7 Ways to Create Community
July 2021 my family uprooted our deep roots in the South and made our way to the state that does football and crab cakes (IYKYK).
It was an exciting time for us and we immediately got into the grind of everyday life. Grad school, teaching agriculture, new school for second grade, and a new daycare.
Day in day out became get up, get ready, go to work, attempt to find energy to make dinner, bed time routine, and sleep.
And by December 2021, I had enough. I couldn’t stay on that hamster wheel anymore without an outlet. And what I really needed was a friend.
So I got a job to try and find a friend. No lie.
I ended up joining the team at my local Pure Barre studio because 1. Free Membership 2. Find people who *might* be a potential friend.
Extreme, maybe. But, I was desperate. I couldn’t feel alone anymore. I was over it. It was time to take drastic action.
Enter, Allison. The Pure Barre teacher who is a catalyst for a good time. She happened to be the teacher assigned to my Friday night shift and within a few weeks I knew this was it. I hit the jackpot. Getting paid to work out AND getting a friend finally in my new hometown. Allison was just the start of a bigger Pure Barre community that now celebrates each others birthdays, big moments, and simple coffee chats after class.
What I was fed up about was the fact that I had no community. Community is truly just a feeling you get when you are with others that share common attitudes, interests, feelings or even goals.
And I know that this is happening in the world. Especially after the past few years. Figuring out “where do I fit? “should I be in this group anymore?” “what am I missing?”
Community begins with a catalyst. You know back to chemistry class that you hopefully did better in than me. A catalyst is a person/thing that causes something to happen quickly.
If you are looking for community. It might be time to be a catalyst.
Here are some actions you can take to be a community catalyst:
Find a group on your city/county recreation site
I just found out my city has Adult Fencing classes for three months and only $150 (can you say en guard?)
Go to a community event
Farmer’s market, holiday event, cultural fair etc. The list goes on and *most* of the time people are willing to speak to you because they are selling
Join a gym/work out class
There are lots of free first classes out there (ex. Orange Theory, Pure Barre, Core Power Yoga) try it our, check out the vibe and see!
Find a place of worship
Are your looking for a new place to worship? Test out a few and see if one has a community group you are looking for
Online friends are real friends
Some of my very best friends were people I first connected with on Instagram. Take the DM off the gram and set up a Zoom Call!
Find an organization to volunteer for
Find a cause you are passionate about and volunteer for them. Great way to find like minded and hearted people
Attend a networking event
For the ag teachers out there this may look like going to a free event by G&G, attending a National FFA teacher session, or even checking out teacher networking events in your county.
The options are truly endless. But the point is, they are just options unless you decide to take action on them.
You can curate your own community; you just might need to remember to be a catalyst!
