The Abundant Community

The Meaning of Citizenship

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

What citizenship in action means to South African Mike Fraser.

When I Grow Up: A Six-Year-Old’s Vision of a Gift Community

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Six-year-old Sabina shares her vision of a community she will have when she grows up.

A Love Letter to My Neighborhood

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

In a distinctive approach to mapping the assets of her community, April Doner wrote a love letter to her Sarasota, FL neighborhood.

Building Competent Communities: A Matter of Survival in the 21st Century

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

The erosion of community life can be reversed with a strong and positive upward trend in consciousness and action that says belongingness, connectedness, cohesion, and service to communal purposes.

Occupying a Different Community Space

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

UCLA professor and environmental health sciences department chair Richard J. Jackson's concern for the physical attributes of neighborhood and city spaces matches our thoughts on building the relationships that lead to community abundance.

The Key to Disaster Survival? Friends and Neighbors

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Political scientist Daniel Aldrich went halfway around the world to discover that the people who will help you survive a natural disaster are usually neighbors.

Fallibility: The Value of Imperfection

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

The capacities of an abundant community are the core elements that need to be visible and manifest to create functional families and neighborhoods. One of the capacities of an abundant community is the ability to accept people’s fallibility.

From Backyard Lettuce to “Learning Garden” Sweet Potatoes

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

A unique school-community collaboration grew enough lettuce to feed 500 people at Ashlawn Elementary's harvest celebration lunch. There were also sweet potatoes the students harvested from a “learning garden” on a historic dairy farm.

Libraries Leading Community

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Libraries are getting more and more creative in coming up with ways to build communities around them. Read about six innovative strategies that might work in your neighborhood.

Gambling on Community in Las Vegas, NV

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

It’s not a mere roll of the dice that’s bringing Vegas back, but intentional actions to create real change and community.

Inspirations for 2012 Community

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Dafna Michaelson quit her job, cashed in her 401(k), and set out on a year-long mission: To visit one state each week and interview people changing their communities, and then share their stories to inspire others.

Leadership Is a Process of Community

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

When we deconstruct leadership, we will not find a hero at the heart of leadership. We will find community.

The First Wednesday Conversation in Olympia, WA

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Since July 2007 Steve Byers has hosted a monthly conversation in his community where people have a chance to explore something new or share their perspective in a welcoming environment. One reason it works? He always shows up.

Resolving to Rediscover Entertainment in the New Year

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Instead of continuing to be consumers of commercial entertainment, why not have our New Year's resolutions include creating an enjoyable neighborhood and becoming real neighbors celebrating life together?

About Time

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

More than 30 years after he first created the concept, Edgar Cahn believes that in midst of economic crisis the world is finally waking up to the possibilities offered by timebanking.

Christmas 2011 -- Birth of a New Tradition

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

An anonymous email making its way around the Web and into inboxes these last few weeks echoes many of John and Peter’s thoughts on finding a life of abundance “within walking distance.”

Welcoming Schools: ABCD in Action

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

A veteran educator shows how a simple shift in thinking from deficiencies to gifts can produce big results.

How to Teach Children to Lose by Winning

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

When we admit that most of us don’t really know our neighbors, we are revealing that the primary site for genuine cooperation is absent from our lives.

Sweet Potatoes Newest Star of Lawns 2 Lettuce 4 Lunch

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Sweet potato soup, salad and dessert are the latest lesson in growing and eating healthy foods and developing new relationships between Ashlawn Elementary School and its neighbors,

More Health, Less Management, Please

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Industry solutions to a health care system that already suffers from over–management suggest we provide even more management. True health care reform will occur when we acknowledge that 85% of our health is in the hands of the individual and the community.