Articles by Kim Samuel
DAILY MAVERICK
TO OVERCOME SOUTH AFRICA'S MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS, WE NEED TO FOCUS ON BUILDING BELONGING
by Kim Samuel | August 29, 2023
Kim Samuel describes how focusing on belonging can help South Africa to overcome concurrent crises.
PSYCHOLOGY TODAY
COMMUNITY IS THE OPPOSITE OF SCHADENFREUDE
by Kim Samuel | July 12, 2023
Kim Samuel rethinks the meaning of connectedness in the age of social media. She argues that people must foster feelings of solidarity, respect, and appreciation for others.
KUENSEL
FOR GROSS NATIONAL HAPPINESS, WORLD OWES BHUTAN A DEBT OF GRATITUDE
by Kim Samuel | June 3, 2023
In Bhutan's national newspaper, Kim Samuel argues that gross national happiness measurement framework is a model for governments everywhere.
PSYCHOLOGY TODAY
HOW TO REVERSE THE PSYCHOLOGY OF OTHERING
by Kim Samuel | May 11, 2023
Kim Samuel presents an argument that we’re living in an age of “othering.” She looks to psychology, literature, and her own research and experience to explore what it can mean to reverse the tendency toward othering.
THE INDEPENDENT
HOW DO WE TACKLE AN EPIDEMIC OF LONELINESS AND FOSTER A SENSE OF BELONGING
by Kim Samuel | May 7, 2023
Kim Samuel shares her thoughts on how to tackle the crisis of social isolation and build belonging.
PSYCHOLOGY TODAY
The New Psychology of Belonging
by Kim Samuel | April 17, 2023
Kim Samuel explores how belonging isn’t just a need, as Abraham Maslow posited, but a right. She looks to an essential lesson that she received from Nelson Mandela as well as insights from diverse teachers featured her book On Belonging: Finding Connection in an Age of Isolation.
THE BIG ISSUE
To heal the health system, we must care for caregivers
by Kim Samuel | March 13, 2023
Kim Samuel lays out three tangible steps policymakers can take to support caregivers in the United Kingdom.
TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION
Students learn better on caring campuses - here's how to create one
by Kim Samuel | March 27, 2023
Kim Samuel writes about how universities can take proactive steps to create more caring classrooms and foster belonging on campuses.
THE STYLIST
Feeling lonely is a cruel consequence of our fragmented world, but we can make a start to combat it
by Kim Samuel | March 6, 2023
Kim Samuel explains three ways that we can combat loneliness and isolation in a fragmented world. Sign in to read on The Stylist.
THE BOSTON GLOBE
A Group of Grandmothers in Zimbabwe is Helping the World Reimagine Mental Health Care
by Kim Samuel | February 2, 2023
This article by Kim Samuel in the Boston Globe explores the impact of the Friendship Bench, an organization founded by psychiatrist Dixon Chibanda, dedicated to bridging the mental health treatment gap in Zimbabwe.
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MACLEAN'S
The Big Idea: We need to make work more welcoming
By Kim Samuel | December 8, 2022
Kim Samuel writes about isolation as one of the biggest liabilities to business and how workplaces need to build belonging for employees.
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STANFORD SOCIAL INNOVATION REVIEW
Nonprofit Leadership Lessons From Dr. Paul Farmer
by Kim Samuel & Dan Palazuelos | September 26, 2022
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THE GLOBE AND MAIL
Loneliness is feeding authoritarianism. To defend democracy and decency, we must build belonging.
by Kim Samuel | September 17, 2022
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Media Articles
GREEN TEMPLETON COLLEGE
An Interview with Visiting Research Fellow Kim Samuel
July 5, 2023
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TIME
Why Work Friends are Crucial for Your Health
by Jamie Ducharme | April 26, 2023
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CANADIAN BUSINESS
We All Want to Work Remotely, but It's Making Us Lonely
by Sarah Laing | April 5, 2023
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CATHOLIC HERALD
People like us: Kim Samuel and Bishop Erik Varden on community, belonging and togetherness in a post-Covid world
by Serenhedd James | March 5, 2023
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CHURCH TIMES
Interview: Kim Samuel, activist, educator
by Terence Handley MacMath | February 24, 2023
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FORBES
Kim Samuel: What It Means To Belong
by John Baldoni | October 13, 2022
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MARKETWATCH
Ageism can lead to social isolation and even early death. ‘We need to begin with the revolutionary idea that we’re all equal and we all belong.’
by Alessandra Malito | September 24, 2022
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Panels
TAMARACK INSTITUTE
WEBINAR | Kim Samuel On Belonging: Finding Connection in an Age of Isolation
This webinar recording features a conversation between Kim Samuel and Heather Keam, Director of Deepening Community at the Tamarack Institute.
POLITICS AND PROSE
Kim Samuel — On Belonging: Finding Connection in an Age of Isolation, with Timothy Shriver
September 17, 2022
Kim Samuel sits down with Tim Shriver at the famed and much loved Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington DC. They chatted about her book as well as her journey to become a published author.
SYNERGOS
September 27, 2022
Kim Samuel sat down with Peggy Dulany, Chair of Synergos, at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City to talk about Right To Belong. Discussion moderated by Marlene Ogawa.
SPECIAL OLYMPICS GLOBAL WEBINAR
Kim Samuel is a guest on the Special Olympics Global Webinar. She is joined by her friends and partners in the disability rights movement.
LISTEN/WATCH
Podcasts, Radio and TV
The Addy Hour
July 14, 2023
Kim Samuel joins Dr. Nii Addy, Yale professor, neuroscientist, and mental health advocate, on his podcast to talk about belonging and how it intersects with topics like faith, loss and loneliness, wholeness, healing, and more.
LISTEN
The Jim Toth Show
May 4, 2023
Kim Samuel talked to CJOB’s Jim Toth about the experience of loneliness, how it impacts both our mental and physical health, and what we can do to help ourselves and the people around us feel less lonely. Listen to the radio interview.
Monocle Reads
February 16, 2023
Kim Samuel is interviewed by Monocle magazine about what inspired her to write her book, the meaning of belonging, the impact of othering, and how everyone is born with what she calls the right to belong.
LISTEN
Purposeful Empathy Podcast
January 29, 2023
Kim Samuel speaks with Dr. Anita Nowak on the Purposeful Empathy podcast about the role of empathy in building belonging.
LISTEN
BBC Bristol
January 29, 2023
BBC journalist Steve Yabsley interviews Kim Samuel on his BBC Bristol radio show. They speak about the reasons she became passionate about social connectedness, why social isolation has become so pervasive in recent years, her book, and more. Tune in at the 2 hour, 22 minute mark.
LISTEN
TIMES RADIO
January 28, 2023
Kim Samuel is interviewed by Hugo Rifkind, Times Radio presenter and writer for The Times, about her book and its themes of social isolation and the right to belong. Tune in at the 1 hour, 20 minute mark.
LISTEN
2022 Global Symposium
October 22-25, 2022
Hosted by the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness, the 2022 Global Symposium brought together stakeholders from around the world who are working to build social connectedness. The event featured uniquely intersectional conversations and had a keen focus on practical solutions to building social connectedness and belonging in our communities.
WATCH VIDEOS
SYNERGOS - CULTIVATE THE SOUL PODCAST
Stories of Purpose-Driven Philanthropy | October 11, 2022
Cultivate The Soul explores the intersection of philanthropy, contemplative practices, self-reflection and spirituality. Host Melissa Durda is joined by Kim Samuel in a conversation of personal stories and experiences that brought her to dedicate her life to belonging and social connectedness.
LISTEN ON SPOTIFY
GRACE UNDER PRESSURE - LINKEDIN LIVE
with John Baldoni | October 6, 2022
Ranked Top Ten Executive/Leadership Coaches Worldwide, John Baldoni talks with Kim Samuel about her new book.
WATCH
BREAKFAST TELEVISION
Ways to create meaningful connections in an age of social isolation
October 5, 2022
Dina and Sid are joined by Kim Samuel, educator and founder of the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness, to discuss the damage COVID has done to connections and dealing with social isolation.
WATCH
WFAE PUBLIC MEDIA
Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins | October 4, 2022
Mike Collins examines the impact of an increasingly alienated and lonely population, which can have devastating personal consequences and make us collectively susceptible to authoritarianism. We’re already seeing that — and we get some suggestions on finding connection in an age of isolation, from author Kim Samuel.
WATCH
SPECIAL OLYMPICS RADIO SHOW ON SIRIUS XM
September 27, 2022
Jacqueline Jodl, Ph.D, Senior Vice President of Global Youth and Education at Special Olympics speaks with Kim Samuel.
THE JANE CLUB
September 22, 2022
Kim Samuel joined as a guest on the Jane Club, a curated community platform that offers live gatherings and social connection that is educational, inspirational and transformative.
FISHBOWL LIVE
Belonging in the Workplace | September 19, 2022
Caroline Potter Shriver, Executive Director of The Village, interviews Kim Samuel about how to foster belonging in the workplace.
KEEN ON PODCAST
Should the Right to “Belong” Be Enshrined As a Sacred Human Right?
Hosted by Andrew Keen | September 12, 2022
Kim Samuel is interviewed by podcast host Andrew Keen on Keen On, the daily show about books, writers, and big ideas.
KERA THINK
How to connect with people in a socially isolating world
Our modern world has us yearning for a very primitive need: to belong. Kim Samuel is founder of the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness and an academic lecturer at institutions including Oxford, Harvard and McGill Universities. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the search for meaning in our lives, finding purpose in human connections and strategies for achieving happiness. Her book is “On Belonging: Finding Connection in an Age of Isolation.”
LISTEN
Book Reviews
THE STREET
by Robert Mauterstock, CFP | September 13, 2022
Kim Samuel, the author of “On Belonging: Finding Connection in an Age of Isolation” has spent her entire career helping to alleviate social isolation and improve the ability for people to connect with each other. She describes her meeting with Nelson Mandela as the turning point in her life.
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QUILL & QUIRE
2022 Fall Preview: Nonfiction | August 24,2022
Toronto activist and educator Kim Samuel looks at the crisis of social isolation – which is exacerbated by stress, physical disconnection, and environmental degradation – and looks at the work being done by individuals in different fields to cultivate belonging in society.
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PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
June 27, 2022
Samuel, the founder of the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness, debuts with an innovative program for fostering community. She explores what it means to belong and argues that readers should strive to bring “principles of wholeness and connectedness into the realms of public policy, urban planning, education, healthcare, and community organizing.”
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INC.
3 Must-Read Books to Help Improve Your Mental Health: Our mental well-being at work is more important than ever.
The global changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic have opened the conversation and given rise to a widespread reckoning with mental health challenges like burnout and loneliness. Why are we so unhappy, and what can we do about it? Here are three books by experts that show us the importance of talking about mental health, and how we can reclaim our mental wellbeing in order to lead happy, gratifying lives in the digital world.
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News Releases
CISION
Activist and Educator Kim Samuel Calls for End to Social Isolation; Puts Forward Global 'Right to Belong' in New Book | September 13, 2022
In her new book, On Belonging: Finding Connection in an Age of Isolation, Kim Samuel, Founder and Chief Belonging Officer at the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness, takes aim at the growing crisis of social isolation and makes the case that belonging is a fundamental human right.