Communities Building Belonging

 

 

Communities Building Belonging

Strengthening Neighbourhoods and Ending Social Isolation in Canada

For the past seven years, we've passionately nurtured and empowered communities across Canada under the name "Cities Deepening Community." In 2023, we have shifted to Communities Building Belonging, a name which better conveys our work and what we stand for. 

Why Belonging?

For individuals to thrive, to feel at home in their communities, to feel welcomed and accepted in the places they frequent, and to be mentally strong and happy, we need belonging. 

Communities Building Belonging (CBB) has worked with and will continue to work with neighbourhoods and neighbours across Canada (and beyond) to do more of what is so natural: support people to build the social networks, associations and norms that are at the heart of individual and collective well-being in communities. 

We provide resources, communities of practice, webinars, and events, producing publications that share our learnings and supporting our members with specialized coaching. 

The CBB team is here to support you. Do you have any questions? Want to get involved? Reach out to any member of the team: Jorge Garza, Connor Judge Astrid Arumae 

Learn more about CBB's journey and how you can get involved by staying up to date thanks to our monthly newsletter! 

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Our Call for a National Strategy for Belonging

 

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Become a Communities Building Belonging Member

 

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ABCD

Learn about ABCD Canada

 

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10 - A Guide for Deepening Community

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With the growing sense of disconnect and social isolation happening in communities across Canada and the lack of civic participation in our towns and cities, we need to declare community essential.


We believe that Deepening Community is the answer.


This guide has been developed to support community champions, concerned citizens, municipal staff and decision-makers such as mayors and elected officials to build the case to deepen community and make your community essential. 

Read the 10 Guide

Upcoming Events

Getting Started

 

If you want support to develop a community plan or neighbourhood strategy, reach out to Heather or Astrid.

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Guide: Building Your Case for a Neighbourhood Strategy

Cities are now developing neighbourhood strategies that help guide municipal staff, organizations, and residents to work together to build healthy vibrant neighbourhoods. This guide is for municipal staff or community groups interested in building the case for the development of a neighbourhood strategy.

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Guide: Community Engagement for Developing a Neighbourhood Strategy

If you are looking to build a neighbourhood strategy, this guide will provide you with tools and resources to assist you in engaging the community and, ultimately, developing a meaningful, actionable strategy.

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ABCD at a Glance

Guide: Asset-Based Community Development at a Glance

Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) starts with people’s gifts and strengths (assets). These assets equip people to respond to local needs and challenges in their neighbourhoods. ABCD also considers how individual and group assets can be harnessed and connected to create positive changes within a community.

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Guide: Five Steps for Building Strong and Sustainable Groups

Building a successful group takes time, resources, relationships and trust. In this guide, you will find five steps and associated resources to help build groups that will work together to make change in your community.

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Blogs:

Update From Tamarack Co-Founder Paul Born

I want to start with a huge thank you to the Tamarack Community for all the wonderful comments and well-wishes as I retired from the Co-CEO role at Tamarack. We are a remarkable community and it has been a privilege to give...

The Power of Connection and Collaboration: Reflections from Celebrating Neighbours – Measuring the Impact of ABCD

Last month, the Deepening Community team hosted Tamarack's first in-person event in over two years. This blog post is a reflection of the most significant learning I took away from the event. 

The Gifts of Strangers: Understanding the Benefits of Diversity

One argument for diversity is that it ensures participation and creates the power of being heard. It is expressed by the popular maxim, “Nothing about us without us.” Implicit in this idea is the concept that those outside...

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Publications:

ARTICLE | Belonging, Community and Climate Action

At a time of increasing social isolation and accelerating climate change, belonging has never been more vital. By promoting a sense of community and belonging, we can spur climate action. At the same time, climate action is...

CASE STUDY | Building Housing Co-Operative Communities

Four trailblazing communities across Canada joined Tamarack's Building Belonging Membership Program. Through it, they built capacity, engaged and re-engaged youth, and learned to focus on and utilize the gifts and...

ARTICLE | Community Belonging: A Way to End Poverty in Canada

How can community belonging help to reduce poverty in Canada?

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Webinars:

WEBINAR | Relationship Infrastructure for Stronger Neighbourhoods: The Roles of Government and Social Leaders

This webinar recording features a conversation with Seth Kaplan, PhD, about his October 2023 book, Fragile Neighbourhoods, Repairing American Society, One Zip Code at a Time.

WEBINAR | Community Leaders: A Necessary Part of Your Social Change Strategy

This webinar recording features a conversation with four community leaders who discuss why they stepped up and their role in building sustainable change at the community level. 

WEBINAR | When Residents Lead: Creating Change by Coming Together Locally

This conversation with members of the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues explores the importance of local leadership to create vibrant neighbourhoods – with the capacity to identify and address issues that matter most...

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Sign up for our Newsletter

Our bi-monthly Communities Building Belonging newsletter highlights the latest resources and articles on community development as well as information for all of our upcoming events.  

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