In this series of customized, facilitated conversations, participants come together in a collaborative, problem-solving approach to build belonging and, together, address their priority challenges.
Through guided dialogues that nurture their own meaning of belonging, participants share stories and apply reflective learning strategies.
The co-creation of visual legacies amplify participants’ voices, internalize key insights, and become the catalyst for participant-led solutions for lasting community change.
~ with Carol Sheridan,
Oliver Parks and Recreation Manager
Vince Bulteel taught me the tenacity it takes to persevere when so many systems, attitudes and behaviours can work against you, enduring stigmatization and so much more.
I have learned about the humility and courage it takes to reach out for help, regardless of where our journey takes us, particularly when we have made mistakes and have been beaten down by the systems that are supposed to support us. In having him as a guest speaker on several occasions, I have learned the power of true authenticity and that compassion creates an optimal learning environment for everyone.
Finally, I am learning that the best way to deal with grief is to find a place to put it. For me, this means being true to Vince’s voice, vision and leadership and continuing his legacy by sharing his stories and ramping up our efforts to build dignity from the inside out (with both people and the systems that serve them in mind).
~ Jessie Sutherland
Vince Bulteel:
1968 - 2020
...help us find and grow a sense of home...
The Belonging Matters Conversations help us find and grow a sense of home within ourselves and in our own lives. We then bring that sense of home out into the community.
As a society, we need to shift from a reactive mode to a prevention mode like what Belonging Matters provides.
As a society, we need to shift from a reactive mode to a prevention mode like what Belonging Matters Conversations provides. The more that we hear the voices of people impacted the most, the more respectful the process and the better the outcomes.
We need to support grassroots and community empowerment processes to achieve prevention and real change.
Belonging Matters Conversations gave me more confidence in myself and my strengths.
The Belonging Matters Conversations gave me more confidence in myself and my strengths. As well, the dialogue process helped me to accept my cerebral palsy and made me feel more comfortable talking about my disability. Importantly, the experience made me aware of what’s possible on both personal and community levels.
I am so grateful for Jessie's guidance in helping to address a long-overdue need for more connection, resources, and awareness in the community. I also appreciate the connections that I have made through these conversations and I look forward to continuing with this group.
In this series of customized, facilitated conversations, leaders come together in a collaborative, problem-solving approach to address their priority challenges.
In this series of customized, facilitated conversations, teams and organizations come together in a collaborative, problem-solving approach to address their priority challenges in the workplace.
In this series of customized, facilitated conversations, community members come together in a collaborative, problem-solving approach to address their priority challenges.
An international speaker, trainer, and consultant, Jessie Sutherland works with organizations and communities to engage diversity, build belonging and ignite intercultural collaboration.
Recipient of BC Community Achievement Award (2023), her approach creates sustainable community change that effectively addresses complex social problems.
...open the inner voice to better understand what promotes quality of life.
What Belonging Matters Conversations do so remarkably is to open the inner voice to better understand what promotes quality of life.
I was touched by how simple, yet how profound responses were to topics such as isolation and safety.
I’ve begun to respect myself...
I’ve been homeless for 4 months. Through participating in Belonging Matters Conversations, I’ve begun to respect myself and gain a lot of confidence.
...conversations that go deeper than simply brainstorming ideas and coming up with projects.
Belonging Matters helps to get straight to the heart of what is being discussed, no matter what the topic. It opens space to have truly client-led (or led by those most impacted by specific social issues) conversations that go deeper than simply brainstorming ideas and coming up with projects.
Through the process, breaking down hierarchical barriers between service providers and service users builds trust, community, and relationships that live on and create ripples of change in many directions. Belonging Matters Conversations empowers people to tell their own stories and create their own actions to address social (in)justice.
Belonging Matters invites us all to reflect on what true belonging means and to experience a sense of belonging within the conversations that emerge, amongst all participants. It’s a transformative experience for facilitators and participants alike that create bonds of belonging.
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