10 Tips for Building Community
I believe that a sense of community is best understood as a composite of four feelings: (1)a feeling of belonging; (2)a feeling of pride; (3)a feeling of inclusion; and (4)a feeling of not being alone, of knowing that others will help us even if they don’t know us personally. We are most successful in building community when:
- we focus on the gifts people have, not their deficiencies;
- we come together voluntarily to help people simply because they are part of our community, and we care about them; and
- we choose as individuals to hold ourselves accountable for what our community is, and what it can become.
A good example in Eau Claire is the work of guests, volunteers, board members, and staff at Community Table, where meals are shared at no cost to everyone who walks in the door. In addition, each Tuesday from 4:30-6pm is Community Day, where local government and community agency representatives meet, eat, and share with guests. Started by Clear Vision Eau Claire nearly a year ago, Community Day now has over 20 participating agencies.
Several years ago, I heard Ed Everett, a national speaker and retired city manager from Redwood City, CA share the following tips about building community:
- Community building is a process that takes time, thought, and persistence.
- Local government should be a catalyst for change, promote leadership, convene partnerships, build relationships, and foster social networks.
- Local government should help weave smaller associations into a broader community network.
- Community building should become a way of doing business, an everyday part of an organization’s culture and philosophy.
- Bring diverse viewpoints to the table. The more diversity you have in the room, the more creativity you will have in community problem-solving.
- Healthy communities and positive relationships go hand-in-hand. Civic vitality is built on the capacity of people to trust one another and work together.
- Citizens will engage in things that further their dreams and hopes for their neighborhood and community.
- Citizens must understand that they are responsible and accountable for the quality of life of their community as much as, if not more than, their government.
- Quality of life is different for every community.
- Measuring results is not as important as knowing that you’ve done the work of bringing people together, and helped them to make community connections.
Community building is important public work, and there is work for all of us to do. Read more about the beginning of the nationally recognized Clear Vision initiative.