Welcome to Neighbour to Neighbour
Sharing Our Capacities to Build Strong Neighbourhoods

When we are asked to envision our ideal neighbourhood we often talk about children feeling safe to play outdoors, neighbours greeting neighbours and parents helping each other with childcare. In this community there is a high level of involvement in the local school, spontaneous baseball games in the nearest park and neighbourhood barbeques. This is a caring neighbourhood characterized by assistance with shoveling snow, a willingness to keep an eye on each other’s homes and the old fashioned kind of support that is symbolized by a cake or casserole in time of need.

We create a picture of a community that is rich with gardens and trees, where the traffic is calm and the streets are populated with cyclists, skateboarders and walkers. People also talk about adults and teens laughing and interacting together. There is mutual respect for diversity and cultural differences. There may also be a neighbourhood association that functions democratically with a high level of volunteer commitment and spirit.

Neighbourhoods today may be faced with multiple challenges stemming from such things as poor urban planning decisions, environmental or crime concerns, a lack of affordable or adequate housing, poverty and insufficient supports for new Canadians. And yet, within every community the potential for change already exists within the imagination, skills and capacities of the citizens that live there.

After a ten year study of crime prevention in Chicago neighbourhoods, Dr. Felton Earls concluded that the most important factor influencing a neighbourhood’s crime rate is “neighbours’ willingness to act, when needed, for one another’s benefit, and particularly for the benefit of one another’s children”. (The New York Times, January 6, 2004.)

You may be a community leader already or you may surprise yourself by becoming one in the near future. Often we can’t anticipate the events or experiences that will trigger our passion and our sudden decision to do something about an issue. Although you may have never organized events or groups before, you will be astounded at what can be achieved when you start to tap into your own skills and those of your neighbours. The process of community change can be exhilarating but it can also be a slow, complex process with a steep learning curve. Leaders need to be clear about their own intent, know how to nurture leadership in others and have resources available to assist with the task at hand.

This is your Neighbour to Neighbour Toolkit for community capacity building. It provides the stories and tips of people who worked with others to create and act on their visions for improving their community. Perhaps you too have stories to share. The kit also provides resource tools and links to other sites.

Enjoy.

To learn more about the Neighbour to Neighbour Project, click here.

This Capacity Building Toolkit has been funded through a partnership between the United Way of Kitchener Waterloo & Area and the Community Safety & Crime Prevention Council of Waterloo Region.