Neighbour Power!

NEIGHBOUR POWER was a chant that was heard throughout the evening at an Edmonton Neighbourhood Strategy meeting with guest speaker Jim Diers. Diers was creating an atmosphere of food, fun, and storytelling around how communities are utilizing the strength of their neighbours to move forward.

Hearing the "chant" reminded me of one of my childhood shows- Seasame Street. Seasame Street just celebrated 40 years of being televised. The famous song "Who Are The People in Your Neighbourhood" is quite a trademark of the show. However, that song is quite powerful with its meaning for all ages, not just preschoolers.

Who are the people in our neighbourhood? When was the last time we said "hello" to a neighbour? We will only know who our neighbour is if we become active and engaged in our communities, at whatever level works for people.

Diers pointed out some key elements of community:

• having a common identity
• doing something at a manageable scale
• having key gathering or "bumping" places
• having a vehicle for collective action
• having the power to care for one another
• having power to demand justice

These key elements create a vehicle for bringing people together and moving forward to make communities a better place to live. It can start with two, three or more people, but the important piece is not one person can do it alone.

Diers goes on to say that we need to start where people are- in their own backyard. This is often where the block parties and other such neighbourhood events begin. From here, networks begin to flourish and people's passions can be tapped into.

We need to remember that each one of us have gifts from the head, heart, and hands, but they just look differently for some people. Sharing and building on our gifts can benefit not only ourselves, but also our communities.

Take a moment to chant "neighbour power" and see what happens... you might be surprised.