Weaving care into connection, from vulnerable isolation toward collective well-being
By Mahmoud Shabeeb
In an era where loneliness and fragmentation have become defining features of daily life, the search for authentic connection and collective well-being feels more urgent than ever. The panel Care of togetherness: From social isolation to collective well-being brought together four remarkable thinkers and creators to explore how care, in all its complexity, can serve as a foundation for community, healing, and hope.
Moderated by Kai Cheng Thom—renowned for her work on trauma-informed conflict transformation and her advocacy for trans and queer communities—the panel featured poet and scholar Billy-Ray Belcourt, writer and festival founder Jael Richardson, and archaeologist and Indigenous studies leader Kisha Supernant. Together, they offered insights on what it means to care for ourselves and each other in a fractured world.
Rediscovering lineages of care
The panel began with a candid exploration of care’s origins at the root of each of their personal stories. Jael Richardson reflected on growing up without a clear sense of ancestral lineage, instead finding grounding in her Christian upbringing and the radical love embodied by the person Jesus Christ was, separate from the Christian institution. Her journey towards understanding care has been shaped by her work with The FOLD (Festival of Literary Diversity), which creates spaces for marginalized voices in Canadian literature. Richardson described the ongoing challenge of fostering true inclusion in ways that go beyond tokenism to cultivate belonging and empowerment.
Kisha Supernant drew on her expertise in Indigenous archaeology and Métis heritage to highlight the importance of reclaiming Indigenous knowledge systems. She explained that, for many Indigenous communities, care is not an individual act but a way of being that centres relationality, reciprocity, and responsibility to land and kin. These principles, she argued, offer powerful alternatives to the isolation and alienation imposed by colonial structures.
The intersections of grief, love, and vulnerability
Joining virtually from Vancouver while caring for his terminally ill dog, Billy-Ray Belcourt brought a deeply personal and poetic perspective to the conversation. His work, including the acclaimed memoir A History of My Brief Body, explores the intersections of grief, love, and queerness in Indigenous life. Belcourt spoke movingly about how caring for his dog in a time of loss illuminated the necessity of vulnerability—not as weakness, but as a site of connection, hope, and transformation.
Belcourt’s reflections echoed broader discussions of care work in queer and Indigenous communities, where formal supports are often lacking, and informal networks become lifelines. He challenged the audience to see care not as a burden, but rather as a radical act that has the power to disrupt cycles of isolation and foster resilience.
Building inclusive communities through radical care
Moderator Kai Cheng Thom wove the panel’s threads together by inviting participants to consider what it truly means to practise radical care. Drawing on her own experience as a conflict mediator and community healer, Thom emphasized the importance of moving beyond individualism and embracing collective responsibility. She cited examples from her book Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars, which imagines a world where chosen families and communities provide the support that mainstream institutions often fail to deliver.
The panelists discussed the challenges of building inclusive communities, especially in the face of systemic barriers such as racism, ableism, and economic inequality. Richardson highlighted the need for ongoing self-reflection and accountability, noting that even well-intentioned efforts at inclusion can fall short without a willingness to listen and adapt. Supernant underscored the value of land-based practices and the importance of reconnecting with traditional teachings as pathways to collective well-being.
From isolation to interdependence
Throughout the discussion, a common theme emerged: the urgent need to move from isolation toward interdependence. The panelists called for a reimagining of care as a shared, ongoing practice—one that honours vulnerability, celebrates difference, and builds bridges across divides. Whether through literature, land, or lived experience, each speaker offered a vision of togetherness rooted in compassion and mutual support.
As the conversation drew to a close, participants were left with a powerful reminder that collective well-being is not a distant ideal, but a practice we can nurture every day—by listening, by showing up, and by weaving care into the very fabric of our communities.