I've been shaking the etch-a-sketch of my soul lately and I know I want to pursue opportunities to build "community" - that feeling of comfort felt when one knows there are supports in place that you can turn to when you need it or want it. Community to me is what prevents people from living in desperate isolation, afraid of stepping out the front door because your legs have become weak with disuse.
The real world has a habit of socking you a good one if you're not looking closely, so I've been asking folks and reading papers to figure out what making community has looked like on the ground level. Here's what I've got so far:
Community as Social Fabric
If you start talking wistfully of days when we borrowed sugar from each other, you might be getting into changing the social fabric of social life. It is true that I live in an apartment building with strangers for neighbors, and if the programs I want to create are to encourage us to have inner-apartment parties and get togethers - I've begun to look at community as social fabric.
Community Development
This field works closely with economic development departments to provide and build infrastructure to sustain neighborhoods. For example, projects can include affordable housing, supporting local merchants, local hiring, and neighborhood events like festivals. Community development involves making sure the private, public and nonprofit sector are being good neighbors and are responsibly looking at their impact on the people living in the areas they do their work.
Community Liason
This sounds like code word for companies who want to be able to market effectively to different populations of people.
Community Organizing
This is Saul Alinsky, grassroots-and-clipboard, door-knocking community creation. The bread and butter of getting people on the block to come to the meeting and share their opinions. This is a lot of work and sounds direly necessary.
I am learning.
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