I was walking through a beautiful neighborhood in Vancouver, (off of Commercial Drive) when I spotted a flyer that caught my eye. The bottom of it said "if you take this poster, make copies & pass it on! I like the idea of one person's vision that gets passed on. Something that starts off as a small spark, a thought, that picks up momentum and grows exponentially over time. So here you are, if you like it make copies and pass it on.
How to Build a Community
turn off your tv~leave your house~know your neighbors
greet people~look up when you're walking~sit on your front steps
plant flowers~use your library~play together~buy from local merchants
share what you have~help a lost dog~take children to the park
honor elders~support neighbourhood schoools~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 the mail carrier~listen to the birds
put up a swing~help someone carry something heavy~barter for your goods
start a tradition~ask a question~hire young people for odd jobs
organize 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
text: Syracuse Cultural Workers
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I recently created a shirt design for the great sitting. ALL proceeds go the the Lance Armstrong Foundation, helping people living with cancer.
when I went to cape town I was amazed in some areas when i drove down the road and saw nearly everyone in the street standing at the gate or in their front yards talking to each other.
In these areas its completely normal to call your neighbour your aunt and to regularly go to her when you need advice/sugar/counselling/scissors etc.
I could never get use to the quiet and absence in the streets when i got back to Australia.
I dont know what happened to the idea of 'community' in our society, it just seems to have died out along with cute little villages and milkmen.
p.s wendell berry writes some great things/poems on community.
Posted by: k on July 23, 2004 07:27 AMwhen i first moved to this town i thought it was a dump. i was very unhappy and didn't bother taking a picture of it for 2 years. i slowly became involved with the community. beautification projects, volunteering with the literacy group, helping out my neighbours, taking party in community events. now i go around almost every weekend snapping away. it's still a dump, but there is some beauty to it that i am learning to appreciate. and i feel a lot better about living here.
Posted by: chlamygirl on July 23, 2004 07:10 AMI will definitely pass this on. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Posted by: toni on July 22, 2004 11:21 PMThanks so much for posting this! I think I'm going to pass it around my workplace. We've been discussing ways to build communication and community here, and those ideas can be used in so many contexts.
The t-shirt design is great, as well!
Posted by: kat on July 22, 2004 02:04 PMPassing this out to MY community today....
Posted by: Michelle on July 22, 2004 03:53 AMi never really felt a part of my community as an adult until i got my dog a few years ago. living in the city is lonely until you're taking this dog out and she's meeting other dogs, people and checking things out. dogs are good company!
btw, congratulations on your engangement. it is simply wonderful.
Posted by: lena on July 21, 2004 06:40 PMI have that poster, too (from the Syracuse Cultural Workers) and everyone always asks about it. It's also a great present. ;)
Posted by: emdot on July 21, 2004 01:08 PM