Individual Empowerment means Community Empowerment
Build social networks around proposed initiatives.  Start a community gardening club four or five years before implementing a community garden to ensure support.  Use the expertise from existing neighbourhood organizations and individuals. Gain momentum through barn-raising. Constructing or retrofitting a community-run building with alternative, higher initial cost technologies through sweat equity brings together an entire neighbourhood and proves that it can be done. Facilitate ways to encourage individual barn-raising.  Friendly competition combined with social networks among neighbours can result in a positive-feedback loop, and further strengthen community bonds.     Next Page