Are You Doing Enough to Strengthen Your Local Community?
*This is contributed content.
A lot of people misunderstand what it means to engage in their local communities. For many people, their local communities are all they have when it comes to safety, peace of mind, and sometimes even entertainment. Smaller communities tend to be closer-knit compared to city communities despite people living further away from each other. Places like parks and stores become communal meeting spots and you can often rely on neighbors to help you with different tasks from watching your dog to offering their expertise on a DIY project.
But strengthening communities is something that lies in the hands of the people. It’s something that needs to be initiated by the people itself and isn’t something that the local government or councils can actually force. If you’re a strong supporter of your local community then here are a couple of ways to strengthen it and encourage more people to get involved.
Encouraging and enhancing the community through religion
The power of prayer is something that you absolutely cannot underestimate. Religion can bring people together and, for many people, is one of the main things that connects them to others, allowing them to meet new people and expand their personal networks. This is one of the reasons why a lot of community-driven events start from places of worship like a church, even if the event is not inherently religious.
If you are a prominent figure in your local community, representing a particular faith, then you are in a fantastic position to initiate new events, encourage people to get out and be a part of the community, and also promote positivity and teamwork among the inhabitants of your community.
Introducing positive changes through community-driven events
Highlighting the positivity and diversity in your community through public events is a wonderful way to bring people together. You could host markets, shows, and even fitness groups to bring different types of people together. By encouraging them to bring something that represents themselves, you can create an inspiring and positive atmosphere that helps everyone learn more about their neighbors.
Running local community events can be tricky if you are not experienced in them. There is a lot of management involved, so it helps if you have a team of other people who share the same sentiment and want to encourage community activity. In addition, you could make use of software like volunteer management software in order to promote events, manage schedules, and facilitate volunteer sign-ups. Utilizing such tools will help to streamline the organizational aspect of such events.
Representing the people in different ways
A great way to get your community noticed and to represent and advocate for your beliefs is to represent your platform on a political level. This is a great example of what people such as Cynthia Telles have done. As a representative of her Latino community, she has highlighted the problems her people are facing and has consistently pushed for different reforms and positive changes that have made life easier and more comfortable for everyone.
While it can be daunting to try and represent your entire community, a lot of smaller towns simply do not have a voice that can represent them on a larger stage. By being that change, you could introduce many positive improvements in your own community which could impact and benefit a large number of people. For some, this is usually their entry into a humble political career where they have the power to make positive and tangible changes.
Identifying issues in your local community
One of the more difficult things to come to terms with are the different problems and issues within your community. Every community, regardless of its size, faces a variety of problems that must be solved with the help of everyone within the community. However, the first hurdle to overcome is actually identifying that there is an issue in the first place. Many people shy away from these problems, refusing to acknowledge them until they become a widespread problem that eats away at the health and positivity within any community.
While it can be challenging to highlight and fix these issues, change cannot come without first identifying that a change needs to be made. Whether it’s a delinquent issue, problems with certain areas of the community or problematic families and behaviors, identifying the problem first is essential to the overall well-being of the people.
Boosting your local community can be difficult if you try to do it alone. Having allies who can help you make strong and positive changes will make life better for everyone, and it also ensures that people get the support they need from their local communities. In general, this creates a safe and positive environment for people to grow together, ensuring that your community thrives and becomes a hopeful beacon for everyone.
What kind of events have you participated in to help boost your local community? Have you ever been a part of team to organize an event such as this? What benefits have you seen in your own community from people joining forces to make positive changes?
Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
Linking up with these Fabulous Link Parties.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
16 Comments
ratnamurti
Community is so important. I do believe that being part of a community is so powerful for dealing with loneliness, hopelessness, etc. Last year I learnt the Maori language at our local Maori meeting house, which encompasses a kindy for young ‘uns, a school, an adult language school, big park grounds, cultural activites, social work … heaps. I loved it, and especially how everyone who comes is referred to as family. It warmed my heart each day.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Ratnamurti, thanks so much for sharing this comment! I love that you were able to learn a new language at your community meeting house. What a fabulous resource to build and support community, especially when it feels more like family than anything else!
xoxo
Shelbee
Kathrine Eldridge
I think this post couldn’t come at a better time. It’s so important to connect with people around you first. Thanks for sharing this Shelbee!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Kathrine! Every bit of change needs to happen on a small local scale first. Communities are our foundation and our support network so it really is important to strengthen and support them.
xoxo
Shelbee
Jennifer
Love this post! It’s super important to connect with people around you.
Jennifer
Effortlessly Sophisticated
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Jennifer! I agree!
xoxo
Shelbee
Mica
These are good tips! I think community involvement is so important! I was a little sad when I realised I couldn’t volunteer at my local ABA group for the rest of this year – I’ve been doing it for 4 years and I really enjoyed it, but I decided to try save the time and resigned. Of course then coronoavirus hit and I do have a bit more time on my hands, but I know it would be a struggle once everything reopens.
Hope you are having a nice week 🙂
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Mica, thanks so much! Volunteering is such a great way to give to our communities. And I know with the current situation, while I am sure there are lots of volunteer opportunities (new and old ones), it is so much harder to get involved especially for those of us with children. But things will return to some sort of normal soon, I hope, and we can all get back to doing the things we love to do within our communities.
xoxo
Shelbee
Patrick Weseman
And the Church says : AMEN. I am always about local because that is where things begin. I know so many people who always want to start at the top and do things on a national level. That isn’t me. I want to make sure my community is good. We need to connect locally and iron out our differences as individuals with people who live around us before trying to change the world.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
And a huge AMEN to that as well, Patrick! Everything has to start small and grow bigger from there. It doesn’t really work in the opposite direction.
xoxo
Shelbee
Omaye
Community is so important and usually is undermined by individuals. It is our communities that we get out identity from and our sense of self. Whether it be physically gathering or even facebook groups, communities allow for a place to be open about what our interest are.
Where I’m from, you’re community raises you, not just your parents. It’s sort of expected. It sad that these days people take advantage of their communities especially leaders as the only care during election years.
Always love your post. They’re so informative with a kind tone.
xxx
https://ooomaye.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Omaye, thank you so much for sharing your thoughtful input on communities. I am fortunate to live in a very supportive community myself where we are quick to join forces in times of someone else’s needs and we are also ready to celebrate the good things together. Even just in my little neighborhood, the kids all play together and are welcome in each other’s homes pretty much any time they’d like. My husband and I laughed so hard yesterday as all of the neighborhood kids were outside playing together. The little girl next door ran into our house to use the bathroom instead of her own house (which is right next door, I have to emphasize that) and it really just made us laugh so hard. It is like shared property around here! But it is a really nice feeling of a community that loves. I hope you are having a wonderful weekend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Michele Morin
I don’t do nearly enough, and really appreciate this call to action.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Michele, thank you so much! I used to do much more but have fallen off recently. I definitely need to get back to it myself.
xoxo
Shelbee
Lisa notes
I so appreciate your heart, Shelbee! I’ve become more aware of local leaders and local activities the past few years and share your zeal for their importance, even more so since coronavirus.
I live in between a large city and a small town. They’ve each had prayer gatherings the past week for racial reconciliation. I went to both, and got something valuable from each of them! They were beautiful.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Lisa, thank you so very much! I am definitely becoming more and more aware of the importance of community and standing for something good and making necessary contributions to society. I am so glad that you were able to participate in the prayer gatherings near you. What a wonderfully uplifting way to make a positive difference. Keep shining your beautiful light into the world!
xoxo
Shelbee