Belonging Forum: A New Identity for the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness

GPC member Kim Samuel has shared an important update on the evolution of the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness (SCSC), which this past autumn officially renamed to the Belonging Forum. Since 2017, SCSC has supported global research, advocacy, and convenings focused on social isolation and human dignity. The new name reflects a broader vision that everyone has the right to belong and brings together the organization’s initiatives under one unified identity.

The transition builds on momentum from this year’s Bridges to Belonging Global Symposium, the Forum’s flagship gathering held in Toronto last month, which explored how belonging can be strengthened across education, public policy, mental health, and community practice. Themes included the need for more intentional cross-sector collaboration, the importance of lived experience in shaping solutions, and the growing global movement to measure and understand belonging in more rigorous ways.

Synergos’ South Africa Country Director, Marlene Ogawa, who moderated the panel Belonging in Action: Activism, Democracy and the Power of Civic Voice, reflected that the conversations and connections at the Symposium echoed her work within Synergos. To read more about her experience at the event, and perspective on the transition from SCSC, click here.

To learn more about the rebrand from SCSC to the Belonging Forum, please visit:  https://belongingforum.org/a-new-chapter-in-our-movement-for-belonging/

To read more about the Bridges to Belonging Global Symposium, please visit: https://belongingforum.org/bridges-to-belonging-reflections-from-the-2025-global-symposium/