Participating in Your Community

“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.”

- Princess Diana -

Community Change & Awareness

At times, the world can feel too dark, evil and overwhelming. Especially when the news focuses so much on the negative, and seems intent on fanning the flames of disrespect and division, in the name of clicks and engagement. However, there are some things that both individuals and communities can do to enact positive change. It starts small, but engaging with your community in some fashion, whether volunteering, participating in marches or town halls, hosting or participating in events or joining clubs or teams - all of these can lead to a more enriched personal life as well as a better community for all. Here are some ways you can enact positive change in your community.

Donate School Supplies to a Local School: Due to school budget constraints, teachers frequently end up spending their own money to purchase classroom supplies. A staggering 94% of teachers say they have spent their own money on school supplies and have not been reimbursed. Teachers make these sacrifices in order to bring education to life for their students. Investing in your local schools is one of the best ways to make a difference in your community. Some teachers will ask for help via the hashtag #clearthelists or donation sites, but you can also buy supplies and drop them off at your local school, knowing that they will be put to good use educating young minds in your community.

Pay a Visit to Seniors in a Nursing Home: Loneliness is a major issue among senior citizens. Many nursing home residents go without visitors for long periods of time, but you can change that for senior citizens in your community. Make time to visit people in a senior care facility in your area. Consider bringing your children or a pet, as long as you get permission from management, to brighten the residents' day. Simply sitting and talking with people can make a huge difference, but you can also use your special talents to spread joy. Bring homemade baked goods, offer free makeovers, or distribute knitted socks. Caring for elderly adults, in whatever way you choose to show your love, is an often overlooked but vital way to contribute to your community.

Pick Up Litter in Your Neighborhood: When you're wondering what you can do to help your community, take a look around and see if your neighborhood is affected by litter. Do you see trash in parking lots, parks, on the side of the road, or on the sidewalk? Litter is harmful to the environment and can diminish your sense of community pride. You can help by going to a local park or another area and cleaning up all the trash you see, making sure to recycle everything you can. You can also organize a neighborhood cleanup, which involves gathering people to work together to clean up your neighborhood. An event like this can bring your community together while also making your town more appealing.

Participate in Townhalls and Other Meetings: When looking for ways to help your community, look for already established channels through which you can learn more about the needs and issues in your community and do your part to effect positive change. Townhall meetings and other public forums can be a great way to hear from your neighbors and express your concerns to local and even national politicians. Getting involved in local issues is more important than national issues - for one you can have more of an impact. Many people watch and read national news and are prone to overlooking local politics and issues that are specific to their community. Begin by getting involved on a local level and learning how to make a difference in your specific neighborhood and town.

Join Neighborhood Groups: Many of these are online, such as Facebook Groups, or the popular app called Nextdoor. Neighborhood Watch is still a thing, if you are concerned for safety and security. Interacting with your neighbors in any capacity, digital or otherwise, will bring people together and you can help in surprising ways. Whether you help a neighbor find a lost pet, or realize a real-life need your neighbor has that you are able to fulfill, simply joining these groups will open your world. This is a safe space where neighbors can comment, make suggestions, and request aid. We tend to live our lives in isolated bubbles, traveling to specific locations like work, the gym, or social events - but spending time in your geographic area as much as possibly by frequenting local coffee shops, small business retail locations, and local block parties or street fairs will open up your world and make it easier to make a positive impact in your community.

Contribute to Your Local Animal Shelter: Humane societies and animal rescues in your community are always in need of funds and supplies to help care for the many animals that come through their doors. Giving financially is one of the most effective ways you can assist these non-profit organizations in continuing to care for animals in need and find adoptive families. You can also donate items to help meet the material needs of animal shelters. Get some dog and cat food, toys, leashes, and cleaning supplies. Even items from your own home, such as old blankets, can be useful to animal shelters. Consider fostering or adopting a pet from a local shelter if you have space in your home and heart.

Be a Mentor to a Local Kid: Big Brothers, Big Sisters is perhaps one of the most famed programs, but there are a plethora of others, such as Mentor and Friends of the Children. Of course insecurity may suddenly surface - if you don’t have your own life together or are struggling yourself, what could you possibly provide to an impressionable child? What if you did more harm than good? Lay those fears to rest, says Artis Stevens, the president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters. “Would-be volunteers are held back by thinking they need to be perfect role models. But that’s not what kids — or anyone, really — needs. What we ask is for you to be present,” he says. “That’s what kids want: presence, and persistence.” Showing up for a local child (or even developing a virtual mentorship) will go a long way towards making a positive impact - in both of your lives.

Be a Youth Sports Coach: Youth sports are an important part of community culture in the United States, and they provide a fun way for families to get together and enjoy a sense of camaraderie. Sports can also teach children valuable lessons about teamwork, self-discipline, and perseverance in the face of adversity. Sports coaches can also be a positive role model and motivator for children. If you are aware of coaching needs in your community, why not step up and volunteer your time? You don't have to be a pro, especially with younger teams. Anyone can learn the game's rules and guide children to do their best. If you are not comfortable coaching, ask others you know who are passionate about the sport to help your community provide a fun, educational activity for children. If you are not confident enough to coach or don’t have the time, simply joining a local sports team of adults can actually help your community. Not only will it get you out there, but those you meet will inevitably have other ways for you to participate in positive ways.

Contribute to a Food Pantry: There are probably more hungry people in your community than you realize. There are numerous ways you can help with over 15,000 food pantries across the United States. Go to the grocery store and fill your cart with nutritious, long-lasting items. Canned chicken and tuna, canned fruit and vegetables, applesauce, crackers, nuts, rice, granola bars, and other foods fall into this category. You can also donate these items to soup kitchens and other hunger-fighting organizations in your area, in addition to food pantries. You could also volunteer to help prepare and serve food to these community members in need. Feeding the hungry is mentioned numerous times in the Bible as a practical way of sharing God's love with those in need. Basic resources that are provided to those in needs are the important stepping stones they can use to eventually climb out of their situation altogether. Homelessness and hunger isn't inevitable, and although its difficult to escape the vicious cycle of poverty, it is not impossible.

Give Your Time to a Youth Organization: Volunteering is one way to give back to your community. Many nonprofit organizations work to educate and engage youth in order for them to become productive citizens and lead fulfilling lives. These organizations may be designed to teach children practical life skills, keep them physically active, or connect them with positive adult role models. If your town has a chapter of a youth organization, see how you can volunteer your time to help local children. Can you be a positive role model for them, or can you share your talents and skills to help them learn something new? If you don't have time to commit to a long-term commitment, consider organizing a fun event for youth at your local church or school. Even if you do not have children of your own, you can still play an important role in the upbringing of children in your community.

Do Random Acts of Kindness/Pay it Forward: Whether its paying for someone's meal behind you at the drive-through, or giving a random gift to a stranger, random acts of kindness can have some immensely rewarding effects. If the person looks confused, tries to refuse, or seems embarrassed - just explain their only obligation is to Pay It Forward. Too often, our bad mood spills over onto someone else’s day, which in turn, affects the way they treat other people. The reason misinformation seems to spread faster and wider than truth, or negative stories seem to always be featured, is because they provoke a strong emotional response in us. They call the modern age “the Attention Economy” because of all the social media sites vying for your eyeballs and time. We can choose where to turn our attention and how to react to negative things, by spending as much time being positive as we do being outraged. By choosing to be pro-actively kind, we can create a positive ripple effect instead of a negative one. There’s even a movie about it, aptly called, Paying it Forward. There’s other social movements, such as Pay It Forward Day, on April 28th of each year. Some other ideas include - giving blood, signing up to be an organ donor, sign up for a bone marrow registry, reach out to an old teacher to thank them, giving unused items to charities, volunteering to read at your local library or at a senior home, volunteering in general. Helping children especially resonates with people when it comes to giving, charity, and kindness. The charity onesimplewish.org, specializes in providing foster children with things they would not ordinarily get. You can harness the power of social media to spread the word and cause a greater ripple effect. When the subreddit channel Mademesmile boosted a post about onesimplewish.org, all the redditors on the thread who donated wiped out all requests on the site, and when the charity added more, they were immediately funded.

Harnessing the power of the masses or tapping into existing resources to magnify your act of kindness will only spread the love further. There’s a charity called Random Acts who can fund your ideas for random acts of kindness. Simply fill out an online form with your idea and the budget, document its results, and you would have instantly transformed other’s lives in a much greater scope then you would have been able to do alone.

The idea that kindness can improve one's well-being is not new. Pro-social behavior — basically, voluntarily helping others — has been shown in studies to help lower people's daily stress levels, and that simple acts of connection, such as texting a friend, mean more than many of us realize. Researchers who study kindness and friendship, on the other hand, say they hope the new findings strengthen the scientific case for more of these types of gestures. "I've found that kindness can be a really difficult sell," said Tara Cousineau, clinical psychologist, meditation teacher, and author of "The Kindness Cure: How The Science of Compassion Can Heal Your Heart and Your World". "People want to be kind, but the thought of being kind makes them uncomfortable." Stress, she says, can also prevent people from being kind to others, as can the ‘little judgey voice’ in their heads that makes them wonder if their gesture or gift will be misinterpreted, or if it will put the recipient under pressure to repay it. "We totally overthink it when the kindness impulse arises," Dr. Cousineau said. But an act of kindness is unlikely to backfire, and in some cases, it can breed even more kindness. Which is kind of the point of the concept of Pay it Forward. If you are short on time and money, even your words will make a difference. Compliment a stranger, smile at the clerk in the store, and just generally radiate your positive thoughts, and you will be surprised at the grateful reactions of people on the street. You might be surprised at how much your own mood lifts as well.

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