Details on how the Sackville happy Community Project Progressed

June 27th meeting defines new youth projects

We had a fantastic open house event last week which has created even more momentum for the Sackville Happy Community Project. We created a short video of the event . I invite you to share this video and let the world know what we are doing.

 I have shared this video with several other organizations and professionals who are impressed with what we have accomplished so far. As a result, St Mary’s University has invited us to start the process for finding opportunities to collaborate with their students and professors and my first meeting with them is next week.

The Sackville Happy Community Project team had a follow up meeting to the Open House Event this last Wednesday to look at what is next. There were several opportunities that came up for creating projects that can bring citizens of Sackville together.

 Randolph White of the Sackville Library attended this meeting. Randolph works with Sackville Youth and particularly youth in the … Read the rest

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Sackvilles official public launch

The Sackville Happy Community Project is being recognized by academics, professionals and citizens as doing something very special. The citizens of Sackville have decided that their already strong and vibrant community can become even stronger. They are doing this by reaching out to citizens and inviting them to participate in fun and constructive projects together. In doing so, they are increasing the number and strength of social connections across the diversity of their community. Research consistently shows that the stronger these connections are, the more wellbeing and resiliency a community has.

Sackville has embraced this concept and is building a stronger, happier and more resilient community.

 … Read the rest

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Another Big Step Forward March 15

A Big Step Forward

Even though it was March Break and many of you were with family, we took a major step closer to launching the Sackville Happy Community Project last night.

One new idea was introduced and we made some important decisions. Now all the pieces are in place to turn an idea into a reality. Our plan is to launch in 2 months.

The One New Idea

The goal of the Sackville Happy Community Project is to increase the capacity of our community for happiness and resiliency by increasing the number and strength of the social connections within our community. The best way to do that is by making it easy and fun for people to do things together.

The New idea is that there is a Core Group surrounded by Action Groups.

Action Groups

are where the activities that make social connections happen – activities like Community Garden, Our Best Recipes, or Discover Sackville’s Hidden Treasures. … Read the rest

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On Feb 22, 2017 something brilliant happened

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Last Wednesday, The Sackville Happy Community Project took another step forward to increasing its capacity for happiness. Our Next meeting is March 15, 6:30-8:00 at 97.5FM Community Radio.

Here is what happened Feb 22nd

The sense of wellbeing of a community can best be measured by how strong the social connections are within the community. Our goal is that every citizen feels strongly connected within the community.

In our meetings, there is a consistent theme of how strong the community spirit already is within Sackville. There is a real sense of pride of being in Sackville. There is also a strong sense of wanting to reach out beyond Sackville’s boundaries to make stronger connections with the other communities of HRM (Halifax Regional Municipality).

How can we build with intention?

How can we intentionally build a community where every citizen is strongly connected to every other citizen with minimum degrees of separation. We explored how the three great ideas … Read the rest

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The Happy Community Project Wednesday Feb 22nd

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This Wednesday we are getting together at FM 97.5’s cultural center at 11 Glendale Drive Lower Sackville and I am excited to see what happens.

The goal of the Happy Community Project is to create and strengthen social connections by doing things togeher. Happy miracles can happen when we are connected with each other.

I have listened to hundreds of stories people who found themselves by bad luck or bad genes on the road to unhappiness for themselves and those around them. Often these stories involved violence, drugs or desperation. And yet somehow these lucky people managed to escape the path in front of them. The common thread to each of these person’s story is that someone – a friend, a teacher, a neighbor or a stranger – touched them in an act of compassion, and gave them what they needed. They felt valued and that they belonged. Often the person who touched them had no idea of the impact … Read the rest

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From Idea to Momentum

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The Happy Community Project Gains Momentum

In an age of disruption, where are people going to find a happy place? When environmental, economic, social, political or technology disruption visits upon us, how can we roll with the punches and come up smiling. Many people are asking these questions.

The Happy Community Project has gone from an idea into real momentum.

The Happy Community Project comes out of 4 years of intensive research and experiment on how we build the capacity for these kind of communities. The bottom line: When communities are highly socially connected through face to face contact and shared actions, they have the foundation for happiness and resiliency.

Momentum

That is what is happening in Sackville Nova Scotia. In only two months, they have started to build a solid base of citizens who bring energy, creativity, expertise, experience and leadership. There is a growing momentum of people becoming involved in something that is fun and inspiring and yet … Read the rest

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Something Magical is Happening in Sackville

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The Sackville Happy Communities Project met again last night. (Jan 31 2017) We are now almost 40 members strong of which 12 people rolled up their sleeves and started to define what activities could bring greater happiness and resiliency to the community of Sackville. They divided up into three working groups and here is what they found.

Three Great Ideas

CELEBRATE SACKVILLE AND EXPLORE OUR OWN BACKYARD

  • Celebrate Sackville by discovering our own unknown wonders inside our community
  • Set up geocaching to explore hidden secrets
  • Create healthy competition between neighborhoods 
  • Include multigenerational
  • Perhaps expand to other celebrations like Winter Carnival

CREATE SACKVILLE COMMUNITY GARDENS

  • We can grow our own food
  • Anybody can grow and anybody can eat
  • Include business like Sobeys to provide resources
  • Inclusive through organic networking where people make small contributions of effort
  • Independent of need for financing 
  • Grassroots and inclusive

SACKVILLE GRANDMOTHER RECIPIES

  • Based on successful project in East Preston
  • Kids learn to cook
  • Share recipes
  • Share
… Read the rest
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What Happened on January 11, 2017

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jan 2017 Sackville NSWe had an amazing turnout for the first Happy Community Project in Sackville NS.

We have a solid base of approximately 30 people who bring amazing experience, leadership and skills and I am truly honored. And we have the commitment from many to move this forward to its next steps. I am excited to see what comes of this.

But first – here is my take on what happened last night.

  • We affirmed that community happiness is a worthy goal in its own Jan 2017 Deputy Mayor Steve Craigright.
  • We affirmed that happiness in our communities is not to be taken for granted, that it takes deliberate action to build and sustain it.
  • We affirmed that our communities are not broken and don’t need fixing.
  • We also identified several opportunities where we can contribute to building and maintaining happiness in our community (see the attached)
  • We affirmed that building and maintaining happiness involves all citizens, NGO’s, business and governments

And the most exciting part of … Read the rest

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