Creating Community

The neighborhood you live in probably has all kinds of people living in it. The same goes for your community, and your school. For example, here at Youthhood.org there are old people, kids, babies, single people, married people, people from different races and nationalities, people with and without disabilities, and more. With all of these different people in the same place, it seems like it would be impossible to make sure everyone felt comfortable, welcome, and that they belonged to your community.

Actually, we all probably have a lot more in common than we think!

There are a lot of things you can do to make sure people feel good about being in your neighborhood, your community, and your school.

• You could have a potluck where everyone brings something to eat and everybody just hangs out and talks.
• You could work with others to sponsor a National Night Out campaign to make sure you have a neighborhood watch program and that everyone is working together to make sure you’re all safe.
• You could send a card to a new neighbor welcoming them to the neighborhood, or better yet – bake something and bring it over. Food is something that always brings people together.

This is just the beginning. If you want to do something about creating a welcoming community, check out the activity below.