Building Community

What is Community?

Is it a place on a map? A network of friends and businesses in your neighbourhood? Is it the feeling you are respected and supported, that you belong here on the North Shore?

We are lucky to see community in action everyday at the North Shore Neighbourhood House. Community is volunteers talking over a cup of coffee before helping out with one of our seniors groups. It’s gardeners chatting over the fence as they admire their flowers and vegetable in the community garden. It’s kids running through our hallways on the way to art camp or judo, while moms visit with their neighbours.

Building community also happens when one of our staff talks with a homeless person camped under our stairway and helps them to find shelter, or when one of our youth outreach workers sits down with a teen in crisis and helps them to find hope again.

Sometimes, when we talk about what we do, it may sound like we simply deliver programs and services. The difference, however, is in the commitment of our board and volunteers, the warmth and thoughtfulness of our staff, and the heart behind our work.