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Tinker ☀️

Folks have asked me how to find and build community.

Here is a very pragmatic and approachable way to find the community in your local town or neighborhood.

A little of bit of the concept with a focus on praxis.

So if you're new to community and mutual aid, don't think about what you can build. You're going to be wrong. People have already tried what you're thinking and dropped it back at version 0.3 - Everyone is on 8.2c right now.

So join what exists. Once you get good at it, then you can build out from there - with the knowledge of what is actually needed and works.

Quick note: Things are working. You're just not hearing about it via corporate news. Because it doesn't make those corps money. But its working and has been working. Glad you are joining us now! I think you'll be very pleasantly surprised as what exists around you and what you've been missing out on. Everyone joins at some point. Glad you're here now.

How do you find what exists?

The simple answer is, via community. But you haven't joined the community, so how do you find community without the community!

Since you're here, on the internet, let's start with the internet.

One thing: Folks building and running mutual aid aren't always building and running websites. They're meeting actual people doing physical things in the world. So their websites suck. Also, putting things out publicly runs the risk of inviting the nose of town government and their police forces. Sometimes posting publicly is a *BAD IDEA*. So they don't. You understand OpSec. They understand it better.

But, you certainly can start on the internet to find a "doorway".

Mutual Aid and community is DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT from charities/non-profits. I won't go into it here, but the two (mutual aid and charities/non-profits) aren't the same and actually opposed to each other.

Buuuuuut.....

Folks overlap between the two.

So I might focus on mutual aid, but I'll work with some charities because their apparatus furthers a mutual aid goal in the immediacy.

With that in mind, you can search out charities on the internet. They are well established there and are often upheld by local govt and churches. So they're protected.

Certainly go find some charities that align with your "one thing" (the thing you'll focus on now until you learn about more).

The big thing though, is the charity is not the goal. The people that work there are the goal. You are building a network. So go and meet people but BE FUCKING CHILL about your goals. You start spouting off mutual aid and bad things happen. So just be quiet and listen (this being quiet and listening is going to be your main skill to develop for a long while... so embrace it now).

You'll mostly find old boomers in retirement and religious folks with some politicians. They are charity folks. Great. But you're looking for folks that don't fit those molds. You're looking for the hippies, the socialists, the anarchists, the folks who have grown up poor and now have some means. "One of these things is not like the other". Find the anomalies and follow *their* lead.

You're going to sit in these charities for months while you meet people. Listen to "small talk". If it's Jesus focused, just smile and nod and praise god.

But if it's apparatus building and working with other groups, those are the conversations you want to join in on.

I'll say that again:

If the conversation is about WORKING WITH OTHER GROUPS on shared goals... get in on that. I don't care if its other charities. Get in on it.

After a while, you'll start meeting folks that are building real mutual aid. Learn the initiatives in your area and you'll find and settle into the groups that are doing work but not advertising on social media about it.

So.

Where to start?

Pick one of the following areas (there are more, but these are entry points):
- Food.
- Homeless outreach.
- Literacy / schooling.
- Political access and voting.

Just pick one area and find groups that do that thing. Don't worry about picking the right one. You're going to be moving around for a bit while you learn, so its fine. They all flow.

For Food: Find your local Food Bank and Food Pantries. Feeding America is a good start. Look there. Food Banks need lots of volunteers. Find a thing you can do and do it. Local churches act as Food Pantries. Go to those and help hand out food. If you're really lucky, find a place that makes and serves hot food. DO THAT!!! You'll get real close to mutual aid right away.

For Homeless outreach, look up local shelters - sure. Shelters tend TO ABSOLUTELY SUCK!!! So your mileage may vary. Look for places that gather up clothes and coats and hand them out. Look for places that serve the homeless communities and do that.

For Literacy and schooling, look up various elementary schools, libraries, and the same. After school programs for children. Boys and Girls clubs and the like as well. If you have kids, talk with your school counselors and ask them about the school programs that serve under-privileged families.

For political access and voting, don't join a political party. Instead find local orgs that focus on registering people for voting. The NAACP shines in this. You don't have to be black to join the NAACP. Local DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) are also a good place to look.

Great. So how do you find them?

A quick note on internet searches just to get it out of the way: Search for "city or town name" and:
- "food bank"
- "food pantry"
- "mutual aid"
- "after school programs"
- "voter advocacy"
- "homeless shelter"
- "women's shelter"
- "town resources"
- "library"

On that last note: The BEST PLACE TO START is your local library.

Just go hang out in the library for a while. They post A LOT of stuff for the town. Classes, resources, groups, events, etc. And by "post" I actually mean physical posts. Fliers on the wall and on physical "announcement boards". The librarians themselves are great. Just ask them. They're there to help. Literally.

In fact, don't approach looking for these groups as a volunteer (I hate that word). Don't approach them as a person looking to contribute and build.

Instead, approach these groups as a person who could benefit from them. So for food, ask the librarians to help you find "food pantries for distributions". The libraries are geared to help the community. So get all the info on that, and then flip it around and go to the food pantries and ask how you can help.

So. Internet search for groups is an okay start. But go to the local library and ask.

All you need is ONE WAY in. Once you find some sort of group doing something - anything... go there. Then meet the people. Find a stray community worker that also works there and learn from them. Then find out about the other groups that meet and are building and doing. Go to those in person meetings and spread from there.

(Ask questions in this thread and I and others will give you ideas.)

Also, if you need help finding those initial groups, DM me with your town name and I'll give you a list of groups that you can start with.

#solarPunk #mutualAid #community

41 comments
Me

@tinker in canada, non profits have work in the areas you are discussing. I have work at one site, a job that is difficult to fill at a site that struggles with hiring. Yes non profits can be considered "sell outs", compromising values for funding, but they do provide for people struggling. I cook 2 days a week. In 4 years this building has been open, they have only had one other person cook my shifts, and only for 5 months. The site i work at hasn't had a janitor in over two years. The people who live there used to be homeless and many of them struggle with substance use/self medication. Another option for joining in.

@tinker in canada, non profits have work in the areas you are discussing. I have work at one site, a job that is difficult to fill at a site that struggles with hiring. Yes non profits can be considered "sell outs", compromising values for funding, but they do provide for people struggling. I cook 2 days a week. In 4 years this building has been open, they have only had one other person cook my shifts, and only for 5 months. The site i work at hasn't had a janitor in over two years. The people who...

Tinker ☀️

@doublemonkeyfun - Yeah, non-profits and charities are similar in that. It's capitalism co-opting community movements.

The goals of that non-profit are good, as you've mentioned. But the apparatus of the non-profit and forcing it to find "funding" from capitalist sources are limiting. And that's by design.

It makes sense that it has the problems its having.

My section where I say I'll work with some charities if it has an apparatus that helps with an immediate goal applies to non-profits as well.

I don't think of them as "sell-outs" - I just dont think that model works at all. The examples that you've given align with my understanding.

@doublemonkeyfun - Yeah, non-profits and charities are similar in that. It's capitalism co-opting community movements.

The goals of that non-profit are good, as you've mentioned. But the apparatus of the non-profit and forcing it to find "funding" from capitalist sources are limiting. And that's by design.

Aboodj_new

@tinker Thanks for your heartfelt post about building communities, thank you, God bless

mask-wearing, socially distant entity :verified_paw:

@tinker What a great post! I appreciate your wisdom. Thanks for sharing. 😊

Michelle (she/her) :verified: 🇵🇷

@tinker Make sure to pin this bad boy to your profile! I gurantee people will look for it when they are at a place to do something with it

Rich Felker

@tinker Thanks for writing this! When I get back to the (potentially radically altered) US this is exactly what I'm seeking.

Susan Kaye Quinn 🌱(she/her)

@tinker this rocks, I bookmarked it and I don't bookmark anything LOL 💚

Tinker ☀️

@susankayequinn - Ha! I'm glad! Let me know how it goes for you and let me know if you need any help along the way!

Susan Kaye Quinn 🌱(she/her)

@tinker for me, when I moved there 3 years ago, it was *food* — it was the pandemic and I was just really drawn to making sure people could EAT. Food banks, community gardens, garden training, farm share, food co-ops... it took me a minute to work into it but as you say, they're all connected. My fav time of year is when I can pick up from farm share and drop half at the food bank. It's more "charity" I guess but I can afford it. And it connected me to a TON of b-corps...

Susan Kaye Quinn 🌱(she/her)

@tinker

& nonprofits, one of which sponsored a solarpunk Expo & then we were getting closer. The vibes were better. But still *networking* maybe? Working toward something that connected likeminded folks for support (emotional mutual aid LOL).

I'm literally tomorrow zooming w/2 other non-profit peeps to organize our solarpunk discord: still sussing it out but it's a way to connect, give info, I'm gonna maybe teach solarpunk classes to draw people in etc

I'm gonna think about this post tho...

Tinker ☀️

@susankayequinn - That's amazing!!! Let me know what y'all come up with.

I've got a nascent solarpunk group in my town and we work with a lot of the mutualaid groups around us.

I'd like to connect with other similar groups and start networking our towns and cities. Share ideas and see what works, etc.

Susan Kaye Quinn 🌱(she/her)

@tinker oh cool! You know, I feel like this is just bubbling up everywhere at once. Feels invisible but people are just like OH HECK Imma just do this. It's beautiful.

I love the idea of having some higher level networking to see what works. Applications have to be super local cuz that's how that works but IDEAS should swish around so they can find where they'll work best.

I'll think on this thread and touch back with you as we progress. 💚 🌱

Tinker ☀️

@susankayequinn - That's awesome! I've pivoted from food banks into free fridges and community pantries as a distribution model. I'm also looking at expanding food production.

I'm trying to move from charity to mutual aid to post-scarcity food.

So Food Inputs (Production):
- Charity / Donation (eg Food Drives)
- Food Rescue from Restaurants, Grocery Stores, etc (relies on capitalistic initiatives though)
- Community Farms (Centralized Production)
- Community Gardens, Backyard Gardens, Indoor farming (Decentralized Production)

Food Outputs (Distribution)
- Centralized: Food Banks to Food Pantries
- Decentralized: Free Fridges / Community Pantries
- Peer-to-peer: Person to person exchange either through in person coordination or via apps like Olio

@susankayequinn - That's awesome! I've pivoted from food banks into free fridges and community pantries as a distribution model. I'm also looking at expanding food production.

I'm trying to move from charity to mutual aid to post-scarcity food.

So Food Inputs (Production):
- Charity / Donation (eg Food Drives)
- Food Rescue from Restaurants, Grocery Stores, etc (relies on capitalistic initiatives though)
- Community Farms (Centralized Production)
- Community Gardens, Backyard Gardens, Indoor farming...

Susan Kaye Quinn 🌱(she/her)

@tinker yes 100%

The solarpunk discord has some free fridges & food rescue. Grow Pittsburgh is a whole operation that trains people to do community gardens. One of the mods is building an exchange system for labor/goods in the community.

Pittsburgh has like #1 abandoned lots in the country or something so Grounded does work trying to reclaim those for food/greenspace. Still very capitalistic tho.

Buy Nothing has food exchanges.

People just don't know this stuff EXISTS. It's very early days.

Susan Kaye Quinn 🌱(she/her)

@tinker so we had that solarpunk zoom yesterday (about setting up a new community discord) and I told them obliquely about your post, that there were people looking for community and how it was hard for them to find other likeminded folks.

I'm still mulling your post and the difference between charity/non-profits and mutual aid... 💚

Susan Kaye Quinn 🌱(she/her)

@tinker
... and what my real purpose(s) are in being involved in various forms of that (with a couple focus areas: food, for sure, but also larger solarpunk values of resilience and connection and community in fighting and surviving the climate crisis, plus using climate+arts as activism). And I very much appreciate your notes bout finding the *people* not the *activity*.

I think what we're doing is working at a bunch of levels, some very unspoken and subversive.

@tinker
... and what my real purpose(s) are in being involved in various forms of that (with a couple focus areas: food, for sure, but also larger solarpunk values of resilience and connection and community in fighting and surviving the climate crisis, plus using climate+arts as activism). And I very much appreciate your notes bout finding the *people* not the *activity*.

Susan Kaye Quinn 🌱(she/her)

@tinker
For my stories in particular, I'm doing what I call "deep work": engaging people who might be despairing or disengaged (in the climate crisis). Acting as a bard to rally the troops. Sparking new ideas and new longings. Deeply interrogating the status quo.

In the Discord, it's "sponsored" by a non-profit that's focused on green jobs, but it's really a subversive side project by the person running it to create a space to draw people in under the "solarpunk" umbrella...

Susan Kaye Quinn 🌱(she/her)

@tinker
... activists, non-profit people, artists, normies. Some of those folks are focused on "growing" their volunteer ranks, basically recruitment, and I get that, but that's not really what I'm about (even though that's what I'm ostensibly facilitating). I'm focused on meeting the needs of the people already there; reaching people with subversive messaging; getting them to *engage* in any capacity...

Susan Kaye Quinn 🌱(she/her)

@tinker
..., even if it's just imaginative space (which I think is not "just" anything--it's a critical step). I'm using arts in those capacities and *also* to drawn normies in, ones who are seeking community. It's like a speedrun through your method of hanging out around a bunch of non-profit/charity spaces to connect with the subversive elements. I'm one of those subversive elements. 😎

I still have some personal work to do ...

Susan Kaye Quinn 🌱(she/her)

@tinker
...with figuring out how to "do community" as well, so it's also me sorting that out by engaging in this effort (on top of all the others: writing, publishing, podcasting, local activism, etc etc)

Anyway, I would LOVE to hear about your nascent local solarpunk group and keep in touch so we can share ideas.

Susan Kaye Quinn 🌱(she/her) replied to Susan Kaye Quinn 🌱(she/her)

@tinker
Like I hadn't heard of Olio and it looks interesting (but UK of course) and I immediately thought once the solarpunk discord is up, we could have a channel for our own version of Buy Nothing exchange (except we're spread out too much geographically so it might not really work). I'm a big believer in people working out things if they're creative and work together, and a key part of that is simply creating space for that to happen.

Jules replied to Susan Kaye Quinn 🌱(she/her)

@susankayequinn @tinker I actually listened to a really interesting podcast interview with the founder of Olio, who said that the secret secondary mission of the app wasn't just to share food and reduce waste, it was to help people connect with their neighbours so eventually the app would become redundant because people would be connecting and sharing directly which I thought was rather lovely

Yann 不停 Heurtaux :antifa:

@tinker This is summing up so many pieces of valuable advice heard and done and seen for many years 🫶🏻

Nightman-core

@tinker Excellent post, thank you so much. I'm compelled to add to it but feel free to delete/mute if not appropriate.

I work for a local community clinic in a red state and even though I have no social work credentials, I've become sort of the acting social worker for patients in need of resources. Healthcare is a SUPER vulnerable field and there are so many people within it that are worth approaching if you're looking for community. And like you said, approach as if you're in need. Local clinics will be able to direct you to medical transportation companies who are DESPERATE for drivers. Many of these positions are paid! If you're looking for debt relief funds in need of donors, approach us. If you hear about someone who needs meds but can't pay, approach us. We are in direct contact with pharma reps who have robust financial aid programs. There's so much more I could post on this but even if you don't immediately need help, approach us anyway. We're here to help too. ❤️

@tinker Excellent post, thank you so much. I'm compelled to add to it but feel free to delete/mute if not appropriate.

I work for a local community clinic in a red state and even though I have no social work credentials, I've become sort of the acting social worker for patients in need of resources. Healthcare is a SUPER vulnerable field and there are so many people within it that are worth approaching if you're looking for community. And like you said, approach as if you're in need. Local clinics...

Tinker ☀️

@Nightmancore - This is wonderful perspective and insight, thank you!

Nightman-core

@tinker Anytime! And if you or anyone on here has any industry-specific questions or needs guidance with healthcare navigation, don't hesitate to reach out to me. I don't know everything but I'll pull what strings I can.

Gerrit Niezen

@tinker I've been thinking this for a while, but you put it into words so much better than what I could have - thank you. Someone should turn this into a zine.

Draws_Shoots_And_Leaves

@tinker this is such a brilliant post with some great advice. I will share it with my family some of whom live far away from me.

HO• ⏚:flag_pride:

@tinker this post made me appreciate our openly anarchist local groups availability even more 💗

Bret Mogilefsky

@tinker Super helpful, just what I needed to read. Thanks!

Ramarro Marrone

@tinker That all sounds great. I suggest another area to start: If you are working, your workplace is a good spot. The advantage of your workplace is that you are already there and that your workplace's dependence on its workers gives you special power. I invite people to contact me for training and literature on organizing the workplace. Many of the methods also apply in other sorts of organizing, so I invite you to contact me even if it is not for workplace organizing.

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