An example of the tent cards available for cafes and restaurants in Medicine Hat, which What Matters to Hatters coalition will deliver to those interested in displaying them on their tables.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
reporter@medicinehatnews.com
The What Matters to Hatters coalition has been running a kindness campaign since last fall called Connecting to Care in Our Community. January’s theme is the Importance of Connection in our Community and how being connected improves a person’s physical and mental health.
The coalition has been sharing the dangers of social isolation and loneliness through social media (@WhatMatters2022 on Twitter and What Matters to Hatters Coalition on Facebook).
Last spring, the U.S. Surgeon General came out with a report about loneliness, which can be found at https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf. Within the report, actions are identified for individuals, families, schools, businesses, corporations or government to take to help curb the epidemic.
“People are surprised to learn it can be more dangerous than smoking, obesity and other chronic diseases,” said coalition member Michelle Sauve. “What we are trying to do this month is to highlight for Hatters the importance of being connected, whatever that means for them. Each day we are going to take an action from that report and talk about it.”
A good way to connect is to perform a random act of kindness, which might involve making a meal for someone who is struggling, saying hello to a stranger, or getting involved with one of the many programs available at the library.
“One good example is the Medicine Hat Public Library has the pay-it-forward campaign for library cards, but it’s mostly been big corporations or small businesses. For those people who have appreciated having a library card, maybe they can pay it forward for another person or a family or whatever their means will allow. It’s great to be a recipient of a random act of kindness, but it’s also empowering to pay it forward, and the benefits are not only to the person who receives the act but also the person who does the act,” explained Sauve.
Tent cards have been created that highlight the dangers of social isolation and loneliness, along with small actions individuals can take to foster connection. Printed tent cards are available to coffee shops and restaurants who wish to display them on tables and a member of the coalition will deliver them (email whatmatterstohatters@gmail.com or message them on social media).
The theme for February is Random Acts of Kindness, and in March it will be Make Kindness the Norm.
“One of the areas we want to focus on is how we have a choice to be kind but sometimes we go to judgement,” Sauve said. “So how can we help people to see the value of kindness as the first choice? I would hope that a person would be kind to me and not judge me and trying to personalize those experiences we sometimes might judge allows a more compassionate understanding of people who might be struggling or might have had something happen to them and might need a hand up, not a handout, but just a hand up.
“Every human wants to feel like they matter to their community or to somebody, and really this months long Kindness Campaign is in some ways a suicide prevention campaign because when you live in a community where you know people care about others, it can create a sense of help even for those in a really challenging situation.”
The coalition will be having a giveaway this month for those who follow them on social media, for your chance to win connect with them on Twitter @WhatMatters2022 or Facebook at What Matters to Hatters Coalition. For more information, you can email them at whatmatterstohatters@gmail.com.
