Participation: Building a sense of belonging in our communities

What does it take to build stronger communities? A lot of it is about participation — when we work together for the common good, the places where we live become stronger. We know our neighbours, we help each other. In healthy communities, people are engaged with each other. But what does that mean? Today's program is about engagement, connecting and making a difference in the places we live. How do we strengthen those ties that bind?  A few ideas here on this month's rabble radio ..    1) Lee Rose – Director of Community Knowledge for the Community Foundations of Canada –  Vital Signs is an annual study to assess the health of our communities. This current study is a multi-year and multifaceted exploration on the topic of belonging. It's an area of strategic focus for Community Foundations of Canada, a national organization in Ottawa whose membership is the individual community foundations across the country.  Find out what they've learned about Canada in 2016. 2) Catherine Edwards – Executive Director of The Canadian Association of Cable Television Stations and Users (CACTUS) –   For over 40 years, community cable channels and production studios have been provided by the commercial cable companies as part of the deal they made with the CRTC for the privilege of making lots of money from cable subscriptions. But that's eroding.  CACTUS has a new plan for community media that serves people, not profits.  They need your input and help. 3) Christian Gagnier – CJAM Radio, University of Windsor – Excerpt from Rendez-vous de la Francophonie, annual celebration of Canada's membership in the Francophonie and promotes the French language and its numerous cultural expressions.  Community radio stations across the country have been producing programs exploring Canadian Francophone life over the past couple of years, with new ones on the way.  Chris's program focuses on Francophone heritage of Windsor/Essex County.