This thread is a place to share actions you take to build community. This could be your local community or community in a broader sense - after all, we’re all part of an amazing online community
As well as the non-financial benefits of building stronger communities, there are many financial benefits to building social capital too.
Offered some free items (unwanted Christmas gifts, mostly) on my street’s small FB group before posting them to Buy Nothing. Neighbours down the block wanted a few things for their kids, so now there’s another point of connection with that family
Brought surplus vege and herb seeds into work, to share with some colleagues who are planting out new gardens and expressed an interest in sharing seeds.
Helped a friend with some information on how to access certain medical care, for a relative who needs it.
I bought a coin purse from a couple kids having a small sidewalk sale. I remember having lemonade stands and sidewalk sales as a kid and getting very excited when someone stopped and bought something. And I had fun chatting with the kids for a minute and hearing them celebrate their sale. I’ll use the coin purse for my laundry quarters.
Oooh I love this! Last night I made zucchini bread and took some over to some neighbors who we miss and haven’t seen in awhile and who have had a lot of hard things happening. And we have plans to actually hang out next weekend!
I wrote a Letter to the Editor of a local paper regarding the abysmal decision of one of the close school districts to all but eliminate sex education in their schools.
I worked with leadership within my local Planned Parenthood Action Council to make sure that my letter was on message as we gear up for the next legislative session.
For all the awesome things about my state, sex ed still isn’t mandatory. As a product of their education system, I had to learn shit the hard way by seeking everything out on my own. Our young folks deserve better than that. While teenage pregnancy is at an all-time low, rates of newly contracted STIs are on the rise, and most of them are being acquired by young people. The quality of the education is to blame.
On Saturday the wiggler was the only kid at the library, so we made a point of saying hi to the library workers.
I recently joined a Facebook group about supporting local parks and historic areas, and signed a petition that was posted there to make donations by builders to the government illegal (over-development is a huge issue in my county and has been a significant contributor to two massive floods that received national coverage).
Signed up to do Trailwork Thursday morning in the park where I usually run trails!
Meeting up this evening with friends at the game cafe near my work. I don’t know if hanging out with friends should count as community building, but it’s friends I really don’t see enough off facebook, and a combination of people I don’t see together.