Your local community does a lot for everyone living there. In recent times, your community has faced some uphill struggles, and now it is time to get everyone together and bring everyone just that little bit closer. When you focus on having a positive impact on your local community, you show how much you care, and you model behavior for others to follow. Setting positive examples can bring about positive change. So, just what can you do to make a positive impact, and how can you celebrate your local community.

Help Out With Local Projects

There is already a lot going on in your community, and probably, there are already projects taking place that you can be part of. When you help out with local projects, you support other people’s ideas and visions. Building community spirit and making a positive impact is much easier to do when everyone starts working together. In your local community, there may already be projects underway that are helping to integrate everyone, or that are helping to raise job prospects in and around the surrounding area. When you get involved with ongoing projects and commitments, you can share your enthusiasm, and you can highlight other people’s positive steps and actions. To find projects in your local area, why not reach out on social media or visit your local town hall or community center. Finding an opportunity that is relevant, fun, and interesting for you is important. To give the most to a project, you have to enjoy and love what you are doing.

Look at Helping Others – Befriending

If you have some free time, why not look at helping out those who are in need of that extra bit of support and care. Using your time to befriend someone can make a difference in your life and in theirs too. When you help others, perhaps in their home or perhaps out and about in the community, you once again reinforce that positive community spirit – also encouraging others to do the same. When you befriend those who need support in your community, you provide a lifeline, and you help them to reconnect with others. Making a positive impact on your local community can be as easy as getting everyone to connect with each other. Even if you cannot or do not want to physically help other people, then you can always reach out to others via other lines of communication. For example, you could check up on seniors in your area with a weekly phone call, or you could send an email to those who have missed out on recent events. Sometimes it is the little things that can make a difference in your local community – and helping others is one of these little things.

Volunteer Your Time

How much time do you currently have to spare – either each weekday or at the weekends, and can you commit this time regularly? It is amazing what you can achieve in just a few hours, and sometimes a few hours are all that is needed to get a project off the ground. Projects in your local community may be actively looking for volunteers to spare a few hours. These few hours may be dedicated to picking up trash on the sidewalks, or they could be spent improving and maintaining local facilities. A lot can be done collectively in a few hours, so when you have a spare hour or two in your week – really think about how it can be useful and beneficial to others. You may find that your spare time is ideal for supporting others,or for carrying out odd jobs here and there, which will perhaps free up others in your local community to focus their attention and efforts on their areas of specialism. Your time is, of course, precious, and you want to ensure that you can make the most of it – so ensure you utilize it and contribute where you can. 

Support Those That Are Having a Positive Impact

In your local community, you will already have noticed that there are people who are championing change. There are also people who are having a truly positive impact. For example, the nurses that have supported everyone for the past couple of years or the other volunteers who have reached out to those in need. Sometimes, it is beneficial to help those that are helping others. When you show how much you value someone, and you show that their contribution is important, it inspires them to do more and pushes them to carry on. There are many ways in which you can support those in your local community, for example, by giving gifts to those who have made a positive impact or by holding parties and get-togethers for those that have improved the lives of others. A card can go a long way, and a gift can show them how much they are a valued asset in the community. When you get your time and your energy behind those who are having a positive impact, it will leave you wanting to do more and it will help inspire others to chip in too.

Raise Awareness of What is Happening in Your Local Community

It is important to remember that you do not have to be physically active in your community to make a difference. In fact, one positive way you can help and support is to raise awareness outside of your local community. Contact local and regional press and look at carrying out social media campaigns. Use your free time to raise awareness of the work that others are doing, and make sure that everyone receives the recognition that they deserve. Again, when you raise awareness of what is happening in your local community, you bring to the forefront the actions and the campaigns that are important to the center of your community.

Organizing Fundraising Events

Your local community needs funds to continue with its efforts. Quite often, you will find that a local community cannot do everything that it wants to simply because funding is low (or perhaps even non-existent). Organizing fundraising events could be something that you get involved in. Raising even small amounts through holding yard sales or bake sales could be enough to help new projects get started (and help existing ones keep going). When you are looking at organizing fundraising events, try and get local businesses and contributors involved in your efforts. Make all events you hold as inclusive as possible. When you are holding fundraising events or drives, you need to get the most bang for your buck, so enlist other volunteers and be sure to utilize their knowledge and experience. To successfully organize fundraising events, you need to focus on planning, preparation, and consistency. Ad-hoc events can be successful, but your local community will need a contingency of funds (and so they will need a calendar of events to support this). Setting out plans for events and establishing targets and goals will help you to achieve (and hopefully smash) fundraising targets.

Donate Your Skills

You have a great skill set to offer, perhaps you realize this, or maybe you don’t. Donating your skills to projects and local community efforts can ensure great results and ultimate success. When you are looking at donating your skills, you need to see what you have to offer. For example, are you a great listener and communicator – can you liaise with everyone? Are you super-efficient and very organized? What are you good at, and what role would you thrive in? You can have a positive impact on your local community and the people that live there by donating your skills, and perhaps even by also sharing your skills. If you have skills that you can teach to others, then you can ensure that you are adding value to your community in many ways. When you donate and share your skills, you also get a lot out of the process, as well as giving a lot too – so, take some time to think about what skills you have to offer (and possibly share) with your local community.

Support Local Businesses

Local businesses should always be at the heart of your community, as they often give so much to the communities in which they are based. Supporting local communities and even joining forces with them can be positive, and it can reinforce the importance of community support. Businesses often have access to resources and support that you may be able to use as a community. Your local community can be built upon the support and collaboration of locally owned and locally run businesses. When you support local businesses, you keep more money in the community, and you also create more prospects and opportunities both for current generations and future generations. 

When you shop local and use local businesses, you find that you can have a small but positive impact every day – without really changing your lifestyle or habits.