Get involved

Register for the Neighbourhood Summit!

Attend the Neighbourhood Summit to connect and learn with neighbours.

Date: November 9 from 7:30 to 9 p.m.

Location: Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex Community Pavilion

Details: Food and refreshments will be provided. Childcare, transportation support and interpretation services are available upon request with registration.

This event is supported by the Waterloo Region Community Foundation.

Apply to join an advisory committee

Get involved by becoming a member of an advisory committee. The City is looking for members who can assist Council in strengthening Waterloo as a diverse and inclusive community. By volunteering on a committee, you can become engaged with matters that interest you and affect the community.

We're currently recruiting for:

• Advisory Committee on Culture
• Waterloo Park Advisory Committee

Applications will be accepted until October 23, 2023 at 8 a.m.

Apply here.

More ways to get involved

• Have experience and knowledge in sports and recreation? Apply to be a committee member for Sports and Recreation Grant Program. Volunteers to help review applications and support the program.
• Help local seniors with snow clearing this winter. This is a paid, brokered position. Applicants must be aged 14+ and have transportation.

• Looking for an opportunity to volunteer close to home? Reach out to your neighbourhood group or association to see what volunteer positions are available.

• The Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion has informational and educational resources online. Explore these resources and find information to help support an inclusive community.

• Check out the Rainbow Community Calendar to find details on SPECTRUM's groups and events.

Get inspired

See what's happening across Waterloo and find inspiration to make your neighbourhood a little more awesome. We can support your idea with things like grants and equipment. Interested? Just hit reply to this email.

Connecting and enjoying conversations

Neighbours applied for a mini grant and borrowed special event equipment from the City to host a special neighbourhood dinner. Between bites, attendees discussed important conversations about things that matter in their neighbourhood.

Thinking about planning a community connection? Reach out to neighbourhoods@waterloo.ca for support.

Cozying up for a movie night

Neighbours in Beechwood applied for a Neighbourhood Matching Fund to host an outdoor movie night. Neighbours cozied up on blankets and chairs to enjoy a movie under the stairs. Thank you to all the neighbours who organized this fun event.

Interested in planning a movie night next summer? Check out our new planning an outdoor movie night how-to guide. It has step-by-step information to help you plan your event!

A neighbour shares:

"The Volunteer Garden Team lovingly maintains the gardens at Hospice Waterloo. The team members are passionate about creating a warm, homey and welcoming environment for all who enter the doors of Hospice, especially the residents, clients and their loved ones. As a bonus, the staff and volunteers also enjoy the garden areas and are often seen walking around the property on their breaks. Members of the public who use the adjacent walking trails and RIM Park soccer fields also benefit from the beauty created by the Garden Team."

Is there someone doing awesome near you?

We want to recognize people who do great things, big or small, in their neighbourhood. Nominations will be accepted year-round, and every nominee will receive a thank you package and be entered into a random draw to win a $25 gift card. The next draw is happening in the winter.

Get in the know

Building community: It's more than housing

How can we build more community as we build more housing? Can we reimagine our public parks, libraries, recreation centers, and trails to connect people of all backgrounds? Can we cultivate trust and create more resilient communities? Can we transform shared civic assets to foster engagement, equity, sustainability and joy?

Join Waterloo Region Community Foundation on Thursday, November 16, 2023 from 4 to 6 p.m. for their next in-person Do More Good Dialogue to delve into these topics. 

Register now

Treat accessibly!

Trick-or-treating is a fall activity enjoyed by many neighbours. To promote inclusion and accessibility, check out some tips below:

• Make sure the path to your trick-or-treating station is well lit.
• Refrain from the use of strobe lights and high-pitched, sudden loud noises which may be alarming for some children.
• Set up your trick-or-treating station on a level surface, such as at the end of your driveway or in your garage.

Find more tips online.

More things to know!

• Plan your visit to check out the new Cipher|Decipher exhibit at the City of Waterloo Museum.

• Nov 5: Get ready for Diwali, the Clay and Glass Gallery is hosting a diya painting workshop on November 5.

• The Friends of Waterloo Park is fundraising to add musical elements to the refurbished Father David Bauer Drive playground in Waterloo Park.

• The Waterloo Public Library has two new blog posts about celebrating Islamic Heritage Month and Latin American and Hispanic Heritage.

• REEP Green Solution's Zero Waste Challenge invites you to try and fit all your single-use waste into a mason jar for 7, 14 or 30 days.

• The Annual Waterloo Region Migration Film Festival is happening from December 1 to 18. Have suggestions for films or filmmakers focused on themes of migration, immigrants, refugees and unique contributions migrants, please reach of out to asyed@regionofwaterloo.ca.

• Enjoy the fall weather and explore public art across Waterloo. Visit the public art maps and plan your day!

• Learn more about reporting Hate Incidents or Discrimination: involving Islamophobia, Racism, Anti-Immigrant Sentiment and religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity.

• Immigration Waterloo Region shares information on community support in solidarity with Ukraine and supporting Afghan resettlement in Waterloo Region.

October Diversity Calendar

October: Islamic Heritage Month

October 1: International Day of Older Persons (United Nations)

October 4: National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (Canada)

October 5: World Teachers' Day (UNESCO)

October 6: Shemini Atzeret (Judaism)

October 7-8: Simchat Torah (Judaism)

October 9: Thanksgiving Day (Canada)

October 10: World Mental Health Day (WHO)

October 11: International Day of the Girl Child (United Nations)

October 11: National Coming Out Day (Canada)

October 15-23: Navaratri (Hinduism)

October 16: Birth of the Báb (Bahá'í)

October 17: Birth of Bahá'u'lláh (Bahá'í)

October 24: Dussehra (Hinduism)

October 31: Karva Chauth (Hinduism)

Source: Canadian Centre for Diversity & Inclusion's Diversity Calendar.

Thank you for reading this edition of Neighbours helping Neighbours, a newsletter from the neighbourhoods team, with a focus on good news stories, important community updates, and local resources.

If you have ideas for resources to share or shareable stories of kindness, please send them to: neighbourhoods@waterloo.ca

Contact Us