Calvin George’s Post

Ending #VolunteersWeek Day One with the first of our top tips ( aka Spirit Suggests!) 💡 Use your community event as a launchpad for long-term social action and encourage ongoing volunteer opportunities. More about this in the Moment To Movement research https://lnkd.in/e-iEri3b #VolunteersWeek #CommunityImpact #LongTermChange #VolunteerOpportunities

Wondered how sport and community groups support community engagement, wellbeing and individual development? Research by University of Bath on behalf of Access Sport outlines 5 key points: 1. Community sport challenges the traditional idea that communities are solely defined by place or locality. 2. Sense of belonging and community underpin the wider transformational benefits of community sport. 3. Clubs provide essential opportunities for young people to have positive and safe social interactions. 4. Clubs have a positive impact on parents/guardians as they enable them to socially interact with one another. 5. Sense of belonging extends beyond the boundaries of a community club. Full report is worth a read through: https://lnkd.in/eygka-qY

🌟 Let's empower our communities! 🌟 Community engagement is the heartbeat of vibrant neighborhoods. 🏘️ From workshops to clean-up drives, there are countless ways to foster connections and make a difference right where we live. Here are some simple yet impactful ideas: Workshops & Seminars: Learn and grow together on topics that matter. Clean-up Days: Let's beautify our surroundings and build pride in our neighborhoods. Cultural Festivals: Celebrate our diversity and strengthen bonds through art, food, and music. Online Forums: Connect virtually, share ideas, and drive positive change. Volunteer Opportunities: Make a difference by lending a helping hand in community projects. Surveys & Polls: Have your say on local issues and shape the future of your area. Challenges & Competitions: Have fun while making a difference – who said community engagement can't be exciting? Support Local Businesses: Let's rally behind our local entrepreneurs and boost our economy together. P.S. Looking for seamless community management solutions? Check out SocMent – your partner in building stronger, happier neighborhoods! 💡 Ready to spark change in your community? Let's make it happen! 💪 hashtag #CommunityEngagement #LocalLeadership #MakeADifference #NeighborhoodPride #SocMent #IndiaCommunity #TogetherWeCan #EmpowerCommunities #Workshops #Seminars #Challenges #Cultural #Festivals #Competitions #Community #engagement #Cleanup #Days #Online #Forums #Volunteer #Opportunities #Surveys #Polls #Challenges #Competitions

Canadian Ashoka Fellows: Who would I have dinner with and why? Meet Ernest Jr. Edmond. Ernest is the founder of Les Ballons Intensifs (LBI), a socially innovative organization that focuses on providing underprivileged youth the guidance necessary to be engaged community members. LBI is an innovative organization because it provides high quality sports coaching and programs in return for community participation in social initiatives. LBI also works closely with the parents of the children. A main goal of the organization is to take back power in parent committees and youth boards, that are typically dominated by more privileged communities. Involving parents of LBI children in these issues results in more advocacy for those who need it. I would like to have dinner with Ernest because of the way I connected with sports in my youth, and how much guidance that gave me growing up. Because of this connection, I can appreciate how powerful his movement can be. Introducing sports to a child that doesn't have much can change everything. I would likely ask Ernest what his relationship was with sports as a child. Growing up in Haiti before moving to Montreal, I imagine he experienced sports in a very different way than I did. I also connect with Ernest's story because of the connection to his family. LBI started because Ernest wanted to help his cousin Jimmy get better at basketball. From basketball lessons with Jimmy sprouted an initiative to further improve the community, which created a ripple effect of innovation. In conversation with Ernest, I would discuss how one good sentiment (taking care of a family member) directly leads to further social progress, and how creating a culture of kindness as such can be innovation in of itself.

👋 Hello LinkedIn Community! We all have our unique perspectives on what community means to us and how it manifests in our lives. It's the foundation for positive change and growth, especially when we come together as advocates, mentors, individuals with lived experience, and potential corporate partners. 🤔 So, what does community mean to you? How does it look in your eyes, especially within the context of supporting youth with lived experience? Your insights as advocates and mentors can provide invaluable guidance, while corporate sponsorships and partnerships can offer resources and support to amplify our impact. 👥 Who Would You Recommend to Join Our Community? Do you know passionate advocates, mentors, or potential corporate partners who are committed to making a difference? Tag them in the comments or share this post with them! In order to build a better future for our youth, we need to start making an impact together. 💡 Let's Build a Stronger Community Together! Building a resilient, inclusive, and supportive community requires collective effort, shared vision, and active participation from all stakeholders. How can we collaborate to create communities that uplift, empower, and unite us? Where would you start? Please share your thoughts, experiences, and ideas below! Let's learn from each other and build a community that makes a lasting difference. #CommunityBuilding #TogetherWeCan

Everything Comes Back to Community. Our ethos is grounded in the idea that each golfer’s journey can be enriched through human connection and being around others in a healthy and productive way. Golf is a great opportunity to get to know someone, whether they be a stranger you just met moments before you teed off or a lifelong friend or family member. The game provides us all with the chance to spend seemingly uninterrupted time with each other where we walk or ride side-by-side, as equals, attempting to conquer the course. The etiquette of the game also impacts this relationship as the sport asks of us to be true to the game, true to ourselves, and true to our playing partners. Unlike other games or sports, a golfer’s ultimate competitors are not the folks in the foursome, but the course and the challenge of getting the best out of themselves. Few sports can foster an atmosphere where you cheer on your opponents’ greatest shots and lucky breaks quite like golf, and that special relationship between you and the people you play with and play against is unmatched. No Bunk celebrates this dynamic by encouraging members to connect for friendly competition and fellowship that not only enriches that round of golf but enriches the hearts and minds of everyone on the course that day. Our platform is designed to put human connection first in a way that encourages each member to proudly share their golf journey with a community that is positive, supportive, and truly interested in their success. The previous era of golf achieved human connection through the EXCLUSION of others, but No Bunk is flipping the script by achieving human connection through the INCLUSION of all. Come Hang with Us. -The No Bunk Team

🌟 ACTION 🌟 Yesterday, we had fun hosting a thought-provoking discussion event in collaboration with pro-manchester titled "Social Value in Action." 🚀 During the event: 🔹Victoria Braddock our event host, emphasised Manchester's recognition of social value, positioning it as an investment in continuous growth and the city's thriving economy. 🔹 Adam Farricker CEO of Hideout Youth Zone and Salford Youth Zone, shared insights on how social initiatives serve as strategic investments benefiting both companies and the charity sector in the long run, stressing the importance of giving back to the next generation. 🔹 Adam John Warriner shed light on impactful collaborations between the JD Foundation and the charity sector, showcasing examples where these collaborations amplified social impact and yielded tangible returns on investment. 🔹 Jen Gillies Pemberton discussed the importance of effectively measuring and managing social value, sharing practical approaches, tools, and strategies for impactful and sustainable initiatives. 💎 The event's highlight was our Hideout member, Aliyah, sharing invaluable insights into how corporate recognition of social value uplifts her community. She recounted experiences, from becoming a National Youth Theatre student to hosting podcasts with JD, showcasing the immeasurable impact of corporate support on her growth and opportunities. Aliyah brought laughter and perspective to our gathering, reminding us of our collective purpose to why we’re all sat in a room together on an early rainy Manchester morning, to shape a better future for our city, empower young people, and foster social mobility in our communities. If you are looking for a charity partner to work with on your social value initiatives, Hideout Youth Zone has an abundance of ideas to make your social value go further, positively impacting your team, retaining and gaining employees, and, basically, because you should. Let’s talk. 💬 💫 #SocialValue #Collaboration #YouthEmpowerment #nextfeneration #futureleaders #manchester

Last night was so inspiring. Here's my write up of the RSA Southampton event about empowered communities, where we heard from local changemakers Matt Salvage FRSA from SoCo Music Project, Hayley Binstead from Board in the City and Clare Diaper from Southampton Climate Action Network: https://lnkd.in/ejtJ2DEb Key points that resonated for me: * Community organisations are delivering meaningful impact, changing lives for individuals, the culture of Southampton and taking action on the key social and environmental challenges of our time. * We can't make change happen unless we hear from change-makers and respond to their needs. Let's put stories from change-makers into city activity and make sure it drives policy making. * We all need to cluster around those change-makers, to share our skills where they are needed and our resources where we can. We need to help drive more money and resources in their direction so they can continue to do what they do best. * This all needs much better promotion (luckily, the next RSA event on 18 July will address Southampton's City Narrative, link below) * That the economic benefits, as well as social and environmental impact, of what community organisations do needs to be captured effectively and communicated to all. * There are way too many barriers to achieving social action. Why aren't we using the Social Value Act to better effect? Why doesn't the city make it easier for change-makers to secure premises? Embedding a Doughnut Economics approach could help us achieve all this. * We could do with a supportive system that helps people with the nuts and bolts of social action - such as HR, finances, property, administration. * And finally, don't underestimate the power of fun and enjoyment. This a key the route to helping people find their tribe, collaborate together and achieve positive social action. It takes time to build trust and deepen partnerships. We must not forget the role of enjoyment in this process. Thank you to Fred Bassett (FRSA) Rachel Grice Stephen Manion FRSA Spencer Bowman and the Mettricks Woolston team for helping make this event happen.

DAY 65 OF #100DAYSOFAI Today, our focus is on enhancing the community experience for the residents of Greenwood. Our goal is to develop a central hub where Greenwood residents can easily learn about and participate in upcoming events and activities. To achieve this, we plan to create a website where users can share their content and connect with others. While platforms like Nextdoor already exist, our aim is to tailor this initiative specifically to the unique needs and interests of Greenwood. Here’s what we envision for our community-centric website: Features for Individual Users: Personal Profiles: Share updates about community happenings. Event Creation: Organize local events or volunteer activities. Group Formation: Establish groups for book clubs, tennis clubs, and more. Features for Organizations: Activity Posts: Promote local activities. Event Announcements: Share details about upcoming events. Features for Businesses: Ad Creation: Advertise products and services. Promotion Posts: Highlight special offers and promotions. Additional Ideas to Enhance the Platform: Local Fundraising Options: Incorporate a GoFundMe feature for community projects. Regulatory Updates: Provide information on local laws and regulations. School Integration: Connect with local schools for event and activity updates. By building this platform, we aim to foster a collaborative, fun, and engaging community for all Greenwood residents. Your feedback and suggestions are welcome as we embark on this exciting journey!

Building a community is not nearly as simple as saying “we are going to build a community”. There is a science to doing it and doing it well. It is a process that will take a lot of time and effort on the part of those who are leading the community…and just when you think things are going well, you will need to pivot because the work you have done may have become stale or redundant. Remember, we live in a world where intellectual stimulation needs to be constant. University of Pennsylvania Psychologist and Bestselling Author Adam Grant recently posted the following, “The best cure for loneliness is not more frequent interaction. It is more meaningful interaction. What matters most for well-being is the quality of connections, not the quantity.” You probably see often the same people sitting together, talking to each other, and interacting with each other at games and events. There is a comfort in knowing someone closely and parents will naturally gravitate toward people they know and have a level of comfort with. If your program is more of a “magnet program” where athletes come to you after getting started elsewhere (for instance, you run a year-round program which families come to from the rec league setting) you likely see this a lot. It can be very challenging to get parents to see the benefits of brining their smaller groups together for the benefit of the team or organization as a whole. There are 3-Cs which, when developed and followed properly, will be the basis for community development in your program: content, connection, and community. I’ll dive into each of these, talk more about the science behind community building in youth sports, and give examples of what has worked, and not worked, from my attempts to build a better community around the Greater Philadelphia Aquatic Club on Thursday, November 30th at 3:00 pm Eastern. Register to receive the webinar link here: https://lnkd.in/eqgzb799