A History of Neighbors Day
1999: Neighbors Day was created in 1999 in Paris by Atanase Périfan, the deputy mayor of the 17th arrondissement. Périfan planned this event in response to the passing of an elderly woman in his district who was not discovered for months. He created Neighbors Day to help neighbors get to know each other and to foster a feeling of belonging in a big city. The first year, 800 homes (10,000 neighbors) participated.
2000: Neighbors Day was then launched in 2000 across France. That year, more than 30 municipalities took part in the celebration.
2003: Neighbors Day spread to Belgium and 10 European cities, with more than three million people participating.
2006: Neighbors Day was celebrated in 30 countries on five continents and it brought together about six million neighbors.
2015: More than 30 million people worldwide participated in Neighbors Day celebrations in their communities.
2017: Neighbors Day was held in Essex Junction and the event created awareness around the state about the importance of bringing neighbors together.
2018: The State of Vermont was the first state in the US to celebrate Neighbors Day.
2019: Vermont will hold its 2nd Annual Neighbor's Day celebration on June 1, 2019!
2000: Neighbors Day was then launched in 2000 across France. That year, more than 30 municipalities took part in the celebration.
2003: Neighbors Day spread to Belgium and 10 European cities, with more than three million people participating.
2006: Neighbors Day was celebrated in 30 countries on five continents and it brought together about six million neighbors.
2015: More than 30 million people worldwide participated in Neighbors Day celebrations in their communities.
2017: Neighbors Day was held in Essex Junction and the event created awareness around the state about the importance of bringing neighbors together.
2018: The State of Vermont was the first state in the US to celebrate Neighbors Day.
2019: Vermont will hold its 2nd Annual Neighbor's Day celebration on June 1, 2019!
Vermont Neighbors Day Resolution
This Resolution was passed on the opening day of the Vermont Legislature in January 2018.
House concurrent resolution designating Saturday, June 2, 2018 as Neighbors Day in Vermont
Offered by: Representative Houghton of Essex
House concurrent resolution designating Saturday, June 2, 2018 as Neighbors Day in Vermont
Offered by: Representative Houghton of Essex
- Whereas, neighbors are the persons who reside in our immediate vicinity and whom we encounter on a daily basis, and
- Whereas, although contact with our neighbors may be frequent, we often remain unacquainted, perhaps not even knowing their names, and
- Whereas, Neighbors Day is intended to develop bonds of friendship between neighbors, and
- Whereas, the goals of Neighbors Day include: developing a stronger sense of belonging, mutual support, safety, and security in neighborhoods; establishing connections with neighbors that can be helpful in a time of crisis; creating families of choice; and promoting opportunities for fun neighborhood events, and
- Whereas, in the late 1990s, an elderly woman died in the 17th arrondissement of Paris, and her body was not discovered for months, and
- Whereas, as a result of this tragic occurrence, in 1999, the deputy mayor of the 17th arrondissement, Atanase Périfan, established Neighbors Day on the first Saturday in June with the hope of fostering a sense of belonging and lessening the likelihood of a similar occurrence, and
- Whereas, that first year, 10,000 neighbors in Paris participated, and
- Whereas, in 2000, the geographic scope of Neighbors Day grew as it was celebrated in 30 French municipalities, and in the ensuing years, the observance has expanded across Europe and eventually to five continents, and
- Whereas, by 2017, 30 million persons across the globe participated in Neighbors Day celebrations, including groups of neighbors in Essex Junction, and
- Whereas, Neighbors Day events might include neighborhood potlucks, barbecues, pancake breakfasts, picnics, pizza parties, or events not involving food such as the outdoor screening of a film, a book and plant exchange, or a game of whiffle-ball or kickball, and
- Whereas, although variations of Neighbors Day exist in the United States, no American jurisdiction has designated it as an official observance, and
- Whereas, the camaraderie of the Essex Junction events justifies encouraging Neighbors Day observances throughout Vermont, making our State the first to designate Neighbors Day officially, now therefore be it
- Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives: That the General Assembly designates Saturday, June 2, 2018 as Neighbors Day in Vermont, and urges Vermonters to organize Neighbors Day celebrations.
Neighbors Day Supporting Information:
In 2008, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation conducted a study about neighborhoods, titled Where We Live Matters for Our Health: Neighborhoods and Health.
Here is an excerpt from the final analysis:
Health can also be shaped by the social environments of neighborhoods—that is, by characteristics of the social relationships among their residents, including the degree of mutual trust and feelings of connectedness among neighbors. Residents of “close-knit” neighborhoods may be more likely to work together to achieve common goals (e.g., cleaner and safer public spaces, healthy behaviors and good schools), to exchange information (e.g., regarding childcare, jobs and other resources that affect health), and to maintain informal social controls (e.g., discouraging crime or other undesirable behaviors such as smoking or alcohol use among youths, drunkenness, littering and graffiti),1,16 all of which can directly or indirectly influence health. Children in more closely-knit neighborhoods are more likely to receive guidance from multiple adults and less likely to engage in health damaging behaviors like smoking, drinking, drug use or gang involvement. Neighborhoods in which residents express mutual trust and share a willingness to intervene for the public good have been linked with lower homicide rates.17,18 Conversely, less closely-knit neighborhoods and greater degrees of social disorder have been related to anxiety and depression.19-22
1. Sampson R, Morenoff J, Gannon-Rowley T. Assessing "neighborhood effects": Social processes and new directions in research. Annu Rev Sociol. 2002; 28:443-478.
16. Putnam RD. The prosperous community: Social capital and public life. The American Prospect. 1993; 4(13):35.
17. Sampson RJ, Raudenbush SW, Earls F. Neighborhoods and violent crime: A multilevel study of collective efficacy. Science. 1997; 277(5328):918-924.
18. Morenoff JD, Sampson RJ, Raudenbush SW. Neighborhood inequality, collective efficacy, and the spatial dynamics of urban violence. Criminology. 2001; 39(3):517-558.
19. Cutrona CE, Russell DW, Hessling RM, Brown PA, Murry V. Direct and moderating effects of community context on the psychological well-being of African American women. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2000; 79(6):1088–1101.
20. Ross CE. Neighborhood disadvantage and adult depression. J Health Soc Behav. 2000; 41(2):177-187.
21. Elliott M. The stress process in neighborhood context. Health Place. 2000; 6(4):287-299.
22. Aneshensel CS, Sucoff CA. The neighborhood context of adolescent mental health. J Health Soc Behav. 1996; 37(4):293-310.
The full study analysis can be read at http://www.commissiononhealth.org/ or here: https://goo.gl/Wlp0g9
Here is an excerpt from the final analysis:
Health can also be shaped by the social environments of neighborhoods—that is, by characteristics of the social relationships among their residents, including the degree of mutual trust and feelings of connectedness among neighbors. Residents of “close-knit” neighborhoods may be more likely to work together to achieve common goals (e.g., cleaner and safer public spaces, healthy behaviors and good schools), to exchange information (e.g., regarding childcare, jobs and other resources that affect health), and to maintain informal social controls (e.g., discouraging crime or other undesirable behaviors such as smoking or alcohol use among youths, drunkenness, littering and graffiti),1,16 all of which can directly or indirectly influence health. Children in more closely-knit neighborhoods are more likely to receive guidance from multiple adults and less likely to engage in health damaging behaviors like smoking, drinking, drug use or gang involvement. Neighborhoods in which residents express mutual trust and share a willingness to intervene for the public good have been linked with lower homicide rates.17,18 Conversely, less closely-knit neighborhoods and greater degrees of social disorder have been related to anxiety and depression.19-22
1. Sampson R, Morenoff J, Gannon-Rowley T. Assessing "neighborhood effects": Social processes and new directions in research. Annu Rev Sociol. 2002; 28:443-478.
16. Putnam RD. The prosperous community: Social capital and public life. The American Prospect. 1993; 4(13):35.
17. Sampson RJ, Raudenbush SW, Earls F. Neighborhoods and violent crime: A multilevel study of collective efficacy. Science. 1997; 277(5328):918-924.
18. Morenoff JD, Sampson RJ, Raudenbush SW. Neighborhood inequality, collective efficacy, and the spatial dynamics of urban violence. Criminology. 2001; 39(3):517-558.
19. Cutrona CE, Russell DW, Hessling RM, Brown PA, Murry V. Direct and moderating effects of community context on the psychological well-being of African American women. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2000; 79(6):1088–1101.
20. Ross CE. Neighborhood disadvantage and adult depression. J Health Soc Behav. 2000; 41(2):177-187.
21. Elliott M. The stress process in neighborhood context. Health Place. 2000; 6(4):287-299.
22. Aneshensel CS, Sucoff CA. The neighborhood context of adolescent mental health. J Health Soc Behav. 1996; 37(4):293-310.
The full study analysis can be read at http://www.commissiononhealth.org/ or here: https://goo.gl/Wlp0g9
