc.). Elections Canada tries to make … Continue reading Election Day is Approaching: Are You Ready To Vote Canada?
Making Friends in Adulthood
“Living a long life, the conventional wisdom at the time said, depended to a great extent on who we were—that is, our genes. It depended on the decisions we made—on what we chose to eat, and how much we chose to exercise, and how effectively we were treated by the medical system. No one was … Continue reading Making Friends in Adulthood
They Left Us Everything: A Memoir (Plum Johnson Book Reading)
“EVERYONE IS INTERESTING, AS LONG AS YOU ASK THEM THE RIGHT QUESTIONS" –PLUM JOHNSON Author Plum Johnson won the 2015 RBC Taylor Prize, for her book They Left Us Everything: A Memoir. As the winner of this annual award, which celebrates excellence in Canadian literary non-fiction, she received $25,000. Since receiving this award, Johnson has … Continue reading They Left Us Everything: A Memoir (Plum Johnson Book Reading)
A Local Pottery Studio to Visit
Joan Spears is the much beloved owner of Pleasant Pottery, located in the Eglinton and Mount Pleasant community. She has been working with clay for over 35 years; and yet it has not diminished her pleasure in seeing new forms emerge from a lump of clay. After losing her graphic design job in 1996, Joan … Continue reading A Local Pottery Studio to Visit
Start Your Day with a Morning Walk
Want an easy, energizing way to boost your health and mood? Try a morning walk! There’s nothing like fresh air and a little movement to wake up your body and mind. Fitness expert Bari Lieberman says that morning exercisers not only feel more upbeat and focused, but they are also more likely to stick with … Continue reading Start Your Day with a Morning Walk
Setting Your Life to Music
Music has a magical way of touching us, by lifting our spirits, calming our minds, and helping us power through life’s ups and downs. Yet, surprisingly, many of us don’t make a conscious effort to bring more music into our daily lives. Let’s change that! Here are three easy ways to weave more music into … Continue reading Setting Your Life to Music
Rethinking Loneliness in a Hyperconnected World
In a culture obsessed with competition in every form, it is getting harder to feel content, whether we are alone or with others. We are constantly fed these perfectly staged glimpses of happiness on television, which is pure fantasy, and on social media, which is just a moment frozen in time. And then we assume … Continue reading Rethinking Loneliness in a Hyperconnected World
The Middle Slice 