Serious about Happiness: two women walking 8000 miles
The Happiness Walk, a project of Gross National Happiness USA (GNHUSA)
802-535-8383
[email protected]
Linda Wheatley and Paula Francis are serious about happiness. They have
already walked from Montreal in Quebec to Washington DC, and they have
plans for another eight thousand miles. Paula and Linda are collecting
stories of happiness, wellbeing and what really matters in life. As
co-founders of Gross National Happiness USA, they plan to use the stories
to raise national awareness of the importance of prioritizing happiness
and wellbeing, and ultimately influence public policy.
GNHUSA is a Vermont-based non-profit organization raising awareness about
measuring what matters. The organization has hosted two national
conferences and conducted a statewide happiness survey in Vermont. It also
helped pass the state’s Genuine Progress Indicator bill (S237 – ACT 113)
in 2012. GNHUSA advocates for the use of a broader set of wellbeing
indicators for policy-making and general development.
The Happiness Walk is a project of GNHUSA. The goal is to walk across the
entire USA, east to west, and then back again. They will continue to talk
to people about happiness and values. Statements collected during the
initial legs of the Walk uncovered some common values: family and
relationships, making others happy, health and education, freedom and
opportunity, nature, pets, music, faith and more. Paula and Linda believe
the consistency of these messages feed into the identification of common
values which have the power to impact systems change.
In summary, the walkers suggest that we should take happiness much more
seriously. Why? 1. Everyone seeks happiness, 2. Our systems should
therefore use appropriate indicators of happiness and wellbeing to measure
progress, and 3. Ultimately, happier individuals lead to stronger
families, workplaces, communities, societies and systems.
The 3rd leg of The Happiness Walk kicks off on Tuesday, October 7th, from
5 to 7 pm at the North Branch Cafe in Montpelier, VT. A Washington DC
kick-off party is planned for 12 to 3 on Sunday, October 12th at a private
home, and the Walk itself will resume Monday the 13th, 9:30 am at the
Jefferson Memorial in DC.
The Happiness Walk is active on twitter (@PoHWalk) and Facebook
(HappinessWalk2016) and much more information can be found at our website
www.happinesswalk.com. The walkers can be reached at
[email protected]
United States