Elections are a “Zero Cost” Opportunity for Socializing … but what follows?

 

By Kendall Worth!

A Bit of Background: 

We are now into the final week of the 2024 snap election, here in Nova Scotia. Today I want to focus my BLOG not on policy and politics, but on the opportunity that elections provide for members of my community to socialize with a broader group of people from the community at large. 

As I have written elsewhere, election campaigns provide a special opportunity for Income Assistance recipients to get out and meet people in a setting that is very different from our usual gathering places of drop-in centres and soup kitchens. 

All election campaigns actively seek volunteers to help out in different roles, and this provides a ‘zero cost opportunity’ for people who are otherwise socially isolated in the community.  I know a couple of people who are doing just this in the current election. They consider the election a nice break from the day-to-day routine of their normal life, which has limited options for socialisation and are generally limited to gatherings at drop-ins like Souls Harbour, Hope Cottage, and similar centres. 

These First Voices tell me that one major difference is that when volunteering in an election campaign, they seem to face much less stigma compared to when they engage with people – particularly “better off” people - in other, non-election social settings. 

I have of course addressed the issue of social stigma faced by Income Assistance recipients in numerous articles and blogs: specifically, here, here, here and most recently here.  And I have written about my own personal experience, the first time I volunteered on an election campaign in 2017.  For me, I found the experience of contributing to a campaign team was an excellent opportunity to develop skills and build relationships, both of which were helpful for my ongoing work as an advocate for my community. 

The big downside of working as a volunteer on an election campaign is that this is only a short-term, temporary opportunity.  Election campaigns usually last only 6 – 7 weeks, and once we get past Election Day (November 26th, this time) this outlet for engagement and socializing will no longer be available.  

This can be a bit of a let down for people, and those I have spoken with this month are not looking forward to life returning to normal on November 27th and the limited opportunities for socializing while standing in line at food-banks and soup-kitchens.

And here is why they feel that way!

Unlike other avenues of socialization, there are two characteristics of elections campaigns that make them suitable for people on social assistance. Firstly, their short-term, temporary nature removes a lot of the social pressures found elsewhere. The Campaign Team know that they will be working together for only a few weeks, so everyone does their best to get along and overlook differences that otherwise may be an obstacle to getting along. 

Secondly, the nature of the campaigns and the volunteers helps to make Campaign Offices a relatively stigma-free environment. It can be a shock for income assistance recipients who have participated in a Campaign Team to then return to the “normal” world where they face all sorts of obstacles and stigma. They may also grieve the loss of friendships that were established during the campaign, but then end abruptly.  

I have written about the various challenges that individuals in my community face trying to maintain friendships over time, both here and here.  The day after the election, the Campaign Team disbands, the office is closed and everyone return to their normal lives of paid employment or other voluntary work.  

As I have written previously, the reality for most recipients of employment assistance is that they just do not have the financial resources or social opportunities for an active and engaged life, and post-election, they can easily slip back into social isolation.  

The current election is particularly problematic in this regard because of its timing. After Election Day, we will roll straight into December and the Christmas Holiday Season.  As I have written in previous BLOGs,  the Christmas season can be a time of great loneliness, sadness and social isolation for many welfare recipients.  They do not have the social network or financial resources to go for different festive occasions. For one reason or another, many are also unable to spend the Holidays with friends or family. It would be nice to think that some of the new friendships established while volunteering on the campaign could translate into holiday invitations, but from my observation, that does not tend to be the way the world works. 

So, in wrapping up …. 

This conversation about the social dimension of election campaigns has brought me full circle, back to the issue of social policy and politics.  Here in Nova Scotia, we need to look seriously at establishing a Social Prescription Organization to fight loneliness and isolation and address the need for social inclusion and engagement amongst income assistance recipients and other members of my community.  

I have written frequently about this issue in recent BLOGs and it is at the TOP of my list for policy changes I would like to see coming out from this election. 

I think this should be a TOP PRIORITY for addressing the social isolation and mental health faced by members of my community. 

Let us also hope that the next Government of Nova Scotia will keep Income Assistance reform high on the political agenda: there is much unfinished business from the ESIA Transformation Plan launched by the McNeil Government but then abandoned. 

I will close this BLOG with a note to my readers, informing you that in an upcoming BLOG I will share some of the conversations I am having with individuals and organizations on the topic of establishing a Social Prescribing Organization in HRM. Stay tuned! 

Kendall Worth is an award-winning anti-poverty activist who lives with disabilities and tries to make ends meet on income assistance.