Dear neighbours, friends and family,
It’s time to celebrate Neighbourhood House Week, from May 3-9!
This year we’re honouring the resilience, kindness and generosity of all the participants, volunteers, community partners and staff who dedicate their lives to creating better, kinder, more inclusive and respectful places in our world.
For more than 12 decades, the neighbourhood house movement has been leading community development in Metro Vancouver. Each of our 16 houses and outdoor camps has become a home away from home over the years, thanks to the contributions of many tens of thousands of people from diverse backgrounds.
We honour the nations who have always cared for the lands where we now gather—the Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, Semiahmoo, Katzie, Tsawwassen, Kwantlen, and Stó:lō peoples—and we endeavour to become more conscientious stewards of these lands, in solidarity with Indigenous leaders and neighbours.
We are neighbours and so much more.
We are a huge support network of friends, who lift each other up with every challenge we face. We are a beautifully diverse and intergenerational family, who grow and learn together. We have seen each other through tough times, and shared in all the joys, sorrows, and milestones of our interwoven lives.
We know what it means to take care of each other, and we’re learning how to protect and keep each other safe while staying connected during times of crisis.
The neighbourhood house movement has been alive in our communities for generations. We continue to thrive in the face of hardships, because neighbourhood house people believe in the power of the human spirit, and have the determination to make our collective dreams a reality.
Everybody is invited to become a part of this movement.
If you don’t know where your nearest neighbourhood house is, you can ask around or find it here: yournh.ca/find-a-house.
The way we host public gatherings may be changing, but each neighbourhood house is promoting social inclusion and togetherness, and fighting social isolation in their own unique ways.
We invite you to share your neighbourhood house stories on social media, to honour people’s support and generosity, and to share inspiration by posting and tagging #2020GoodNeighbours, and #myNHstory!
With open hearts,
Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House (and Neighbourhood House people everywhere)