What makes the difference between being welcomed into a place and truly feeling that you belong? That question was at the heart of the first gathering of Stories of Place, held at the University of the Fraser Valley on October 23.

The afternoon brought together people from across the community for personal stories, conversation and reflection. The premise was simple: if we want to build a stronger, more welcoming Fraser Valley, we need to understand what belonging feels like—and what helps make it possible.

Finding the courage to speak—and the willingness to listen

The gathering opened with the music video for Sara Bareilles’ Brave, a deliberate choice that set the tone for the afternoon. In his opening remarks, Ted Yudelson, Co-Chair of the Fraser Valley Human Dignity Coalition and founder of The Human Dignity Project, reflected on the song’s message: courage may begin with finding one's voice, but it grows when someone makes room to hear it.
 

He introduced the central belief behind Stories of Place: belonging begins with voice. When people share their lived experiences, they offer us a path toward understanding and a deeper appreciation of our shared humanity. A welcome, he suggested, is more than an open door. It is what happens after someone walks through it—whether they are heard, whether they can participate, and whether they can bring their whole story with them.

With that in mind, he invited the audience to listen generously, notice both what felt familiar and what surprised them, and recognize that sharing a personal story is an act of trust.

The audience then turned to someone they had not met and began a conversation around a deceptively simple question: What makes a person feel like they belong?

Three stories, three journeys toward belonging

Three storytellers brought the question to life through very different experiences, each offering a glimpse into what it means to find—or struggle to find—a place in the world.

Stephanie Ohlmann: It Starts With Hello

Stephanie shared the story behind Hello Abbotsford, a children's book inspired by the many languages spoken in our community and the importance of seeing those languages represented in children's literature. She invited the audience to greet her in their first languages, filling the room with a chorus of hellos.

Her message was both joyful and challenging: a greeting can open a door, but genuine belonging asks us to do more. It asks us to make room for other people's languages, stories and experiences. Stephanie left the audience with a question that had been put to her: Would you do more?
 

Akberet Beyene: Passport Please

In a deeply personal reading from Geographies of the Heart, Akberet recounted her journey from Eritrea, where her work as a journalist was silenced under dictatorship, to Canada, where she began rebuilding her life. Her story revealed the vulnerability of being a stranger in an unfamiliar place—and the profound difference a single act of kindness can make.

Belonging, she reminded us, doesn't require leaving the past behind. It means finding room for the home we have lost and the home we are learning to build.

Albino Nyuol: Child Soldier

Albino shared his extraordinary journey from childhood in war-torn Sudan, through refugee camps in Kenya, to a new life in Canada. Along the way, education, perseverance and the kindness of others helped him move forward.

Today, as a settlement worker with Archway Community Services, he helps newcomer families navigate their own journeys. His story brought the theme of welcome full circle: those who have experienced the difference a helping hand can make are often well placed to extend that hand to others. His invitation was simple: when you meet someone new in Abbotsford who seems lost, walk alongside them for a little while.

A conversation that brought the stories home

Following the readings, co-moderators Inaam Charaf and Raymonde Tickner led a panel discussion and audience Q&A, giving participants an opportunity to explore the stories and consider what they might mean for our own community.

A Community Wall featuring words of welcome in fifteen languages offered a further reminder of the richness already present in the Fraser Valley. As the afternoon concluded, attendees were invited to share a memory in response to the prompt: “The smallest welcome I ever received that I still remember is…”

In his closing remarks, Ted thanked the audience for choosing to listen to their neighbours, noting that listening itself is a form of welcome—and that a story needs someone willing to receive it. He thanked the storytellers for trusting the room with something of themselves and for reminding us that welcome is rarely elaborate. It may be no more than a word, a gesture or a door held open a moment longer. He left everyone with a practical invitation: before the next gathering, learn a greeting in a language new to you and offer it to a neighbour, a colleague or someone you meet in passing. Stumbling over the words is all right; the effort itself is the gift. Somewhere in our city, he observed, is a person who would light up to hear their own language offered to them. That small gesture might become a welcome they remember for years.

Upon leaving
The Belonging Wall invited guests to complete the prompt, “The smallest welcome I ever received that I still remember is…”—turning personal memories into a shared reflection on how small acts of kindness can create a lasting sense of belonging.

What we took away

Although the three stories were different, they shared a powerful thread. Belonging rarely begins with grand gestures. It often starts with a hello, someone willing to listen, a door opened at the right moment, or a person who chooses to walk beside us rather than leave us to find our way alone.

But welcome is more than a moment of kindness. It is also about what happens next: whether people are heard, whether they can participate fully, and whether they can bring their whole story with them.

The gathering reminded us that building a more welcoming community is not simply the responsibility of institutions or organizations. It begins in the everyday choices we make in how we greet, listen to and respond to one another.

You didn't have to be at the first gathering to be part of the conversation. Its central question belongs to all of us: What can we do to help the people around us feel that they belong?

The conversation continues

Stories of Place is a five-part series exploring the many dimensions of belonging. Each gathering approaches the question from a different perspective, creating opportunities to hear one another's stories, discover unexpected connections and consider how we can build a community in which more people feel safe, valued and at home.

The next gathering, When Does Here Become Home?, will explore the journey from arriving in a place to truly feeling at home. The date will be announced soon.

Stories of Place is presented by the UFV Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, in partnership with the Fraser Valley Human Dignity Coalition and The Human Dignity Project. The inaugural event was made possible with financial assistance from the City of Abbotsford, Vancouver Foundation and Abbotsford Community Foundation through the Neighbourhood Small Grants Fund.