Rudi, a new Village In The City member from London, messaged me with a question.
Hi Mark, how does Village In The City work?
A great question, and one that maybe we are not always clear about. So here it is.
Village In The City is here to help YOU build micro-local community where YOU live.
We think that thriving, connected and mutually created communities are the answers to many questions and problems in the modern world. Safety, health, well-being, longevity, child-raising and Care are all intimately connected with local community (see the references on the front page of our website).
We think that many many people (including you) already have what it takes to help start and grow your neighbourhood community. You already have Skills, connections, abilities, Gifts, passions that will help you.
Here’s the thing. We can’t do it for you. We can’t come to your area and help you directly on the streets, in the parks and outside the shops. However, we CAN and do want to help and support you. Whether you are just starting out or are already part of a neighbourhood community, we can help.
How we can help
The no-nonsense six part framework for a thriving community in our Manifesto is an excellent place to start. What’s already there? What are the next priorities? How to take small steps?
Our free Village Builder Handbook gives you lots of specific ways to develop these six elements in your own neighbourhood. Download it now.
Join our Mighty Networks-driven Village In The City online community. This is free. Here you will get first access to calls, resources, connections, questions and the chance to join all kinds of discussions and events.
On the community you will find our free self-paced one hour introduction to Village In The City. This is a great way to get started, discover the six elements and begin to connect them with your own place.
Connect with other Village Builders around the world on our free live calls. At the moment these are monthly. Access them through the online community.
You can use the community at any time of the day or night! We want to hear about you, your neighbourhood, your hopes for the future, your plans, your successes, your failures, your challenges and how you and your fellow citizens are coming together to help create your neighbourhood community. You will find experts and willing helpers from all over the world to share their ideas, sympathise with your struggles and encourage you to keep going. And you can hear about my own efforts in Edinburgh’s West End in our ‘Diary of a Village Builder’ series.
We also publish blogs, videos, a podcast series, share the latest ideas and help connect with other community movements around the world.
When you are ready to make a small public sign of your participation, you can put your village On The Map. There’s a short google form to do that here. And you can see all the other Villages In The City around the world (on four continents so far!).
So… please get involved and join our wonderful and generous community of Village Builders. See you soon!
