photos from the May 14, 2023 Bench Dedication
We were happy to gather
Councillor scott Thompson addresses the group
Councillor scott Thompson addresses the group
What's something exciting your business offers? Say it here.
Councillor scott Thompson addresses the group
Councillor scott Thompson addresses the group
Councillor scott Thompson addresses the group
Say something interesting about your business here.
Bench & sign
Councillor scott Thompson addresses the group
Bench & sign
We are grateful to the South Central Richmond Hill Community Action Table for the grant to make this possible
Happy to chat bench
The bench is located in front of the Richmond Hill Centre for Performing Arts - 10268 Yonge Street
Happy to receive this recogntion
The Region of York, the United Way of Greater Toronto and Canadian Mental Health Association thinks we have a good idea!!!
get connected with other compassionate people
MAP OF CO-CREATORS
MAP YOUR PASSION
The Charter for Compassion offers this opportunity to become visible to other compassionate people from anywhere in the world.
And there is such a great need for everybody’s engagement.
The Charter for Compassion’ is “a connector”, creating this CO CREATOR MAP.
You indicate what your areas of interest are, and you can see who else shares these interests.
Please be assured that the information you share is safe and will not be shared.
Appearing as a co-creator on this Map is an invitation to participate in perhaps the greatest adventure of all time … co-creating the world that all our hearts desire … participation in an evolution towards a more just and equitable world.
A co-creator is humble and open-minded, curious to understand and integrate others’ perspectives, and is motivated by a higher purpose, i.e.:
- knows and feels that all of life is one interconnected whole
- has inner peace and harmony, and has overcome the ego-based needs for personal recognition
- can join others in heart resonance, and doesn’t work against anybody
- is dedicated to his/her higher life purpose, serving principles such as love, heartfelt truth, peace, unity, and beauty.
If this aligns with you, please register on the Map of Co-creators.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to the Compassionate York Region team at compassionateyr@gmail.com
Our First year
When we see a Compassionate Path as a whole, it is amazing what Compassionate York Region sparked and what our Compassionate Community has already done
Dates of Community Conversations/General Meetings via Zoom:
- September 23, 2021 (Launch date) with Special Guests: Marilyn Turkovich (Executive Director of the International Charter for Compassion), Suzanne Smoke, Shishir Lakhani, David West (Richmond Hill Ward 4 Councillor, now Richmond Hill Mayor)
- November 11, 2021 with Michael Braithwaite (CEO Blue Door)
- January 12, 2022 with Special Guests from Compassionate San Antonio (Karen Ball & Ann Helmke)
- March 10, 2022 - International Women's Day meeting with Special Guests from Compassionate Sacramento, California (Brenda Gustin), King Township Women of Influence Giving Circle (Maria May - Dean of Seneca College King Campus), and The Canadian Library (Leena Mistry)
- May 12, 2022 with Special Guests: Kim Fluxgold (Author & Mental Health Advocate) and Richmond Hill Ward 4 Councillor Raika Sheppard
In Person Community Gatherings:
- April 5, 2022 - Golden Rule Day Celebration at Richmond Hill Central Library with Mayor and Councillor Ward 4 attending
- June 14, 2022: Peaceful Picnic at L’Arche Daybreak
- June 8, 2022: Our team spoke as delegation at City of Richmond Hill Council Meeting. Councillor Sheppard motioned City of Richmond Hill declaring itself a #CompassionateCommunity The motion passed!!!
Achievements:
- 10 community members completed a certification course through the Charter for Compassion: “Compassionate Integrity Training 4 Teams” (October/November 2021)
- Video message recorded for the Charter for Compassion Global Gala (November 22, 2021)
- CMHA-YR $1000 Grant awarded for the Happy to Chat Bench project (June 2022)
In the Media:
- Radio interview with 105.9 The Region: https://share.transistor.fm/s/0c77fada (first 13 minutes)
- Article in Newmarket Today: https://www-newmarkettoday-ca.cdn.ampproject.org/.../loca...
- The Liberal: https://www.yorkregion.com/.../10578417--creating-a.../
Motion passed!!
Member Motion - June 8,2022
Councillor Raika Sheppard has put forth the motion for "the City of Richmond Hill hereby affirms the tenants of the Charter for Compassion and commits to restoring compassion in our society, and hereby formalizes its commitment to encouraging our City’s diversity and cultivating an informed empathy of others.
And the City of Richmond Hill hereby commits to the rejection of any practice that breeds hatred, violence, intolerance and disdain, on basis of one’s creed, race, gender or sexuality, national origin, religion, culture, colour, or constitution. "
Click HERE for the full motion
We'll report back on the council's decision
Sara Jamil Spoke
Sara Jamil spoke as a delegate. Click HERE to listen what she had to say.
The Richmond Hill Liberal editor, Sheila Wang, wrote about this motion passing and Councillor Sheppard's desire to have more compassion. ‘Treating each other better’: Richmond Hill commits to restoring compassion and rejecting hatred (yorkregion.com)
And what is Compassion?
"Love, kindness and friendliness may be ways of being compassionate, but they are not compassion itself.
At the heart of compassion is the courage to look into the causes of suffering – in particular our dark side – with a dedication to acquire the wisdom of understanding the causes and roads to the alleviation and prevention of suffering with the determination to take action."
from How Compassion Can Transform Our Politics, Economy and Society
About Us
Our Team
What is Compassionate York Region?
What is Compassionate York Region?
An amazing group of ladies are putting their hearts and souls together .
What is Compassionate York Region?
What is Compassionate York Region?
What is Compassionate York Region?
The Compassionate Community Initiative of York Region is weaving compassion into the social fabric of the community.
It foresees (4C) Creating Conversations for a Compassionate Community that invites voices across all sectors.
Our Mission
What is Compassionate York Region?
Our Mission
To build a compassionate community .
We are part of The Charter for Compassion, an international movement to promote and cultivate the principle of compassion and the Compassionate Way of Life, as articulated by the Charter for Compassion, so that compassion characterizes all human society and all relationships.
golden rule day - april 5th
a gathering at the richmond Hill Central Library
a gathering at the richmond Hill Central Library
a gathering at the richmond Hill Central Library
"May Peace Prevail on earth" ~ says all
a gathering at the richmond Hill Central Library
a gathering at the richmond Hill Central Library
Heather skoll recitates "The hill we climb"
a gathering at the richmond Hill Central Library
Heather skoll recitates "The hill we climb"
Pledge to be compassionate
As an individual
As an organization
As an organization
Read, Affirm and Share the Charter
As an organization
As an organization
As an organization
Choose a sector, sign up and ask your members to sign too!
W h a t w e are u p t o
Land Acknowledgement for Compassionate York Region
We respectfully acknowledge our presence on the traditional territories and ancestral lands and waters of the original stewards: the Huron Wendat, Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe peoples.
York Region is a colonial boundary that is covered by Treaty 13 signed with the Mississauga’s of the Credit, and the Williams Treaty signed with many Mississauga and Chippewa Bands.
As settlers we are uninvited guests. And we are all treaty people bound by the responsibility to honour and heal our relations with each other.
This acknowledgement is one step to reconciliation, as has been outlined in the Truth and Reconciliation Report Calls to Action.
An understanding of how our collective past has brought us to where we are today will help us walk together into a better future.
We pray that our Beloved Creator will help us recognize our common humanity, interconnection, and interdependence.