Tip of the Week - On notes, write down your name and three ways you are willing to help people. Deliver the notes to all your neighbors (ideally the 10 closest front doors to yours).

Welcome to our second week of neighboring tips. As we continue, we want to include you on some of the conversations we’ve been having as we put this project together.

We want you to know those of us at SoCe Life do not have all the answers and every neighborhood is different. As you walk this journey of neighboring with us, we want you to think of these “tips” as experiments. Some of them may work, some of them may not. Some may need a little tweaking for your specific situation. We can’t wait to hear the stories behind your experiments, no matter how they go.

Back to our experiment this week. If you’re particularly an active person, this one is for you. It’s a great way to lend your time and talents to your neighborhood.

We wanted to offer a couple different ways you can carry out your experiment this week.

1. If you’re someone who likes a little more structure and guidance, great! Write down one to three ways you can help on a card and give it to a neighbor.
2. If you’re more of a free spirit, simply look around your neighborhood! Where are the needs? Where do your talents and skills fit in? When you find that space, offer your help.

Stumped on ways to help?

• Start small! This is not a “go big or go home” neighboring endeavor. Your act of service can be as simple as sweeping a front porch to helping in a neighbor’s garden. Don’t feel like you have to deliver a card to every house on the block. Start with those closest to you. When you feel like you’ve got the hang of things, deliver a couple more!
• Think about ways to help that align with your own talent and passions. If your way of helping is something you truly enjoy, it won’t feel like work at all.
• Think about what specific needs your neighbor might have. If they don’t have access to transportation, offer a ride. Do they live alone? Offer your company! When our skills and talents combine with the needs of those around us, we have the perfect combination for neighboring.

Be sure to be sensitive to the feelings of your neighbor. Focus on sharing, not fixing. If there is something about your neighbor you would like to change, like their messy yard or their loud music at night, now is not the time. Give with kindness.

On Facebook or Twitter, let us know the ways your willing to help your neighbors and use the hashtag #neighboringmovement.

Happy neighboring!