“(…) Loneliness erodes the prophylactic power of community for which no health care professional can substitute. With the pandemic, we saw how people who thought of themselves as members of a community were more likely to care for one another and act responsibly towards one another. Likewise, community can have a major influence on social determinants of health such as the physical environment, housing, education, access to food and mutual support.” Jim Diers, community activator, reads an essential book on loneliness and suggests comprehensive solutions.

“Most communities don't think about gentrification until it is too late. The best time to counter gentrification is when it is still unimaginable, and the real estate is still affordable. So, in addition to working on immediate projects and issues to make their neighborhood more livable, the residents need to create a plan for keeping it affordable. Here are some thoughts on what might be included in such a plan taking an ABCD approach.” Community activator, Jim Diers, explores the collective power of neighborhoods.

“My favorite bumping places are the ones that are designed and built by the neighbors. These places are most likely to reflect what is special about the residents and their neighborhood, and they are designed to work for the people who live there. Through creating the place, neighbors feel a sense of ownership. They are more likely to use, maintain and program it.” Community activator, Jim Diers, identifies the threats to public spaces and some of the creative ways people are finding to create inclusive gathering places in neighborhoods, suburbs, and rural areas.

“It’s not enough to be community-driven; we need to ensure that those who are less privileged are in the lead. As many community organizers have observed, ‘It is those closest to the problem who are closest to the solution.’ Inclusive engagement won’t happen unless we are intentional. We need to engage people where they are – their networks, gathering places, language, culture and priorities.” Community activator, Jim Diers, calls for a people powered social justice.

“Most of our neighborhoods were designed by outside professionals – planners, architects and developers. Increasingly, though, residents are working together to create a unique identity for their neighborhood and to shape places where they can bump into one another on a regular basis.” Community activator, Jim Diers, explores the many ways of building communities fit for the 21st century.

Mohamed Magani, author and president of Algerian PEN, wrote a novel and suddenly found himself the center of a tightly knit community of butchers. Magani explores the power of stories and finds a world of wonder and surprises.

“Police departments typically fail to understand that the safest blocks are the ones that focus not on safety but on building community. Rather than simply teach people how to be secure in their homes and watch for strangers, residents should be encouraged to get out of their homes and connect with neighbors on a regular basis.” Community activator, Jim Diers, lets us in on a shortcut to healthier, happier, more caring and wiser neighborhoods.

Matilde Magro, regenerative and sustainability designer, asked her students to describe a flourishing individual in an idyllic society. The answers were surprising, so she decided to explore what a flourishing society would be like, and what that entails from individuals.

“Kalamunda residents have also taken a light-hearted approach to the very serious issue of climate change. How do you draw attention to the melting polar ice caps and rising sea levels when you are in a city built on a hill 600 feet above and several miles away from the ocean? You prepare for the future by organizing a surf club.” Community activator, Jim Diers, puts fun at the front of change. In this article, he explores the work of community builders creating serious change by goofing around.

“Giving food without considering the structural reasons ‘why’ food is needed is a never-ending battle. Building community resilience using food is a critical part of the puzzle to end hunger in communities and eradicate poverty. Food is a powerful tool for social change.” Food Ethics Council has written a guide to unpick and understand what a path to building community resilience in the UK could look like, focusing on the role of community food organisations.

How do we design our towns and cities? Who gets a seat a the table in the planning process? Who is the master behind the master plan? Social Design Collaborative has designed a toolkit reaching out to underrepresented groups to break down what Delhi's Master Plan 2041 has in store for them, and what they can do to get their concerns heard. “Kaun Hai MASTER? Kya Hai PLAN?” (Who is the MASTER? What is the PLAN?) is an interactive tool that spreads awareness on Delhi's master planning process and share people's perspectives.

A person’s final resting place can be the foundation of flowerbeds or feed the roots of the tree, or it can pose major environmental hazards through the continuation of a person’s carbon footprint even after the death. Peacemakers Pakistani explore the final footprint.

“The point here is to open the door for all & make space for all & attend those who show up themselves or send someone else in their place as their advocates. I hope you get what I mean. You see how it relates to the flexibility that we just talked about in the 'resilient' Lahore? WE ACCEPT ALL THOSE WHO JOIN IN - THEMSELVES OR SEND OTHERS IN THEIR PLACE. It's about 'us'... about 'we'....“ Peacemakers Pakistani shake up Lahore and envision a future city resting on strong communities. Let the shaking begin!

“First, do no harm.” This dictum is frequently but mistakenly associated with the Hippocratic Oath. Although community activator, Jim Diers, was disconcerted to learn that physicians are not guided by this rule, he’s suggesting that it be adopted by community workers as the basis for a code of conduct. Diers finds that we need to acknowledge the ways in which we often inadvertently harm the very communities we are trying to help and pledge to work in ways that contribute to their health.

“My favorite bumping places are the ones that are designed and built by the neighbors. These places are most likely to reflect what is special about the residents and their neighborhood, and they are designed to work for the people who live there. Through creating the place, neighbors feel a sense of ownership. They are more likely to use, maintain and program it.” Jim Diers, community activator, explores the art of creating bumping places.

“The world is changing. Businesses that exist for profit and purpose are now commonplace. Social enterprises prioritise people and the environment, ensuring they are looked after through business – rather than as collateral of profit-making.” The authors examine the potential for unlocking innovation and entrepreneurship while creating greater wellbeing.

“When asked to look at any organisation from an independent consultant perspective we often use the phrase of “flying in from Mars”. In other words, if I were flying in from Mars today and wanted to set up an organisation to address your particular cause with the most impact, would I set up your organisation? The authors ask hard questions and challenge us all to reconsider our impact.

“While the term ‘social enterprise’ itself is relatively new, the fundamental concepts behind it are not. We are still at the early stages of the growth of the social enterprise sector here in Aotearoa. What better time to think about how Māoritanga – Māori culture, practices and beliefs and way of life – can help flavour our particular recipe?” The authors dive into a country’s past to find a way forward.

A place appears to be lively and secure due to human presence. If we see people around us projecting good energy and vibes, finding comfort in a place, we, too, reflect that energy and find comfort. That’s basic human nature. But the point to ponder is what brings people out in place? What attracts them to a place? Azbah Ansari and Peacemakers Pakistani answer an essential question.

“Put simply: business of the past has often had a focus on being extractive rather than being regenerative. In response, a growing movement of impact entrepreneurs and investors are taking up the challenge of rethinking, redesigning and reorienting available legal structures of ownership and finance to ensure ‘purpose primacy’.” The authors propose an intergenerational and sustainable approach to business ownership.

“When it comes to local government, there are some really big elephants in the room which no one is willing to name or discuss. We tip-toe around them, and pretend they don’t exist because we really want to believe that local government is “democracy at work at the community level” and we turn a blind eye to any evidence to the contrary.” David Engwicht, CEO of Creative Communities International, has a first-hand experience with the flaws of local government. In this article, he suggests seven nudges to make communities work better.

“Questions and curiosities keep people alive. When curiosities tickle us and loom in front of us as a question, an individual becomes obliged to seek for an answer. He starts wandering, be it by will or by obligation. He starts moving about and looking at nature or the material world from newer perspectives. Wandering like that is a task undertaken by an incomplete being that pines for completeness. For such reasons, questions have a direct correlation with the incompleteness and vacantness that characterize an individual.” Bhisma Upreti, author and secretary of PEN Nepal, dives into the crowds of the world and finds himself alone.

“For decades our rules have lacked clarity over the function of directors, their duties and what they should consider when making decisions. Our thinking has been influenced by the economist Milton Friedman who in 1970 declared that the primary function of a company is to generate wealth for its shareholders.” Lawyer and podcaster Steven Moe examines a new role for private companies in our communities.

“Rather than #buildbackbetter perhaps we need to question if we want to go “back” and return to how things have been. Perhaps this is a chance not just to return to old ways but to embrace new conceptions, and it will be a shame if we miss it.” Lawyer and podcaster Steven Moe challenges us to rethink the future we want.

“We need to balance profit with purpose while incorporating new ways of thinking about ownership as stewards of what we have. Requiring the purpose to be clear will mean directors have a Northern Star to refer back to and guide them.” Steven Moe writes on the tyranny of the status quo.

“There are five myths underpinning the concept of Community Consultation. Each one is a fatal flaw. The words “community consultation” or even “community engagement” have come to embody the five myths so strongly, in my opinion, they are irredeemable.” David Engwicht, CEO of Creative Communities International, suggest a new term and a completely different approach.

We met Morten Skriver, an essential European thinker, artist, and writer, in his childhood home near Copenhagen. Skriver has come full circle, slowly settling into suburban life with his family in a paradoxical escape from a capital that, to Skriver, has become suburbanized and lifeless. In his books, Skriver examines freedom, beauty, and human existence. Essential questions are: How can we live together? How can we restore wisdom into our common existence?

“Sat inside the underground chamber. Third day in. Four days. Five days. Six days. Pitch black. Dreaming and dreaming and dreaming, preparing for a ceremony that had been spoken to me. ‘We’re going to take you to the Land of the Living Dead. You must prepare yourself.’”