Joseph Shepard: Love Where You Live

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This week on the podcast, Matt and Adam are joined by Joseph Shepard, a member of the Neighboring Movement's Board of Directors. Joseph is Director of Multicultural Engagement and Campus Life at Newman University and recently has begun a new journey as Director for Lead for America Kansas. He is a California native, moved to Kansas to attend Wichita State about 10 years ago, fell in love with our beautiful state and the City of Wichita and is here to share his experiences of how awesome it is to live here and do this work of neighboring!

"... being boots on the ground and having an opportunity to get your hands dirty and the challenges that our neighbors are facing and our communities are facing, and recognizing the power of community. I think so often we rely on different entities to come in and solve our problems and there's nothing wrong with that, these entities are resources, our government, our non-profit organizations, they're resources to help us solve those problems but there is power and understanding that we as individuals and neighbors have the power to change the trajectory of our own communities if we are just willing to get our hands dirty for ourselves."- Joseph Shepard

To learn more about Lead for America, go to www.lead4america.org.

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Megan Ginn: The ABCD Rabbit Hole

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This week on the podcast, Matt and Adam are joined by Megan Ginn whom they met virtually during a seminar that the Neighboring Movement was hosting for a global ABCD event. Megan has a gift for finding information and learning from everything she can find and then sharing what she has learned with the rest of us. This episode is a gold mine of sound bites and mic drops!

"Relationships rooted in mutuality... we both have something to learn from one another and there's strengths in that..." when discussing coming into ABCD.

"It's not our role to force people into our vision of flourishing, it's just partnering with them to create it..." when discussing finding joy in the work.

"...one of the necessary components to engaging in this work... shifting from that needs based to asset based approach, is you need to be able to lament really well because you're realizing that you can't control everything. Lament isn't very compatible with happiness but it is with joy."

And as is with all rabbit holes, there's more!

To find more about Megan Ginn's work, you can go to www.CommunityResourceNetwork.com or find CRN on Facebook and Instagram.

To find out more about the Neighboring Movement, find us at www.NeighboringMovement.org or Facebook and Twitter.

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Palsys with Palsies Episode Swap

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This week, Matt and Adam are joined by friends, Justin Hancock and Rebecca Mitts. We are doing something we haven't done in a while, a podcast episode swap! Justin and Rebecca are the hosts of a podcast called Palsys With Palsies where they share profound ideas about important topics in an approachable and accessible way. Today, they share with us Episode 11 of their podcast called, "The Gaze & the Dance". 

"In this episode Justin talks about his experience with "the gaze," known in the disability community as being stared at by and interacting able bodied people who don't know how to inhabit the space with a person with a disability. He shares one the best experiences and some of his lousiest experiences with "the gaze." There is a social dance that happens whenever you meet someone different from yourself; so if you step on toes, don't keep stepping on their toes. Be curious, but not an a*****e."- summary from Palsys With Palsies podcast.

Find their other podcasts at:

Apple Podcasts: HERE

Google Podcasts: HERE

Simplecast: HERE

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52 Weeks of Neighboring - Week 17

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52 Weeks of Neighboring - Week 17

Neighboring Tip of the Week - Support a business in your neighborhood.

Hello friend! We hope this neighboring tip finds you well.

This week, we’re thinking about how part of neighboring is simply supporting the various assets throughout our neighborhoods. We know that a lot of businesses have experienced hardship in the midst of this pandemic, so this week, we encourage you to support one of your neighborhood businesses.

Before experimenting with this tip, we encourage you to think through four questions:…

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Neighboring Tip: Strike Up a Conversation With a Neighbor

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This week, Matt and Adam are joined by Kristopher Swanson for a new Neighboring Tip which is to strike up a conversation with your neighbor. For some people, this may be a very obvious tip. It is spring, people are out and about, it makes sense to strike up a conversation! For others that may think this is a harder tip to execute, be intentional about saying hello and being open to a conversation. If you can't remember your neighbors name, name the awkwardness and ask! And remember to write your neighbors name down for next time. Perhaps on a piece of paper OR a block map magnet that you can purchase at our store HERE.

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52 Weeks of Neighboring - Week 16

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52 Weeks of Neighboring - Week 16

Neighboring Tip of the Week - Take a walk in your neighborhood and collect trash.

Happy Sunday, folks!

This week’s neighboring tip classic comes to us from Neighboring Movement co-founder Matt Johnson, but he borrowed the tip from his mom, Glenna, so we give her the credit (for a great idea and for a clean neighborhood).

Glenna began taking walks around her neighborhood a few years ago, and upon doing this, she started to take bags with her in order to pick up trash….

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Maddie Johnson: Welcome Maddie!

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This week, Adam and Matt are joined on the podcast by Maddie Johnson. She is joining the Neighboring Movement team to be the new Good Neighbor Experiment coordinator! Listen in to meet Maddie and hear a little bit about her and why she is excited to join us!

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52 Weeks of Neighboring - Week 15

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52 Weeks of Neighboring - Week 15

Neighboring Tip of the Week - Help develop your love for your neighborhood by writing down 3 things each day that you like about your neighborhood.

Greetings friends! Can you believe June is almost upon us?

After reading this week’s tip, you may be asking yourself, “How does practicing this experiment help us to become better neighbors?”

Well, at The Neighboring Movement, we believe one first step to becoming a better neighbor is simply to love your neighborhood.

And we have a secret for you:…

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Dee Brooks: Let the Dog Go

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This week Matt and Adam are joined by Dee Brooks, ABCD Asia Pacific Trainer and Facilitator for the Jeder Institute and ABCD Asia Pacific Network. She is a world-wide connector for Asset Based Community Development and we are thrilled to have her on the podcast!

Dee shares inspirational stories and ideas that will make you want to get up and go out to interact your neighbors- just get out and "let the the dog go." We are encouraged to turn what may be seen as a challenge into an opportunity for growth and development.

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52 Weeks of Neighboring - Week 14

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52 Weeks of Neighboring - Week 14

Neighboring Tip of the Week - Check in again with your neighbors.

Greetings on this fine Sunday, friend!

As you probably have noticed, we are in the routine of releasing this particular neighboring tip every eight weeks. Why? Because we think checking in with our neighbors regularly is one of the best ways we can neighbor in the midst of this pandemic. Every eight weeks, we want to give you the opportunity to ask yourself, “Have I checked in with my neighbors recently?”. This week, if your answer is “no”, that’s okay, and now is your opportunity to do so! If your answer is “yes”, that’s awesome, but because so much has changed, and continues to change rapidly, in the midst of this pandemic, we now encourage you to check in with them again!…

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David Burton: Missouri Extension Office

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This week, Matt and Adam are joined by David Burton from Springfield, Missouri who works for the University of Missouri Extension in community development. David shares his experiences with neighboring, what caused him to begin advocating for neighboring, as well as the pilot program they launched in March and what lessons they are already learning from that.

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52 Weeks of Neighboring - Week 13

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52 Weeks of Neighboring - Week 13

Neighboring Tip of the Week - Borrow something, like a tool or a cake pan, from a neighbor.

Good day, friend!

In the last couple months, we’ve presented a few neighboring tips on spring projects. If you get in the middle of one of these projects and discover you need something you don’t already have, don’t head to the nearest store…head to a neighbor’s front door! (Yes, we realize that rhymed…)

The idea for this tip originated from one of our founder’s, Catherine’s, neighboring experiments….

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Walking and Observing

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Walking and Observing

Reflecting on my week, I realized all of the connections I made because I was able to walk to work most days. Walking and observing each day allowed me to take note of especially beautiful gardens or people just enjoying a moment in the sun. I even had an impromptu meeting on the way to work one afternoon when I bumped into a colleague who works at another non-profit. I had sent her a long email the previous day. When she saw me she walking by, she said, “You know, if you can remember the list of items in your email, maybe I can answer them right now.” Chatting in the shade was much more pleasant than having to make plans via email or over a zoom conversation.

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Matt and Adam BACK ON THE FRONT PORCH

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This week we have a JOYFUL celebration of an episode because Matt and Adam are back on an actual front porch! We've got birdsong, we've got trains in the distance, we've got the creak of the porch swing AND we've got Adam and Matt doing what they do best- playing live music and talking about taking the time to enjoy the little things that mean the most to us as we come out of the season of Covid.

Editors note: I left this episode pretty raw! I want to invite you to take a minute and image yourself pulling up a chair onto Adam's porch to listen in on this conversation. I invite you to share in the laughter and joy of this episode!

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52 Weeks of Neighboring - Week 12

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52 Weeks of Neighboring - Week 12

Neighboring Tip of the Week - If you see one of your neighbors outside, intentionally strike up a conversation with them.

Happy May, friend! We hope this neighboring tip finds you full of joy!

This week, we’re proposing a tip that may seem somewhat obvious for neighboring: If you see one of your neighbors outside, intentionally strike up a conversation with them.

Again, this tip may seem fairly obvious for neighboring; doesn’t neighboring imply having conversations with my neighbors? It does, but again, because so many of us have fallen out of touch with these neighboring practices, we often have to start with the basics, and these basics can be hard! There’s no denying that experimenting with this tip could feel really awkward. If you haven’t really intentionally struck up a conversation like this with your neighbors before, and/or you and your neighbors have lived on the block for a while, this could feel quite awkward indeed. But this kind of simple conversation is so human, and it’s so neighboring! And, we guarantee you, it’s also so worth it!…

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John McKnight: Attributes, Roles, and Culture

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This week, Adam and Matt are joined by John McKnight to discuss the six (possibly even seven) attributes of a culture of contribution, how these characteristics in a community could foster peace, and then continues with the roles that we play within our neighborhood.

The six attributes discussed: Cooperation, Hospitality, Generosity, Kindness, Accepting Fallibility, Forgiveness, (and the seventh, Spirituality.) 

  • What would you do to make these manifest?

  • The people who love you, which of these attributes would they say YOU have?

  • And look at your neighbors. What attributes do you see them living into? We want to hear your stories.

  • How do we tell these stories in our neighborhoods?

The roles that people perform in a community: Healers, Conscience, Artists, Conveners, Bridgers, Connectors, Voices, Visionaries, Executors, Tuck Pointers.  We would welcome your thoughts on this list. 

  • Which of these do you feel like is a role that gives you joy?

  • Is there a role that you would add?

  • And think about your neighbors. Do you see them embodying a role listed here? If so, what does that look like?

  • Are there missing roles you would add to this list?

You can learn more about John McKnight HERE and a link for The Learnings of John McKnight can be found HERE.

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52 Weeks of Neighboring - Week 11

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52 Weeks of Neighboring - Week 11

Neighboring Tip of the Week - Reflect on the neighboring experiments you’ve attempted in the last few months.

Every few months, we like to stop and reflect upon our neighboring experiments. Doing so helps us celebrate and grieve these experiences, and it also helps us move forward in a way that allows our past experiments to shape our future ones. Have you attempted any neighboring experiments in the last few months? If not, we understand, and now you have the opportunity to reflect upon if you feel energized to experiment with any in the next few months! If so, that’s awesome, and now you have the opportunity to reflect upon what those experiences were like! Remember, even if any of your experiments feel like failures, you can still learn so much from them! “The greatest teacher, failure is.” - Jedi Master Yoda

Here are some of our tips for neighboring experiments from the last few months:…

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Justin Moore: Neighboring for Health- Recast!

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This week, we dove into the archive and found gold! In June of 2019, we sat down with Dr. Justin Moore, a physician and researcher, and discussed this fact: neighboring makes us healthier. Justin practices medicine in various community-oriented ways, and he also researches the impacts of social isolation and loneliness on physical health. In this powerful episode, Justin shares surprising statistics before giving enlightening advice on how we can all start neighboring for health!

Listen on any podcast platform! Here are links to the most popular ones…

This week, we dove into the archive and found gold! In June of 2019, we sat down with Dr. Justin Moore, a physician and researcher, and discussed this fact: neighboring makes us healthier. Justin practices medicine in various community-oriented ways, and he also researches the impacts of social isolation and loneliness on physical health.

52 Weeks of Neighboring - Week 10

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52 Weeks of Neighboring - Week 10

Neighboring Tip of the Week - Plant a garden in your FRONT yard.

Hello friend!

We hope you are enjoying some spring weather, wherever you are! We know that the pandemic continues to change Spring plans for all of us, but one activity we can all continue to do throughout this time is gardening. Most of the time, folks plant gardens in their backyards because this offers more privacy. With this neighboring experiment, we’re turning that idea upside down. We propose you plant a garden in your FRONT yard! Planting a garden in your front yard is awesome for neighboring in the time of coronavirus for a variety of different reasons. Here are a few:…

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