Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness

🌍 Representation Matters: Belonging Through Art and Community 🎭 During The Walrus Talks at Home: Indigenous Perspectives on Belonging, we delved into the transformative power of art and representation in fostering community and connection. Camryn Dewar—Opera and Classical Singer, Fulbright Award Winner, and proud Indigenous musician—shared how authentic representation in artistic works strengthens belonging. Through collaboration with other Indigenous artists, and participation in projects created by and for Indigenous communities, Camryn has discovered profound connection and meaning. Her story reminds us of an essential truth: representation matters. When stories are told authentically, they: 1. Honour complexity 2. Celebrate identity 3. Deepen the sense of belonging 📺 Watch the full talk: https://buff.ly/4ixxmTx Let’s continue amplifying voices and creating spaces where everyone has a right to belong. 🌟 #TheWalrusTalks #Belonging #IndigenousPerspectives #RepresentationMatters #CommunityThroughArt

Today marks the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. Thirty-five years ago, 14 women were murdered at Polytechnique Montréal in a horrific act of gender-based violence. Today is a time to reflect on the lives of the women who were killed, acknowledge that violence against women is still unacceptably pervasive, and stand in solidarity with survivors in Canada and beyond. Reflection must lead to action. By challenging systems of inequality and supporting initiatives that address gender-based violence, we can help build a future free from violence. Learn more about specific ways to act: https://buff.ly/4fhPI8Y

"Thwarted belongingness," a term coined by writer Mark Travers, describes the feeling of being on the edges of friend groups, without a "go-to" person or any truly deep connections. As Travers explains, this experience can bring about two emotional consequences—loneliness and low sense of self-worth. "Thwarted belongingness is an emotional experience that can impact our well-being in devastating ways, leaving us with a very real sense of grief—not from connections lost, but connections we’ve never had." Read more about the emotional toll of social disconnection: https://buff.ly/3Vq6QBl #Loneliness #MentalHealth #SocialWellbeing #Belonging

Missed The Walrus Talks at Home: Indigenous Perspectives on Belonging? You can catch the full talk on YouTube. Join Indigenous leaders as they share stories and experiences of building belonging and restoring Indigenous spiritualities, cultures, and languages. Learn how the ongoing process of reconciliation can foster more meaningful relationships across society. 🎥 Watch here: https://buff.ly/3OyDexN #Belonging #WalrusTalks #IndigenousWisdom #Community #Reconciliation #TurtleIsland

When entering a hospital for care, a patient's experience has a lot to do with how they are perceived by the institution and its staff. Immigrants, refugees and other minorities often report being treated differently inside the hospital, and this sense of alienation can discourage individuals from seeking care. In this episode of ABCs podcast, The Philosopher's Zone, Supriya Subramani, a lecturer in healthcare ethics at the University of Sydney, talks about her research on hospitals, and how care is often shaped by patient categorization rather than the needs of the individual patient.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for The Walrus Talks at Home: Indigenous Perspectives on Belonging. This was a timely and powerful exploration of how we can cultivate community, connect to land, and grow in a shared sense of power and purpose. We’re inspired by a deeper understanding of how the ongoing process of reconciliation can foster more meaningful relationships across society. Stay tuned for more discussions on the importance of belonging and how it can address the challenges of our time. 🌟 #Belonging #WalrusTalks #IndigenousWisdom #Community #Reconciliation #TurtleIsland

🌟 Join Us today for The Walrus Talks: Indigenous Perspectives on Belonging! 🌟 Indigenous wisdom and practices have built belonging for thousands of years. Today, we’ll hear from a panel of Indigenous leaders who will share stories and experiences of cultivating community, connecting to nature, and growing a shared sense of power and purpose. 📅 Date: November 25, 2024 🕒 Time: 7:00pm ET 🔗 Register Here: https://buff.ly/3UH2vt6 #Belonging #WalrusTalks #IndigenousWisdom #Community #Reconciliation #TurtleIsland

Why does society feel so bitterly divided? The great philosopher Hannah Arendt had an unexpected answer: loneliness. She called loneliness a "wilderness" where you can’t trust others or trust that you inhabit the same reality. In her new piece for Psychology Today, our founder and Chief Belonging Officer, Kim Samuel, writes about how Arendt's insights from 70 years ago can help us find a better way forward. Read it here: https://buff.ly/3V6UjCJ #SocialConnection #Belonging #Lonliness #HannahArendt #PsychologyToday #KimSamuel

Speaker Announcement: Dr. Becky Cook, Lands Monitoring Manager, Misipawitstik Cree Nation, will speak at The Walrus Talks at Home: Indigenous Perspectives on Belonging, presented by Belonging Forum. https://lnkd.in/gUhkVeVe

In the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Kuhlein Migue's warm and luscious paintings of landscapes and gardens in the Philippines stand out. By creating an artistic connection between her homeland and her new home, the 22 year old painter, who has been in Canada for nine years, is touching the wider community of Canadians with roots and relations in the Philippines. “I realized that other people can relate to these paintings. Through the landscapes that I paint, it reminds them of all their backyards in the Philippines, their gardens. By doing those paintings, I can also share their stories and also give them a little bit of a window to their histories from when they were in the Philippines.” https://buff.ly/3ZhqQsp #ArtForBelonging #PhilippineArt #RockyMountains #CulturalConnection #CommunityThroughArt