Saying Hello Is Awesome – Take The Hello Pledge Now
I heard about the Hello Pledge from creator Maureen (Mo) Douglas. I love this idea, although Whistler is quite friendly, and a lot of people “know” me I know what she means when she says that research is showing that we don’t feel very connected to our neighbours and fellow citizens these days.
We don’t say hello in the street, we don’t look each other in the eye, we don’t connect. ** TAKE THE HELLO PLEDGE NOW **
I decided to conduct a little research of my own last Saturday by walking into the village via the Valley Trail from Bayshores. I found around 60 per cent of the people I passed would engage in eye contact and a friendly hello. However, in almost all cases I was initiating the contact and feel that if I hadn’t made the effort most people would have avoided the interaction. As for the remaining 40 per cent? They would do their best to avoid any and all engagement. I even had one guy move to the far side of the path as he pointedly looked into the bushes. Then he gave this weird sigh as we passed eachother. Hmmmm….
The Hello Pledge invites people to commit to saying hello to other folks throughout their day. You can join this awesome, easy and impactful movement by heading to www.thehellopledge.com to sign up! Saying hello helps people feel acknowledged as a part of their community. And it’s a powerful social tool – almost every personal interaction we have starts with some form of hello.
“The Hello Pledge website is a place where people can make a conscious commitment to saying hello and provides a tool for them to encourage others to do the same,” says Mo. “With just a ‘hello’ to a stranger we can start building happier, healthier and friendlier communities where citizens feel a greater sense of belonging.”
Douglas has created “The Hello Pledge” (www.thehellopledge.com) to raise awareness of this basic, but declining tool for increased community engagement. While Douglas has been an avid ‘hello’ enthusiast for many years, the website idea was ignited for her while working on Vancouver’s Healthy City Conference.
“While developing the conference, the lack of community connectedness was cited as a significant issue for the overall health and wellbeing of urban dwellers,” said Douglas. “And we’re seeing this issue extend to all communities, no matter the size. The Hello Pledge is something all of us can do to connect with each other.”
So practice your smile, try out a subtle wave and once you’ve mastered this highly technical art, visit the site and sign on to the Hello Pledge. Then make someone’s day — get out in your community and say hello.
