What is the value of your local community?

 What is the value of your local community?

An article on Scope tells us, "Communities play a pivotal role in promoting participation by serving as the foundation upon which social and civic engagement can flourish. They act as incubators for shared interests and values, providing a platform for individuals to come together, collaborate, and collectively address local issues." (reference Scope - The Importance of Social and Community Participation)

When you involve yourself in the fabric of your local community, you gain many benefits such as:

• friends!
• like-minded people who care about the same things that you do,
• teamwork,
• learning new skills and sharing your skills,
• mentoring others, 
• engaging in meaningful conversations 
• and achieving goals together.

Many other benefits come about because people in the community work together such as buildings, gardens, sporting events, festivals, raising funds to help those in need within the community, and building positive environments so those living in your local area have the opportunity to heal, to find a place where they belong.

How does your local community foster inclusion and opportunity for people to come together in like-minded activities?

Something as simple as a garden club where a group meets and visits each other's gardens, shares plants, and helps each other design new garden beds.

Maybe a group of men have decided to establish a "Mens shed" in the local town to promote  "bringing men together enabling them to lead a positive lifestyle while strengthening communities." (reference: https://mensshed.org/about-amsa/).

Other groups may be an amateur theatre company allowing people to present their on-stage flair or a festival committee that organises an annual community celebration.

Perhaps local markets that promote local produce and niche home-based businesses or a group of like-minded business people who get together to share ideas and encourage one another to build sustainable businesses in the local region.

Your local area may even have a group of like-minded individuals who work together to advocate on the community's behalf to the local council for improvements in your town.

How can you be positively involved and be part of the social fabric of your community?