A community fair for finding your people: A Connection in Action story from Aimee
Designing a low-pressure space where people can make new connections.
I’m part of a group of residents in the City of Victoria’s Local Champions program who are working to strengthen community connection. In our conversations, we landed on a simple truth: the loneliest people need to be invited in, and these people tend to show up when there’s something that speaks to them.
So, on August 16th of this year, we’re in the midst of planning a community fair at the Fernwood Community and Arts Centre — a low-pressure “club day” where residents can browse a curated mix of local groups, volunteer opportunities, and support services to see if there’s anything they’d like to join. We’ll have hosted tables, colour-coded buttons to help people signal their communication and connection wishes, and activities to suit a range of interests. After the event, we’ll send participants a Connection Directory with details on every group that took part.
Our hope is simple: that everyone leaves having found at least one new connection that adds a little more community to their everyday life!
Capital Region Connection in Action is a campaign to strengthen neighbourly connection, personal belonging, and community resilience.
Connection in Action is funded in part by the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program.