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Christine Hadekel

Christine Hadekel
Christine joined Tamarack as a Manager of Cities with the Vibrant Communities – Cities Deepening Community team. Her previous work has taken her across the globe where she has worked with community leaders, policymakers, funders, and researchers to catalyze cross-sectoral poverty reduction and food security initiatives.

Recent Posts

The City of North Vancouver: Becoming the “Healthiest Small City in the World”

Posted by Christine Hadekel on June 1, 2021

The City of North Vancouver has a bold vision: to become the “healthiest small city in the world”. To realize their vision, the City’s Mayor and Council have five key goals: to become a City for People, a Liveable City, a Vibrant City, a Connected City and a Prosperous City.

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St. Albert Includes Social Well-being in their COVID-19 Recovery Plans

Posted by Christine Hadekel on April 9, 2021

Soon after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, municipalities across the country began setting up COVID-19 recovery task forces. The majority of these task forces had one main purpose: to help local businesses recover from the financial devastation of the pandemic. While economic recovery is vital to ensuring our communities can bounce back, few communities are prioritizing the importance of social recovery. Rates of loneliness, social isolation, burnout, anxiety, and stress are rising nationwide. It’s clear now more than ever before that our social well-being needs to be prioritized alongside our economic well-being.

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Block Connector programs: Learning from our members

Posted by Christine Hadekel on March 19, 2021

Have you ever needed to borrow a cup of sugar? Or wanted advice about your garden? Or needed someone to house sit while you were away? For these situations and so many others, your neighbours might your answer!

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Fostering an age-friendly community on the East shore of Kootenay Lake

Posted by Christine Hadekel on February 17, 2021

The world’s population is rapidly aging, and the population in BC is no exception. Within the next 10 years, it is expected that a quarter of the population in the province will be over the age of 65. Through the Age-friendly BC initiative, the province is working with local governments and community stakeholders to ensure that older adults can continue to live active, socially engaged and independent lives in their communities. The Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) is providing funding to support age-friendly community planning and projects across the province.

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Exploring the Role of Placemaking in a Pandemic

Posted by Christine Hadekel on November 18, 2020

The pandemic is challenging not only our physical, mental, and economic health but also our social health. Lockdowns have shifted our daily routines and impacted our access to public places. Outdoor gathering spaces like parks and farmers markets are being redesigned to meet new public health guidelines. Indoor gathering spaces like libraries, community centres, and places of worship have closed to help prevent transmission of the virus. And despite our best intentions, Zoom conversations and social media platforms remain poor substitutes for in-person interactions. After months of social distancing, we are realizing how important public spaces are in fostering the social connections that are so vital to our collective wellbeing.

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10 Ways to Rekindle Democracy

Posted by Christine Hadekel on October 19, 2020

In a recent webinar discussion hosted by Tamarack, Cormac Russell talked about his new book Rekindling Democracy: A Professional's Guide to Working in Citizen Space. Cormac, who describes himself as an itinerant storyteller, filled the book with stories from his travels while asking the question what these stories might call forth from us. His overarching thesis is that citizens must be at the center of any authentic democratic response to the challenges we face.

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