Community Socials

Can’t we all just get along? Speed friending is sweeping the nation. We’ve all heard of speed dating and its benefits: speed-friending is no different. People want to make new friends, but it’s hard to figure out how to go about it. With speed friending, residents can pursue the goal without appearing desperate. Speed friending is just what it sounds like, except the goal is to find friends instead of dates! You can host the event on-site, in a local coffee shop, or at a lounge area near your community. Speed friending is like an icebreaker with a bit of a twist: it combines rotations (well-known in speed-dating) with conversation starters. Instead of making the whole group mingle together, you can let people get to know each other one-on-one. This...

To celebrate the beauty, diversity, and funly style of your community and its residents, a photography contest is just the thing! Hold a contest for best photography taken by your residents anywhere in the world! via GIPHY via GIPHY Choosing Your Categories Photographs can be submitted into categories that include (but are not limited to): People Family Animals Nature Architecture Automotive Fashion Food Music Art Sports Travel You may not want to include all of those categories, but a handful of these themes are great to include. The finalists...

Our growing diversity and the close proximity of widely different cultures in many communities means it's important to learn how to be peaceful and tolerant of others’ beliefs. At this community event for young children (and their parents), the theme is peace: peace between people, nations, and cultures. Read The Peace Book As the organizer and coordinator of the event, first read The Peace Book by Todd Parr to the gathered children and set the mood for the day's activities. Image source: Amazon Here is a YouTube video of the author reading the book aloud! To make the space more comfortable for floor sitting, considering spreading out a large picnic blanket or comforter....

One of the best ways to show off the fun and beauty of your community is to challenge residents to post selfies or photos of themselves at different places around the premises. You can frame it as a photo contest and award prizes for the best photos, or simply have residents complete the scavenger hunt for all listed locations. This will both help build your resident’s sense of belonging and help showcase to residents all that you offer on the premises. Organizing the Scavenger Hunt Make a list of the locations in your community that you most want to show off. Image source: Pixabay You can encourage residents to take artistic, funny, or interesting pictures of areas all around the community. ...

Celebrate Herb and Spices Day on June 10 by encouraging community residents to plant an herb garden of their own! Planning Your Event There are a few different ways to organize the event. 1) You can encourage participating residents to both bring and share their own supplies. This is cost effective to the organizers but may be a deterrent to some residents who want a done-for-them activity. 2) Have residents pre-register for a nominal fee. This way you can get an accurate headcount for the event and also provide the needed supplies to pre-registrants. **BONUS** If space permits, consider starting an actual full community herb and vegetable garden for residents to contribute to, and harvest from in the fall! ...