The Tamarack Institute is a registered Canadian charity dedicated to ending poverty in all its forms, for good. We support real people and invest in real communities for long-term change.
This blog post was co-written by Njoki Mbũrũ and Jorge Garza from the Tamarack Institute's Communities Building Belonging team.
In 2024, Tamarack embarked on a courageous journey to bring together 86 individuals representing 13 local teams to participate in our first Communities Building Belonging cohorts: the Circle of Actions and the Systems Transformers cohort. We were inspired by the promising approaches of cohort applicants for building belonging in response to the loneliness crisis and the rising levels of polarization and extremism. We collaborated with a selection committee representing members and partners from across our belonging, poverty, climate transitions, and youth futures networks who brought together their lived experiences and their diverse perspectives in helping us identify the participants of our very first belonging cohorts. We officially launched both cohorts in Spring 2024.
gRATITUDE
So much community wisdom and action have emerged since then, demonstrating the transformative power of holding intentional spaces for place-based collaboration. We are grateful to each of the 86 local champions who committed to this journey. Their vision and aspirations for building plans and interventions for belonging are testament of the critical role of communities as co-creators of change in collaboration with local governments and institutions.
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Learn more about the 2025 Circle of Actions and Systems Transformers Cohort We hope you can join us! Apply by February 28 |
Special thanks to Danya Pastuszek, Liz Weaver, Claire Lewis, Heather Keam, Yas Hassen, Sonja Miokovic, Sylvia Cheuy, Mike Des Jardins, Lisa Attygalle, Jaime Stief, Astrid Arumae, Angelina Pelletier, and Prachir Pasricha for bringing their wisdom and passion into this work.
Gratitude to our partners and thought leaders, including Kim, Laura, Joanne, Wayne, Louise, Trisha, Peter, Andrea, Jennifer, Melissa, and many others. Your care and dedication towards building belonging is inspiring and brings us hope for what the future holds.
We also hold deep gratitude to Kamilah, Ksenia, Shitangshu, May, and Lori for their commitment and guidance in helping us identify those inspiring leaders who participated in our first Communities Building Belonging cohorts.
A Message from the 2024 Cohort Leaders, Njoki and Jorge
From Njoki Mbũrũ:
A message to the six bold and brilliant leaders who participated and shaped the Systems Transformers Cohort this year: First off, thank you. By showing up with boldness, leading with curiosity and generously sharing your stories, knowledge and skills with one another, you exemplified and demonstrated that belonging takes practice, is built on trust and is driven by intentionality. It feels bittersweet to wrap up our time in the cohort, but more than that, we (CBB team) feel encouraged and excited to continue witnessing the impacts of your work in your neighbourhoods and communities. We look forward to checking back in with you in a few months. Until then, protect your boldness and lean into your people!
From Jorge Garza:
Much gratitude to each of the 13 teams who joined our first Circle of Actions Cohort and contributed with courage and optimism to build a Canada-wide movement for belonging. Your stories sparked innovation and collaboration during these turbulent times. Thanks for showing up in each conversation with curiosity and willingness to go above and beyond in building systems of belonging.
Lessons from the Circle of Actions
Photo caption: A map showcasing the location of the 13 teams who joined as part of Tamarack's first Circle of Actions in 2024. Photo credit: Tamarack Institute
Over seven months, Circle of Actions participants joined a learning and action cohort to create plans and carry out interventions that foster a sense of belonging through an asset-based community development (ABCD) lens and a Collective Impact approach. The 13 participating teams were:
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L’Arche Canada (Vancouver, BC / Winnipeg, MB / Sudbury, ON / Halifax, NS)
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City of New Westminster (New Westminster, BC)
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Minivillage (Vancouver, BC)
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City of Spruce Grove (Spruce Grove, AB)
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City of Timmins (Timmins, ON)
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Huron Perth Public Health (Huron County/Perth County, ON)
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KW Habilitation (Kitchener-Waterloo, ON)
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City of Cambridge (Cambridge, ON)
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Reset (Toronto, ON)
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marketcityTO (Toronto, ON)
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Jane/Finch Centre (Toronto, ON)
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Independent (Laval, QC)
Complemented by coaching support and a curated array of tools and resources, Circle of Actions participants developed their skills on building plans and interventions for community belonging. Through the cohort sessions and office hours, participants also expanded their networks and developed new partnerships with their peers. Below are five takeaways from this seven-month learning journey.
- Thinking fast and slow is vital for building belonging
Leaders are dealing with high expectations and increasing community needs during these volatile times. Making room for deep conversations - internally and externally - enables leaders to come up with fresh perspectives on what needs to be prioritized and who needs to be involved. Acknowledging the need to develop streamlined processes for trust-building and effective decision-making is vital to strengthen a collaborative's capacity to lead work on building belonging.
Learn more about the work of the marketcityTO team who integrated belonging into their strategy to make visible the soul of Toronto through neighbourhood markets. - Building belonging requires interventions at multiple levels of a system: individual, neighbourhood/community, societal norms and values.
Belonging is deeply connected to personal and collective experiences. Recognizing the rich and complex nature of community belonging, we designed our CBB cohorts to work across different levels of the system. This multi-level approach provides flexibility to address the interconnected factors that contribute to an individual and a collective's sense of belonging. It also enables us to ignite a renewed sense of leadership, map the assets that foster belonging in a community, and influence the societal norms that foster or hinder belonging.
- Every action matters
The Circle of Actions is designed to catapult solutions from idea to action to impact. The cohort is grounded in the fundamentals of asset-based community development, community innovation, community engagement, and collaboration. We celebrate the gifts that each individual is uniquely positioned to share with the group as we have witnessed the potential of actions to seed change. Every action, no matter how small, matters because it contributes to the larger picture, influencing outcomes and shaping our shared future. Our relationships in community have taught us that even the smallest actions can have a ripple effect, creating positive change and making a difference.
Watch this video featuring the City of Timmins team who mobilized residents for action through arts and culture. - The vision and commitment for action matters more than the size of the team
Teams that have high levels of motivation and creativity who are deeply committed to action and are guided by a shared vision for change can accomplish outstanding results, regardless of their size. Furthermore, teams are more prone to achieving their full potential when they are guided by a shared vision and a commitment for action.
Meet Lenka, an entrepreneur and community leader who is bringing residents together through a community oven in Laval et suivez sa démarche sur les réseaux sociaux. - A plan helps us navigate through change but ultimately a team lead will help us stay accountable to our choices.
Through the Circle of Actions we aim to build a learning and relational infrastructure that enables teams to strengthen their capacity to collaborate and develop plans for community belonging. While plans provide guidance on goal setting, resource allocation, and risk mitigation, team leads are essential for the success of a plan. Team leads can provide clear direction, foster a collaborative culture, and ensure accountability amongst team members to drive the project towards the desired outcomes.
Read this article on the work of the New Westminster team to build belonging and social cohesion and learn more about their Circle of Actions project.
We look forward to engaging with a new generation of leaders in 2025 as we prepare to launch our second edition of the Communities Building Belonging cohorts and we will embed these lessons learned into the design of our 2025 learning and action offerings.
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“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” |
Lessons from the Systems Transformers Cohort
As the Circle of Actions took shape, another transformative journey began alongside it—the Systems Transformers Cohort (STC). This nine-month program was crafted to strengthen leadership skills and deepen knowledge for individuals with lived experiences of othering. What started with a dedicated group of four soon grew to six leaders representing British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec. These participants actively engaged in their own action teams within the Circle of Actions while receiving personalized coaching from our colleague, Heather Keam, to sharpen their abilities to drive community transformation.
Despite their diverse contexts and experiences, the participants shared a common vision: the belief that each of us has a role, however small, in fostering belonging, care, and connection in our communities. As one participant eloquently put it, belonging isn’t a one-time event—it’s a series of intentional actions that help us move toward a future where we genuinely know, care for, and miss our neighbours.
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“We are not doing this just for us; we are doing this for the generations of our children and other newcomers like us.” – Systems Transformers Cohort participant |
Over nine months, the STC experience unfolded against the backdrop of significant events both locally and globally, underscoring the urgency of belonging in an increasingly polarized world. Participants gathered monthly amid shifting landscapes—provincial elections in Canada, a divisive U.S. election, and the ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine. Each meeting reinforced their commitment to fostering connected, caring neighbourhoods and communities.
In their own communities, STC members hosted events designed to bring neighbours together and turn strangers into friends. Activities ranged from a barbeque after church to beginner-friendly baking sessions, arts and crafts gatherings, and picnics in the park. These simple, accessible events demonstrated the profound impact of creating spaces where people feel welcome. One participant reflected that these gatherings not only opened the door for her to know her neighbours but also reaffirmed her own sense of belonging within her neighbourhood.
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“If I do not feel like I belong, how can I teach others?” |
Over time, the cohort also became a trust-centred space for participants to share challenges they were facing in their community engagement efforts and in doing so, to collectively brainstorm solutions. Through asset-based approaches, they learned to lean on each other’s strengths to troubleshoot and design creative solutions to obstacles such as slow bureaucratic processes, community mistrust, financial limitations, language and cultural divides, and burnout. By testing ideas within this container of peer leaders and through storytelling, participants cultivated an environment of trust and mutual support.
As the journey concluded in December, participants reflected on the insights gained, their dreams/visions for change, and the lessons learned through their engagement with the Circle of Actions teams and the learning journey through STC. As CBB team, we feel honoured to note that participants feel supported by us and trusting of the relationships they have formed with us and one another through this cohort. Looking ahead, participants shared their excitement to apply what they’ve learned, fostering opportunities for collaboration within their neighbourhoods—creating spaces where everyone feels known, valued, and missed.
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“In addition to the practical skills and exercises, you have really cultivated a beautiful community. I genuinely felt welcome and supported throughout these sessions.” – Systems Transformers Cohort participant |
Onward, with Imagination and Boldness
As facilitators, designers, and community connectors, we are deeply grateful for the opportunity to learn from and alongside these inspiring leaders. Their stories, questions, and bold aspirations have reinforced our shared purpose of building belonging across Canada. Amid global challenges, including a loneliness epidemic and deepening polarization, these leaders offer hope; they are a candle flame in the dark. They are turning strangers into neighbours and neighbours into friends, all the while building resilient, vibrant communities.
While the cohorts have formally ended, we are excited to continue witnessing and championing the ongoing work of these leaders as they co-create spaces of care and connection in their diverse contexts. Together, we move forward with imagination and shared purpose to build belonging across Canada, inspired by the heartfelt reflections of a participant who said:
Being a part of Tamarack’s Building Belonging network makes me feel reassured, supported, and validated in the work I am doing to foster connection in my community. It offers sense and reason to prove that belonging matters.
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Learn more about the 2025 Circle of Actions and Systems Transformers Cohort We hope you can join us! Apply by February 28 |
Deepen Your Learning:
- Attend our upcoming webinar on Social Infrastructure and Community Safety as Catalysts for Belonging
- Learn more about the Canada-wide Strategy for Belonging
- Read an article about Community as the Superhero
