Do you care about your community?
Being an active member of the community will give you tremendous psychological benefits. Involvement will help you feel a part of something bigger – feeling a part of a real team, and by leaving your mark to help make a better world you will feel like a superhero. We are social beings and all we want is to be happy, so getting involved is a great first step.
Although it may be unusual to think about and a weird thing to actually consider, but seriously: when was the last time you did something valuable for your local community?
I’m willing to bet for the majority it has been a while. Today we are going to make steps to change that, and learn how we can support our communities for the greater good – and why it makes a difference.
7 Ways to Support Your Community
We collected the best ways to change your neigborhood and your community’s life, check it out!
#1 The Children Are Our Future – Invest In Them
Most communities have park districts or something similar that provides activities for the youth. One action that you can take is to sponsor a child or donate equipment or supplies to your local park district.
This helps children become more confident and develop important life skills such as leadership and teamwork.
#2 Sweat and Get Dirty – Build a House
Imagine that after your coworkers or friends tell you about their cliché weekend events and they ask what did you do, you can stick your chest out and say: I built a house.
Habitat for Humanity provides awesome opportunities to build or renovate homes for disadvantaged residents. There are many ways to help in building or renovating a home such as painting, donating money, landscaping and minor repairs. Once you get involved you will be helping someone in need receive a safe home who otherwise may not have one.
#3 Help Local Businesses – Keep Your Money in Your Local Area
If you are looking for a better buying experience, try shopping at a locally owned business – opposed to a big box retailer. You’ll get way friendlier service and you can directly invest in your community to help it flourish.
According to American Independent Business Association, a whopping 48% of each purchase made in your local independent businesses stays in your community. You can compare it to a mere 14% from chain stores. Local businesses are often more invested than bigger chain stores. If we support them it means more local jobs, sponsorships for community events and encouraging another dreamer to open a business and serve a need.
#4 Clean Up Your Neighborhood
A simple way to help in your community is to clean up in front of your home. If you see any trash around, take pride and throw it away or recycle.
An even better solution is to start a community-driven cleanup project, which will be a great way to meet your fellow area residents. Acquiring community support to beautify the neighborhood serves the common interest of everyone.
#5 Take Part in Your Political Process
Local elections happen more frequently than national elections and this presents great opportunities. This allows you to get involved in the process of making a difference in many ways.
This can be simply voting for whom you feel is the best candidate for the job. If you are not sure on what you should take into consideration, you can learn about evaluating a candidate here.
Another opportunity is to join or organize a community-driven movement with the common interest of electing a specific candidate. These actions will ensure that the true voice of the people is in office and your community will continue to thrive.
#6 Support Community Events
In previous articles we talked about supporting the farmers market and community gardens.
The more we engage in these types of activities the better the community will be. If we attend festivals we can experience new cultures and bond over a shared experience. Donating food, clothing or toys to holiday drives can help a less fortunate family create a special memory.
Reach out to your local representative or just keep your eyes open to find out about things that are happening in your area.
#7 Be Welcoming
The absolute best thing that you can do for your community is to be welcoming. This could be smiling and offering a kind word to a neighbor, introducing yourself to a newcomer or looking after a friend’s home while they are away and the list goes on.
Communities are the lifeblood of creating change in our world. Lasting change starts with everyone doing what they can where they can. Lot of us want improvements but often think it has to be a grand gesture.
Making small steps in our communities (such as the actions mentioned above) will lead to more confidence, safety, feelings of belonging and happiness. Don’t wait to make a big step, start doing what you can TODAY!
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