The Case for Social Capital is a podcast produced by 2024 Transformation Storytelling Fellow Josie Fomé. The Transformation Storytelling Fellowship is supported by Canada Life.
It took me a while to realize I was lonely.
And then I realized, I wasn’t alone in that feeling. In fact, research shows that almost 1 in 4 people aged 15 to 24 report they often or always feel lonely. The loneliness epidemic continues to plague people from coast to coast to coast. But here’s the thing, there’s hope.
The answer? Community and Belonging.
Join CFC Transformation Storytelling Fellow Josie Fomé as she explores the powerful question: “Why am I lonely?” and more importantly, “How can I rebuild the connections that will help keep me from feeling isolated?” So much emphasis has been placed on financial capital, understandably so, but as a result of these questions, Josie wanted to make a case on the importance, value, and necessity of social capital and cohesion. Blending personal anecdotes and interviews with community foundation and community organization leaders across the country, each episode brings you into the heart of local initiatives as Josie explores the loneliness epidemic in Canada, the intricate web of connections that make up our social capital and the people who are bridging the growing gap of social isolation to return peoples’ sense of belonging.
Through candid conversations, real-world examples, and a commitment to understanding the power of community, The Case For Social Capital offers not just a solution to loneliness, but a vision for a more connected and compassionate future.
By the end of the series, you’ll not only have a new perspective on what it means to belong – you might also find a community you never knew existed.
Episode 1: Welcome to The Case for Social Capital
The Case for Social Capital is a 7-episode mini-series that explores how community foundations across Canada are working to close the ever increasing gap of social isolation and tackling the loneliness epidemic in the process.
In this intro episode, get to know the host, Josie Fomé – a 2024 Community Foundations of Canada Transformation Storytelling Fellow and Montreal-based journalist – why this is important to her, and what you can expect in the coming episodes.
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Kim Samuel YouTube Conversation
Episode 2: The Power of Narrative Change with the Inspirit Foundation
Sadia Zaman and Chris Lee of the Inspirit Foundation join Josie Fomé to talk about the tenets of their organization, why shifting narrative power is the key to narrative change, and the role of philanthropy in addressing challenges to democracy.
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Episode 3: Narrative Change in Action with The Mosquers and Black Women Film! Canada
The Mosquers, an Edmonton-based Film Festival, and Black Women Film! Canada, a Toronto-based nonprofit are two organizations that embody narrative change. Supported by the Inspirit Foundation, these organizations work to build inclusion from coast to coast to coast.
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Episode 4.1: Can Technology Bring Us Closer Together with CFC’s 2024 Emerging Technology Fellows (Part 1)
Technology is a big, scary, all-consuming word…but Community Foundation of Canada’s 2024 Emerging Technology Fellows join us in this episode to break it down and answer once and for all if (and how) technology can bring us closer together.
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Episode 4.2: Where Technological & Social Capital Intersect with the Waterloo Region Community Foundation & Njoki Mburu (Part 2)
When it comes to collaborating with technology, some are still skeptics…and that’s ok. Eric Avner, President & CEO of the Waterloo Region Community Foundation shares why he’s a skeptic and how he’s leading the WRCF on this journey, while Njoki Mburu invites us to imagine what else is possible.
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Episode 5: How Youth and Remote Communities Add to the Conversation with the South Saskatchewan Community Foundation & the Sunshine Coast Community Foundation
Two communities often overlooked in this conversation of loneliness, building social capital, and a sense of belonging are young people and those living in remote areas. This episode ventures into what this looks like for these very communities thanks to the work of the South Saskatchewan Community Foundation and the Sunshine Coast Community Foundation.
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Future of Good Mentorship Report
Episode 6: The Future of Social Capital with CFC’s 2024 Transformation Storytelling Fellows & Tracey Vavrek
Looking forward, the future of social capital…is it possible to still be innovative or engage sustainably while building one’s social capital? Let’s catch up with some of the 2024 Transformation Storytelling Fellows and get their insights on what this looks like for them both personally and professionally. Community Foundations of Canada’s Tracey Vavrek also joins in to share
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