Belonging Forum
@belongingforum.bsky.social
linktr.ee/belongingforum | Working together to overcome isolation and build belonging. Founded by Kim Samuel, home to #TheBelongingBarometer, #TheBelongingResearchLab
✨ Global Symposium: Day 1 Recap
The day opened with reflection and creativity—from keynote insights to music, dialogue, and shared mapping of barriers to belonging. Hope, courage, and connection set the tone for what’s ahead.
🔗 ow.ly/Xt6u50XnZvm
#BridgesToBelonging
The day opened with reflection and creativity—from keynote insights to music, dialogue, and shared mapping of barriers to belonging. Hope, courage, and connection set the tone for what’s ahead.
🔗 ow.ly/Xt6u50XnZvm
#BridgesToBelonging
November 14, 2025 at 4:03 PM
✨ Global Symposium: Day 1 Recap
The day opened with reflection and creativity—from keynote insights to music, dialogue, and shared mapping of barriers to belonging. Hope, courage, and connection set the tone for what’s ahead.
🔗 ow.ly/Xt6u50XnZvm
#BridgesToBelonging
The day opened with reflection and creativity—from keynote insights to music, dialogue, and shared mapping of barriers to belonging. Hope, courage, and connection set the tone for what’s ahead.
🔗 ow.ly/Xt6u50XnZvm
#BridgesToBelonging
✨ Global Symposium: Opening Reception
An Indigenous welcome, remarks from Kim Samuel, and reflections on belonging from Sharon Avery set the tone for the days ahead—connection rooted in presence, care, and listening.
Read more: ow.ly/MXco50XnZvp
#BridgestoBelonging
An Indigenous welcome, remarks from Kim Samuel, and reflections on belonging from Sharon Avery set the tone for the days ahead—connection rooted in presence, care, and listening.
Read more: ow.ly/MXco50XnZvp
#BridgestoBelonging
November 7, 2025 at 4:14 PM
✨ Global Symposium: Opening Reception
An Indigenous welcome, remarks from Kim Samuel, and reflections on belonging from Sharon Avery set the tone for the days ahead—connection rooted in presence, care, and listening.
Read more: ow.ly/MXco50XnZvp
#BridgestoBelonging
An Indigenous welcome, remarks from Kim Samuel, and reflections on belonging from Sharon Avery set the tone for the days ahead—connection rooted in presence, care, and listening.
Read more: ow.ly/MXco50XnZvp
#BridgestoBelonging
Our 2025 Global Symposium brought together voices from around the world to explore how we make belonging real. We shared our Charter for Belonging, announced the Belonging Press, and celebrated connection to people, place, power & purpose.
https://ow.ly/jKOj50XhPbQ
https://ow.ly/jKOj50XhPbQ
October 24, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Our 2025 Global Symposium brought together voices from around the world to explore how we make belonging real. We shared our Charter for Belonging, announced the Belonging Press, and celebrated connection to people, place, power & purpose.
https://ow.ly/jKOj50XhPbQ
https://ow.ly/jKOj50XhPbQ
This autumn, we become the Belonging Forum. A unified global identity, a platform for research & dialogue, and a movement to make belonging a right, not a privilege.
We look forward to partnering with you in the work ahead!
Learn more: belongingforum.org/a-new-chapte...
We look forward to partnering with you in the work ahead!
Learn more: belongingforum.org/a-new-chapte...
October 20, 2025 at 5:44 PM
This autumn, we become the Belonging Forum. A unified global identity, a platform for research & dialogue, and a movement to make belonging a right, not a privilege.
We look forward to partnering with you in the work ahead!
Learn more: belongingforum.org/a-new-chapte...
We look forward to partnering with you in the work ahead!
Learn more: belongingforum.org/a-new-chapte...
Equitable access to nature-based play helps build resilience, social bonds & belonging, even in cities with little green space.
2022 Fellow Laura explored how urban planners can integrate play into everyday spaces to support community well-being.
ow.ly/s69050WUSPr
2022 Fellow Laura explored how urban planners can integrate play into everyday spaces to support community well-being.
ow.ly/s69050WUSPr
October 1, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Equitable access to nature-based play helps build resilience, social bonds & belonging, even in cities with little green space.
2022 Fellow Laura explored how urban planners can integrate play into everyday spaces to support community well-being.
ow.ly/s69050WUSPr
2022 Fellow Laura explored how urban planners can integrate play into everyday spaces to support community well-being.
ow.ly/s69050WUSPr
During COVID-19, many queer youth found belonging through online communities. As a 2022 Social Connectedness Fellow, Ashli Au explored innovative ways these spaces support 2SLGBTQ+ youth in partnership with McGill.
ow.ly/BHFi50WMbV8
ow.ly/BHFi50WMbV8
September 16, 2025 at 5:35 PM
During COVID-19, many queer youth found belonging through online communities. As a 2022 Social Connectedness Fellow, Ashli Au explored innovative ways these spaces support 2SLGBTQ+ youth in partnership with McGill.
ow.ly/BHFi50WMbV8
ow.ly/BHFi50WMbV8
Immigration raises deep questions of belonging. As Adrienne Clarkson writes: “Immigrants cannot remain they. They will be, and are becoming, us.” Building belonging means moving from mistrust to a new language of trust and respect.
cbc.ca/radio/ideas/...
cbc.ca/radio/ideas/...
August 29, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Immigration raises deep questions of belonging. As Adrienne Clarkson writes: “Immigrants cannot remain they. They will be, and are becoming, us.” Building belonging means moving from mistrust to a new language of trust and respect.
cbc.ca/radio/ideas/...
cbc.ca/radio/ideas/...
Indigenous youth are 8% of Canada’s youth but 48% of incarcerated youth—a number still rising. 2019 Fellow Shaista Asmi explored how colonialism and systemic failures drive over-incarceration, deepening trauma in Indigenous communities.
ow.ly/I50g50WCMkR
ow.ly/I50g50WCMkR
August 11, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Indigenous youth are 8% of Canada’s youth but 48% of incarcerated youth—a number still rising. 2019 Fellow Shaista Asmi explored how colonialism and systemic failures drive over-incarceration, deepening trauma in Indigenous communities.
ow.ly/I50g50WCMkR
ow.ly/I50g50WCMkR
“What if loneliness isn’t about individual health but community health?” – Claire Lehmann
Loneliness is more than personal. It's a broader crisis of belonging & disconnection from people, place, power, & purpose. It’s time to build healthier communities.
ow.ly/S4SK50WvOO8
Loneliness is more than personal. It's a broader crisis of belonging & disconnection from people, place, power, & purpose. It’s time to build healthier communities.
ow.ly/S4SK50WvOO8
August 1, 2025 at 1:14 PM
“What if loneliness isn’t about individual health but community health?” – Claire Lehmann
Loneliness is more than personal. It's a broader crisis of belonging & disconnection from people, place, power, & purpose. It’s time to build healthier communities.
ow.ly/S4SK50WvOO8
Loneliness is more than personal. It's a broader crisis of belonging & disconnection from people, place, power, & purpose. It’s time to build healthier communities.
ow.ly/S4SK50WvOO8
Food is about more than nutrition; it’s about belonging.
2023 Fellow Nicole Traynor partnered with Qajuqturvik CFC to explore how food insecurity affects connection in Nunavut, where over half of households struggle to access food.
ow.ly/TPri50WpclQ
2023 Fellow Nicole Traynor partnered with Qajuqturvik CFC to explore how food insecurity affects connection in Nunavut, where over half of households struggle to access food.
ow.ly/TPri50WpclQ
July 16, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Food is about more than nutrition; it’s about belonging.
2023 Fellow Nicole Traynor partnered with Qajuqturvik CFC to explore how food insecurity affects connection in Nunavut, where over half of households struggle to access food.
ow.ly/TPri50WpclQ
2023 Fellow Nicole Traynor partnered with Qajuqturvik CFC to explore how food insecurity affects connection in Nunavut, where over half of households struggle to access food.
ow.ly/TPri50WpclQ
“We need others—perhaps especially those we disagree with.”
In “Love Your Enemies,” Arthur C. Brooks reminds us that gratitude can grow from mutual dependence, even across divides. Belonging deepens when we make room for one another’s imperfections.
🔗 www.hbs.edu/faculty/Page...
In “Love Your Enemies,” Arthur C. Brooks reminds us that gratitude can grow from mutual dependence, even across divides. Belonging deepens when we make room for one another’s imperfections.
🔗 www.hbs.edu/faculty/Page...
July 14, 2025 at 1:56 PM
“We need others—perhaps especially those we disagree with.”
In “Love Your Enemies,” Arthur C. Brooks reminds us that gratitude can grow from mutual dependence, even across divides. Belonging deepens when we make room for one another’s imperfections.
🔗 www.hbs.edu/faculty/Page...
In “Love Your Enemies,” Arthur C. Brooks reminds us that gratitude can grow from mutual dependence, even across divides. Belonging deepens when we make room for one another’s imperfections.
🔗 www.hbs.edu/faculty/Page...
Belonging takes both personal and collective action.
We can nurture it through relationships, service, and community. But we also need systems that support connection to the 4Ps of belonging: people, place, power, and purpose.
#Belonging #SocialConnection
We can nurture it through relationships, service, and community. But we also need systems that support connection to the 4Ps of belonging: people, place, power, and purpose.
#Belonging #SocialConnection
July 7, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Belonging takes both personal and collective action.
We can nurture it through relationships, service, and community. But we also need systems that support connection to the 4Ps of belonging: people, place, power, and purpose.
#Belonging #SocialConnection
We can nurture it through relationships, service, and community. But we also need systems that support connection to the 4Ps of belonging: people, place, power, and purpose.
#Belonging #SocialConnection
What happens when you lose your wallet? According to the World Happiness Report, most are returned, more than people expect. The takeaway? People are kinder than we think. And knowing that boosts happiness, trust, and the confidence to connect with others.
buff.ly/G6jbqEx
buff.ly/G6jbqEx
June 24, 2025 at 2:04 PM
What happens when you lose your wallet? According to the World Happiness Report, most are returned, more than people expect. The takeaway? People are kinder than we think. And knowing that boosts happiness, trust, and the confidence to connect with others.
buff.ly/G6jbqEx
buff.ly/G6jbqEx
Harvard’s Global Flourishing Study finds young adults are struggling with purpose and connection. In Psycholofy Today, our founder, Kim Samuel, explores how declining religious participation may be fueling a crisis of belonging.
🔗 bit.ly/3wM3LfA
🔗 bit.ly/3wM3LfA
June 16, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Harvard’s Global Flourishing Study finds young adults are struggling with purpose and connection. In Psycholofy Today, our founder, Kim Samuel, explores how declining religious participation may be fueling a crisis of belonging.
🔗 bit.ly/3wM3LfA
🔗 bit.ly/3wM3LfA
How does Canada foster belonging for newcomers?
In a new report, Soraya Amiri shares stories from immigrants & service providers to explore what helps build connections in a new country.
🔗 Read more: buff.ly/z4WzQyz
In a new report, Soraya Amiri shares stories from immigrants & service providers to explore what helps build connections in a new country.
🔗 Read more: buff.ly/z4WzQyz
June 12, 2025 at 3:30 PM
How does Canada foster belonging for newcomers?
In a new report, Soraya Amiri shares stories from immigrants & service providers to explore what helps build connections in a new country.
🔗 Read more: buff.ly/z4WzQyz
In a new report, Soraya Amiri shares stories from immigrants & service providers to explore what helps build connections in a new country.
🔗 Read more: buff.ly/z4WzQyz
Caroline, a 2024 Social Connectedness Fellow, shares how inclusive education shaped her journey from a pivotal friendship in childhood to a life of advocacy, leadership, and community impact.
Read more: buff.ly/FTaX9CD
Read more: buff.ly/FTaX9CD
June 9, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Caroline, a 2024 Social Connectedness Fellow, shares how inclusive education shaped her journey from a pivotal friendship in childhood to a life of advocacy, leadership, and community impact.
Read more: buff.ly/FTaX9CD
Read more: buff.ly/FTaX9CD
“Supporting volunteer well-being is essential to sustaining belonging.”
At #TheWalrusTalks, Vinod Rajasekaran of @futureofgood shared how burnout is affecting nonprofit workers, & why rethinking support systems is key to the sector’s future.
Watch here: buff.ly/JTLpwVb
At #TheWalrusTalks, Vinod Rajasekaran of @futureofgood shared how burnout is affecting nonprofit workers, & why rethinking support systems is key to the sector’s future.
Watch here: buff.ly/JTLpwVb
June 4, 2025 at 2:06 PM
“Supporting volunteer well-being is essential to sustaining belonging.”
At #TheWalrusTalks, Vinod Rajasekaran of @futureofgood shared how burnout is affecting nonprofit workers, & why rethinking support systems is key to the sector’s future.
Watch here: buff.ly/JTLpwVb
At #TheWalrusTalks, Vinod Rajasekaran of @futureofgood shared how burnout is affecting nonprofit workers, & why rethinking support systems is key to the sector’s future.
Watch here: buff.ly/JTLpwVb
What does it really mean to be an ally to people with disabilities?
In their blog, 2024 Fellow Méliss shares practical insights on allyship, inclusion & cultural competence—rooted in lived experience as a sibling.
Read more + explore their zine:
🔗: buff.ly/e0GkSNg
In their blog, 2024 Fellow Méliss shares practical insights on allyship, inclusion & cultural competence—rooted in lived experience as a sibling.
Read more + explore their zine:
🔗: buff.ly/e0GkSNg
June 2, 2025 at 2:24 PM
What does it really mean to be an ally to people with disabilities?
In their blog, 2024 Fellow Méliss shares practical insights on allyship, inclusion & cultural competence—rooted in lived experience as a sibling.
Read more + explore their zine:
🔗: buff.ly/e0GkSNg
In their blog, 2024 Fellow Méliss shares practical insights on allyship, inclusion & cultural competence—rooted in lived experience as a sibling.
Read more + explore their zine:
🔗: buff.ly/e0GkSNg
“Volunteerism can be a bridge to belonging.”
At #TheWalrusTalks, Kasandra James of Volunteer Toronto shared how volunteering supports newcomer integration — and why we must rethink traditional models to better serve marginalized communities.
Watch here: buff.ly/JTLpwVb
At #TheWalrusTalks, Kasandra James of Volunteer Toronto shared how volunteering supports newcomer integration — and why we must rethink traditional models to better serve marginalized communities.
Watch here: buff.ly/JTLpwVb
May 30, 2025 at 2:00 PM
“Volunteerism can be a bridge to belonging.”
At #TheWalrusTalks, Kasandra James of Volunteer Toronto shared how volunteering supports newcomer integration — and why we must rethink traditional models to better serve marginalized communities.
Watch here: buff.ly/JTLpwVb
At #TheWalrusTalks, Kasandra James of Volunteer Toronto shared how volunteering supports newcomer integration — and why we must rethink traditional models to better serve marginalized communities.
Watch here: buff.ly/JTLpwVb
“True inclusion means investing in the leadership of people with lived experience.”
In his blog, 2024 Fellow Fionn Crombie Angus shares how CAPCA Ireland is empowering young adults with Down syndrome to lead with creativity, confidence & purpose.
🔗: buff.ly/2w5QAr7
In his blog, 2024 Fellow Fionn Crombie Angus shares how CAPCA Ireland is empowering young adults with Down syndrome to lead with creativity, confidence & purpose.
🔗: buff.ly/2w5QAr7
May 28, 2025 at 2:30 PM
“True inclusion means investing in the leadership of people with lived experience.”
In his blog, 2024 Fellow Fionn Crombie Angus shares how CAPCA Ireland is empowering young adults with Down syndrome to lead with creativity, confidence & purpose.
🔗: buff.ly/2w5QAr7
In his blog, 2024 Fellow Fionn Crombie Angus shares how CAPCA Ireland is empowering young adults with Down syndrome to lead with creativity, confidence & purpose.
🔗: buff.ly/2w5QAr7
“Volunteerism isn’t just about giving—it’s about belonging.”
At The Walrus Talks, Suman Roy of Feed Scarborough reflects on building a volunteer-driven movement and the diverse motivations behind why people step up.
🎥 buff.ly/JTLpwVb
At The Walrus Talks, Suman Roy of Feed Scarborough reflects on building a volunteer-driven movement and the diverse motivations behind why people step up.
🎥 buff.ly/JTLpwVb
May 23, 2025 at 2:04 PM
“Volunteerism isn’t just about giving—it’s about belonging.”
At The Walrus Talks, Suman Roy of Feed Scarborough reflects on building a volunteer-driven movement and the diverse motivations behind why people step up.
🎥 buff.ly/JTLpwVb
At The Walrus Talks, Suman Roy of Feed Scarborough reflects on building a volunteer-driven movement and the diverse motivations behind why people step up.
🎥 buff.ly/JTLpwVb
“Small” roles aren’t small at all.
In her new blog, 2024 Fellow Samantha Luntha Chikopa honours the many hands behind healing — from nurses to cleaners to Youth Corner facilitators.
Read it here: buff.ly/vUsgsdh
#HealthEquity #SocialConnectedness #GlobalHealth
In her new blog, 2024 Fellow Samantha Luntha Chikopa honours the many hands behind healing — from nurses to cleaners to Youth Corner facilitators.
Read it here: buff.ly/vUsgsdh
#HealthEquity #SocialConnectedness #GlobalHealth
May 20, 2025 at 2:01 PM
“Small” roles aren’t small at all.
In her new blog, 2024 Fellow Samantha Luntha Chikopa honours the many hands behind healing — from nurses to cleaners to Youth Corner facilitators.
Read it here: buff.ly/vUsgsdh
#HealthEquity #SocialConnectedness #GlobalHealth
In her new blog, 2024 Fellow Samantha Luntha Chikopa honours the many hands behind healing — from nurses to cleaners to Youth Corner facilitators.
Read it here: buff.ly/vUsgsdh
#HealthEquity #SocialConnectedness #GlobalHealth
“Volunteering became something that gave me more than I could ever have imagined—joy, energy, and a deeper sense of purpose.”
At The Walrus Talks, Darrell Pinto shared how giving back transformed his life and perspective. Watch here: buff.ly/JTLpwVb
At The Walrus Talks, Darrell Pinto shared how giving back transformed his life and perspective. Watch here: buff.ly/JTLpwVb
May 16, 2025 at 1:32 PM
“Volunteering became something that gave me more than I could ever have imagined—joy, energy, and a deeper sense of purpose.”
At The Walrus Talks, Darrell Pinto shared how giving back transformed his life and perspective. Watch here: buff.ly/JTLpwVb
At The Walrus Talks, Darrell Pinto shared how giving back transformed his life and perspective. Watch here: buff.ly/JTLpwVb
“Home Sharing: Housing That Connects Us” is the work of Dorothy, a 2024 Social Connectedness Fellow. She spoke with homesharers and longtime advocates to explore models of shared housing. Read her full report: buff.ly/vdmJ7gE
May 14, 2025 at 2:00 PM
“Home Sharing: Housing That Connects Us” is the work of Dorothy, a 2024 Social Connectedness Fellow. She spoke with homesharers and longtime advocates to explore models of shared housing. Read her full report: buff.ly/vdmJ7gE