Getting Involved in Your Community

It felt like it was just summer, but here we are in November! Just weeks away from the end of the year! November is a great time to pause and look back on the past year and review the highest highlights and the tough chapters you went through. When you review your past year and think about the year ahead, what do you want to leave behind and what do you hope to gain? One goal that is always on our lists is finding new ways to become involved in our communities. Our interaction with others helps ground us and feel more connected. If you’ve had a goal of getting more plugged into your community, today we’re sharing some easy ways to start. Choose one or more from the list and find a way to work it into the year ahead of you! 

Getting Active 

Get active with a group. Try a class at a workout studio! Break out of your comfort zone and take a class you haven’t tried before. Many dance studios offer adult classes. Your local park district might also offer affordable adult exercise programs. If you’re more introverted, challenge yourself to introduce yourself to someone new while you’re there. If you like to run or walk, many running stores host running clubs or meetups when you can show up and run or walk with a group. And if group fitness isn’t your thing, choose one day each week to walk or run with a close friend. Explore a new part of your town and grab a snack or drink at a new (to you) local restaurant. 

Giving Your Time 

Volunteering is a great way to connect to your community. You can start by plugging into organizations you are already associated with, for example opportunities at your church if you attend one or with your child’s school if you have children. You can also lean into your interests. If you are passionate about local food, try to connect with a food pantry or farmer’s market. If you love museums, consider volunteering at a local museum. If you love to cook, find opportunities to prepare meals for others. 

Connecting Spiritually 

Each person is on their own spiritual path and journey. If you belong to a church or attend services in your town, find opportunities to get to know others at your church. Many churches offer social opportunities through education, celebrations, and music. If you feel shy or unsure of how much time you can give, start small and go from there. If you enjoy meditation, look into places where you can meditate in a group setting. Many yoga studios offer classes in breathwork and meditation. 

Connecting With Seniors

There are seniors in your community in need of your time and help. Reach out to your local nursing home or assisted living community and see if there are opportunities to give your time. There may be opportunities to join a conversation hour, read aloud, teach a class, or play music. Rehabilitation or hospice care facilities may also be looking for volunteers. If you have older seniors in your neighborhood, offer to help with lawn care, snow removal, and errands. 

Visiting Local Businesses 

We all love the convenience of shopping online. But if you exclusively shop online or at big chain stores, the likelihood that your local shops are able to stay in business diminishes considerably. Pledge to shop local when possible or for a percentage of your shopping. When you visit these shops, chat up the local staff and owners. This is a great way to connect to your community and keep the dollars in your town. It could also lead to developing a new close friendship or business connection. 

Sharing Your Skills 

If you could teach a class in any subject, what would it be? Gather together friends for a skill sharing club. Each person brings a skill to share and takes turns hosting. It could be a traditional craft like knitting or how to sew a pillow on a sewing machine. It could be baking a layer cake or sharing household skills like how to fold a fitted sheet or how to hem a pair of pants. Maybe you pride yourself in your budgeting skills or investing or photo editing and could share your tips. Think about how you can share your skills with others and the best way to connect.

We want to hear from you! How have you connected with others in your community? What challenges have you experienced and what unexpected rewards have you received?