When you help people find belonging, you boost your city's physical, mental, and civic health—and it's not hard to get started.
A small city of 95,000 people just an hour outside of NYC, Norwalk is an amazing place to call home—and a great opportunity to show other cities what's possible when you implement simple policies to foster social health and civic participation.
The world needs places like yours in it. When you pledge to call your space a Belongful Place, you'll be joining our collective mission to help people find their people and beat the epidemic of disconnection.
Make belonging your team's secret weapon. In a workforce where so many suffer from feelings of loneliness and disconnection, belongful teams will have a huge advantage.
Once upon a time... I interviewed Rachel Saslaw, founder of StoryTell NYC. Rachel started StoryTell as a way to cultivate more meaningful connections and vulnerability through personal storytelling. She shared insights on how she democratizes storytelling, her personal birthday pie-off, her new family recipe heirloom, and more.
What if our crisis of disconnection was something each of us could play a part in solving? What if those things we could do were bafflingly simple? Like... checking in on a friend, hanging out at a cafe, hosting a dinner party? I published the State of Belonging 2023 report to answer those questions and many more.
What better way to bring people together than dumplings? Lenny An's Dumpling Discussions give people a simple invitation—come enjoy fabulous dumplings!—while also offering something deeper: an opportunity to have conversations about potentially challenging topics.
Earlier this year, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a groundbreaking report of historic proportions highlighting how integral social connection is to our health, safety, prosperity, and overall wellbeing. This advisory puts forth a bold new vision for making relationships a national priority and provides a blueprint for strengthening our social fabric.
Moai is a social support group that starts in childhood and extends into the 100s. It's a tradition that's been around for centuries, originally serving as a village's financial support system. Today, it's a cultural cornerstone for companionship, a lifeline of connection in a world that often feels disconnected.
To combat loneliness, we must identify effective strategies and prioritize them. I'm developing a State of Belonging Report, highlighting key concerns, current impacts, and actions taken. It will suggest how each of us can act.
I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Meghan Talarowski, a renowned play researcher and playscape architect and the head of Philly-based Studio Ludo, about the importance of play for people of all ages.
I met Jacey at an event hosted by David Nebinski, as he recorded a live episode for his Portfolio Career Podcast. After I learned of her own show, Recalibrate, and some of her personal stories of finding community and belonging, I knew we had to record a conversation together.