From “Someone Should” to “We Will”
(Source: Unsplash/Kenny Eliason.)
It’s sometimes hard to believe there was a time before the internet. I constantly marvel at what pre-internet generations were able to achieve before the internet and all the other related technological advances of the past couple decades: email, cheap (even free!) long-distance calling, texting, smartphones, Zoom… All things that are easy to take for granted today.
Seeing movements happening before my eyes on social media, how the masses can be rallied to support a common cause, and how quickly and widely a message can travel, it’s hard to fathom how anything got done without the internet.
But in other ways, I’m not at all surprised. Because you just can’t beat the power of a local, in-person group.
Five-odd years ago, I walked into a meeting of the grassroots advocacy group, Functional Transit Winnipeg, for the first time. I remember it like it was yesterday. In contrast to my typical introverted tendency to feel awkward and worried about not knowing anyone, I felt unexpectedly at ease right away, surrounded by people good naturedly commiserating over the bus service disruptions caused by the day’s snowstorm. Often, I was an outlier when I arrived somewhere by bus. Here, I had a thrilling sense of “these are my people!”
That year, I was becoming acquainted with many local groups with an urbanism focus—so why does that one stand out so vividly in my memory? Looking back, I think it’s because it really exemplified the strength and power of a local conversation; a group of people who shared the same context.
We all lived in the same city. We all regularly took the bus. We all had experienced the frustration of a transit system that didn’t work as well as it could or should.
Most critically though, we were all there because we believed things could be better.
We were all spending an evening away from our other priorities because we had hope and a belief that the status quo wasn’t a given, and that together we just might be able to change things. Now I felt a decided realness about the issue of lackluster transit; validation that it wasn’t just me with unrealistic standards, or the grousing of a grumpy echo chamber on Twitter. These were real people with whom I shared a real struggle.
Many people are first exposed to urbanist ideas online. There’s so much great content out there, and it’s easy to find other people who find these concepts and values appealing. But I know from experience that sometimes when you follow a topic closely online, you develop a false sense that you’re, well, doing something.
I keep coming back to something Tiffany Owens Reed wrote a couple months ago:
Scrolling through the web from the comfort of my couch, it’s easy to mistake knowing a lot about various issues for actually being engaged. [...] Isn’t this one of the most ironic effects of the web? Creating an illusion of agency by convincing us that since we know a lot about what’s going on around the world, that we’re actually empowered to participate in a meaningful way? For me, it’s having the opposite effect. Knowing so much about what’s happening in a dozen other cities around the world is actually making me feel more politically powerless than ever.
It takes more effort to be involved “in real life.” But the rewards are rich and many. If you make one resolution for the new year, consider a goal to connect with or start a local group. The sooner you connect with other locals on the ground, the better you can play a role in the bottom-up revolution.
Find Local Allies
As I see it, getting connected with people who live in the same place as you is important for two reasons.
The first is pretty obvious: it’s needed if you want to effect change. It’s what takes things from wishes and dreams into actual real-world change. It’s how you get from “someone should…” to “we will!”
What we can do best is take values that are just sort of ideological and translate them into something tangible, understandable, and most critically, relatable.
It’s up to us to translate broad ideas (“better transit,” “walkable streets,” “more housing”) into local examples. After all, we’re the experts in our own reality.
As locals, we have the intimate knowledge and the ability to take a general article on “the dangers of slip lanes” and identify the exact spots in our neighborhoods where we’ve had close calls or witnessed collisions. To draw attention to that bike lane that’s notorious for being full of sand and debris, or the intersection where everyone knows there’s an accident waiting to happen. To point out the bus route that inexplicably takes three times as long to get from Point A to Point B as it would in a car.
Starting small with one specific thing is the way that most folks get stuff done. Which leads me to the second reason it’s important to connect with others in your neighborhood, town or city: Not only does it work, it just feels good. We’re hard-wired to need other people! And when you get discouraged at the seemingly endless list of things that need fixing or changing, those good feelings are what you need to keep going. The sense of hope and optimism you get from knowing you’re not the only one is the antidote.
Take It Offline When You Can!
Having sat through several pandemic years’ worth of Zoom meetings, I know that it’s a poor substitute for the type and quality of interaction that you can get in person. On top of the inevitable tech issues, it’s hard to have natural conversations when there are more than two people. No one wants to be there a second longer than they need to be, and you miss out on those chance conversations that take place before and after a meeting, either with fellow meeting members, or decision-makers who are in the same room.
I’m not saying that there’s no place for virtual/online collaborations or meetings; obviously they can be invaluable in terms of efficiency. I’d be remiss not to mention that virtual modes can go a long way toward making participating more accessible for folks in many different circumstances. Technology can be a wonderful way to start a conversation going or stay connected. But don’t short-change yourself by never meeting in person.
Done on a regular basis and with care, in-person interactions build trust and relationships, encourage creativity, and provide an atmosphere that allows for meaningful exchange of ideas (even for an introvert like me!).
There’s something so energizing about an in-person gathering of people who have come together for a shared purpose. Whether it’s a small handful of folks meeting over coffee or a big all-hands-on-deck group at a community center or library, you just can’t beat the palpable energy of people who have come together to get stuff done. Even if it’s just to celebrate small victories from time to time.
The word “respair” popped up in my social media feed the other day; it’s a lost word from the 1500s that means “fresh hope; a recovery from despair.” I think most of us could use some of that these days. What I’ve learned over the past few years of working with other Winnipeggers to build a better place is that local connection is a surefire way to get some respair. I wish the same for you this coming year!
Emma Durand-Wood likes walkable cities, front porches, street trees, bumping into neighbors, riding her bike, downtowns, and any excuse to check out a new coffee shop, bakery, or shop. A Winnipegger by choice, she lives in Elmwood with her husband and three children. You can connect with her on Twitter @emmaewood.