❤️ My view as I put together this newsletter.
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This week in community...
11 ways to find your community flow-wheel
Last week I explore the importance of "flow" for your "community flywheel" which led to me giggling at the idea of a flow-wheel. Welcome to my rosie brain!
Fandoms as third spaces
One of the great things about the internet is people sharing their perspective with a lens that others may not have seen.
I hadn't really considered fandoms as third spaces until Christina Garnett said so!
Finding a sense of community and belonging outside our homes and workplaces is getting tougher. Yet, the sociological concept of the "third place" provides insight into how spaces where people can gather, connect, and create communities are vital for social engagement and personal wellness. Interestingly, fandom—ranging from Taylor Swift's Swifties to comic enthusiasts gathering at events like Comic-Con—has emerged as an innovative and powerful iteration of these third places, offering unique avenues for connection and community building.
The Next Phase of Feminism is Matriarchy
This is such a great read in a world that increasingly feels challenging. As I explore and research community, I go in with a critical angle and look for better ways to do things. Part of this is questioning why things are they way they are...and then going against the status quo.
It's hard going against the grain, especially when everything around you is telling you otherwise. This article on matriarchy, a new concept to me, has given me hope and inspiration to continue on my path.
I'll leave you with a few tempting snippets:
Patriarchy is so deeply entrenched in our systems that it can be impossible to imagine an alternative.
The hot take of Goettner-Abendroth’s book is that patriarchy is not natural, it’s only historical. It’s only a legacy.
She goes even further contrary to the patriarchal belief that men are the pioneers, the heroes, the inventors of humanity. She says that women were the driving force in early human evolution because they had the responsibility of raising children.
An Architect Designs for Community
There are so many different ways we can learn how to design better community, architecture is one such consideration.
This post from Li Kengten looks at Riken Yamamotos architecture work and how it connects to community:
Yamamoto's recognizes the importance of his work, and yet he is humble. This modesty is reflected in his foreword for his 2012 monograph. "I am not very good at design," he writes, "I am well aware of that. However, I do pay careful attention to what is around me. By what is around me, I mean the surrounding environment, the existing local community, circumstances in contemporary society."
That final couple of sentences screams community discovery to me. 😅
New Social Spaces
Society is changing what they see and use as social, we generally want these spaces, but are they accessible and who should own them?
Building on research for Local Trust (Skittled Out) – on the decline of ‘social infrastructure’ in our communities, such as pubs and social clubs, Dan Gregory turns to the unprecedented rise in new social spaces – from board game cafés and bouldering centres to mosques and makerspaces. But where are these spaces located, who steps through their doors, and, importantly, who owns them? To regain control of our declining social capital, Dan suggests, we should be fighting to transfer ownership of these important spaces into the hands of the communities who use them.
Thanks for reading!
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