As someone who believes in the importance of communities, I don’t engage with my community that much. I know I will; I’m just too busy at the moment.
Still, I love the small things about my community: walking to the bakery, saying hello to increasingly familiar faces and noticing little changes in village dynamics. I dip into our local Facebook group now and then, too.
Even with limited involvement, I feel a sense of connection and belonging. Home really is where the heart is and community is such a big part of that.
As the founder of a community technology company, I often ask myself: what does a thriving community really look like?
I often come back to the same answer: it’s a place where people both give and receive, where everyone’s needs are noticed and everyone’s contributions are valued. Basically, where support and generosity flow both ways.
That answer hasn’t changed, but my focus has.
Because while we gravitate toward helping those with needs – which is important – I’m increasingly wondering what might happen if we gave more attention to everything a community has to offer: skills, knowledge, resources, all of it. Imagine if contributing wasn’t just an option, but something simple and accessible for everyone.
During Covid, when people suddenly had more time, communities came alive with generosity and care. But after Covid, when people were asked to keep that momentum going, the energy began to fade. As the Facebook and WhatsApp groups disappeared, so too did much of that spontaneous connection.
Technology, it would appear, can bridge some gaps, but it cannot create community. What it can do is strengthen the connections that already exist – helping information flow, bringing people into the fold and supporting the relationships that make a community thrive.
One of my goals at Made Open is to make it easier for people, groups and organisations to share what they have to offer.
Yesterday, for example, I watched a group of bikers waiting to board a ferry. At first glance, they looked tough, even a little intimidating, but it was clear they had hearts of gold. Energy like theirs holds so much potential to be directed toward community goals, if only the right connections and opportunities were easier to access.
Moments like that remind me why Made Open exists. Made Open exists to help people with so much to offer find better ways to do so.