Thursday, July 22 we had a great time, block party veterans and new recruits shared ideas and asked question.   At the Sanctuary CDC we see block parties not as a simplistic “crime-fighting” method, but as a strategy for building Beloved Community.

As neighbors connect: learn names, share dreams, and listen to each other.  Neighborhoods are build with mutual concern and respect.  Below are the THREE MAIN OBJECTIVES of a successful block party, followed by ideas on how to meet those goals.

The Block Party strives, from planning to clean-up, to involve all the demographics of the community.

1. Get people involved early in planning  – Planning – not just assignments

2. Use multiple means to promote

i.     Email

ii.     Flyers door door

iii.     Face to face (catch people coming and going

iv.     BE INTENTIONAL

3. Use block party as more than an “end” but a step to something more

i.     Garden project

ii.     Street painting

iii.     Building block club

4.  LEAVE room for NEED / Creates opportunity to HELP

i.     Ask for help

ii.     Leave room for all to contribute

iii.     don’t over plan so there is nothing left to do

iv.     get parents engaged early

The Block Party is about Activities that Connect

1.  Games

i.     Relay races

ii.     Water tub duckies – (no hands) draw prize

iii.     Cake (candy walk)

iv.     Water balloons

v.     Hype and get all involved

2.  Door prizes – and sign-up sheets (name, phone #, and addresses)

i.     Seek donations

ii.     City

iii.     Neighborhood businesses (Solo and Corner stores too!)

iv.     Dollar store

3. Resource table

i.     Services (county, city, state, schools, church, non-profits)

ii.     Fire dept

iii.     K9 unit demo

iv.     Peace foundation

4. FOOD

i.     Seek donations / discounts

ii.     Grills open for people to get involved

5. TALK

i.     Ask questions you wanna know, people are at a party YOU help plan, you have a right to respectfully ask….

ii.     Not snoopy but to see how neighborhoods can help with problem spots

The Block Party Creates Connections that Continue to shape the Neighborhood

1.  Exchange info

2.  Build into Block Club Plans

3. Keep Focus POSITIVE and PROACTIVE not focused on what’s wrong all the time…