Take action to change your community
Tackling any initiative to make community-wide change can seem like an impossible mountain to climb. But creating a movement that is worthwhile will always take planning, strategy, hard work and pure grit.
Some community activists, changemakers and can-doers give some of their tops tips and “how-to’s” to create programmes and projects for sustainable change.
Think through your idea - starting with something that you feel strongly about or is your bugbear for change. Think about how this could link to other initiatives and how to frame the idea in order to appeal to more people in your community.
Find your people – gather to you a core group of people who share your enthusiasm and are willing to give the kind of commitment and collaboration that you will need. Think about people dynamics and the strengths in the group and assign tasks and responsibilities accordingly.
Do your homework – this means understanding bylaws, speaking and working with local councillors and local authorities and making them part of your plan.
Test your idea – don’t mull too long over what might fail. A test run becomes a learning curve and as it gets into gear it drives up interest, motivation and momentum.
Grow the interest and support for your project – many community-wide projects need funding. Consider local businesses, as well as corporate funding, partnerships and sponsorship. Emphasise the win-wins for those who come on board, this could be publicity, driving traffic to their businesses, raising the profile of their businesses in the community, and also recognising the benefits of stepping up and “doing good” as corporate citizens.
Communicate and be transparent – being clear and open helps build strong networks and opportunities to collaborate and join projects. It allows all parties to be clear on roles and responsibilities and to work for shared goals.
Use social media to your advantage – build and design quality websites, if possible. Be intentional about posting relevant and interesting content regularly. Practise taking better photographs and writing good captions and story updates for your posts.
Use the media – build relationships with journalists, bloggers, interest groups and others to enhance the profile of your project.
Enable more people in the community to get involved in their own way. This builds capacity and ensures that more people in the community become involved and a movement can begin to take root.
Keep going. You can move mountains!
Is there a community-driven group or caring business in your area? A dedicated group of committed people can effectively solve local problems.
Think about starting or joining community groups like a street WhatsApp group, residents' association, or community policing forum (CPF) to get help and to stay informed and involved in local issues.
How to start a residents' association
How to set up a community policing forum
How to set up a neighbourhood watch
How to organise community action
How to use media to create pressure for change
Know your rights – how local government works
It’s important to understand how your local government works so that you can work with them to support what they are doing while your community continues to keep them accountable and deliver services on time. Remember you have a constitutional right to many of the services provided by local government, as well as to accountability and transparency, wherever you live and regardless of how.
Johannesburg
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