Dear SeeingHappy Community,
Some cities are best understood not through skylines or headlines, but through the everyday moments that define them: a smile exchanged in a taxi, a mural that brightens a gray morning, a neighbor lending a hand. These are the kinds of moments that carry belonging, beauty, and hope, and they deserve to be seen.
That is why we are so excited to share Toronto Through Our Eyes, a community photography showcase presented in partnership with the Canadian Positive Psychology Association (CPPA), Canada’s national organization dedicated to advancing the science and practice of positive psychology. Together, we are inviting Toronto residents, visitors, and anyone who has ever experienced this remarkable city to submit photographs that reveal its spirit of kindness, resilience, and unity.
This initiative grows directly out of SeeingHappy’s mission: to use photography as a tool for well-being by helping people pause, notice, and reflect on the beauty around them. Until now, much of our work has been global in scope. With Toronto Through Our Eyes, we are beginning a new chapter that brings our mission into communities, showing how collective storytelling can spark pride, connection, and hope.
From August 24 through October 17, 2025, we invite you to share images that highlight Toronto’s vibrancy: everyday acts of kindness, splashes of color in unexpected places, gatherings that bridge cultures, or the resilience of the natural world in the heart of the city. Winning entries will receive prizes including Amazon gift cards and CPPA memberships, and selected photos will be featured at a Community Exhibition at The Bentway on November 18, 2025, with the potential for additional pop-up exhibitions across Toronto.
And one more thing: we need your help to spread the word. Know someone in Toronto? Please forward this newsletter to them and invite them to submit their photos. If you are in the Toronto area and want to contribute by sharing this initiative locally, whether with schools, community groups, or neighbors, you will be helping us bring more positive stories to light across the city. Each share helps transform this showcase into a true community movement, turning SeeingHappy subscribers into ambassadors for hope.
Toronto’s story begins now, and with it, a reminder that photography has the power to uncover belonging, beauty, and resilience wherever we choose to look.
With gratitude,
The Team at SeeingHappy
This newsletter was partially edited using ChatGPT-4.
1 thought on “Belonging in Focus”
I am honored to have taken part in this photo contest and looking forward to attending the event at Bentway Studios this upcoming week.
I am ever grateful to Seeing Happy for creating this space where I can share the emotions I have captured.