From Near and Far, Exploring What Community Is All About

Posted on October 28, 2016
By Kristine Culp

It’s quite a trek from the Caribbean to Waterloo, Ontario, but last week a documentary film crew found its way here to capture some views of community-building.

The crew from Sympactful Wellness Media, based in the Cayman Islands, came to Waterloo to talk to Paul Born, Tamarack President, about community-building. 

They filmed Paul in his office during the day, and in the evening they hung out with Paul and his neighbours as they enjoyed a potluck meal together and sat around a fire chatting with each other.

The filmmakers are exploring the attributes of a strong community and how people benefit from social connection. But that wasn’t their original premise – early on, their theme took an unexpected turn.

Filming Paul.jpgTamer Soliman, director, originally planned to do a documentary about a Rastafarian community in Jamaica’s Blue Mountains. But after going there and meeting the people, Tamer was impressed by the happiness they derived from living in a tightly knit community. He started wondering: How can people create similarly strong communities in different environments?

That has led Sympactful Wellness Media to Tamarack and other places as they examine community connectedness and the important role it plays in our lives, health, and well-being. 

Their film is set to be released in 2017.

Topics:
Community Building, Cities Deepening Community


Kristine Culp

By Kristine Culp

Kristine is delighted to bring her writing, communications, and fundraising skills to support Tamarack’s mission. She joined Tamarack in April 2016 as Associate Director of Strategic Engagement, helping to support fund development, strategic communications, and outcomes achievement. From 2005-2016, she worked for a marketing firm specializing in non-profit fundraising, and before that, in various writing and communications positions. She has a Master’s in Journalism from the University of Western Ontario and a BA in French from the University of Waterloo. Kristine volunteers for a social enterprise that supports the work of Mennonite Central Committee and for a neighbourhood group that is sponsoring Syrian newcomers. She and her husband Bruce live in Kitchener, Ontario, and have two sons, Matthew and Graham.

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