Events
June 12, 2026
As we marked International Albinism Awareness Day on 13 June, advocates, community leaders and partners came together in Malawi to sign the Global Charter for Belonging.
This coincided with the launch of new joint research from Human Rights Watch and the Africa Albinism Network on the economic exclusion of people with albinism. The findings highlight the barriers many people with albinism continue to face in accessing education, employment and protection under the law.
May 19-23, 2026
Belonging Forum joins Sightsavers at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026 with a multi-sensory garden, which invites visitors to experience nature through sound, touch, scent and movement – including an innovative soundscape generated using the bioelectric signals of plants. 🪴
March 13, 2026
The Belonging Form has convened two conversations on a question that is becoming increasingly urgent: what does belonging mean for young people in a screen saturated age?
One took place at a private breakfast roundtable in London. The other at the Oxford Department of International Development with colleagues from the Belonging Lab the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI). Together, the events convened policymakers, practitioners and academics into discussion about how digital life is shaping young people’s relationships, identity, and sense of belonging.
April 9, 2026
How do we foster belonging across generations? How do we rebuild trust, agency, and belonging in an increasingly polarized world?
This event brings together voices from civic life, research, culture, and community organizing to explore how power and participation shape belonging, and what it takes to ensure people feel heard, valued, and connected.
December 14, 2025
What happens when you combine four brilliant comedians, a room full of strangers, and a spotlight on belonging? A lot of laughter—and a bit of magic ✨
Across every set—from sharp political observations to chaotic life stories—the thread was the same: shared joy builds community.
December 2, 2025
How do we foster belonging across generations? What does it mean to age — and thrive — in a world that often overlooks older adults?
At The Walrus Talks at Home: Aging and Belonging, speakers will share their unique perspectives on how aging shapes identity, connection, and community. Join us as we explore how to build more inclusive and age-friendly spaces, strengthen intergenerational relationships, and challenge ageism in our workplaces, homes, and public life.
November 7, 2025
How do the places where we gather shape how we connect? From housing to green spaces, public libraries to digital forums, the environments around us play a vital role in fostering belonging and community.
October 14-17, 2025
Under the theme “Bridges to Belonging,” the Symposium convened a diverse group of global leaders, practitioners, researchers, and community members committed to advancing social connection and belonging across systems, communities, and generations. Participants explored how belonging can be fostered in local and global contexts, and how individuals and institutions can collaborate to overcome social isolation, inequity, and division.
June 19, 2025
This Loneliness Awareness Week, we welcomed advocates, community leaders, and changemakers to our third annual Belonging Forum breakfast reception to explore one of the most vital questions of our time: How do we build a society where everyone belongs?
April 15, 2025
The growing trend of social isolation is one of the major challenges our world faces today. Studies show that the “loneliness epidemic” is causing significant harm to our physical and mental health and contributing to the troubling rise of polarization.
In the next installment of our series on belonging, join us as we look at the power of volunteerism to build shared purpose, individual agency, and community cohesion.
September 23, 2019
Through firsthand testimony from humanitarian aid workers, researchers, and activists, this event will raise awareness of the impacts of climate change on forced migration, with a focus on Central America and Mexico.
March 27, 2018
On March 27th, The Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness convened an event in Montreal at the YWCA, From Integration to Inclusion: A Roundtable on Refugee Reception. This special event brought together asylum seekers and refugees, and key organizations, institutions and individuals that work with them. Participants discussed opportunities to enhance collaboration and linkages across sectors, services, and the greater Montreal community in an effort to foster integration, inclusion and belonging for all.
January 30, 2018
On January 30th, the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness (SCSC) hosted a screening of the documentary, Rising Voices, together with TakingITGlobal at WeWork Place Ville Marie in Montreal. The film, which premiered in Toronto this past December at the TIFF Lightbox theatre, highlights the stories of diverse individuals, primarily youth, across Canada, and their hopes and dreams for their communities and the nation as a whole. Binding these stories together is the theme of resilience and determination to tackle problems through community initiatives or policy change.
January 5, 2018
Last month, the documentary Rising Voices was screened for the first time at the TIFF Bell Lightbox theatre in Toronto. The film, produced by TakingITGlobal (TIG) in partnership with Heritage Canada as part of TIG’s Explore150 project, is a poignant and telling motion picture that offers insight into the lives of diverse individuals across Canada — their passions, struggles and stories connecting them, unexpectedly.
December 7, 2017
On December 7th, the Fall 2017 Jeanne Sauvé Forum Series on Social Connectedness and International Development concluded with its final event of the season: “Nothing About Us Without Us”: Accessibility as a Global Human Right. The Sauvé Series, created by Professor Kim Samuel in collaboration with the Jeanne Sauvé Foundation, explores the root causes of social isolation, along with strategies for building social connectedness through international policy and program development.
December 7, 2017
On November 27th, the Fall 2017 Jeanne Sauvé Forum Series on Social Connectedness and International Development continued with its 11th weekly seminar of the fall series: Connectedness in the Classroom and Beyond: Holistic Approaches to Education. The Sauvé Series, created by Professor Kim Samuel in collaboration with the Jeanne Sauvé Foundation, explores the root causes of social isolation, along with strategies for building social connectedness through international policy and program development.
October, 2016
Last week, over a hundred leading thinkers, activists and community leaders from over 23 countries gathered in Montreal to develop a shared perspective on the importance of social connectedness in community-driven change and development.
