Did you know?

Feeling like we belong in our neighbourhood and that we matter to the people around us is important for our physical, mental and emotional well-being.

• Having a sense of social connection, belonging and value in our community helps to increase our mood and happiness.
• It also helps to protect our physical and mental health by reducing the effects of stress hormones that slow down our immune response and increase susceptibility to anxiety and depression.*

Social connection refers to our relationship with others and the strength of those relationships.**

For this project, we’re thinking about the relationships between neighbourhood residents: those who live on the same street, in the same townhouse complex or on the same floor in an apartment or condo building.

Social connectedness between people who don't know each other sometimes doesn't 'just happen'. But, it can start by simply getting to know people better who live nearby, and Richmond's community centres would like to know how we can help.

Please complete the short survey below to share your ideas with us.

We want to better understand how connected residents feel to the community so Richmond's community centres can offer a range of programs, services and opportunities that foster social interaction that hopefully leads to true friendships.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts!

*E. Seppala (2014). Connectedness & health: The science of social connection.
**Vancouver Foundation (2017). Connections and Engagement Report.

The survey was open from Tuesday, September 6 to Tuesday, September 13, 2022. Thank you to everyone who participated.