Forgood

Building communities Improving your community for good

Say hello to your neighbours.

Keep your neighbourhood clean.

Mentor someone from a different background or culture.

Men: Take responsibility for your relationships and children.

Report illegal dumping in your area.

Support non-profit organisations in your community.

Read and contribute to your community paper.

Spring clean your home and donate to those in need.

Support the small businesses in your area.

Know your local councillor and how to contact him/her.

Take part in community initiatives.

Look for practical ways to help people living on the streets.

Report water leaks, faulty street lights, unkempt parks and potholes.

Support initiatives such as Shout and Lead SA.

Sign a “ledge” to commit to making your part of SA work.

Invite someone of a different race or culture to coffee or dinner.

Support street children: get involved at a shelter.

Don’t drink and drive.

Be a law-abiding citizen.

Support your local school.

Organise a braai in your neighbourhood, dorm or complex.

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Building communities

Say hello to your neighbours
Justin Foxton started an organisation called Stop Crime, Say Hello because building strong communities starts with getting to know those people who live and work near you.

Keep your neighbourhood clean
If everyone takes responsibility for the state of our streets and pavements, then no one should have much to do to keep the neighbourhood clean. Read more about how keeping your neighbourhood clean can affect your safety.

Make use of local facilities (parks, sports fields, etc)
The more people make use of local facilities, the greater the motivation of the local City Parks agency will be to ensure that they are in a useable condition. Hold kiddies’ parties in the park, organise a 7-a-side soccer or a touch rugby tournament ... If necessary, lobby with your local councillor to get facilities cleaned and repaired.

Mentor someone from a different background or culture
Everyone has life lessons to share based on the way they were brought up, because no two people have the same experiences. Let’s make use of our rich heritage to learn from each other and grow through the shared experiences. Learn more about mentoring.

Support and use your local library
The local library is a rich source of research material as well as a cost-effective way to borrow books. It is a proven fact that the more children read, the better they cope at school. Libraries often also have cheaper internet facilities for public use.

Men: Take responsibility for your relationships and children
Too often the role of a father is one of the most neglected roles. Good men build good communities. Men need to take on more responsibilities in the home – not only as the ones who bring in the money but also as the leaders and guardians of the home. Being a father means setting a good example of love, good values, and strong morals. It is about more than just having a baby and leaving it to the woman to raise. For some great insights, visit www.fathers.co.za, www.africanfathers.org and http://www.fatherhoodfoundationsa.org

Report illegal dumping in your area
It’s very easy to dump building rubble and garden refuse illegally as the chances of being caught are fairly small and the official dumping sites are not always nearby. But this leaves an unsightly mess for everyone else, so take the time to record number-plates of trucks dumping illegally and even take photos, and report them to your local authorities.

For a list of dumping sites in the Jo’burg area, visit the Pikitup site. For Cape Town, make use of one of the three sites listed on the City of Cape Town site. For Durban, refer to this map.

Support non-profit organisations working in your community
There are so many organisations working for good across the country and they all need additional support – time, money and goods. Check out the groups on forgood to find ways to get involved.

Read and contribute to your community paper
Community newspapers are a worthwhile source of the good, the bad and the useful in your local area. They are usually distributed free and are an effective way to stay on top of what’s happening and how you can get involved to make your community even better. Submit your own community good news stories to your local paper.

Spring clean your home and donate to those in need
Many of us may have items in our homes that we don’t need, but which would be really useful to someone else. Make some time in the next month to find all of those items and donate them to organisations such as Hospice or the Salvation Army – all of whom will either use them in their organisations, or sell them to raise money. In many cases, they will even send a truck to collect large items, such as furniture.

Support the small businesses in your area
Entrepreneurship is the future of South Africa and probably the only way to reduce the unemployment in our country. But small businesses can only grow if they are supported, so be on the lookout for new, up-and-coming businesses that you could use for services, instead of relying on the big and often expensive names.

Know your local councillor and how to contact him/her
You elected them, so now it is your responsibility to hold them accountable for delivering the service you expect. If you don’t know who your councillor is, take a look on a very useful site called Mobilitate.

Take part in community initiatives
Play an active role in your community, whether this means joining your local residents’ association or community policing forum, writing articles for your local paper, or supporting local activities. The more you are involved, the more people you will get to know and the better neighbour you will be.

Look for practical ways to help people living on the streets
While giving money is the easiest, it is generally not the most effective way to help. Take a little time to get to know one person that you pass regularly on the same corner and try to make a practical difference in his or her life. Perhaps you could help him write up a C.V. or make enquiries about a street shelter in the area? Or just be someone to listen to and encourage him.

Sign up for weekly newsletters on SA the Good News
Everyone needs positive information to share so get your weekly dose of good news by signing up for the SA the Good News newsletter. Each newsletter comes filled with the positive news you’d want to share. Sign up here for the newsletter.

Report water leaks, faulty street lights, unkempt parks and potholes
Take responsibility for what’s wrong in your neighbourhood, which in most cases means reporting what needs to be repaired. The person responsible for the fixing will only know about the problem if someone tells them, so be that person.

Support initiatives such as Shout and Lead SA
We all have a responsibility to make our country a better place. How you do it is up to you. For some ideas and inspirational stories, go to Shout for a safer SA or Lead SA.

Sign a “ledge” to commit to making your part of SA work
A ledge is a commitment to taking certain small actions yourself, which, if everyone did them would transform our country for good. The idea was proposed by the founder of Stop Crime, Say Hello, but read about the ledge in Justin Foxton’s own words.

Invite someone of a different race or culture to coffee/dinner
Engage actively with people of races and cultures different from your own to learn about what they value and who they are. Look for the unique aspects of your culture to share with them and learn to value what makes us a diverse nation alive with possibility. Celebrate the unique contribution every race or culture makes to our nation.

Support street children: get involved at a shelter
It’s been estimated that there are 250,000 children living on the streets in South Africa (UNESCO) (UNEP). Make a difference and give them a second chance. Don’t give hand-outs. Rather be aware of what your actions mean:

Your well-intentioned gift of money, food or clothing to a street child serves only to keep them on the streets and continues to expose them to the dangers of drugs, crime, abuse and disease.
Your kind intentions enable them to stay on the streets; these children are recruited by hardened criminals into a life of crime, sexual abuse and violence.

Here are some organisations working particularly in the inner cities, actively looking to get children off the street, so contact them for options:

Homestead: www.homestead.org.za
Umthombo: www.umthombo.org/website
iCare: www.icare.co.za
Kamvalethu: 041 487 3926 – based in Port Elizabeth

Don't drink and drive
This is just a no-no, everyone knows that, and who wants a criminal record after a night of partying and fun? Protect yourself and those around you by handing over your keys to a sober friend.

Learn more about community building
Some very insightful people have done a lot of research into what makes a strong and healthy community, so take some time to learn from them. For example, Peter Block has written a book, The Abundant Community and you can download some of his guidelines.

Be a law-abiding citizen
If each person obeyed the laws of the land, there would be no need for increased policing and law enforcement. So commit to keeping the laws of the land, which include amongst others, sticking to the speed limit, not talking on your phone while driving, not bribing a police officer, paying your taxes and TV licence, etc. As a citizen you have rights but also responsibilities to play your part.

Support your local school
No school can function in isolation in its community. Teachers need parental support and parents need to know the teachers in order to trust the education process. It doesn’t only have to be through financial means that you offer support; you can offer to coach a sports team, work in the library, or teach computer skills to teachers and pupils. Share the skills that you have to make your local school a beacon at the centre of the community. Read Louise van Rhyn’s story of how her organisation, Symphonia is partnering with schools and business to really make a difference.

Organise a braai in your neighbourhood, dorm or complex
Having a braai is a true social event that brings people together, much more than just having contact with people on Facebook or on email. It’s a way of having a real face-to-face event that helps start relationships, build communities, and strengthen friendships. For ideas, recipes and stories about braai-ing, take a look at www.braai.com