About this Event
If you work in community services, you're seeing the loneliness epidemic from both sides of the desk. Your clients have lost the social infrastructure they used to lean on, including community centres, drop-in programs, and informal neighbourhood ties, and technology has filled the gap with connection that looks real but rarely delivers.
The research is stark: chronic loneliness now carries a health risk comparable to smoking a pack a day, and roughly half of adults reported feeling lonely even before the pandemic accelerated the trend. This isn't a niche concern. It's a widespread reality affecting people across communities, age groups, and service settings.
And frontline staff aren't immune either. The same isolation, burnout, and flattened affect you're screening for in clients often shows up quietly in the people doing the screening.
The encouraging part is that the intervention doesn't require a major program overhaul.
Following strong interest and positive feedback from previous CHC events, Scott Williams returns with an expanded version of his popular Mental Health Backpack teaser session. In The Happiness & Connection Toolbox, participants will explore practical, field-tested strategies to reduce loneliness, build meaningful connections, and support well-being in community settings.
Note: Doors open at 8:15 a.m. for check-in.
Event venue & nearby stays
Chilliwack Cultural Centre, 9201 Corbould Street, Chilliwack, Canada
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.