Vancouver is a unique city to live in, for more hiking trails, glass high rises, and ethnic neighborhoods boasting cultural diversity than one can even begin to count. Ranked as the third best city to live in in the world by the Economist Intelligence Unit, we often take our surroundings for granted; however, a study of metro Vancouver released in June of 2012 by the Vancouver Foundation revealed harrowing findings boding the degradation of community fibers, as growing sentiments of isolation and disconnection were ubiquitously echoed across demographics and cultural groups. While rich in multicultural heritage, the resounding sentiment indicated that Vancouver is a difficult place to make friends, with one out of every four individuals feeling as though they spend more time alone than they would like to, making Vancouverites among the loneliest in the country. Of the friends and relationships we do have, while we remain extremely tolerant of ethnic diversity, we still tend to show strong in-group preferences with over one third of the population lacking friends outside of their own ethnic group.
While civic malaise is deepening its effect within the population, it is not an issue that is localized to Vancouver, nor is it a challenge we should accept with passivity. Research on the evolution of cultures indicates that human values can change more quickly than our genes; in layman’s terms: if we can increase the social value associated with altruism, we can cultivate it among ourselves and promote cultural change within our societies. This is evident within the growing number of virtual communities whose prime focus is to foster a value network between complete strangers, including the Chive’s Random Act of Kindness (RAK), RedditGifts and Gifts For Strangers, with a significant growth of the population openly trusting and sharing with people they have never met. Likewise, Burning Man, a week-long festival which subverts capitalist drive in the Black Rock Desert promotes co-existence and survival in an uninhabitable zone exclusively through the kindness and generosity of others (you can listen to Nic Gregoriades’ account of his experience at Burning Man here). Somewhere along this continuum lays the mission of Papergirl and its defiant stance towards the traditional market economy and the give-and-take nature of exchange. Electing to build a relationship with the community indiscriminate of age, gender, political affiliation, ethnicity or monetary value, the mission is at its fundamental core to create a moment of opportunity to instill a sense of intrinsic value, unity, and belonging, thus endeavouring the spread of pro-social behavior within our community.
The take-home message really isn't that you need to give gifts of monetary value away, (although Harvard Business Schools’ Michael Norton articulated via TEDTalks that you can buy happiness with money – so long as you spend that money on a stranger). Through the vehicle of pure altruism, it isn't the gift itself which holds the true value; it is the feelings we are able to share with a member of our community, including the sentiment that they matter, belong, and deserve a gift, for no other reason than the fact that they are a part of the community we share together, which is in itself, reason enough.
To get more involved in the Vancouver community, check out www.go-volunteer.com to find daily updates on current volunteer positions within the GVA.
And remember: people are more likely to volunteer when asked directly; make it a team effort and ask a friend to volunteer with you!
- Lydia D.