Annual imagineCALGARY Partner
Conference November 16th:
Subjective Well-Being and the Importance of Social Networks for Thriving Communities with Professor John Helliwell
imagineCALGARY’s 2009 Partner Conference is exceptional for two reasons. International expert in economics and social well-being, Professor John Helliwell -- an Officer of the Order of Canada, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada -- will be the keynote speaker for the event. And for the first time, the imagineCALGARY Partner Conference will be open to non-Partners as well.
“We were delighted to be able to have Professor Helliwell as a speaker, and we recognize that there are many Calgarians who will be interested in learning about his understanding of the relationship between the economy, community groups and the well-being of citizens,” says Wayne McCready, a Co-Coordinator of imagineCALGARY’s Steering Committee. “This is an opportunity to learn from one of the country’s leading thinkers in these topics, to become more aware of the incredible work that is taking place within the imagineCALGARY Partnership, and to understand the impact this has on the community.”
Much of Professor Helliwell’s work focuses on the impact of social capital, and how it affects life satisfaction and well-being. Issues like family, friends, social support and a sense of belonging within the community have been shown to be key factors in an individual’s personal happiness – in addition to economic status.
Professor Helliwell’s work highlights the importance of community-driven organizations like imagineCALGARY that are focused on connecting people and uniting them in a common cause. His lecture presentation will deal with how communities can thrive and individuals can realize life satisfaction through participation in community-based social networks. The role of ‘bridging’ social networks, such as the imagineCALGARY Partnership, that represent diverse social capital come close to predicting well-being when there is a breadth and depth of social connections. Indeed, people report that good relationships with family, friends and co-workers can mean more than money or fame as pre-requisites to their happiness.
In “The Social Context of Well-Being,” Professor Helliwell and his co-author Robert Putnam illustrated the importance of social issues on health and happiness. “Our new evidence confirms that social capital is strongly linked to subjective well-being through many independent channels and in several different forms,” the article notes. “Marriage and family, ties to friends and neighbors, workplace ties, civic engagement (both individually and collectively) trustworthiness and trust: all appear independently and robustly related to happiness and life satisfaction, both directly and through their impact on health.”
In addition to the presentation by Professor Helliwell, the annual imagineCALGARY Partner Conference will include the presentation of the 2009 imagineCALGARY sustainability awards. “The imagineCALGARY Awards are an important part of acknowledging the great work that is happening within the sustainability community,” says John Lewis, Coordinator of the imagineCALGARY Communications and Awareness Committee. “This year, we will be presenting awards in two categories – The Partner in Action Award and the Leadership in Sustainability Award that’s open to non-Partners.”
Last year’s winners were DIRTT (Leadership in Sustainability) and Vibrant Communities Calgary (Partner in Action). DIRTT has since become a member of the imagineCALGARY Partnership.
Subjective Well-Being and the Importance of Social Networks for Thriving Communities will be presented at The University of Calgary (MacEwan Hall B) on Monday, November 16th at 7:30 p.m.
There is no cost to attend, but pre-registration is necessary to ensure sufficient seating. Please RSVP by email to the Calgary Institute for the Humanities (cih@ucalgary.ca) or telephone (403) 220-7238 by November 9th.
