Nonstandard Community Building
Jan. 20th, 2020 09:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
flamingswordIn the country they have barn-raisings, in the suburbs they have church socials. In the city, with people who don't have barns and churches, how do you build community? How do you build community with people who maybe don't fit the neurotypical standard model? You do it by repeatedly and purposefully sharing space regularly. I've got some ideas for you.
Showing up for your community is going to mean different things in different communities, but to start with, ask for help. It feels vulnerable to reach out locally or within your group and say, "Hey can I borrow your hammer?" But people like to help, they like to feel like their presence and actions are making the world better. It is hard to let them fulfill that mutual need if you don't ask. So borrow things, ask for a "supervisor" to make sure you do a chore you don't like and keep you company when doing it, request to carpool and run errands with people as a way of spending time together.
Everyone needs help moving sometimes in this crazy late stage capitalism. Help people organize or downsize, help pack, help them move house.
Paint a group painting, doodle together on big sheets of butcher paper, or make: Masterpiece Murals.
For: Team Bonding & Icebreakers
What You'll Need: Pre-drawn canvases, paints and brushes, a drop cloth or tarp
Instructions: Give each member of your team a canvas and brush, and let everyone create a colorful masterpiece on their canvas. Once they're dry, they can be put together and displayed in your office as a mural, or placed throughout your workspace.
Watch nature videos with the sound off and make up dialog for the silly looking animals. Do voices. Be ridiculous together.
Get together to help your depressed/executive dysfunctional friends pack or clean or paint an accent wall. Take pictures. Make it a party. If you think hosting a home invasion style party might not be handled well, then be sure to ask first. Remember that people with deep depressive episodes may feel ashamed of the mess, and a trusted person may have to "pre-clean" the worst of the mess to make them more comfortable with others coming over. Remember also that depression increases feelings of unworthiness and guilt, so people in an episode are at a huge disadvantage to being able to ask for help. You will have to offer, and you may have to be pushy about it even if your friend is living in a dangerously unsanitary environment. It can be done; I have done it.
Weekly game night, movie night, or book club. Pretty self explanatory.
Make a Community Coat of Arms. Print out a few cheat sheets to hand around containing the meaning of heraldic elements, then have each person create a coat of arms to encompass the values of the community. At the end of ten minutes, put the drawings side by side, and start adding them together. Any visual element that has two or more repetitions has to go in the final drawing. Post the finished coat of arms in your group space, or make copies to color in the next time you need a group activity.
Take on a community beautification project, like a public garden or planting native flowers in the roadside median or in someone's yard who wants to xeriscape it. Build and stock a Little Free Library in an under-served neighborhood. Do volunteer work together.
Have a Swap Meet! Swap craft supplies, clothes, kitchen gadgets, or weird things your relatives and coworkers have given you. If you do food, make sure that they are things that can be carried around, since your table space is likely to be all taken up. Have people bring card tables, boxes and bags to facilitate exchanges, and make sure that everybody has the same money exchanging apps if you are bringing stuff that is for sale instead of a straight swap. (with thanks tosabotabby)
My personal favorite:
Have a weekly brunch, lunch, or dinner. It can be potluck, you can have a sign-up sheet to bring ingredients while one person cooks to distribute costs, it can be at a restaurant, or it can be a rotating duty to cook and host the meal. There are a lot of options, so ask around and see what your community might like to do. Make sure that everyone knows who has what allergies and food preferences, especially since vegetarianism and lactose intolerance are fairly common.
Leave your suggestions in the comments!
Showing up for your community is going to mean different things in different communities, but to start with, ask for help. It feels vulnerable to reach out locally or within your group and say, "Hey can I borrow your hammer?" But people like to help, they like to feel like their presence and actions are making the world better. It is hard to let them fulfill that mutual need if you don't ask. So borrow things, ask for a "supervisor" to make sure you do a chore you don't like and keep you company when doing it, request to carpool and run errands with people as a way of spending time together.
Everyone needs help moving sometimes in this crazy late stage capitalism. Help people organize or downsize, help pack, help them move house.
Paint a group painting, doodle together on big sheets of butcher paper, or make: Masterpiece Murals.
For: Team Bonding & Icebreakers
What You'll Need: Pre-drawn canvases, paints and brushes, a drop cloth or tarp
Instructions: Give each member of your team a canvas and brush, and let everyone create a colorful masterpiece on their canvas. Once they're dry, they can be put together and displayed in your office as a mural, or placed throughout your workspace.
Watch nature videos with the sound off and make up dialog for the silly looking animals. Do voices. Be ridiculous together.
Get together to help your depressed/executive dysfunctional friends pack or clean or paint an accent wall. Take pictures. Make it a party. If you think hosting a home invasion style party might not be handled well, then be sure to ask first. Remember that people with deep depressive episodes may feel ashamed of the mess, and a trusted person may have to "pre-clean" the worst of the mess to make them more comfortable with others coming over. Remember also that depression increases feelings of unworthiness and guilt, so people in an episode are at a huge disadvantage to being able to ask for help. You will have to offer, and you may have to be pushy about it even if your friend is living in a dangerously unsanitary environment. It can be done; I have done it.
Weekly game night, movie night, or book club. Pretty self explanatory.
Make a Community Coat of Arms. Print out a few cheat sheets to hand around containing the meaning of heraldic elements, then have each person create a coat of arms to encompass the values of the community. At the end of ten minutes, put the drawings side by side, and start adding them together. Any visual element that has two or more repetitions has to go in the final drawing. Post the finished coat of arms in your group space, or make copies to color in the next time you need a group activity.
Take on a community beautification project, like a public garden or planting native flowers in the roadside median or in someone's yard who wants to xeriscape it. Build and stock a Little Free Library in an under-served neighborhood. Do volunteer work together.
Have a Swap Meet! Swap craft supplies, clothes, kitchen gadgets, or weird things your relatives and coworkers have given you. If you do food, make sure that they are things that can be carried around, since your table space is likely to be all taken up. Have people bring card tables, boxes and bags to facilitate exchanges, and make sure that everybody has the same money exchanging apps if you are bringing stuff that is for sale instead of a straight swap. (with thanks to
sabotabby)My personal favorite:
Have a weekly brunch, lunch, or dinner. It can be potluck, you can have a sign-up sheet to bring ingredients while one person cooks to distribute costs, it can be at a restaurant, or it can be a rotating duty to cook and host the meal. There are a lot of options, so ask around and see what your community might like to do. Make sure that everyone knows who has what allergies and food preferences, especially since vegetarianism and lactose intolerance are fairly common.
Leave your suggestions in the comments!
no subject
Date: 2020-01-21 08:11 pm (UTC)Silly theme parties. The thing I'm looking forward to most is my friend (50-something)'s Pokemon-themed birthday party.
Block parties.
Clothing swap.
yisss
Date: 2020-01-21 08:42 pm (UTC)