The Community Building Companion

A wealth of stimulating and practical strategies for building community help readers learn how to create new connections, bring people together to deal with local problems, and start to make a difference in their community. Communities with greater social engagement have been shown to have less violent crime, higher educational performance, and better resident health. Community building fosters nurturing relationships, more caring neighbourhoods, and instills a sense of pride and power in those who use their community's talents and resources. Yet in a postmodern world where isolation is increasingly the norm and narcissistic individualism is the prevalent ideology, many of us need help figuring out how to go about connecting with others in our neighbourhoods and towns. In The Community Building Companion, three psychologists with long records of community service offer a starter-kit of practical strategies to help anyone find neighbours with common interests, work with others to to find solutions to local problems, and discover new ways to have fun by participating in a challenging variety of group activities.
An opening section on personal growth and problem solving shows individuals who are feeling isolated how they can begin to build their own interpersonal network and reach out to their community for support. In a second section, a range of examples show readers how to recognize which parts of their community are in need of help and take appropriate steps to involve neighbours, deal with local agencies and draw on untapped community resources. A final section invites readers to invent new ways to connect with others in their community through a range of hobbies and interests and organized group activities.