5 Easy Ways to Build Community
Be your own community center.
As our loyal readers well know, we usually gloss over the grand gesture in favor of the little actions that could. That’s why we’re decidedly not writing a five-steps-to-community-organize-your-way-to-a-changed-world article, but rather suggesting some simple, totally doable ways to build up your community on the street where you live. Your pantry is organized enough—it’s time to get out there and make your block a little better, too.
Late fees, waived.
The Little Free Library movement has become one of our very favorite Verse-approved things. As devoted lovers of real, actual books, we’ve never been able to bring ourselves to toss out a tome. Luckily, we’ve now got these sweet little give-one-take-one structures within walking distance, so when we’re ready to recycle our latest reads, we make a deposit (and maybe find our next page-turner while we’re at it). No little free library near you? No problem. Grab your nearest bookworm and set one up together.
Mutually beneficial.
While the concept isn’t new, the idea of mutual aid networks has been catching fire since the pandemic began. There are many ways these networks can operate, all based on the most basic belief that everyone has something to contribute and everyone has something they need. You can check to see whether your community has an established network, but the same sentiment can apply by simply offering to run a neighbor’s errand. When it comes to small kindnesses, what goes around, comes around—even if you simply get some gratitude in return.
Dinner time.
Dinner parties can induce more panic than payoff, in no small part if timing each course takes the fun out of the whole thing. A progressive dinner party delivers on the benefits—getting better acquainted with your fellow neighbors—with less of the bother. Each home or apartment simply hosts a different course, as elaborate or elemental as their preferences dictate, with guests descending round-robin through each abode. A moveable feast indeed.
Show off your skillz.
Building something new has given us a greater appreciation for all the entrepreneurial bartering that goes on; the tips and tricks have flown fast and furious from all corners as we’ve built The Verse. It turns out, all that advice and guidance can be institutionalized in the form of skill swaps. With so many of us starting new things or WFH without organic interactions, why not organize one with your own community? A simple Google sheet will do—keep your columns to a minimum with two statements for the give-and-take: “My superpower is __________________ but I really need help with ______________.”
