NEIGHBOR POWER UNLEASHED

Community is Defined by Circle of Relationships

Participation

Friendship

Intimacy

Economic Exchange

YOUR TURN:-What is your name?-How are you involved in Belltown?-What would you like to get out of this workshop?

POWER OF COMMUNITY• Create Great Places• Care for the Earth• Care for One Another• Prevent Crime• Emergency Response• Health and Welfare• Happiness• Social Justice• Democracy

Power to Care for the Earth

Ballard Neighborhood, Seattle

Power to Prevent Crime

Limerick, Ireland

Christchurch, New Zealand

Power to Respond to Disaster

Blue Pallet Pavilion

Dance-O-Mat

Cycle-Powered Cinema

Urban Poetica

Lang Gang, Taiwan

Power to Care for One Another

Power to Make Social Change

London, England

Power of CommunityCare for the Earth

Prevent Crime

Respond to Disasters

Care for One Another

Advance Social Justice

Promote Health

Instill Happiness

Create Great Places

Strengthen Democracy

Power of Belltown

YOUR TURN:Tell about a time

when you experienced community at its best

Community in Crisis

Community in CrisisSingle-purpose land

useIncreased mobilityMore time working

FearElectronic screens

ConsumerismGlobalizationSpecialization

Professionalization

Ballard Neighborhood, Seattle

We all say that it takes a village to raise a child. And yet, in modernized societies, this is rarely true. Instead, we pay systems to raise our children – teachers, counselors, coaches, youth workers, nutritionists, doctors, and McDonald’s.

We are often reduced as families to being responsible for paying others to teach, watch, and know our children, and to transport them to their paid child raisers. Our villages have often become useless – our neighburs responsible for neither their children nor ours. As a result, everywhere we talk about the local “youth problem.” There is no “youth problem.” There is a neighborhood problem: adults who have forgone their responsibility and capacity to join their neighbors in sharing the wealth of children. It is our greatest challenge and our most hopeful possibility.

-John McKnight and Peter Block The Abundant Community

Keys to Opening Your Communityto Broad and Inclusive Participation

#1 – Have Fun!#1 – Have Fun!

Surrey, British Columbia

Tacoma, Washington

#2 - Start where people are:#2 - Start where people are:►Their block or buildingTheir block or building►Their language and cultureTheir language and culture►Their networksTheir networks►Their passionsTheir passions►Their callTheir call

Darwen, England

Soldiers’ Support Group

New Rad Conservation and Wildlife

GreenCycle

St. James Estate Cleanup

Skatepark

Scarecrow Festival

#3 …but don’t leave them there:#3 …but don’t leave them there:

Strive for Results!

#4 – Don’t sit on your assets:

Every individual has gifts of the head, heart and hands

YOUR TURN:What are your skills,

passions & knowledge?

Labeled People:• Homeless• Unemployed• Poor person• Non-English speaking

• Single parent

• Addict

• Offender• Old person• At-risk youth

• Disabled

Involving All Neighbors, Seattle

Ravenna Neighborhood

Westwood Neighborhood

Capitol Hill

YOUR TURN:How do you or could youuse these keys to open

the Belltown community to broad and inclusive

participation?

DISCOVER BURIED TREASUREIN BELLTOWN

Every place has:

• Gifts of individuals

SODO Neighborhood, Seattle

Adelaide, South Australia

YOUR TURN:Whose gifts

are underutilized in Belltown?

Every place has:

• Gifts of individuals• Voluntary associations

Individuals share their gifts when they are in association with one another

Columbia City, Seattle

YOUR TURN:What are the community associations in Belltown?

Every place has:

• Gifts of individuals• Voluntary associations• Built and natural environment

Phinney Neighborhood, Seattle

Queen Anne Neighborhood, Seattle

Eastlake Neighborhood, Seattle

White Center, Washington

YOUR TURN:In Belltown, what are…-the bumping places?-the visible treasures?-the buried treasures?

Every place has:

• Gifts of individuals• Voluntary associations• Built and natural environment

• Local economy

118th Avenue, Edmonton

Lake Street, Minneapolis

Yackandandah, Victoria

Local Currency, Canada

Time Bank, United Kingdom

YOUR TURN:How could your Belltown assets strengthen your local economy

and how could your economy better support your community?

Every place has:

• Gifts of individuals

• Voluntary associations

• Built and natural environment

• Local economy

• Culture and identity

Eritrean Community, Seattle

Bulls, New Zealand

YOUR TURN:-What is the unique identityof Belltown?-What are your cultural and historical assets?

Every place has:• Gifts of individuals• Voluntary associations• Built and natural environment• Local economy• Culture and identity• Local agencies

Agencies vs. Associations

STAFF & BUDGET VOLUNTEERS

CLIENT CONSUMER

CITIZEN

NEEDS ASSETS

Columbia School, Seattle

YOUR TURN:What are Belltown’s

agencies and what are their underutilized assets?

STEPS TOWARDS AGENCY-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

Move Beyond Siloed Thinking

to Focusing on Whole Places

Move Beyond Starting with Needs

to Starting with Strengths

Move Beyond Top-Down

to Community-Driven

TOOLS FOR MOBILIZING COMMUNITY ASSETS

Map Local Assets

Melville, Western Australia

Identify Connector Leaders

Do Learning Conversations

CREDENTIALWARM UP TALK

MOTIVATION TO ACT● Gifts/talents to contribute

● Dreams to realize● Concerns/needs to addressWILL THEY PARTICIPATE?

WHO ELSE DO THEY KNOW?

PARKing Day

Create Bumping Places

Beacon Hill, Seattle

Little Free Library

Portland, Oregon

Be Welcoming

Waterloo, Ontario

Melbourne, Victoria

Port Phillip, Australia

Form Block/Building Action Groups

Lawrence, Massachusetts

Big Lunch, United Kingdom

Wallingford Neighbourhood, Seattle

Wedgwood Neighbourhood, Seattle

SUGGESTIONS FOR BLOCK/BUILDING ACTION GROUPS

Crime preventionEmergency preparedness

Block partiesSkills exchanges

Share tools, pickup truck, camping equipment, etc.Buy in bulk

Policy discussions Support for latchkey kids

Support for housebound seniorsSupport for one another

RidesharesImprove/maintain common spaces:

Paint mural in intersectionPlant street trees

Provide broad base for neighborhood associationCreate website for block/buildiing

Create a manifesto of block/building values and commitments to one anotherCreate a directory of available expertise (recycling, technology, etc)

Create a green block/building in which each household commits to reducing carbon footprintConduct a talent show

Show outdoor movies on side of a buildingCelebrate Neighbor Appreciation Day by recognizing good deeds

Form a Network of Associations

Senior Services of King County

Create a Common Vision

Photos of Central Area Gathering by Max Wells

Actions from Initial Gatherings

Neighborhood walking mapPlanning for senior co-housing

Gay/lesbian community projectsA one-stop lifelong learning website

Peppi’s Woods Maintenance Project

Time bank from Shoreline to Edmonds

Intergenerational, multicultural dance party

Summit

YOUR TURN:What is your vision for Belltown? (What would a healthy Belltown look like, both physically and socially? What would you keep, change and add?)

High Point Neighborhood House

Use Open Space Technology

YOUR TURN:Brainstorm actions that would utilize Belltown’s strengths and

move towards your vision of a healthy community?

Share Stories

Seoul, South Korea

YOUR TURN: What are you going to do

as a result of this workshop?

jimdiers@comcast.net