The Belonging Lab is a global collective of scholars who share a commitment to building social and economic systems that center on the value of belonging.
We bridge the gap between research and action, working toward a world where everyone can realise their Right to Belong.
Our work focuses on three interrelated objectives:
To conduct research that deepens our understanding of belonging and social isolation across a variety of critical areas including but not limited to climate change, migration, human rights, mental health, indigenous rights, disability rights, elderly rights, and multidimensional poverty.
To adopt and promote inclusive, participatory, and decolonial research methodologies that ensure diverse voices and perspectives are heard and valued.
To produce a range of knowledge products - such as papers, policy briefs, lesson plans, podcasts, and oral histories - and engage in advocacy, capacity-building and educational activities, mobilising knowledge for social change.
Through these objectives, the Belonging Lab is working towards a more connected, inclusive, and just world.
Our Research
At the Belonging Lab, we are committed to advancing our understanding of belonging and its impact on individuals and communities. To achieve our objectives, we specialise in conducting new research and reviewing existing studies to explore three key areas:
What Belonging is
The Belonging Lab is dedicated to exploring the essence of belonging – what it means, how it is experienced, and how it varies across different populations. We focus on groups such as persons with disabilities, migrants, Indigenous people, older adults, 2SLGBTQ++ individuals, and those experiencing poverty. Our research combines original conceptual studies and community-based approaches, alongside reviewing existing evidence, to uncover how belonging manifests in diverse contexts.
What the problem is
Our research sheds light on the scale and scope of social isolation and inequity in different global settings. We examine barriers that exclude individuals from social, legal and economic systems of power and analyse what must change to dismantle these obstacles. This work aims to understand the root causes of exclusion and the specific challenges faced by populations in asserting their right to belong, both locally and globally.
What interventions work to improve belonging
We focus on identifying and presenting data-driven insights and innovative recommendations that can guide action. Our research offers practical solutions and ideas for individuals, private sector actors, policymakers and non-profit organisations seeking to foster belonging. This area of research is solution-based, with an emphasis on implementing change at the community and policy levels.
The Belonging Lab embeds social connectedness into every research methodology, ensuring that the communities we study are at the heart of our work. We strive to place them at the forefront of decision-making and design so that their voices guide our findings and recommendations.
To achieve our objectives, we produce a variety of knowledge products – including journal articles, policy briefs and toolkits – while also engaging directly with communities through events such as seminars and roundtables. We also create short films to share our findings and amplify the voices of those driving change.
History
The Belonging Lab was officially launched at the 2022 Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness’ Global Symposium in Canada. This event brought together participants to collaboratively explore new frameworks and models for building social connectedness, with a focus on themes such as education, multidimensional poverty, public health and human rights. Since its inception, the Belonging Lab has graduated multiple cohorts of Belonging Lab Fellows – a programme designed to empower young people and individuals with diverse lived experiences to conduct innovative research on social isolation and belonging. Fellows have the chance to connect with experts, grow as researchers and community leaders, and join a global network of changemakers dedicated to creating a more connected world.
The Belonging Lab’s research is deeply rooted in and builds upon the influential work in On Belonging: Finding Connection in an Age of Isolation by Kim Samuel, providing a solid foundation for the Lab’s ongoing efforts to understand and address the challenges of belonging in our society.
Get involved
If you are a researcher interested in learning more about our work or exploring opportunities to collaborate, we would love to hear from you.