National Night Out

"As one of the nation’s most prominent civic events, I encourage all Californians to take part in National Night Out in their community. This event is a fantastic opportunity for residents and law enforcement to come together to fight crime and celebrate community spirit." — Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, State of California

The 25th annual National Night Out, a unique safety and community event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW) is scheduled for Tuesday, August 5, 2008. It’s a time for citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations, and local officials to join in block parties, parades, flashlight walks, contests — and more — to generate support and participation in anti-crime programs and to strengthen community-police partnerships.

Register online and you will receive the National Night Out Organizational Kit filled with how-to materials.

National Neighborhood Day

“Communities work better…. when neighbors know one another better. Knowing your neighbor on a first-name basis, as National Neighborhood Day suggests, is a surprisingly effective first step toward a better America.” — Robert D. Putnam, author of Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community

Celebrated this year on Sunday, September 21, the goal of National Neighborhood Day (NND) is to inspire, build, and sustain neighborhood relationships that provide the foundation for civic action and the building of stronger, caring, and more viable communities.

This year’s NND is a perfect opportunity to remember that communities can be fortified by recognizing their assets instead of their needs — by acknowledging and embracing the profound neighborhood-rooted traditions of community organizing, community economic development, and neighborhood planning.

Use this annual celebration to promote and increase involvement in any number of cohesion-building and civic-minded activities in your town. The more connections, the better neighbors come to know each other, the more good things happen. As a result of this annual event, your community may see an increase in volunteering, collaboration, emergency preparedness, and adult/youth mentoring relationships.

Tools to help you get started: National Neighborhood Day Resources Site.

• Use the message board to share activities you were involved in last year.
• Use the social networking sites to find new neighbors, post events, and more.

A neighborhood gathering can be as simple as a block party or potluck, or it can be a more complex service project, such as a neighborhood clean-up — whatever is easy and fun for you and your neighbors to plan and carry out.

Nonprofit partners for NND include the National Crime Prevention Council, Teach for America, Youth Service America, Network for Good, and Habitat for Humanity.

Questions? Send an e-mail to info@neighborhoodday.org.

Lending Library Resources

• Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community
• Building Communities from the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community's Assets
• Streets of Hope: The Fall and Rise of an Urban Neighborhood
• Putting Faith in Neighborhoods: Making Cities Work through Grassroots Citizenship
• Side by Side: Exploring Your Neighborhood Through Intergenerational Activities

Effective Practices

• Improving neighborhoods with web-based community mapping
• Volunteering by, in, and with low-income communities
• Developing and implementing a Block Parent program
• Mobilizing a community with a Neighborhood Watch program
• Working collaboratively to reduce juvenile gun crime in Boston

Online Courses

• Strengthening Your Organization, Your Community, and Your Projects
• Activating Asset Mapping

Other Resources

• The Leadership Practice community engagement and strengthening podcasts
• The COADY Institute