Collaborative Community Development: "Together, Proactively"

● Thoughts on Building and Supporting a Community

At our NPO, we support activities in small communities with the theme of "nurturing love for the region." As we collaborate with people from various areas, I feel that the "thoughts" of those involved in the town become a resource that drives community development forward.
Many regional and civic activities are voluntary and unpaid, so the feelings and motivation of each person involved become a very important driving force.

● Together, Proactively

I feel that "proactivity" is crucial here. I believe that for any activity to be carried out actively, the number of proactive people involved is a key factor.
For example, if there is a side asking for help and a side being asked, the side being asked often thinks, "I'm doing them a favor," and in reality, there is often no proactivity at all.
Rather than giving instructions on what to do, I believe that by starting by placing the issue in the center and looking at it together, and by valuing the purpose of each person's involvement, "mutually proactive" collaborative community development will progress.

● "Do your best" vs. "Let's do our best"

Of course, both are words that encourage people who are working hard, but there is a significant difference just in the nuance of the words. It is nice to be told "do your best," but the phrase "let's do our best" contains the nuance of "let's do it together." Even if you are not working on the task together, I think it conveys the feeling of "I'm watching over you" or "I'm with you in spirit."
Facing things together and moving forward together. I think these words are the essence of "collaborative community development." It might be good to be a little conscious of using these words.

....

Well, this is difficult.
Keeping it under 720 characters (laughs).

This was a request to contribute an essay to the "'People & People' Series Welfare Essay: 'Creating Happiness, Creating People'" in the public relations paper "Kitakyushu City Council of Social Welfare Newsletter" published by the Kitakyushu City Council of Social Welfare.

Since it was about human resource development for volunteer activities and regional welfare activities related to community development, I decided on this content.

I took advantage of my daily morning note output opportunity (laughs).
A bit of a jump ahead before it's published in print (laughs).

Summarizing things briefly is ve~ry difficult.

Thank you for reading again today.

The wonderful illustration at the beginning is a work by Shuka | note which I have used with permission. Thank you, as always.

<Article from 'today' one year ago★>

<Article from 'today' two years ago★>