this post was submitted on 03 Sep 2024
32 points (94.4% liked)

Asklemmy

43907 readers
1361 users here now

A loosely moderated place to ask open-ended questions

Search asklemmy ๐Ÿ”

If your post meets the following criteria, it's welcome here!

  1. Open-ended question
  2. Not offensive: at this point, we do not have the bandwidth to moderate overtly political discussions. Assume best intent and be excellent to each other.
  3. Not regarding using or support for Lemmy: context, see the list of support communities and tools for finding communities below
  4. Not ad nauseam inducing: please make sure it is a question that would be new to most members
  5. An actual topic of discussion

Looking for support?

Looking for a community?

~Icon~ ~by~ ~@Double_A@discuss.tchncs.de~

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 

I just moved into a new area, well in area that I used to live in and I remembered how lame it is. Most shops close at like 9:00 or 10:00. No nightlife to speak of, super family friendly and squeaky clean. Picturesque suburbs but I feel like I'm honestly trapped. But then it occurred to me. There might actually be something I can do about it, I mean there must be some reason why this village in particular closes super early and all the surrounding ones have normal times right? It's a smallish town, I must be able to do something, right? Anybody have any idea where I can start? Start to maybe bring some nightlife into this place, maybe some culture that isn't just aimed at upper middle class families with young children? Please let me know if you have any ideas, I've never done something like this before

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[โ€“] philpo@feddit.org 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Bring neighbours together. One step at a time.

The problem with a lot of small projects in towns is that they cater to a certain crowd - but there are often not enough people to sustain that momentum for a longer period of time. And it's sometimes used to keep people away. (Aka the soccer fans go to their club, the old folks to bingo, the Christians to their "clubhouse", the D&D to theirs. And in the end small bubbles form)

So organise something that caters to "basically everyone".

I once lived in a neighbourhood that suffered from exactly this problem until a few people (one had actually a research background in this matters) started a small initiative which did exactly this: bring the neighbours together with some things people hardly can be opposed to. First they rented a proper Pizza oven and did a "pizza festival". They "sold" the dough,tomato sauce and baked the pizza, but you had to bring your own toppings (saved them from the ongoing debate about that). Someone volunteered to get the older folks to the location (a cul de sac). Proceedings did not go to any cause beside the festival itself, they only covered their cost.

Next time they organised a outdoor movie night with a -intentionally non-confrontational- movie from the 80ies.

Etc. Etc. Other neighbourhood followed with similar concepts.

Now multiple neighbourhood bought a mobile pizza oven together and gifted it to the city so that it can be used by every neighbourhood. Etc.

But this was their way to bring people together beyond their interests/hobbies.

And it worked.

[โ€“] Cpo@lemm.ee 1 points 2 months ago

Amazing and heart warming to read! Sometimes all it takes for things to change are the actions of an individual!