The Conversation Piece

The science behind social connection is clear: volunteerism and face-to-face contact with our community members are essential for our well-being.Susan Pinker is a psychologist and author of the book The Village Effect. This special episode of The Conversation Piece features content from her presentation at The Walrus Talks: Reimagining Volunteerism, supported by The Belonging Forum, an initiative of the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness.Pinker spoke at The Walrus Talks: Reimagining Volunteerism on April 15, 2025.To register for upcoming events happening online or in a city near you, and to catch up on our archive of The Walrus Talks, visit thewalrus.ca/events.And subscribe to The Walrus Events newsletter for updates and announcements at thewalrus.ca/newsletters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Canada’s volunteer sector is in crisis. How can the culture of volunteerism be restored?Sara Lyons is the chief strategy and advancement officer at Volunteer Canada. This special episode of The Conversation Piece features content from her presentation at The Walrus Talks: Reimagining Volunteerism, supported by The Belonging Forum, an initiative of the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness.Lyons spoke at The Walrus Talks: Reimagining Volunteerism on April 15, 2025.To register for upcoming events happening online or in a city near you, and to catch up on our archive of The Walrus Talks, visit thewalrus.ca/events.And subscribe to The Walrus Events newsletter for updates and announcements at thewalrus.ca/newsletters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Finding belonging isn’t just about building connections with people—it’s also about nurturing our relationships with the natural world.Chief Kluane Adamek is the Yukon regional chief of the Assembly of First Nations. This special episode of The Conversation Piece features content from her presentation at The Walrus Talks at Home: Indigenous Perspectives on Belonging, supported by The Belonging Forum, an initiative of the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness.Chief Adamek spoke at The Walrus Talks at Home: Indigenous Perspectives on Belonging on November 25, 2024.To register for upcoming events happening online or in a city near you, and to catch up on our archive of The Walrus Talks, visit thewalrus.ca/events.And subscribe to The Walrus Events newsletter for updates and announcements at thewalrus.ca/newsletters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it mean to belong in the workplace?Kelly Lendsay is the president and CEO of Indigenous Works and the chief executive transformation officer of Luminary. This special episode of The Conversation Piece features content from his presentation at The Walrus Talks at Home: Indigenous Perspectives on Belonging, supported by The Belonging Forum, an initiative of the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness.Lendsay spoke at The Walrus Talks at Home: Indigenous Perspectives on Belonging on November 25, 2024.To register for upcoming events happening online or in a city near you, and to catch up on our archive of The Walrus Talks, visit thewalrus.ca/events.And subscribe to The Walrus Events newsletter for updates and announcements at thewalrus.ca/newsletters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Colonial policies have long undermined traditional Indigenous education systems. How can communities come together to reclaim this knowledge?Dr. Becky Cook is the lands monitoring manager of Misipawistik Cree Nation. This special episode of The Conversation Piece features content from her presentation at The Walrus Talks at Home: Indigenous Perspectives on Belonging, supported by The Belonging Forum, an initiative of the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness.Dr. Cook spoke at The Walrus Talks at Home: Indigenous Perspectives on Belonging on November 25, 2024.To register for upcoming events happening online or in a city near you, and to catch up on our archive of The Walrus Talks, visit thewalrus.ca/events.And subscribe to The Walrus Events newsletter for updates and announcements at thewalrus.ca/newsletters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meaningful representation in creative spaces can help facilitate a strong sense of belonging and community.Camryn Dewar is a Métis opera and classical singer. This special episode of The Conversation Piece features content from her presentation at The Walrus Talks at Home: Indigenous Perspectives on Belonging, supported by The Belonging Forum, an initiative of the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness.Dewar spoke at The Walrus Talks at Home: Indigenous Perspectives on Belonging on November 25, 2024.To register for upcoming events happening online or in a city near you, and to catch up on our archive of The Walrus Talks, visit thewalrus.ca/events.And subscribe to The Walrus Events newsletter for updates and announcements at thewalrus.ca/newsletters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How might personalized, culturally-specific interventions shape more effective responses to social isolation?Kahir Lalji is the provincial director of government relations and community engagement at United Way British Columbia. This special episode of The Conversation Piece features content from his presentation at The Walrus Talks at Home: Rx Belonging, supported by The Belonging Forum, an initiative of the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness.Lalji spoke at The Walrus Talks at Home: Rx Belonging on September 25, 2024.To register for upcoming events happening online or in a city near you, and to catch up on our archive of The Walrus Talks, visit thewalrus.ca/events.And subscribe to The Walrus Events newsletter for updates and announcements at thewalrus.ca/newsletters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Social prescribing is empowering vulnerable communities to cultivate a sense of agency through relationship building and resourcefulness.Diana Rose is a link worker with Healthy Aging Alberta and Family and Community Support Services for Wheatland County and the town of Strathmore. This special episode of The Conversation Piece features content from her presentation at The Walrus Talks at Home: Rx Belonging, supported by The Belonging Forum, an initiative of the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness.Rose spoke at The Walrus Talks at Home: Rx Belonging on September 25, 2024.To register for upcoming events happening online or in a city near you, and to catch up on our archive of The Walrus Talks, visit thewalrus.ca/events.And subscribe to The Walrus Events newsletter for updates and announcements at thewalrus.ca/newsletters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With new evidence emerging about the impact of connection on health, social prescribing is bridging the gap between clinical care and community care.Dr. Kate Mulligan is a health geographer, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto, and the scientific director at the Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing. This special episode of The Conversation Piece features content from her presentation at The Walrus Talks at Home: Rx Belonging, supported by The Belonging Forum, an initiative of the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness.Dr. Mulligan spoke at The Walrus Talks at Home: Rx Belonging on September 25, 2024.To register for upcoming events happening online or in a city near you, and to catch up on our archive of The Walrus Talks, visit thewalrus.ca/events.And subscribe to The Walrus Events newsletter for updates and announcements at thewalrus.ca/newsletters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does social prescribing allow us to reimagine systems of care and build societies where no one is left out or left behind?Kim Samuel is the founder of The Belonging Forum. This special episode of The Conversation Piece features content from her presentation at The Walrus Talks at Home: Rx Belonging, supported by The Belonging Forum, an initiative of the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness.Samuel spoke at The Walrus Talks at Home: Rx Belonging on September 25, 2024.To register for upcoming events happening online or in a city near you, and to catch up on our archive of The Walrus Talks, visit thewalrus.ca/events.And subscribe to The Walrus Events newsletter for updates and announcements, at thewalrus.ca/newsletters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There’s a lot of talk about voter turnout ahead of Canada’s upcoming federal election, especially when it comes to young Canadians. But low turnout isn’t always an indicator of indifference. Sometimes, it’s a signal that people feel left out.Samantha Reusch, executive director of Apathy is Boring, underscores how creating pathways for Gen Z and millennials to participate in civic conversations helps foster a more vibrant and responsive democracy.Reusch spoke at The Walrus Talks Wellbeing in Quebec City on June 2, 2019.To register for upcoming events happening online or in a city near you, and to catch up on our archive of The Walrus Talks, visit thewalrus.ca/events.And subscribe to The Walrus Events newsletter for updates and announcements, at thewalrus.ca/newsletters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is a growing generational divide in Canada’s housing landscape, one that’s not only pushing young people out of their communities but also leaving seniors behind.Housing advocate and author Kishone Roy outlines some of the key factors intensifying what they call “generational gentrification” and emphasizes the importance of reimagining housing not as a privilege but as a public good.Roy spoke at The Walrus Talks Equitable Housing in Vancouver on October 26, 2023.To register for upcoming events happening online or in a city near you, and to catch up on our archive of The Walrus Talks, visit thewalrus.ca/events.And subscribe to The Walrus Events newsletter for updates and announcements, at thewalrus.ca/newsletters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Canada’s political landscape is becoming increasingly divided, making it harder than ever to navigate public discourse productively.Investigative journalist and author Justin Ling highlights three of the major factors intensifying polarization in Canada—and shares what everyday citizens can do to push back against it.Ling spoke at The Walrus Talks at Home: Polarization on December 4, 2024.To register for upcoming events happening online or in a city near you, and to catch up on our archive of The Walrus Talks, visit thewalrus.ca/events.And subscribe to The Walrus Events newsletter for updates and announcements, at thewalrus.ca/newsletters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Canada has long been a force in the arts, culture, and media space, but what makes Canadian storytelling stand out?Valerie Creighton, president and CEO of the Canada Media Fund, discusses how embracing authenticity in storytelling strengthens Canada’s cultural identity and elevates our stories on the world stage.Creighton spoke at The Walrus Talks Canada’s Creative Power, in Ottawa, on June 5, 2024.To register for upcoming events happening online or in a city near you, and to catch up on our archive of The Walrus Talks, visit thewalrus.ca/events.And subscribe to The Walrus Events newsletter for updates and announcements, at thewalrus.ca/newsletters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Many companies champion mentorship programs and leadership initiatives that promise to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. But too often, these efforts fall short of meaningfully supporting their racialized women employees.Golnaz Golnaraghi, founder of Accelerate Her Future, a career accelerator for Black, Indigenous, and racialized women in business and STEM, emphasizes the value of investing in sponsorship over mentorship and redefining what it means to be an ally in the workplace.Golnaraghi spoke at The Walrus Talks Advancing Work, in Toronto, on November 29, 2022.To register for upcoming events happening online or in a city near you, and to catch up on our archive of The Walrus Talks, visit thewalrus.ca/events.And subscribe to The Walrus Events newsletter for updates and announcements, at thewalrus.ca/newsletters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.