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Connecting to Community: An Introduction

One of the best things you can offer any child is a strong connection to community. Kids need to have relationships with caring adults outside of their families, including neighbors, their friends’ parents, program leaders, and other community members. By helping create an engaged community, you can ensure that all of your community’s children are given the support they need to grow up to be healthy, caring, responsible adults.

Did You Know?

  • Only about one third of teenagers who responded to Search Institute surveys feel that there are people in their neighborhood who care about them.
  • Almost 9 out of 10 middle and high school students are involved in positive activities outside of school. Half are involved in three or more activities.1

While every community is different, there are always opportunities for your child to get involved. And if you don’t find the connections you seek, you can make a difference in the lives of children by helping strengthen the bond between youth and the community.

Frequent Questions and Concerns about Connecting to Community

I don’t live in the safest neighborhood—isn’t it dangerous for my child to be involved in the community?

While you should never encourage any dangerous activities for your children, helping them engage the community around youth might be a great way to improve the conditions of your neighborhood. By getting local adults involved with the youth in your neighborhood, you can help create a safer place for your children as well as the rest of your community.

How can I support a connection to community when there are very few children of my child’s age in my community?

It’s important for your child to connect with other children of his or her age, and it can be difficult to make these connections if you live in a neighborhood that doesn’t include many other children. Encourage your child to make new friends at school, and invite them over from time to time. If you have friends who have children close to your child’s age, have occasional parties where they can play together. You can also organize community-wide playtimes, block parties, or other gatherings that local parents can bring their children to. In this way, you’ll help children make connections with other kids their age.

Should I encourage my child to get a part-time job in the community?

Your child may hold a part-time job, but shouldn’t work more than 10 or 15 hours per week during the school year. While going to work does help them get involved (especially if their employer is active in the community), it can detract from the time your kids spend in other positive activities. Holding a job teaches your child responsibility and helps him or her build connections with others, but be sure to temper his or her working with other methods of community involvement.

Encouraging an Engaged Community

While helping your kids get involved in your community is an important part of connecting your family to other people around you, it’s also important to support the other adults in your neighborhood in creating a safe, welcoming, and caring community for kids. If you’re fortunate enough to live in a neighborhood that highly values youth, take advantage of and enjoy it! If your community could use some help, use some of the following strategies to mobilize adults on behalf of youth.

  • Organize a “vision team” composed of community members (including youth) and representatives from local schools, government, law enforcement, congregations, health care, and any other organizations to discuss how your community is engaging youth. Use this team to begin developing an action plan.
  • When planning to make a change in your community, focus on a positive vision; instead of addressing a specific problem, aim to energize your community in the long term and create a sustainable youth involvement plan.
  • Gathering information—whether from a formal survey or informal conversations—is an integral part of building a strong community. Talk to local youth and get their views on needs, resources, and their vision for the future.
  • It can be tough building a community from scratch, so network with other communities that have been successful in mobilizing adults for the benefit of youth. Ask them how they started their movement, what they’ve found to be effective (and ineffective), and if they can provide any advice or assistance.
  • One of the most effective ways to move your project forward is to have the support of your local government. Speak with your city council (or other governmental body) about getting a youth representative involved in their decision-making process. Influencing civic decisions and making sure your community keeps youth in mind when making those decisions is a vital part of successful change.

By connecting with other adults and kids, you can begin to build a strong community in your neighborhood—one that values youth and takes action to make sure kids have a good place to grow up. Start small and see where your efforts take your community!

Getting Involved in Your Neighborhood

Community involvement starts close to home, in your neighborhood. Do your children know your neighbors? Does your child know your neighbors’ kids? Do the families of your community get together often? Community involvement includes both youth and adults, so it’s important to get everyone involved in turning your community into one that values youth.

  • The first Tuesday in August of each year is National Night Out, when neighbors all over the country come together to learn more about each other and talk about ways to keep their neighborhoods safe. Some neighborhoods host block parties, cookouts, or parades. Attend this event, or start one of your own. Visit nationalnightout.org to find out more.
  • Spend time outside when you notice that your neighbors are out. Introduce yourself and your children, and chat for a few minutes.
  • Once you get to know your neighbors, get together periodically to discuss neighborhood concerns. It’s easier to create, agree upon, and enforce neighborhood boundaries when neighbors know each other and each other’s children.
  • Make connections between your children and your neighbors—if your child is interested in a particular career path and you have a neighbor employed in that field, see if they’d be willing to let your child “job shadow” for a day. Or if your child plays an instrument, introduce him to a neighbor who plays the same instrument.
  • Many communities have organized groups that older children can take part in, such as volunteer groups, event planning committees, and community recreation departments. Other organizations, such as schools and congregations, need volunteers periodically, and provide great opportunities for community engagement.
  • Get the help of other parents and plan a community activity for young children, such as an art project, a game, or a bike and trike parade. Ask kids what they’d like to do, and get the word out by posting flyers or sticking them on your neighbor’s doors.

Many families are fortunate enough to live in an engaged community in which adults and kids share a strong connection. If you live in one of these neighborhoods, take advantage of it! If not, you have a great opportunity for helping the children and adults around you. Start getting involved and make your community better for everyone in it.

Youth Programs

Youth programs can be very valuable in getting your child involved in the community, and provide opportunities for you as well.

Almost every community has some sort of youth program, be it an after-school program, a mentoring program, a service-learning program, or another type of organized engagement. These programs can be very valuable in getting your child involved in the community, and provide opportunities for you as well. By getting your kids involved in these programs, you can help create a better community for everyone in it.

  • If you don’t know if your community has out-of-school programs, look in community recreation and education catalogs, school and congregational bulletins and Web sites, and brochures from local organizations such as the YMCA.
  • Help your child find programs that interest them. Whether kids are interested in sports, auto mechanics, painting, stage acting, volunteering, or almost anything else, there is probably a program they will be excited to be a part of. If they seem expensive, ask about scholarships or reduced fees.
  • If your community doesn’t offer many youth program options, organize local youth to work with a school, congregation, organization, or local government to improve the situation. Get the input of kids throughout your community on what they’re interested in, and help them organize to petition for more program offerings.
  • Colleges and universities often offer week- or month-long educational programs for young children. Enrolling your child in one of these programs is a fun way to foster summer learning.
  • Summer camps can be effective in fostering your child’s relationships with other kids as well as adults. You can find camps that cater to almost any interest, run by a number of different organizations.

Youth programs are invaluable resources for both parents and kids. Find out today if your community offers these programs—and if not, start talking to other parents and take action to get some programs set up for the children in your community.

Connecting to Community: Summary and Next Steps

Whether your neighborhood currently has many resources, such as after-school programs or mentoring programs, and a strong sense of community or is disconnected, you have an opportunity to help build a strong connection between the adults and youth around you. Take the time to start building this connection—not only will your children benefit, but so will the entire neighborhood.

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