One idea to get to know your neighborhood better is to be a tourist for an afternoon and see what unexpected treasures you discover. I am reminded of this often as I travel through towns in Wisconsin. I was in Osh Kosh, and after a meeting walked up Main Stree...
4 Ways to Build a More Connected Welcoming Neigborhood
A recent article in The Guardian reminds us that loneliness is a serious public health issue. As the UK Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has said, loneliness and isolation is as “bad for you” as “smoking 15 cigarettes a day” and “worse than obesity”....
Getting Out of Our box
There have been several times recently when I have reflected on how we respond during times of uncertainty or change. I moved to Wisconsin right after the Governor announced a budget proposal that would make major changes in a number of service systems. There ...
In Case of Emergency
In the case of an emergency, who would you call? Imagine a personal crisis happens in your life, who are the people you call for help and support. In a recent community conversation looking at building on the assets in our communities some one mentioned the ...
Mapping Our Assets
Inspired by the passion, energy and ideas at the last “In Search of Hospitality” conversation at the super welcoming Goodman Centre. We identified some of the assets within our organizations and we made plans for identifying and building relati...
Radical Hospitality Builds Community
Hosted an “In Search of Hospitality” conversation with community builders in Madison: We talked about the places where we each find radical hospitality in our neighbourhoods and the significance of these people and places. Groups like the Wisconsin...
You Have To Show Up
“Like A Rolling Stone” was recorded 50 years ago this week. Reportedly Bob Dylan had been writing the song over weeks and even referred to the song as “vomit.” Al Kooper was invited by a friend in the band to hang out as they recorded and he sat in the...
Steal Like an Artist
I’m reading a book, “Steal Like An Artist” by Austin Kleon. This is an easy, fun read about 10 things “…. nobody told you about being creative.” Kleon encourages readers not to “throw any of yourself away: don’t feel like you have to toss any o...
Creating Inviting Spaces
This past weekend an impromptu concert popped up in the park in my new neighborhood. The group that performed at the gazebo brought together musicians from a half dozen bands. They invited neighbors to bring their instruments and join in and one person sang a ...
Let’ s Have A Party
I was traveling a lot over the past 2 weeks and was struck by the power of and things to be learned from community. In Cincinnati I learned that at a Neighborhood Council meeting the neighborhood officer reported that the crime statistics were at the lowest po...