When the Gatherers Gather
Article Written By: Heather Briggs
Executive Director Kelly Bull speaks to the attendents.
We all know how it feels to have people show up when we organize something. It’s validating, supportive, encouraging, and fun. Participation is 90% of community building, and when we asked the Hey Neighbor Neighborhood Leaders to come out for a potluck at Mid Shooks Run park with us, they showed up. We had a gorgeous evening and lots of delicious dishes including homemade lasagna, pastas, salads, meatballs and fried chicken. We sat in camp chairs and on blankets and drank root beer and made new friends. The time tasted like summer and it was a lovely 150 Tables Across COS event.
We invite Neighborhood Leaders to gather quarterly, to make connections and build relationships, share resources, brainstorm, and support neighborly projects. Sometimes we offer trainings or invite city officials, and at the picnic on Monday, June 22nd, we had the pleasure of hearing from Thomas Thompson from the Mayor’s Office. He thanked the neighbors for their leadership and for keeping their communities connected and talked about how Hey Neighbor and City are working together to build social infrastructure. He and his wife Jessica enjoyed the meal with local leaders, who gathered from neighborhoods all over the city.
At the event, we shared resources for hosting on a budget and brainstormed around some of the main reasons neighbors say they don’t extend invites to others. Is the house too small? Maybe invite friends to meet up at the park, attend a free concert together, hang out in a backyard, reserve a room at the library, block off the street, or set up some chairs in the driveway. Tight budget? Try a picnic, neighborhood walk, potluck, cooking party, museum visit, or a drive in the mountains. Are you an introvert? Consider a hike, neighborhood clean up, group bike ride, movie night, group yoga, art party, or other activities that focus attention on activity rather than small talk. No time to host? Invite neighbors to join you in something you are already doing; ask another parent to join you at the playground, host an “admin Saturday” at a coffee shop, ask someone to come do laundry or watch shows together, run errands with a friend. “Stop waiting until you have more time, and start inviting people into the life you already have,” says Priya Parker.
We cannot allow gathering to become a luxury good. We don’t need big houses, big budgets, or lots of time to connect with others. We just need to take the first step of extending an invite, or saying YES! to one.
Thomas Thompson from the Mayor’s Office thanks Neighborhood Leaders for all they do in their communities.
Community Coordinator Ana Mendoza and Neighborhood Leader Candice Craft
The delicious spread of food!
