Choose positivity

Medicine Hat – The City of Medicine Hat has partnered with Sandfly Marketing Inc. to launch a new campaign that will encourage positive conversation and interactions to support community well-being. The “Choose” campaign will launch on February 15 and will provide an opportunity to collaborate with the community to build optimism and positivity with testimonials and stories.

“The last two years have been very challenging. The pandemic has taken a tremendous toll on our economy and mental health, and social media has contributed to significant divide in our community and beyond,” said Colleen Graham, Director of Corporate Communications with the City of Medicine Hat. “But Medicine Hat is full of remarkable people with great perspectives, and we want to amplify those voices.”

The “Choose” campaign features a variety of Medicine Hat residents, including Mayor Linnsie Clark and all of City Council, sharing their thoughts on choosing empathy, compassion, and optimism. The campaign will be featured on the City’s Shape Your City public engagement website, where residents will be encouraged to share their own positive perspectives and stories, which may in turn be featured on the City’s social media channels.

Sandfly Marketing Inc. developed the campaign on behalf of the City and hopes to see an impact locally. “Unfortunately, our community has recently been faced with tough days. This has caused division and discouragement. Although we know it is difficult to change human behavior, perhaps we can make a small difference with this campaign towards positivity and acceptance,” said Myrna Stark, CEO.

Mayor Linnsie Clark is happy to see an effort that supports healing in our community.

“Our community has faced a lot of challenges over the past few years and many of our neighbors, friends and loved ones are struggling,” said Clark. “We all have the power to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Sometimes when we are struggling, things like kindness, patience, generosity, and hope can feel difficult and we can lose sight of the impact that we have on those around us. Obviously, a campaign isn’t going to fix everything, but maybe it will serve a gentle reminder to each of us of the incredible power we have to make a positive difference.”

The campaign was funded through a Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) grant. FCSS funding supports projects or programs that are preventative in nature, meet provincial FCSS strategic directions, and improve the social well-being of individuals, families, or community.

“We think there are a lot of people who want to see more optimism, and we’re hopeful that these messages will not only brighten their day but also generate more positive conversation,” said Shona Dickie, Manager of Community Supports. “It’s about building up our community and encouraging everyone to treat one another with respect and kindness – even when we have different viewpoints.”

Residents are encouraged to visit www.shapeyourcity.medicinehat.ca and get involved.

“We want to create community momentum behind the campaign and feature as many residents as possible,” added Graham. “There will be some who choose to criticize the effort, but we’re hopeful that the positive voices will prevail. I think we all need that right now.”

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For media enquiries, please contact:
media@medicinehat.ca