Strong Growth from Year to Year

History in Europe

The aim of this friendly event, which began in France in 1999, is to encourage neighbours to get together for a drink or meal on a given day at the end of May each year. Mr. Atanase Périfan, a municipal elected official in Paris, founded this event. The objective is to create a sense of solidarity among neighbours and build more human-oriented cities. In 2007, nearly 7 million Europeans participated in Neighbours Day celebrations in their neighbourhood. In fact, in addition to France, Neighbours’ Day is now celebrated in 28 countries. Wherever this event has been put on, it has been a great success. To find out more about Neighbours Day in France and Europe, go to http://www.european-neighbours-day.com

History in Quebec

With impetus by the Réseau québécois de Villes et Villages en santé, which has been the promoting organization in Quebec, the province was the first to emulate the Europeans here in North America in 2006. For the 2007 edition, 94 municipalities and local organizations from across Quebec participated and hundreds of residents responded to the invitation by organizing a festive get-together with their neighbours. More than 600 celebrations were organized, which is a truly remarkable success. 

Creating Bonds of Friendship with your Immediate Neighbours

Many communities in Quebec host neighbourhood celebrations, family events or community gatherings on holidays, the Saint-Jean-Baptiste to name just one. However, these events do not necessarily allow neighbours to get to know one another better because they cover much wider areas and people do not always meet up with their neighbours. Neighbours Day is an opportunity for people who see one another everyday, but who do not necessarily speak to each other, to break the ice, to make new acquaintances, to develop friendships and eventually a spirit of helping one another. 

Create New Dynamics Between Neighbours 

Faced with individualism and a sense of everyone for themselves, we feel it is necessary to develop a spirit of neighbourhood solidarity, which will complement our sense of family, social and institutional solidarity. In order to strengthen a social fabric that is often fragile, Neighbours Day can be a catalyst for a new dynamic between neighbours where cordiality, mutual assistance and solidarity have more importance. With tighter bonds between neighbours, there could be a greater feeling of belonging and safety, a greater interest in getting involved in one’s community, a desire to use the resources in one’s community to get support. Who knows what could happen. 

To get an idea of the benefits Neighbours Day could have for your neighbourhood,  read the testimonies and visit the discussion forum.