how to build a community

tim posted this 22nd November 2008 5:01pm

Alastair Mcintosh was a great speaker at the Do lectures. A real diamond of a gentleman, bringing some people to tears with his heartfelt stories. His communication was more than enough to send me to the book shop to buy the Shumacher briefing number 15 entitled ‘rekindling the community.’ it’s an incredible book and one i believe that will change lives through doing. in the book there’s a page entiltled “how to build a community.”

here’s what it says:

 

  • turn off your tv
  • leave your house
  • know your neighbours
  • greet people
  • look up when you’re walking
  • sit on your stoop
  • plant flowers
  • use your library
  • play together
  • buy from local merchants
  • share what you have
  • help a lost dog
  • take children to the park
  • honour elders
  • support neighbourhood schools
  • fix it even if you didn’t break it
  • have pot lucks
  • garden together
  • pick up litter
  • read stories aloud
  • dance in the street
  • talk to your mail carrier
  • lsiten to the birds
  • put up a swing
  • help carry something heavy
  • barter for your goods
  • start a tradition
  • ask a question
  • hire young people for odd jobs
  • organise a block party
  • bake extra and share
  • ask for help when you need it
  • open your shades
  • sing together
  • share your skills
  • take back the night
  • turn up the music
  • turn down the music
  • listen before you react to anger
  • mediate a conflict
  • seek to understand
  • learn from new and uncomfortable angles
  • know that no one is silent though many are not heard
  • work to change this
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Posted in by the way, editor's blog, environment, life, the DO lectures / 2 Comments
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  1. timon scheven Says:
    January 15th, 2009 at 4:42 pm

    Great – love it!

  2. Steve Hopkins Says:
    January 29th, 2009 at 6:29 am

    Great list – thanks for sharing. I especially like the “barter for your goods” part. In my community, most of the shops are franchised, or at least at the point were things are assumedly ‘beyond negotiation.’

    But bartering for your goods is a very key thing that helps build community, rather than destory it as most of us probably assume. Asking the question “can you do any better on that” quickly gets you to a place of understanding where someone else is at, and helps you gain an insight into the other side of the fence.

    Love it – thanks for the post, it opened my eyes to something I hadn’t considered before.