When I think of community, I think of a diverse group of people who are kind, giving, vulnerable, and thrive off of caring for the other members and their shared space. This sounds idyllic and it indeed is, but even a fraction of that kind of ethos would benefit every human involved. Sitting here I am reminded of this beautiful park a block from my house. This large property housed a run-down, asbestos-filled school, a tennis court, a baseball field, and a walking path, all of which are still highly used by the surrounding neighborhood. For a very long time, this school sat there as an eyesore, and members of our neighborhood would often discuss dreams of what the space could be. I would daydream of all of the amazing opportunities that would be possible with the space if only the school could safely be demolished or cleaned up. I imagined being more than just neighbors but creating a community through a sense of belonging (membership), leadership and sharing of skills and ideas (influence), community gardening and sharing of resources (integration and fulfillment of needs), and building of friendships and connections outside the home (emotional connection) (Gruman, 2016). What an amazing little community we could have where we tended the land and each other with care, and in a way, many of us have never experienced in life, nor our ancestors probably going back hundreds or thousands of years. I imagine how that would benefit our kids, to teach them to care about something beyond their screen, to be invested in others in their community, especially those older than them.
It was this daydreaming that gave me my big dreams of teaching comprehensive sex ed to my community. I firmly believe that the interpersonal and intrapersonal skills learned within a thorough curriculum go far beyond keeping just your body safe. Teaching respect and boundaries, communication skills, and how to combat shame, as well as allowing adolescents the grace and understanding that they are capable of mature thought and behavior when given the knowledge they need to thrive. I still dream of giving this to my community, but I am taking the long way around, earning my Bachelor’s and then Master’s and learning how to properly enact change through public policy. Eventually, I hope to make this dream a reality by bringing communities together with the social and emotional support possible through self-understanding.
Fortunately for my community, this dream is becoming more of a possibility as a company came in over the summer and bought the property. Our neighborhood was very concerned about what would be done, fearing the worst of corporate greed envisioning an industrial building being built within our neighborhood. However, much to our astonishment, this was not the case. This company seems to understand community psychology and shares our dreams of preserving the park and has held multiple meetings with neighborhood residents to brainstorm what to do with the park. The community seems very important to them, so much so that every meeting has only been with the builders and the residents, keeping political agendas and those nonresidents with special interests out of the conversation. I and my neighbors got to voice our desires for the park, concession stands, public bathrooms, a longer walking/bike path, redoing the baseball field, a community building with a kitchen, and an outdoor pavilion for parties and events. All sorts of amazing ideas for amenities to bolster our use of the land have been put forth and the community involvement has been immense as we’ve been allowed the opportunity to have a say and give back in a way that is nearly unheard of.
Our last meeting two weeks ago concluded with the sharing of 4 virtual models of possible park layouts and amenities. Each one was beautiful and showed that the builders were listening and really took into account our neighborhood ideas. As of now, demolition of the building has just been completed, and a final plan will be picked in December with groundbreaking in the spring. I cannot wait to see what else my neighborhood comes up with, I for one want a community board and plan to spearhead leading community events and creating the environment and community I dream of.
References:
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE Publications, Incorporated.
I really enjoyed reading this blog post. The way you write and describe your neighborhood really made me feel like I was there standing on the sidewalk. You must be minoring in journalism because wow! This blog was so beautifully written. I love how your community is coming together to make their voice be heard and turn ideas into reality for your neighborhood park. It’s so refreshing to hear that not all developments are being turned into monstrous shopping centers. I’m glad you and your neighbors have this safe haven within your community and are able to vocalize your opinions. A sense of community is nothing without that feeling of safety. As we learned through the text, “membership in a community can bring about a sense of emotional safety, belonging” (Gruman et al, 2016). I’m so happy you and your neighbors have that sense of safety and belonging within your community because here in Los Angeles, we would either get another Starbucks or Target. I’m glad all your dreams are becoming reality!
Reference
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology : Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE Publications, Incorporated.
When a community comes together for a common goal magic happens! I truly believe many people do not understand the power in unity and the impact of division. I grew up in Philadelphia where most row homes typically had murals painted on the wall on the last home. There was one particular mural that had the phase “United we stand, divided we fall.” The older I became the more I understood the phrase. Often when we see instances of social injustices, communities come together to protest and fight for what is right. The only time we see change is made, is if the community is united in the fight for change. Also, throughout history you see laws were passed to combat social injustices were because a community rose to fight. This could never have been accomplished without a community or in an individual setting. Gruman explains that to achieve social change the 6 strategies needed are mass mobilization, social action, citizen participation, public advocacy, popular education, and local services development (Gruman et al., 2016). Step 3 highlights the importance of a community coming together and is just as important as the 5 other steps. I am glad your community is coming together to help plan this project, and I hope it is equitable and just for all!
References
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE Publications, Incorporated.
I have to agree that with just a little bit more ethos we would see such a drastic change and benefit to humanity! We have so much going on everywhere in the world that it is overwhelming how often we forget to just be kind to one another because we are all scared and feeling so many of the same things. If we could just communicate that we would be doing so much better. I am so glad to hear about your project and congratulations to you on your progress. Good luck!
Reference:
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE Publications, Incorporated.