IN THE NEWS
TORONTO, ON (September 14, 2017), Remember the last time you turned your phone off, took a break from the hectic pace and looked someone in the eye? Or the last time you connected with old friends, maybe your extended family or maybe even the neighbours on your street? Remember that last time you took the time to connect face to face? If you thought it felt pretty good, then you are one of more than 18 million fellow Canadians that say their lives are positively impacted when they see friends. The Generator Project is back for our semi-annual Generator Weekend this October 6,7,8 and wants to remind people about the importance of face to face social connection and inspire you to take action.
Research shows that isolation is a growing issue – with an alarming five million it’s impact is affecting all of us. In fact, an alarming five million Canadians have stated that they don’t have friends to see. Face to face social connection has numerous benefits to your mental and physical health and well-being. It reduces anxiety and depression, has a positive impact on your mental and physical health, increases your chances of living longer by 50% and is one of the single largest indicators of happiness in your life.
Face to face social connection is good for your mental and physical health.
On Generator Weekends, The Generator Project wants to inspire you to make us the excuse to send out the invite and get connected with family, friends and neighbours. We all have that long list of people that we have been meaning to connect with, we have all just been a little distracted. From Friday Oct 6th at 5:00pm until midnight on October 8th, The Generator Project is encouraging Canadians to find some time to step off the treadmill, put down the technology and connect with friends, family and their community, face to face. To join the movement and have your chance to win incentive prizes, register your Generator Project today at GeneratorProject.org.
“The pace of the world has sped up dramatically over the past decade and technology has only added to the distraction – taking us away from one of the things that makes us happier and healthier, face to face social connection.” said Pete Bombaci, founder, The Generator Project. “We created The Generator Project to remind people about the importance of these connections and our Generator Weekends are intended to make it easy to take action.”
Generator Weekend events can be as simple as having coffee with neighbours, a BBQ with family and friends, or a ball hockey game with the entire street. With research showing 51 percent of Canadians want to spend more time with friends, The Generator Project’s aim is to be the inspiration to act on this desire for increased connection. Big or small, it doesn’t really matter what your event looks like, just as long as you make that effort to get connected face to face.
“Connectedness promotes health whereas Isolation heightens the risk for illness. Our well-being and health is deeply tied to our connections with others. ”said Dr. John Oliffe, PhD, Professor at the School of Nursing, University of British Columbia. “Social Connection is a factor in improving mental health and well-being, anxiety and depression, self-esteem, empathy and even longevity of life. It’s a basic human need and The Generator Project is working to remind us how important it is to stay connected.”
This October 6-8th, celebrate Generator Weekend 2017 and see the benefits of taking a break from the things we think we need the most. Become a generator of great conversations and connections by sending out your invite and registering your event at GeneratorProject.org – together we can change the world around us one conversation at a time.
HOW TO JOIN THE MOVEMENT
- Go to org check out ideas, download invitations and register your event
- Power down and connect face-to-face for a period of time over the Generator Weekend, from Friday October 6 at 5pm thru to Sunday October 8th at midnight.
- Share your amazing stories about getting connected after your event on our Generator Project Facebook, Twitter or Instagram accounts, but keep it till after the event so you can stay in the moment with friends, family or your neighbours!
For more information, or to connect with us online, please visit www.GeneratorProject.org.
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Pete Bombaci
416.806.1095
About The Generator Project.
The Generator Project is a movement that was inspired by the summer Blackout of 2003 on the Eastern seaboard of Canada and the United States. With no ability to connect with people through technology and with most businesses on hold, people connected. Face-to-face. With their friends, with their family and with their neighbours. The Generator Project is about reminding people about the importance of those connections and inspiring them to take action and create healthy connection habits ongoing. Join the movement, bring your community together, become a Generator.
