The Power of Community

You’re not malfunctioning, everything is really hecking hard right now.

It’s hard to be motivated when the is falling apart. It’s hard to feel any hope while children are being bombed at school, it’s hard to listen to our government gaslight us about the definition of genocide, it’s hard to watch what is happening in the USA and not make a connection with the rhetoric being parroted by the scarily popular Reform Party in the UK, and it’s very scary to think what our future looks like if this all doesn’t change.

While we shouldn’t give up writing to our local MPs, signing petitions and attending protests, we can also all make a concentrated effort to strengthen our social bonds within our own communities. Because connection always has been, and always will be, the cure.

Leaning into your local community prioritizes mutual aid, shared resources, and social connections over competitive consumption and individualistic profit. While it may not fully overthrow global capitalism, building localized, cooperative systems and support networks is a practical approach to fostering more equitable, human-centric living while also reducing dependency on big corporations.

We started our coffee outside community hangout because there’s more to having a business than excel spreadsheets, and there’s more to bikes than going fast (or anywhere). The true journey, and the true joy, is with the folk we meet along the way.

Here are seven ways you can lean into your community today.

GET TO KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOURS

Easy as and totally free, if you’re not already doing this you should start here. Learn their names and greet them when you see them in the street. Bring their parcels inside, feed their cat while they’re away, offer to mow their lawn, or just stop to discuss the weather.

Intergenerational, intersectional friendships are where it’s at, so if your neighbour doesn’t look or speak like you, that’s even more reason to make a connection – we have so much to learn from each other!

JOIN A CLUB OR MEET UP

If you wanna make new friends, this is no doubt the best way. Examine your interests and find something that aligns or just experiment and hit up something totally new – ukulele class, book club, group ride, knitting circle, run club, coffee outside, sketching class, puppy meetup, bowling league, there is almost something for everyone.

Nothing in your local area that tickles your fancy – why not start something yourself?

SHOP INDEPENDENT

I cannot stress this enough – where you spend your money matters. Shopping with independent businesses means your money continues circulating through the community long after you’ve spent it.

Everything that you buy from an independent instead of a supermarket, chain or mega conglomerate counts, so don’t be put off by absolution or perfectionism. I know you’re going to say you don’t have time, but I bet you can carve out an extra 15 mins to go outta your way for something – the kids are calling it friction maxing and it’s totally in right now.

SUPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES ONLINE

So, you’re shopping independent but don’t let it stop there. It’s increasingly difficult to be seen on the internet, especially as a small business, it’s hard to compete with the visibility and marketing campaigns of big corporations, and AI searches will almost never recommend smaller brands and companies.

Leaving reviews and engaging with social media content really does help and it doesn’t cost you anything except a few minutes of your time.

Go give your favourite local café a glowing google review while you wait for the jug to boil this elevensies.

JOIN YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY

Libraries are important spaces in any community and increasingly under threat facing budget cuts and lack of funding.

Libraries provide a wealth of knowledge to people of all ages and backgrounds, but they are more than just places to rent books, they are community hubs that host events and workshops, are safe places for people to remain all day without expectation of payment, offer free internet access and computers to help people get online, and help alleviate social isolation for many people.

Use them, or we face losing them.

USE YOUR THIRD PLACES

‘Third places’ are spaces that are neither home nor work where people of all demographics mingle. Public facilities and institutions, like libraries and parks, are third places, as are commercial spaces such as coffee shops, pubs, beauty salons, gyms, daycare, recreation and community centres, and sites of worship. These places can serve to generate collective feelings of civic pride, acceptance of diversity, trust, civility, and overall sense of togetherness through sustained use and connection.

Being an active community member can look like hitting up your local (independent) pub – get in!

VOLUNTEER

Volunteering is great because it prioritizes social responsibility and human connection over monetary compensation, it’s also very important to the spaces in our communities that rely on volunteer work to survive.

Be a parkrun marshal, volunteer at your local soup kitchen, litter pick, get involved with the community garden, there are so many opportunities to volunteer your skills or lend a hand in your community. It’s also a great way to forge bonds with people you might not otherwise meet.

Healthy communities are the backbone of society, and if we don’t nurture them the result is less connection, less support, less resources, less public spaces, bland high streets, Amazon everything, your money being used by billionaires to destroy the planet, and political parties like Reform spewing hateful nonsense.

Say hi to your neighbour, say no to Amazon, say yes to shopping independent, say go-shove-it-up-your-bum to the patriarchy.

Start forging the community you are proud to be part of, because community is what will hold us while we face this steaming trash heap of a world together.