On Friday, November 20th, PLAN is celebrating it's 20th Anniversary with special guests John Ralston Saul, Union Gospel Choir and Vicki Gabereau. A few seats remain for this event of song, stories and friends. Click this flyer to find more details. For event information and to RSVP, please contact Alexandra Paproski by email at apaproski@plan.ca or by phone at 604.877.2211.

On Saturday, November 21st, Vancity in partnership with PLAN, Tyze, The Dalai Lama Centre and Plan Institute are hosting A Conversation About Belonging. Special guests for this breakfast gathering include John Ralston Saul, Cairine MacDonald, Tamara Vrooman, Vickie Cammack and Ric Matthews. This event is sold out, watch for an update to follow.

About This Book
Summer has arrived — and so has Koo, Stillwater's haiku-speaking young nephew. And when Stillwater encourages Koo, and his friends Addy, Michael, and Karl to help a grouchy old neighbor in need, their efforts are rewarded in unexpected ways.

Zen Ties is a disarming story of compassion and friendship that reaffirms the importance of our ties to one another.

Plan Institute just put up a new poll asking readers, "Where do you get your strongest sense of belonging?"

Here is a report released in January 2009 called Guidance on building a local sense of belonging. It looks makes some interesting comments and recommendations about how to build a stronger sense of community in your neighbourhood.

Here's the Executive Summary:

• People have multiple parts to their identities, with different parts coming to the fore in different circumstances. This means that building up the part of identity which is a local sense of belonging will not be at the expense of other parts of identity
  

• People want to belong and can change elements of their identity more easily than in the past, providing the opportunity to increase local sense of belonging
  

• Building a local sense of belonging needs to focus on the things we have in common and so be inclusive, rather than place of birth or ethnicity, which are exclusive
  

• Local areas may wish to develop a local vision following consultation with the public and other key local stakeholders
  

• Local areas may also wish to undertake specific initiatives including:

1. Communicating the vision
2. Using history, key events in the past and local memories
3. Using geographical features and key buildings, parks and other symbols
4. Using symbolic events – celebrations, festival, carnivals
5. Using activities and shared interests – arts and culture, sport
6. Welcoming new residents
7. Using activities to promote empowerment.