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Success
is the result of many shoulders being put together, and not
individual bravado- that, is the essence of community building to
get multiple people active and involved in a cause dear to them, to
the best of their capability, and having fun while youre at it.
Simple
as it may sound, community building is no easy task! Building
consensus and moving forward as one is a delicate tightrope walk
here we share some lessons that worked for us!
- Creating a Community:
The
first step to creating a community is getting like-minded people
on a common platform and starting your group. Any new member
joining the community should be introduced and involved in group
activities within a week of meeting community members.
- Fulfilling Community
Aspirations: Each community has certain aspirations - Do
you want to leaflet, or do video outreach? Hold a potluck or a
debate? Reach out to kids or young mothers? Meeting and matching
the aspirations of different community members while keeping in
mind the purpose of your work is important.
- Regularity is Key: Holding regular
events and meetings is central
to the growth and longevity of any group! There is no substitute
for personal interaction- and thats how we grow, in breadth and
depth! Weekly events create room for this interaction, not
to mention help promote the cause of veganism! It is in
organising these events and ensuring people turn up for them
that communities grow!
- Creating a culture of
fun and cheer: While commitment to a cause is important,
what binds people together is a sense of bonding that is
difficult to find outside of the group to keep the spirit of
fun and cheer going, and group building, events such as
Potlucks,
Brave The Crate , Do You Buy The Lie ?, food tasting
events or any other innovative campaign to ensure the liveliness
of the group remains intact. It develops more interest and
participation by everyone.
- Building Ownership: One of the biggest
strengths of local communities is that it allows people to feel
ownership for a cause dear to them that singular strength
should be promoted, rewarded and cultivated! Connecting likeminded
people with settled ideas (for instance, everyone who wants to
do leafleting), and providing support for the growth of new
ideas is great to build ownership.
- Celebrating Success: Celebrate milestones,
small or big! Acknowledging the efforts of people is a great way
to keep people motivated! Congratulate them on your local groups
on Whatsapp, as well as on the Living
Free community page to make them feel treasured about their
contributions is key to building a healthy community.
- Be positive, stay
positive: Like all groups, differences are bound to
arise in yours as well ensure both sides of a story are heard
and promote a culture of positivity that shuns/disapproves of
bickering. This will form a healthy happy group that works
better, for longer!
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Expert Speak
A peer education
programme is a great way to start a community! The Delhi
Programme in particular ensures a healthy mix of activism, fun,
growth, and ownership! Chat with Harshdeep
from DPEP to start a young community in your town at harshdeepkaur101098@gmail.com
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Quick Tip:
Making A
Group Always Helps
Making a whatsapp or a Facebook group with all the
members of the community helps you in keeping in constant touch
with your mates. You can also post anything and everything
important with reference to the activities of the group. This
helps build a relationship with your team along with
updating them.
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Video of the month!
To help you out
further, this video explains how to
manage a group or a community in the most effective and
democratic way possible.
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