Buddy Benches are currently used to encourage inclusion in elementary schools, and the City of Edmonton is hoping the same principle can help reduce urban isolation in our city. On June 27, 2017, Buddy Benches were placed in Edmonton neighbourhoods as a pilot project to help turn strangers into neighbours.

These benches are specifically painted to invite people to sit on them all year round. If someone notices a person sitting on a Buddy Bench, they are encouraged to sit with them and start up a conversation.

The Buddy Bench Pilot Project is part of the “Hello, How Are You?” (https://www.edmonton.ca/programs_services/for_communities/hello-how-are-you) campaign, which encompasses two council initiatives: the Council Initiative on Urban Isolation and Mental Health (https://www.edmonton.ca/programs_services/for_communities/urban-isolation-mental-health) and the Council Initiative on Seniors (https://www.edmonton.ca/programs_services/for_communities/senior-isolation-loneliness). The campaign encourages Edmontonians to connect within their communities to help prevent social isolation. The pilot came about after a young boy approached city administration hoping to have his school’s Buddy Bench concept implemented on a larger scale. Thanks to this suggestion, Buddy Benches will allow Edmontonians of all ages to support each other and start up a conversation simply by saying “Hello, how are you?”

Age Friendly Edmonton Partnership
In a partnership with Age Friendly Edmonton (https://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/initiatives_innovation/age-friendly-edmonton), we are proud to announce that we have new wooden Buddy Benches around the city. These benches are specifically painted and wrapped in vinyl. Visit a bench today and make sure to say “Hello, How are you?”.

For additional information on Buddy Benches, please go to: https://www.edmonton.ca/programs_services/for_communities/buddy-benches

This was one single topic among many, from the January 2018 Mixed Topic survey. To view the survey questions, click on the following link:

Open from January 9 - 16, 2018.

At the time the survey was launched survey invitations were sent to 7,122 Insight Community Members. 2,187 members completed the survey which represents a completion rate of 31%. A total of 2,297 respondents completed the survey: 2,187 Insight Community Members and 110 using the anonymous link(s) which will have no demographic info.

Column definitions can be found as an attachment to this dataset (under the About option, in the Attachment section).