Belonging and participation includes five concepts that support and foster social wellness for people and their communities. These five concepts are overlapping and connected.
Why is this important?
Feeling a sense of belonging and participating in your community benefits individuals, organizations and communities alike. People who are connected to others and their community tend to be happier and healthier.[1,2]
Belonging and participating are ways to get emotional support, feel valued, decrease social isolation and give back to the community.[3]
There are five concepts within the Belonging and Participation Domain:
Welcoming and Inclusive Communities
References
[1] Davidson, W.B., Cotter, P.R. (1991). The Relationship Between Sense of Community and Subjective Well-Being: A First Look. Journal of Community Psychology 19 (3).
[2] Shield, M. (2008) Community belonging and self-perceived health. Health Reports 19 (2): Statistics Canada. Available at: http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2008/statcan/82-003-X/82-003-XIE2008002.pdf
[3] Public Health Agency of Canada (2013) What makes Canadians Healthy or Unhealthy? Available at: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ph-sp/determinants/determinants-eng.php#unhealthy