On Sunday 27 March 2022, Relationships Australia will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Neighbour Day, its leading social connection campaign that promotes, encourages and supports sustainable respectful relationships in communities throughout Australia.
“Research shows that those who are socially connected and have numerous respectful relationships in their lives, have better mental health and well-being outcomes, and that those people are generally more resilient against the ill effects of loneliness”, said Mr Nick Tebbey, National Executive Officer, Relationships Australia.
2022 marks the 20th Neighbour Day. What started as a ‘check in on your neighbour’ campaign has grown to a community-wide and inclusive social connection movement, building the communities we want to live in, one relationship at a time.
“Loneliness affects 1 in 4 Australians, however during the pandemic, this number has increased to 1 in 2. Neighbour Day has never been more important than it is right now. Ending loneliness across Australia is everyone’s responsibility and every person, and every community benefits from building and maintaining social connection,” Mr Tebbey added.
“To celebrate the 20 year milestone, we have launched an updated brand for Neighbour Day as well as creating an interactive map, where Australians can find information about events near them (and register their own events).
“The Neighbour Day website contains a great range of resources to help support connection across the country – on Neighbour Day and every day. A recent addition to our resources has been the introduction of new resources in four key community languages. We hope these will be the beginning of increased engagement with, and support for, Australia’s diverse multicultural communities.
“In 2022, the groundswell in activity has been inspirational. Local Councils, Community Organisations, businesses and passionate individuals across Australia have joined the call to action and we have over 100 public events registered nationwide – with many more private and unregistered events also being planned. These events, which will mark the 20th Neighbour Day, are just a small taste of the neighbourly events taking place on each and every day of the year.
“One thing is clear across the nation, there is immense value in getting connected and staying connected. If there is one thing Australians do right, it’s supporting those around us in both good times and tough times.
“Help us celebrate this Neighbour Day and together let’s shift the tide on loneliness across Australia”, said Mr Tebbey.
Join us this Neighbour Day, March 27: neighbourday.org.
