Kendra Brea Cooper
Sometimes it's hard to feel connected to your community with a long work week (and/or school week). Here are some radical ways to contribute to your neighbourhood, meet people in your community, and build community-binding traditions that do some good.
A Little Free Library is the rare combination of adorable and radical. Sharing books means sharing ideas, and when books are free, ideas are free. The best part about this is that people can drop off books too, so you get to share what you've read, which is very intimate. This means making connections through words.
A free store isn't about charity, it's about solidarity and sharing. It's a great way to promote the kind of economy that's based on giving, and saving. You never know what the person down the street needs, and a community free store is the best way to share and save the environment (oh, and save money!)
Organize a potluck for everyone in your neighbourhood. Advertise with posters and promises of fun. Tell everyone you see on the street. Another great thing you can do is organize a local Food Not Bombs for events in your community. Food not Bombs is connected to grassroots movements and is very important to the idea of food availability/sovereignty for all.
I know I've written about clothing swaps a few times before, but for real, these things are great. Trading clothing means a free shopping spree, recycling, and sidestepping that urge to consume the "new". Believe me, if enough people are involved, you'll find something you love.
Maybe there is a space in your neighbourhood that doesn't get used as often as it should. Scope one out and use it for open community get-togethers and dances.An open birthday party would be a great idea. Have everyone chip in.
Community gardens take a lot of time and energy, but if you can get it together, they're amazing. There is something about sharing pieces of the ground in order to grow food that is really beautiful. Creating something important is the perfect way to make a connection, and leave something special for future generations.
Creating a gift economy isn't an event you can put on for a night. A gift economy means doing little things everyday that encourage exchange that is not based on selling stuff. A gift economy means giving and sharing in a mutual fashion. For example, you could do some baking for a neighbour in exchange for some sewing lessons.
A free school can be organized in different ways. It can be organized weekly in a community space, or loosely in people's living rooms. Everyone has a skill, and everyone has a bit of knowledge they can share. Workshops can be set for anything and are totally free. This is the peoples school, radical and helpful. When we learn together, we grow together.
Car sharing can be so helpful in a close knit community. Some don't have the privilege of owning a car, and others don't really need to have a car full time. This reduces the amount of cars on the road (lower emissions) and makes people work together in a way they normally wouldn't.
If you have a projector, don't hog it!! Have a movie night in your yard using the side of your place (or a giant white sheet) as a screen. So free, so exciting.
Pop culture and all that ideology sitting in the blind spot. Also crafts.
