Here's a resource I've put together that may help if you're looking for more ways to advance the Social Change efforts. the lens used here is Building Social Capital.
Ideas for Building Social Capital- 09/24/2007
Get to know 1 or 2 of your immediate neighbors on the bloc, on the floor you live or work on, etc., in an ongoing, substantial way
Recognize others in your everyday life (bank tellers, grocery clerks, colleagues, etc.) for their unique presence and gifts, as you go about your day. Be open and loving to a wider range of people than is your current pattern.
Get to know one or two people well over time who are part of a world you rarely connect with (elders/children, low-income/working class people, people of color/immigrants, people with disabilities, people with different sexual preferences than yours, etc.)
Practice being a bridge. Link isolated parts of your community and your life. See yourself as a connector between people, groups, disconnected domains (such as the social justice and sustainability worlds)
Help your social group/block/neighborhood/community etc. find effective, engaging ways to discover & share:
• Common skills and interests
• Common needs they have, barriers to meeting those needs, and ways to overcome the barriers
• Playful ways to connect outside of the usual talking mode (games, music, dance, outdoor experiences, etc.)
• How they are shaped by their diverse backgrounds, cultural heritages. Could also include ways to celebrate those heritages
• A common vision and core values, and ways to realize that vision
• Stories of our lives (could include drawing & sharing a timeline of key turning points in one’s life, or a map of key elements
• Facilitation, communication and other community-building skills
Link people by supporting each other’s wish to live more sustainably, such as:
• Finding alternatives to solo car travel
• Creating a local/organic food purchasing coop, community garden, etc.
• Sharing resources of any kind (tools, skills, vehicles, local knowledge, childcare, garden produce and seeds, etc.)
• Home energy efficiency parties
• Monitoring and reducing trash levels, ecological footprint, energy use levels , etc.
• Creating sustainable living learning circles and/or video/discussion series
• Etc
Co-create attractive common indoor & outdoor places for people in your life to connect in
Create shared artistic experiences, (visual, musical, theatrical, movement, etc.) in common spaces
Create festivals for sharing peoples’ different cultures
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