*Community, as they say, is everything. It is a fool who says that a person must strive to be their best through their own steam, without relying on the community around them to propel them forward, and without contributing to that community to help better the members who are a part of it. It can be summed up by the core tenant of the southern African philosophy of Ubuntu: “I am because we are.” Or, a person is who they are because of other people. It’s for this very reason that everyone should strive to better their community and influence it in a positive way. But how does one go about this change? And what if your means are limited? We’ll answer both questions in the following article.
Volunteer
Regardless of your socioeconomic position, volunteering is the one activity you can do that will always have an impact. Volunteer work takes a number of different forms – it’s essentially work done for the benefit of others without recouping any financial (or material) gain for yourself. There are numerous things you could volunteer for. You could help clean up the streets, offer your services at a food bank, or even spend time with elderly citizens at an old age home. It’s less about what you do, but more about the fact that you’re committed to spending your time doing it.
Spread a positive message
This is one of the easiest ways that you can influence your community in a positive way – spread either a helpful message or put out information that can be useful to furthering your community. This is often done on social media such as Facebook and Twitter, where life-affirming messages are spread between groups and friends as a show of appreciation, but the same approach can be used in a grassroots manner to foster goodwill between neighbors and community members.
One way to do this (or to just spread important information in general) is through the use of pamphlets and flyers which can be delivered door to door. Not only are they informative, but they’re physical, which means that they will last a lot longer than throwaway social media posts. You don’t have to break the bank for this either. Leaflet printing through sites like print24.com is affordable, especially when done in bulk, and is the ideal way of spreading cherished messages and ideals.
Offer your skills
This goes hand in hand with volunteering but it’s more about teaching and empowering another member of your community by passing on skills that you’re proficient in. Do you know how to play guitar or other instruments? Consider hosting a free class in which you pass on these skills on to young and aspiring musicians. If you’re tech-savvy, help those who aren’t by demonstrating how to use crucial technology and software.
