This week I have the pleasure of introducing Dr. Kate Mulligan as author of the Connecting Conversations blog. Kate is a leading Canadian public health expert and the founding director of the Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing (CISP). She is widely recognised for her work in advancing community health and well-being through innovative, community-centred approaches. She is an Assistant Professor in Social and Behavioural Health Sciences at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. In her role as Scientific Director of CISP, she leads efforts to integrate health and social care through community-based interventions.

Her research explores the impact of community leadership and neighbourhood-level strategies on health and well-being. A strong advocate for social prescribing, Kate promotes connecting individuals to non-clinical services—such as arts, culture, recreation, and social supports—as a way to improve overall health outcomes.

Kate has been instrumental in supporting the development of Canadian models of social prescribing across the country's provinces. I first met Kate (virtually) some years ago after Tim Anfilogoff, Alyson McGregor (Altogether Better) and Dr Marie-Anne Essam visited Kate and her team in Canada to start in earnest their journey of co-design of the Canadian modelling for social prescribing. Since then, our paths have crossed many times and her energy and passion for working from the grass roots of communities is inspirational. I admire her tenacity in seeking to grow and sustain from existing strengths and assets, recognising the power in community led approaches.

I am delighted that Kate has kindly shared her current thinking with us all.

Happy Reading!

Siân 

Social Prescribing and Democracy in a changing world - Kate Mulligan

Can something as simple and local as social prescribing help us "meet the moment" of a changing global order marked by growing conflict, environmental instability, and an increasing sense of precarity?

In Canada, where I live, our new Prime Minister is a former Canadian and UK central banker who is focused on trade, putting our economic "elbows up" to weather the rapid changes in our relationship with our US neighbours and the world. But he has also argued that economics isn't everything – that market economies shouldn't slide into market societies where price determines the value of absolutely everything.

What would I say to our new PM, and others like him, about the potential of social prescribing at this moment in history?

I'd tell them that while social prescribing is often viewed through a purely healthcare or social welfare lens, it is also a pragmatic, effective strategy to strengthen democracy and societal resilience in times of stress and external shocks. By sharing decision making with participants and connecting people with opportunities to volunteer, join local organizations, or participate in community-led initiatives, social prescribing fosters agency, self-determination and collective responsibility – the lifeblood of a thriving democracy.

I'd say that the return on investment is great, while the costs of inaction are high. Fractured societies are more vulnerable to internal unrest and external manipulation; when citizens feel alienated and disconnected, they can become susceptible to extremist ideologies and divisive narratives. Social isolation and exclusion, and their resulting mental and physical health challenges, are also significant drags on healthcare and productivity costs. Social prescribing initiatives that foster cross-group interaction and build trust at the local level can act as a powerful bulwark against destabilizing forces – that is, as an investment in more secure and stable domestic environments – while reducing costs and boosting social and economic participation by $4.43 on the dollar.

I'd share something they already know: that democracy works best when people are engaged, connected, and empowered to participate equitably in civic life. This means local initiatives that build skills and create informal safety nets are not just "feel-good" programs: they are strategic investments in community resilience.

Social prescribing, when strategically implemented, is about building resilient communities that reduce societal friction, support an engaged population and workforce, and enhance overall security. In a time when the threads of our societies feel increasingly frayed, the idea of intentionally prescribing self-determination, connection, empathy, and shared purpose offers a hopeful and practical pathway towards strengthening our democracies from the ground up. 

About Kate:

Part of the world I live: Toronto, Canada (Treaty 13, Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, traditional lands of the Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit, and home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and the world).

Occupation: Scientific Director, Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing & Associate Professor, University of Toronto

What makes you well? The sense of flow that happens when I'm really engaged with something, from writing to listening to creating to walking!

Why is social prescribing important? Social prescribing addresses those parts of our health that clinical care can't reach. It helps us re-build and re-value our relational ways of being in the world.

Your favourite nature based space? My tiny front yard, where my kids play, my husband gardens, our apple tree draws passers-by and neighbours gather to chat.

Your favourite music? I love all kinds of music and am a big fan of playing the ukulele these days.

Your favourite pastime? Listening to history podcasts.

If you had one wish for social prescribing what would it be? For it to be part of every neighbourhood, strengthening our local resilience and relationships.

What are your leadership tips for others who want to set up social prescribing projects? Whatever you think your next step is, you're right. Take that step, and then the next, and you'll be on your way before you realise it.

Which one person has most influenced you and why? My friend Dr. J.R. Baker leads the Australian Social Prescribing Institute for Research and Education; he has a sly critique and loves to build things rather than tear them down. He is always there for me.

Any advice for others when working in this space with communities? Take breaks, take turns, take care; we're in this together for the long haul.