http://www.bettertogether.org/150ways.htm
what to do: 150 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO BUILD SOCIAL CAPITAL
Social capital is built through hundreds of little and big actions we take every day. We've gotten you started with a list of nearly 150 ideas, drawn from suggestions made by many people and groups. Try some of these or try your own. We need to grow this list. If you have other ideas,
* Some on the list that sound good:
* Volunteer your special skills to an organization
* Donate blood (with a friend!)
* Start a community garden
* Mentor someone of a different ethnic (caste?) or religious group
* Tape record your parents' earliest recollections and share them with
your children
* Avoid gossip
* Attend PTA meetings
* Join or start a babysitting cooperative
* Form a computer group for local senior citizens * Help coach Little League or other youth sports - even if you don't have
a kid playing
* Start a lunch gathering or a discussion group with co-workers
* Plan a "Walking Tour" of a local historic area
* Have family dinners and read to your children
* Say "thanks" to public servants (who work)
* Join a nonprofit board of directors
* Turn off the TV and talk with friends or family
* When somebody says "government stinks," suggest they help fix it
* Plant tree seedlings along your street with neighbors and rotate care
for them
* Volunteer at the library
* Use public transportation and start talking with those you regularly see
* Ask neighbors for help and reciprocate
* Go to a local folk or crafts festival
* Call an old friend
* Talk to your kids or parents about their day
* Say hello to strangers
* Exercise together or take walks with friends or family
* Assist with or create your town or neighborhood's newsletter
* Collect oral histories from older town residents
* Start a children's story hour at your local library
* Be real. Be humble. Acknowledge others' self-worth
* Tell friends and family about social capital and why it matters
* Greet people
* Cut back on television
* Read the local news faithfully
* Fix it even if you didn't break it
* Pick it up even if you didn't drop it
* Start a tradition
* Be nice when you drive
* Make gifts of time
* Volunteer at your local neighborhood school
* Send a "thank you" letter to the Editor about a person or event that
helped build community
* When inspired, write personal notes to friends and neighbors
* Build a neighborhood playground
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