To bring awareness to the Days of Action at the University of Alberta, the Library invited Heather Ritz, Community Social Worker with Wellness Supports (uab.ca/wellness) to share her reflections as well as resources to explore for World Hello Day – November 21.
Hello, I’m so glad you’re here! (This seems to me to be the most appropriate way to begin a reflection on World Hello Day, but truly, I mean it: Hello!).
Recent conversations have had me thinking about orientation and how the first fresh days of the school year are not only behind us — they feel like a very, very distant past. Why am I thinking about orientation when we are almost through the semester? At the start of the school year, there is the natural reflex to exude a welcoming demeanour to people I share our campus grounds with. I nod, smile, and make eye contact with people crossing my path. That start of the school year is full of “welcome, we’re so glad you’re here” messages. I love the welcoming energy at the start of the school year.
Bringing my thoughts back to the present, the truth is, at this time of year I can have less motivation and energy to reach outside myself and offer bids of connection to people I don’t know. It’s getting colder out too, and as I cross Quad, I’m hustling to get into the next building, focused on being welcomed by its central heating. Orientation Heather can feel like a whole other person, sometimes.
Here’s the thing though. I believe that social connection is important to all of us — and that we can each practice it in ways that are meaningful to us (because of course this will look different from person to person). I want to be a person who takes initiative and connects with new people, and I want to be a welcoming presence. But sometimes I need to be reminded of why it’s important, and to reconnect to my own personal values around social connection. This is one reason I’m grateful for World Hello Day. It’s a good reminder that it’s important to be intentional with social connection throughout the year..
World Hello Day is November 21 and started as a grassroots peace-keeping effort in the 1970’s. The intention with Hello Day is to encourage people to build social ties outside their typical social circle. The hope was that, as people got to know and value each other, they would use non-violent ways to resolve conflict.
While our campus context is different from what inspired World Hello Day, taking time to build social connection is vital to our community and individual wellness. Social connection helps us broaden our worldview beyond what we know, and builds compassion and empathy, all of which are beneficial to being a diverse community. It helps us learn how to be inclusive of each other, and be a community that knows how to care for diverse needs.
From a well-being perspective, it’s also broadly known that social connection is a protective factor for mental health. Ties to people in our community ensure we have people to turn to when we are struggling, and foster a sense of belonging. I certainly feel peace of mind knowing that I am not figuring out life on my own and I want this for all of us.
I hope you’ll join me considering what actions you can take towards being a welcoming and inclusive community. It doesn’t have to look the same as me, or the folks around you, but we all have contributions we can make. And it can start with “hello”.
Actions for World Hello Day
- The call to action for World Hello Day is to say hello to 10 people, an invitation to actively contribute towards building social cohesion. This could be your barista, a colleague, a peer, or someone you pass through a door with. The nods and acknowledgements that come with a simple “hello” can go a long way in people feeling seen and that they belong. It’s a reminder to bring some of that intentional new-school-year-welcome energy into the rest of the school year too.
- Try new things in our campus community! If you’re looking for tips for how to build social connections, or interested in attending events on campus, Days of Action has compiled a calendar full of suggestions and campus based programming. Try anything on the calendar and you can enter to win a prize too!
- Join Days of Action for Mocktail Hour on November 21 in Rutherford Atrium. Bring some colleagues or come on your own and meet new people. We’ll have mocktails, snacks and games for all campus members to enjoy.
- Read about the link between social connection and mental health
- Create opportunities to connect with your peers or colleagues. Have lunch together, go for a walk, or find something else you can enjoy doing together.
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