Jim Diers
Community builder
Jim Diers is a speaker, facilitator, author and activator assisting associations and agencies in support of caring, inclusive and powerful communities.
Location: Seattle (WA), USA
Jim Diers has a passion for getting people engaged with their communities and in the decisions that affect their lives. Since moving to Seattle in 1976, he put that passion to work for a direct-action neighborhood association, a community development corporation, a community foundation, and the nation's largest health care cooperative. He was appointed the first director of Seattle's Department of Neighborhoods in 1988 where he served under three mayors over the next 14 years.
Jim serves on the faculty of the Asset-Based Community Development Institute. He travels internationally to deliver speeches, present workshops, and provide technical assistance to community associations, non-profit organizations, and government.
Jim received a BA and an honorary doctorate from Grinnell College. His work in the Department of Neighborhoods was recognized with an Innovations Award from the Kennedy School of Government, a Full Inclusion Award from the American Association on Developmental Disabilities, and the Public Employee of the Year Award from the Municipal League of King County. Jim's book, Neighbor Power: Building Community the Seattle Way, is available in both English and Chinese editions.
Meet Jim Diers here:
“(…) 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.
“When we think of someone as being poor, homeless, disabled, non-English speaking, at-risk, addicted, mentally ill, unemployed or retired, we tend to focus on what that person is missing rather than on the contributions they could make. A truly inclusive neighborhood recognizes that everyone needs community and that community needs everyone.” Community activator, Jim Diers, examines the potential found in real inclusion.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.