SOCIAL HEALTH PROJECTS
This page features a selection of community-driven initiatives and events that align with our mission to promote social health and well-being. While these projects reflect the values and goals of West Coast Speaks, they are currently operated independently and are not yet formally part of the West Coast Speaks Health Society (WCSHS).
These initiatives are funded and supported by other organizations in the Victoria area, including the City of Victoria’s My Great Neighbourhood Grant and the Fairfield Gonzales Community Association. As a new non-profit society, our long-term vision includes building a solid foundation for West Coast Speaks to thrive long into the future. Once we have ensured that we have laid every stone in that foundation correctly, we will be including both Kind Hearts Club and Open to Conversation under our umbrella. The Sitka Project will be the first official project for West Coast Speaks.
As with any of these projects, please forward any photos or videos to Carrie at carrie@westcoastspeaks.ca or info@westcoastspeaks.ca.
Kind Hearts Club
Spreading kindness, one heart at a time
A grassroots kindness initiative helping kids make a big impact – one postcard at a time.
Loneliness and social isolation rates are rising across Canada. The 2023 Canadian Social
Connection Survey found that a staggering 52% of Canadians reported feeling lonely at least
once a week. If we want to turn that number around, we need to start early – by helping kids
understand the power of empathy, kindness, and meaningful connection.
That’s where the Kind Hearts Club comes in.
Funded by the City of Victoria through the My Great Neighbourhood Grant, this grassroots
project invites elementary school children across Victoria to help combat social isolation – one
heart-themed postcard a time.
Students are given the opportunity to colour and personalize heart-themed postcards with
warm, encouraging messages meant for strangers. Once completed, families are encouraged to
place the cards in safe public spaces – on park benches, bus stops, or tucked into little libraries–
anywhere a stranger might find one and feel an unexpected spark of connection.
Parents play a key role by helping children distribute the cards in the community, and engaging
them in meaningful conversations about how small acts of kindness can make a big difference
in someone’s day – and in our communities.
West Coast Speaks is a proud sponsor of the Kind Hearts Club and manages all social media and
inquiries related to the project. Families who wish to share their child’s artwork, as well as
strangers who find a postcard, are warmly invited to tag @westcoastspeaks on Instagram to
help spread the joy and keep the ripple of kindness growing.
By encouraging empathy at a young age, we’re not just helping strangers feel seen – we’re
equipping the next generation with the emotional tools they need to reduce isolation and
nurture community over the long term.
This project supports the social health of both children and community members by
encouraging empathy, strengthening intergenerational connection, and reminding people that
they are not alone. The Kind Hearts Club is a simple yet powerful reminder that small,
compassionate actions can shape a more connected and caring future – for all of us.
Open To Conversation
Three ways to connect. One shared goal: to make talking to strangers fun again
Funded by the City of Victoria’s My Great Neighbourhood Community Resiliency Grant, and proudly sponsored by the Fairfield Gonzales Community Association, Open to Conversation is a new initiative that’s here to shake up how we connect.
In 2021, Statistics Canada found that 13% of Canadians reported always or often feeling lonely. Shockingly, the two most affected age brackets were 15-24 years (23%) and 25-34 years (15%). By contrast, seniors over 75 comprised only 14%
In a time when a loneliness epidemic is sweeping across the country, we need new ways to reconnect – with ourselves, with others, and with our communities.
Open to Conversation is a social movement inviting people to break the silence, one simple interaction at a time. You don’t have to be extraverted. You don’t have to know what to say. You just have to be open to conversation.
Whether you’re looking for quiet connection or curious conversation, there’s a way in:
1.The Button Quest:
10,000 Open to Conversation buttons will be left around Victoria – on benches, in bookstores, near your morning coffee spot – just waiting to be found by strangers who feel the message resonate with them. If you find a button and it speaks to you, wear it. It’s a gentle way to say, “I’m open to a chat if you are.” No pressure. No performance. Just a quiet sign for others to notice, if they need it. Sometimes, just being seen as open to talking, can help someone else feel a little less lonely.
2. Meet a Stranger (In-Person conversations)
Looking for something more structured? Meet a Stranger is a monthly gathering at the Fairfield Community Place where strangers are paired at random to share a one-off, one-hour platonic conversation. It’s safe. It’s inclusive. It’s simple. And it’s a reminder of what can happen when we put our phones down and connect face-to-face. RSVP through our MeetUp page to join the next event (which are the third Saturday of each month): https://www.meetup.com/victoria-meetup-and-explore-the-community-meetup-group/. For more information on Meet a Stranger, head to meetastranger.ca
3. The tabletop Invitation (Cafés & conversations)
Soon, select cafes and restaurants across the city will feature an Open to Conversation sticker in their window. Inside, customers can ask for a small tabletop sign to place beside them. Putting out the sign is a quiet way to invite another customer to join you to share a table, and a conversation.
Open to Conversation isn’t just about helping yourself- it’s about helping each other. Every time you open yourself to conversation, you’re helping someone else feel less alone. We’re shifting the narrative around talking to strangers. Together, we’re increasing our collective social health, one conversation at a time. In collaboration with local producer Brother Sea Productions, we’ll soon be releasing a short video to spread the word. Because when we connect, we belong. And when we belong, we thrive.
Sitka Project
A quiet signal. A visible community. A conversation if you want it.
In Canada, men die by suicide at a rate nearly three times higher than women* - a heartbreaking reality. This disparity is particularly evident in industries like construction, where 33% of men report poor mental health, and 64% wish their employers did more to support mental health initiatives** These aren’t just numbers. They’re fathers, brothers, husbands, friends – men who often suffer in silence. At West Coast Speaks, we aren’t doctors – we’re just trying to get people talking again, and the Sitka Project is our response. It’s not about encouraging men to talk more. It’s about building an unspoken network of support – where a man can feel seen, without needing to say a word. Wearing a Sitka hat isn’t a call for help – it’s a quiet gesture that says: You’re not alone. I see you. I’ve got time if you need it. For the man having a tough day, spotting a Sitka hat on a ferry, at a work site, in a coffee shop, or in a grocery store can be a subtle reminder that someone understands. This isn’t a campaign. It’s a movement. It’s not just about the person wearing the hat – it’s about the men around him. A small signal with a big meaning. A simple way to stand for connection, for community, for change. No pressure. No expectations. Just a symbol that community is still out there, even when words are hard to find. The Sitka spruce - one of the tallest trees on the West Coast - is known for its quiet strength and resilience. Like the tree, this movement stands tall – not loudly, but steadily. The hat isn’t just something you wear; it’s something you stand for.
Why wear the hat?
Because someone might need to see it – today, tomorrow, or months from now. Because even when you don’t know who is struggling, your quiet presence might be the reason someone doesn’t feel invisible. Because being part of this movement means standing for something bigger than yourself: a culture where men quietly show up for each other, without needing to say a word. Because one small signal can carry a big meaning. And because one moment of connection can change the course of someone’s life.
Support the movement:
The Sitka Project is a grassroots movement – built with heart, but not yet backed by funding. We’re actively seeking support from health-related grants, private donors, and community- minded partners who believe in the power of quiet connection.
Donations don’t just have to be financial. We welcome contributions in many forms: printing, hat production, distribution support, advertising, or even shared office space to serve as a collection point for the hats. Every contribution helps grow this network of support among men – and makes it easier for someone to feel seen when they need it most. We’re also looking to collaborate with men’s health movements across Canada and beyond. The Sitka Project is not a replacement for therapy or formal supports – it’s an entry point. A visible way to shift culture and spark connection. If your organization shares our values and mission, we’d love to explore how we can support each other.
*Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)
**Statistics Canada
A Note About Sitka
The Sitka Project was created after experiencing firsthand the isolation that comes when someone you love struggles in silence. Watching a former partner experience challenges with their mental health – and feeling powerless to help – taught me how devastating it can be when there’s no simple, stigma-free way for men to say, “I need to talk.” It’s not just the men themselves who suffer from this silence - it extends to their partners and children. The Sitka Project – offering men a simple, visual way to know that they aren’t alone - is deeply personal to me.
Inspired by the resilient Sitka spruce, these hats are that tool: a low-pressure signal that reads, “If you need to talk, I’m here.” No clinical labels. No heavy expectations. Just a quiet invitation to pause, nod, and begin a conversation that might otherwise never happen. It’s a quiet kind of community - men supporting men, simply by wearing a hat.
While this specific project focuses on men, I believe in building a broader culture of connection for everyone. My hope is that Sitka quietly opens the door to understanding and empathy for all. That it reminds people that they aren’t alone, and that there’s a community that cares. Because if one hat can start a conversation, and one conversation can change a life – then maybe we’re already changing the world, one quiet connection at a time.
- Carrie Parsons, Founder, West Coast Speaks Health Society.
