Tag: COmmunity building

— Andrews + Blaine, Brand, Crane & Co, Kate Spade, Mudlark, Product Review, Product Review, Spr!tz, Target —

Product Review: Blank Cards, Thank You Cards, and Note Cards

May 25, 2016
Reviews 2016 02 24 Product Review Cards

A little over a year ago, I wrote a piece on how cards can help build a stronger community. Pleasantries, I wrote, “have been previously defined on this blog as the hydrogen bonds of community building” which although “are not in themselves strong enough to hold a molecule together, but can still change the properties… Read More Product Review: Blank Cards, Thank You Cards, and Note Cards

— Community, Community Building, Community Development —

The Real Meaning of Unity: Removing Obstacles to Fulfilling our True Purpose in Life

May 24, 2016

Quite unfortunately, community-building doesn’t just happen when a group of good-willed individuals come together. Not that good-will doesn’t help! But it’s not enough. All the good-will in the world cannot be properly channeled unless there is unity. If we think of the community-building process as rowing, it becomes clear that we can have a lot… Read More The Real Meaning of Unity: Removing Obstacles to Fulfilling our True Purpose in Life

— Community, Community Building, Community Development —

Unity Amidst Increasing Diversity in Smaller and Smaller Spaces: The Vital Importance of Respect

May 24, 2016

I recently posted reflections about the importance of learning the skills related to consultation in the context of a family, so that we can apply said skills in the context of society. The world is becoming smaller and smaller through increasingly efficient travel and exchange of information. This means two things: different people end up… Read More Unity Amidst Increasing Diversity in Smaller and Smaller Spaces: The Vital Importance of Respect

— Baby Shower, Family, Parenting, Pregnancy —

The Community and The Baby Shower: Tightening Bonds of Friendship {Includes Free Printables & Pinterest Inspiration!}

May 13, 2016
Sahar's Blog 2016 05 13 Community Building and The Baby Shower

When my husband and I were approached for the first time and asked if we were having a baby shower, we said no.  Although we both love babies and baby showers, it felt weird to plan our own. When we were approached by family members and were told that a shower was being organised for… Read More The Community and The Baby Shower: Tightening Bonds of Friendship {Includes Free Printables & Pinterest Inspiration!}

— Community, Community Building, Community Development, Friendship —

Pleasantries: the Hydrogen Bond of Community Building?

May 10, 2016

Do you remember your organic chemistry? Do you remember those little H-bonds, who were not in themselves strong enough to hold a molecular structure together, but were strong enough to change properties of, say, water? The ones that make a molecule wrap itself differently, and/or make it a little stronger? I have always had an… Read More Pleasantries: the Hydrogen Bond of Community Building?

— Community, Community Building, Community Development, Governance —

Eeny-meeny-mino-mo, catch a leader by the toe…

May 3, 2016

It’s election season in North America! Just like Thanksgiving, Canada went first, and soon the US will follow. These elections are being touted as being of particular importance; after watching the markets go up and down in the last couple of weeks, I have come to the brilliantly original conclusion that it’s because things aren’t… Read More Eeny-meeny-mino-mo, catch a leader by the toe…

— Community, Community Building, Community Development, Governance —

A New Kind of Leader: Stepping Away From Old Conceptions of Leadership

May 3, 2016
Sahar's Blog 2016 05 03 A New Kind of Leader Stepping Away From Old Conceptions of Leadership

My concern about the advancement of humanity through the development of each community makes me naturally think a lot about the question of what makes a good leader.  I find myself often wondering how the conceptions about leadership that I encounter in my reading and in my conversations with other can ever pave the way… Read More A New Kind of Leader: Stepping Away From Old Conceptions of Leadership

— Family, Pregnancy —

Pregnancy, Personal Development, and Community Building Some Initial Thoughts

April 29, 2016
Family Feature 2016 04 29 Pregnancy, Personal Development, and Community Building Some Initial Thoughts

While pregnancy is quite obviously related to the personal development of both the mother-to-be and father-to-be, it’s a little bit more difficult at times to see how pregnancy can be related to the process of building a vibrant community.  After all, how can such a personal and intimate experience be shared one’s entire community? It… Read More Pregnancy, Personal Development, and Community Building Some Initial Thoughts

— Community Building, Community Development, Consultation —

Conversing to Consult or Conversing to Convince: Implications for Community Building

April 26, 2016
Sahar's Blog 2016 04 26 Conversing to Consult or Conversing to Convince Implications for Community Building

Living on different continents allows for the immersion into different types of cultures.  The way these differ is a great way of gaining insight into patterns of behaviour that affect our personal development and our contribution to building vibrant communities. A really interesting surprise was the difference between conversation styles in different cultures.  In some,… Read More Conversing to Consult or Conversing to Convince: Implications for Community Building

— Community Building, Community Development, Empowerement —

Not Breeding Passivity, or Who Would Have Thought that a Simple Dinner Could Turn into an Empowerment Festival?

April 19, 2016

Hospitality is probably as old as humanity itself. I can easily imagine cave people inviting each other over to share fresh mammoth meat around the warmth of a fire. Since those (very) simple times, hospitality has evolved into a complex concept that varies from culture to culture, but also from one socioeconomic background to another.… Read More Not Breeding Passivity, or Who Would Have Thought that a Simple Dinner Could Turn into an Empowerment Festival?