127 BUILDING TIPS
COMMUNITY
Introduction
This e-book of community building tips was authored by the attendees of
a dinner dialogue hosted by the Canadian Community for Dialogue and
Deliberation in Kamloops BC. The event, held in late July 2013, was held in
honour of Nelson Mandela and South African citizens’ community building
legacy. I was the event host and shared community building lessons I learned
while serving as an election observer in the 1994 South African elections.
I want to also thank Natasha Chisholm, Glen Hilke, and Pyara Lotay for
sharing their reflections on South Africa, on Africa, and on community
building on the microphone.
The latter half of the evening featured attendees with many post its, pens, and
pencils, brainstorming and recording the best community building tips they
knew of. This was the e-book creation session. What an amazing collection of
community insight and wisdom! Heartfelt thanks to the authors!
Arjun Singh
Past Board Chair, Interim Executive Director
The Canadian Community for Dialogue and Deliberation
July 2014
Designed by
1. Share resources. 2. Read about the perspectives of others.
3. Look beyond yourself. 4. Get to know at least one street person.
5. Don’t underestimate who can give back to the community (those with the least
often give the most).
6. People need to be invited to participate in the community to be involved.
7. Don’t assume you know what is needed. Ask and listen to the real concern
and need, then act.
8. Address root causes, build capacity of people, organizations, families.
9. Education, awareness, knowledge. Don’t forget our history. It has the answers.
10. “OUCH.” Don’t be a bystander. Stand up for beliefs, people, cultures.
11. Connection and involvement key to building community.
12. WITS: walk in their shoes. 13. Accountability.
14. Start with 10% of buying local. Support local to build sustainability in the community.
15. Introduce people to each other. 16. Nudge for change, don’t push.
17. Don’t give negative behaviour a stage and accentuate the positive.
18. Create a municipal community building commission.
19. Have your city council create a community building commission.
20. When you’re tired, take a break. 21. Volunteerism.
22. Find a way to become a volunteer.
23. What’s the next action that moves this forward (community building initiative).
24. It takes time.
25. To attract diversity, respect people’s comfort zones and give people multiple
ways to participate.
26. Know your neighbour program should be implemented and promoted.
27. Make city hall appealing, first impressions to guests.
28. Continue with community gardens, promote tournament capital, flowers, etc.
build community pride.
29. Support/engage your local media — have real conversations with media, members of local
clubs and groups.
30. More moderated forums on civic issues (perhaps online?)
31. Assist clubs (Rotoract, TRU groups, etc) a sense of club belonging used to be
more prevalent.
32. Communication is key, Kamloops could lead the way by having free wifi
everywhere in town.
33. Proposals must start with listening to stakeholders.
34. Separating & segmenting First Nations peoples reduces our collective Canadiana.
35. Capitalize on momentum — when people are engaged, post election? Keep them engaged.
36. Focus on more than just economic growth and avoid pitfalls of purely
capitalist perspective.
37. Outside perspective —
seek it. (People from other cities).
38. Networking, community events like Arjun’s where people speak, conversation
flows, ideas are born and inspiration is sparked.
39. When facilitating community events, discussion, do away with hierarchal
structure i.e. literally have everyone, including host, sit on floor
40. From momentum to accountability — capitalize on momentum and
hold your community leaders to account. Follow up! Debrief! Hold
accountability meetings!
41. Starting during periods of community momentum (i.e. elections).
42. Focus on measurable, attainable goals.
43. Working side by side, regardless of societal or other status.
44. Good network that gets people engaged.
45. Get corporations involved.
46. Volunteering (exceptional) culture of Kamloops builds community, open
invitation a way to get to know your neighbour.
47. Turn off your cellphone.
48. Play outside.
49. Public transit.
50. Practice giving away some of your harvest.
51. Put ourselves in uncomfortable situations.
52. Question/look into the system. 53. Level the playing field.
54. Volunteer. 55. Become a Rotarian.
56. Attend United Way kick off breakfast. 57. Neighbourhood association.
58. Neighbourhood potluck. 59. Smile at others you come across.
60. Learn about the other. 61. Expand city initiatives to be inclusive.
62. Walk around the neighbourhood instead of driving, smile and take bananas.
63. Learn to/practice listening. 64. Give away recycling cans/bottles.
65. Neighbourhood heroes. 66. Supporting one another.
67. Neighbourhood empowerment. 68. Vote.
69. Create pride within the local population. 70. Building one another up.
71. Be comfortable with who you are. 72. Be proud of who you are.
73. Community empowers you. 74. Be colour blind in your “dealings.”
75. Collaboration. 76. Embrace mosaic of culture.
77. Community gardens. 78. Green space and green parks.
79. Ask questions about supporting local. 80. Try a different coffee shop.
81. Go out of your comfort zone to reach to find non-traditional support.
82. Identify and remove barriers. 83. Have a plan that is inclusive.
84. Close down local roads for special events such as trick or treating.
85. Control evaluation of development of program.
86. Bring infrastructure to meet the needs of good regulation.
87. Succession planning for community groups.
88. Knowledge gaps.
89. Repetition of positive message.
90. Harness social media and information age.
91. Make it fun — play while you do good things.
92. Walking in neighbourhood, meet your neighbours and talk to each other – passiagata
(Italian for evening walk).
93. Fun — if it’s not fun, who wants to do something? Test fun ideas so people don’t
know what to expect.
94. Inclusion — include others.
95. Create associations to have life beyond current leadership.
96. Can do things without a lot of resources, everyone pitch in a little bit.
97. Celebrate different diversities as a community.
98. Concentrate on neighbourhood locally, local community association.
99. Local stuff like painting graffiti, backyard barbecues.
100. Model for others — show others.
101. John Todd High School 99 stairs — stair climbing.
102. Patience.
103. Collaborative.
104. Leadership — someone has to initiate.
105. Make sure everyone is visible, is represented — in websites, newspapers,
black, white, straight, lgbt etc.
106. Neighbourhood.
107. Freecycle in alleys.
108. Neighbourhood walk at certain time, social only.
109. Be friendly to someone you haven’t been friendly to before.
110. “Know your neighbour” in your block.
111. Don’t make assumptions based on appearance.
112. Use layers to build the project.
113. Neighbourhood passiagata, Fraser passiagata, daily walks at certain
meeting point.
114. Create community pride within the local population.
115. Create local heroes.
116. Revitalize community parks and green space.
117. Develop an inclusive plan and execute on it.
118. Take pride in your community! If someone has littered… pick it up!
119. Don’t be afraid to lend a hand or participate! Don’t leave it to the next person…
there may not be one!
120. Create a positive environment — smile! Make eye contact.
121. Do a random act of kindness e.g. buy a stranger coffee.
122. Don’t focus on the negative! Always look for solutions and stay positive!
123. Give back to your community. Make time and participate!
124. Don’t be afraid of differences, look for what you have in common.
125. Learn to develop your own opinions and respect others opinions.
126. Get to know your neighbours! Put down the iPhone and interact.
127. Find an area of interest where there’s a need and volunteer.
authors
I’m very sorry if I missed anyone on this list. If I did, I will correct this page
and repost at www.c2d2.ca and www.arjunsingh.com.
Karen Atara Matt Dundas Teresa Parisone
Kelly Aulin Ashley Ekulund Stephen Puhallo
Terri Axani Tara Gostelow Cam Rauschenberger
Lindy Baird Allysa Gredling Dave Reid
Teresa Bartel Dian Henderson Gisela Ruckert
Nancy Bepple Glen Hilke Paula Schmidt
Peter Cameron-Inglis Wendy Krauza Ben Sears
Donovan Cavers Tina Lange Christopher Seguin
Natasha Chisholm Charlene Levis Marsha Stewart
Danalee Coates Pyara Lotay Bryan Strome
Heidi Coleman Dave Marr Carl Sulkowski
Geoff Collier Ann McCarthy Leslie Sulkowski
Kathy Collier Matt Osborne Tania Vidovic
Jason Wassing
