For those interested in engaging their own neighborhoods in hopeful action, the place to start is hopeful neighborhood.org. On the website you will find videos explaining the program and how to get started. If you want to explore how this might look in your neighborhood, then The Hopeful Neighborhood Field Guide is a good first step. The Field Guide provides six sessions to help you make a difference right where you live. Each session has accompanying videos (story and teaching) that complement and support the book. Just click on "Books" and drop down to "Field Guide."
In the introduction video, Field Guide authors Tony Cook, vice president of Global Ministries at LHM, and Don Everts, LHM's content development manager, define the idea of one's neighborhood and community. The Field Guide is a practical tool, and to get the most from it, "you'll want to consider each of the six lessons in light of your own neighborhood," Everts said.
The six video sessions focus on neighborhood possibilities, individual gifts, neighborhood uniqueness, neighborhood well-being, collaborative possibilities, and implementing a plan of action. Personal stories of people making a difference where they live are paired with teaching videos that instruct and inspire. The last session is about what you can do. "By taking the initiative, you and a small group of your neighbors can make a difference in your neighborhood," said Cook.
Another helpful tool in The Hopeful Neighborhood Project is the EveryGift Inventory. The inventory is "designed to help you shine a light on your gifts in 12 distinct areas," it produces an "individualized gift assessment," Cook said. This 20-minute inventory is foundational to moving forward as a "founder" who takes the lead in his or her own neighborhood.
Once you have worked through the six session of the Field Guide, it's time to go through the process, which you will find in the online modules: Discover the Gifts, Imagine the Possibilities, and Pursue the Common Good. You can access the modules by becoming a member of hopeful neighborhood.org. "Each learning module is a step-by-step guide that includes video, detailed graphics, and digital and printable training resources you can use with your group of neighbors," said Jennifer Prophete, director of community programming for LHM.
Once you complete these learning pieces, The Hopeful Neighborhood Project team is there to help guide you through the process, step by step, in your neighborhood. Sara Johnson, neighborhood project coach, can clarify things like the EveryGift Inventory, explore some hopeful prospects for your neighborhood, and answer any questions you might have.
Neighborhoods benefit when people work together. "Our resources and online network exist to equip and encourage neighbors to work together using their gifts and the gifts of their community to pursue the common good of their neighborhood," Cook said.