Community connections build power— and mental health

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HealthWiki > Promoting Community Mental Health > Chapter 1: Building community builds mental health > Community connections build power— and mental health

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In this chapter:

 

In this chapter:

• Chapter 1: Building community builds mental health
• Community organizing is mental health work
• Community connections build power— and mental health
• Build support and solidarity

Most of us are part of several communities. Where we live is the most common kind of community. We may or may not know our neighbors well, but we share neighborhood experiences such as breathing polluted air or feeling frustration when public officials do not respond to community needs. Busy streets that are dangerous to cross, fear that people we know will be harmed by violence, and lack of good public transportation to get where we need to go are other examples of problems we may share with neighbors.

Other kinds of communities include families who send their children to the same school, those attending the same place of worship, and your co-workers at your job. Many of us also feel part of communities that share an identity (for instance the same race, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, health condition), similar values or beliefs (such as religious or political beliefs), or the same problems, interests, hobbies, or talents. While feelings of community connection are often stronger when we can get together in person, connecting online also allows us to create or join communities with others no matter where they live. All types of communities provide opportunities to meet more people, form friendships, and work together on common projects.

Community involvement is good for mental health. The feeling of belonging you get from connecting with others who share similar ideas, needs, or goals can make you feel joyful, safe, and relieved that you are not alone. It can also be a relief to learn how many of your experiences are shared by others.

We were upset that hateful graffiti directed at the Muslim community began appearing on walls in our town. We discussed how fear and hate come from people who don’t know much about you. We looked at The Islamic Networks Group website for ideas on how to plan a “Know Your Neighbor” get-together. They had sample flyers and step-by-step instructions for a storytelling night, a tea party, and other ideas. We decided to hold a cook-off contest at the school featuring local restaurants that serve Halal food. The students all attended with their families, we played some group games and printed recipes to take home. There is something really basic about eating together that builds trust. It was a fun way to get people to mingle and to learn a little about our Muslim neighbors, their faith, and their food.

When you create community where it wasn’t obvious “a community” existed—for example, when you begin working with people from different economic or cultural backgrounds because your kids go to school together—you help overcome what previously seemed to be unbridgeable differences or divisions. Learning about each other’s struggles and achievements can help forge shared solidarity and common purpose. The world needs more of this, as does our mental health.

Ideas for bringing people together

Think about how to fully welcome those who will have the most difficulty participating.

• Is the gathering place easy to get to? Is there access for people with disabilities? Is safety an issue for people arriving alone?
• Does the timing work for family and work schedules?
• Will families with young children feel welcome?
• Will the activity work for people whose first language is not English?

Try gathering where people are already comfortable meeting (such as places of worship, schools, community centers, or senior centers). Although alcohol is often available at many celebrations (especially fundraisers), events without alcohol can be more supportive for people in recovery from alcohol or drug use or those whose traditions do not allow alcohol.

Health promoters create and sustain community

Latino Health Access (LHA) in Santa Ana, California, focuses on community participation as the best, most long-lasting way to make communities happier and healthier places. While acting on specific mental health issues, such as supporting people with grief and loss, adjusting to diabetes, overcoming older people’s isolation, and creating supports for women facing domestic violence, LHA’s activities bring people together to spark community change. This makes everyone feel better about where they live and get along better with their neighbors. Adapting the Latin American promotor model of community leaders reaching out and connecting individuals and groups who otherwise might not find each other, the LHA promotor becomes a person to turn to in a crisis.

LHA’s promotores are community members helping other community members make things happen. Promotores organize the community for civic participation and political actions that can create or change policy. They organize the community, including young people, to rally for peace within homes and across neighborhoods, advocate for parks and safety, and create healthier environments for all families. Promotores help their neighbors access different services, programs, and systems to become more independent, yet the promotores always remain a constant, friendly part of people’s lives. Promotores identify and befriend people who are isolated, advocate alongside them, and offer ongoing support for them and their families.

People in the community have learned to believe in the promotores. They see how they have consciously and successfully improved their own lives, so they gratefully accept their help as role models and teachers.

Green is life: Detroit urban farming and greenways

The fact is, people feel better in green space; they respect themselves more. People want to live in a place that has beauty and is healthy. Greening supports that from the ground up.

Our health, including our mental health, suffers in urban spaces without places for children to play, for sports, for families to enjoy time together, or for people to walk, bike, or use wheelchairs or strollers. Growing food in an empty lot, adding plants to a traffic median, and lobbying for bike paths are activities that bring people together twice: first, to pursue a common goal; and second, to encourage even more people to “harvest the fruit” of using the new space.

The Detroit, Michigan, non-profit, The Greening of Detroit, started in 1989 with one part-time volunteer. To date, 1,350 local residents have graduated from their workforce development programs, 30,000 youth have participated in year-round programs, and 150,000 trees have been planted. Growing the urban forest and creating skilled green jobs brings positive community change. Since 2016, Keep Growing Detroit envisions a city where the majority of fruits and vegetables consumed by Detroiters are grown by residents. By supporting beginner gardeners in becoming engaged community leaders and food entrepreneurs, they have created a network that provides urban growers with opportunities to sell the fruits and vegetables they grow at local markets.

Another organization, the Detroit Greenways Coalition, organized to make biking feel safe and attractive. In 2006, the city had only 6 miles of bike lanes. By 2023, there were more than 150 miles of bike lanes and marked shared lanes. Bike paths not only help people get exercise and reduce car pollution, they also get people outdoors. By encouraging cycling and walking, greenways connect people of different backgrounds and promote friendlier, more neighborly communities. Detroit’s bike paths have paved the way for regular events such as Thursday-night group rides and Monday-night Slow Rolls that attract hundreds of people of all ages, races, and class backgrounds.

It’s not only healthy for people and the environment, but it also gets diverse people mingling in ways they wouldn’t otherwise. When people are on foot or on bikes, they’re meeting and engaging. That’s important in this region. The more people meeting and mingling, the better.

This page was updated:18 Apr 2025