Together Forward: Why Your Community is Essential to Your Mental Wellbeing

How belonging, connection, and shared purpose shape healthier lives and stronger communities

Loneliness isn’t just a personal struggle, it’s something many of us are feeling, all around the world. Even though we’re more digitally connected than ever, real human connection can still feel beyond reach. Busy schedules, constant notifications, and life’s pressures can quietly pull us away from one another.

At Syntero, we see this every day; and we also see the opposite. When people feel connected— to their neighbors, their schools, their communities— they’re more resilient, more supported, and better able to thrive. We believe strong communities can change lives. 

“Connection isn’t just a ‘nice to have’—it’s essential to our wellbeing at every stage of life,” says Syntero CEO Sara Harrison-Mills, LISW-S. “Human connection is one of the most powerful tools we have for supporting mental health. When communities invest in connection, they create conditions where people can thrive, emotionally, socially, and physically.” 

Across Central Ohio and beyond, we’ve seen how community helps people cope with stress, navigate uncertainty and change, and celebrate life’s joys. 

Community isn’t just about where we live; it’s about how we show up for one another.

Why Connection Matters — for All of Us

Research keeps telling us what many of us already feel: connection is deeply tied to our mental and physical health. People with strong social ties tend to experience less anxiety and depression, manage stress more effectively, and feel a stronger sense of purpose and belonging.

“Loneliness and isolation represent profound threats to our health and well-being. But we have the power to respond. By taking small steps every day to strengthen our relationships, and by supporting community efforts to rebuild social connection, we can rise to meet this moment together. We can build lives and communities that are healthier and happier.”

Vivek H. Murthy, M.D., M.B.A., 19th and 21st Surgeon General of the United States

Connection helps us regulate emotions, feel understood, and remember we’re not alone.

In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy released Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation, an advisory on the healing effects of social connection and community on loneliness and isolation. Dr. Murthy shared that communities with strong social networks, built on trust, shared experiences, and mutual support see better health outcomes, lower mortality rates, and stronger resilience during crises.  

Leading health organizations around the globe agree. The CDC, American Psychological Association, and World Health Organization all point to social connection as a key factor in both mental and physical health.  

Connection fosters belonging, supports emotional regulation, and helps people feel less alone — especially during times of uncertainty or transition.

Community as a Foundation for Resilience

Strong communities create spaces where people feel safe asking for help, sharing experiences, and supporting one another. Schools, neighborhoods, workplaces, faith communities, and local organizations all play a role in building these networks of care.

When we invest in community infrastructure that offers safe social spaces to get together and share experiences, meals, and companionship, we encourage connection that helps reduce stigma around mental health, encourage people to seek support earlier, and build resilience that benefits individuals, families, and future generations.

Strengthening connection is not just beneficial — it is essential.

What Connection Looks Like Across Central Ohio

Connection often grows in everyday moments. Across Central Ohio, shared experiences bring people together and strengthen community ties:

• Seasonal festivals, cultural celebrations, farmers markets, and wellness events that invite people to gather and engage

• Library programs, parks, trails, and community celebrations that create safe, inclusive, spaces for all ages

• County fairs, community picnics, volunteer projects, and local fundraisers that keep communities close-knit

• Local schools that create opportunities for the entire community to unite and strengthen community and school pride through performances, sporting events, volunteering, and celebrating student achievements. 

Even small interactions, such as chatting with a neighbor or supporting a local event, help build trust and strengthen the fabric of a community.

Connection Matters at Every Stage of Life

For children, it builds safety, confidence, and a sense of belonging. For teens, it offers identity, support, and protection during years of rapid change. For adults, community helps buffer stress, reduces isolation, and creates shared purpose. And for older adults, connection supports cognitive health, emotional wellbeing, and independence. No matter our age, being part of a community reminds us that we are seen, valued, and supported.

➡️ Starting Early: Connection for Kids and Teens 

Connection starts early. Schools are often the heart of a community and play a huge role in children’s social and emotional development. Beyond the classroom, schools are where many kids and teens first feel a sense of belonging outside their families—through clubs and social groups, sports teams, drama productions, band or choir, student leadership opportunities, or even simply sitting with friends during lunch. These everyday experiences help young people build friendships, confidence, and the feeling that they matter.

Through our partnerships with school districts across Central Ohio, Syntero provides school-based prevention programs that support mental health, teach coping skills, and strengthen social-emotional learning. These programs help young people build healthy relationships, manage emotions, and know when—and how—to ask for help.

Those skills don’t just help today. They support connection and well-being for a lifetime.

➡️ Staying Connected Through Adulthood and Aging

Connection matters just as much as we grow older. Adults balancing work, family, and caregiving can feel stretched thin, while older adults and caregivers may face isolation related to health changes or shifting social roles.

Community spaces, support groups, and accessible resources make a real difference. Initiatives like the Forever Dublin Hub—an inclusive resource center offering education, connection, and support for older adults and caregivers—show how intentional spaces can foster belonging and well-being.

By investing in relationships, showing up for one another, and supporting the organizations that care for our communities, we can build a healthier, more resilient future.

How to Build Connection Where You Live

No matter where you live, there are meaningful ways to strengthen community connection:

• Show up locally. Attend a neighborhood event, farmers market, worship service, school activity, or community gathering. Even your occasional presence builds familiarity, trust, and meaningful relationships.

• Use shared spaces. Parks, trails, recreation centers, libraries, and community centers offer natural opportunities to connect while supporting physical and mental health.

• Reach out intentionally. A quick check-in on a friend, a conversation with a stranger, or an offer of help to a neighbor can mean more than you realize.

• Volunteer your time or talents. Volunteering is one of the most direct ways to connect. Whether it’s helping out a school, your local food bank, a community festival, or a nonprofit cause or organization, volunteering brings people together around shared values while offering purpose and belonging.

• Support local causes and events. Donating financially or donating goods and services helps sustain vital programs and creates connection through shared impact. Attending or sponsoring fundraisers and community celebrations, like Syntero’s Catalyst for Positive Change Awards, strengthens shared impact and civic pride.

• Seek support when needed. Connection also means knowing when to ask for help. Syntero offers outpatient mental health counseling for individuals, families, and children, as well as specialized support for first responders, caregivers, and those navigating through every stage of addiction. If you have concerns about your mental health or think counseling may be helpful, call our intake team at, call Syntero’s intake team at 614.889.5722 ext. 133. 

Moving Together Forward

At Syntero, connection is central to everything we do.  Through our Together Forward campaign, we’re reflecting on more than 50 years of partnerships that have driven our work supporting mental health through counseling, school-based prevention, and community-based services, while looking ahead to what community wellbeing can become.

Community is built one connection at a time. Wherever you live, your presence, participation, and generosity matter. When we move Together Forward, health and wellbeing grows—for all of us.