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Heather Keam

Heather Keam
Heather is happy to be part of the Vibrant Communities team as the Manager of Cities, Cities Deepening Community. Before this position she was the Manager of Learning Services where she organized Community of Practices, learning opportunities, tools and resources for community change. Heather brings over 12 years of public health knowledge to this position.

Recent Posts

The Holiday Season Brings out the Best in Our Communities

Posted by Heather Keam on November 24, 2022

We are all on this learning journey together to help our communities to be the best they can be. It's the support, knowledge and capacities that you all have that will create the change that we want to see and the change that needs to happen in 2023.  As we begin to think about that next year has to offer, we need to reflect on how we grew and what we learned together. Here is an overview of how we supported you in 2022 to make community essential:

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Four Stories that Build Community Resilience Using Social Capital

Posted by Heather Keam on November 26, 2021

As COVID-19 cases start to go down, mass vaccinations are happening and communities are starting to think about the future and open, up we find ourselves at a crossroad. COVID has affected our jobs and families, shut down communities and created social disconnection. As we move to developing community recovery plans, we need to consider what we have learned from the last year and think about how to we build back better.

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Building a Movement: How the Deepening Community Network went from Momentum to Movement

Posted by Heather Keam on September 1, 2021

Over the last 5 years, the Deepening Community network has been a timely and powerful response to the growing social isolation, loneliness, and disconnection occurring across Canada. This is a network where citizens and leaders are exploring the unique role that communities and neighbours play in creating positive futures. Together, we are discovering the power of community as an essential driver of social change. The foundation of the Deepening Community movement is based on the four pillars of deepening community established in Paul Born’s best-selling book Deepening Community: Finding Joy Together in Chaotic Times.

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Let's Make Community Essential

Posted by Heather Keam on July 8, 2021

We all have spent the past 14 months social distancing, with the vital components of what is at the heart of community shut down such as parks, trails, cafes, community centres, events and social gatherings. We find ourselves at a unique crossroads, working hard to find solutions to a problem whose scope is beyond anything we’ve ever encountered before and the effects are deep. The pandemic has affected our jobs, our families, and our communities. However, it is in communities that we will find the strength to not only persevere but to emerge stronger and more resilient than ever.

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What is Social Capital and How Do You Build it?

Posted by Heather Keam on April 21, 2021

Have you ever gone to a conference, workshop or event, met new people who had similar ideas, and passions and continued that relationship beyond the event? That is an example of social capital.  What about job hunting? Have you heard the saying that it is not what you know, it is whom you know? That is social capital.

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Youth Loneliness: Is it a youth problem or a community problem?

Posted by Heather Keam on March 31, 2021

Pre-COVID, there was growing evidence that loneliness was becoming a problem across all populations across Canada. It was being recognized as a public health issue.

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