Getting to Know Your Local Community

A Sustainable Living Kid’s Activity

Do you feel like you are part of a vibrant community, or just one of many separate families living in your area?  Do you know your neighbours and others who live and work in your neighbourhood?  Who lives next door?  Who lives across the road?  Who lives down the street?  What do you have in common with them and what could you share with each other to build a stronger connectedness and community spirit?

In most areas, gone are the days where everyone knew everyone… neighbourhood kids all played together in each others front yards and often got fed along with the family… neighbours helped each other out and shared tools and expertise.  Many families are now much more isolated and spend much of their time indoors, entertained by TV, computers and game consoles.

To build a strong, resilient community we need to try to recapture much of this lost shared living by actively finding ways to once again connect and support our neighbours.

The following are some good activities the whole family can take part in to start this process in your area.  In fact, due to safety issues, especially with younger children, they are definitely better done as a family or with at least one parent or trusted adult.

• Visit some of the small local shops in your area and introduce yourselves to the shopkeepers and staff.
• Go for nightly walks in your neighbourhood, especially at a time when people might be outside- getting home from work or school time, watering the garden etc- and say hi… introduce yourselves.  Also say hi to other walkers you meet on your way.
• Spend some time each day in your front garden and say hi to those who pass by.
• Go and introduce yourself to your nearby neighbours.  You could also take them something, such as excess produce or a jar of homemade jam.
• Welcome a new neighbour to the neighbourhood with a plate of homemade cookies or cake, jar of jam, or a bag of home grown veggies.
• Give seasonal cards or small gifts- such as a jar of homemade jam- to members of the community whom you appreciate, such as a friendly shopkeeper who always tells you when they have something special for sale, local neighbourhood watch people, a community bus driver, a meals on wheels volunteer.
• Spend some time with an elderly person in your neighbourhood... chat about your day... read together.
  
  
  
• Make the offer of collecting mail, watering the garden, or feeding a pet for neighbours if they go on holiday.
• Offer to help a neighbour with a project, such as building a pergola or pruning a hedge.
• Make an offer of tool sharing to a neighbour… they may have different tools they would be willing to share with your family.
• Suggest you and a next door neighbour take it in turns to mow each other’s front lawn or footpath.
• If you have a neighbour- especially an elderly or disabled one- who doesn’t seem to have time or energy to care for their garden, ask if they would be willing to let you plant and care for some veggies in their garden… of which they would get to use as much of the harvest as they wanted.  The rest could be offered to other neighbours or donated to a food bank.
• Offer to pick up supplies when you go shopping for an elderly, ill or disabled neighbour… or an overwhelmed new mum!
• Invite neighbours to be part of a bulk buying project, where you can all go in together to buy something in bulk and save money.  Find out what local suppliers might be happy to provide this service, then you’re not only saving money but supporting your local businesses as well.
• Organise a street party or BBQ at your place, where everyone brings something to share. 
• Organise a multi-cultural evening where neighbours bring a plate of food representing their nationality, or that of their ancestors.
• What about a movie night?  Can you locate a movie with a community or sustainability theme?
• How about organising for interesting community members to speak to local residents- either at your house or a community hall- about thing such as organic gardening, preserving food, various skills etc?
• Get together with other kids in the area and put on your own play or talent showcase.
• Get creative with other local kids making posters, flyers, any decorations or props for any of the relevant events above.   Find places willing to display the posters and deliver the flyers in your local area.

What other ideas can you come up with to help neighbours get to know neighbours and make your area a real community?

See some of our other Sustainable Living Kid’s Activities for some more great ideas!


Parents please note: as with any activity involving your children interacting with other people, especially those you don’t really know, it is best if a trusted adult is present, for their safety.