Knowing Our Neighbors

Nearly one in three Americans doesn’t know a single neighbor.  You know, the people who actually live near you kind of neighbors.  None.  Another third know “some” and 24% know “most” of the people who live close to them.

Yet, in a study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project group released recently, a significant correlation was found between knowing neighbors and having face-to-face talks around community issues.  Those who aren’t talking face-to-face about community issues seem to, in general, not be talking at all.  When analyzing the use of various forms of technology/media to discuss community issues, the study found that very few access other platforms to interact with neighbors on community issues (or at all, really).

What stands out to me is that justice in our communities is directly related to awareness.  And when we aren’t having conversations about the issues, we’re not likely to be aware of the issues or collaborating toward possible solutions.  Further, when we don’t know our neighbors in the first place, it’s so easy to ignore community concerns altogether.  Living in a moderately-high-crime neighborhood, I see this play out all the time.  There are folks who slide in and out and don’t get involved, and others who know everyone on the block and tend to be really aware of the latest news.  The latter are more likely to start conversations about how we can make a difference.

But the first step is taking time to learn names.  That’s inconvenient and takes effort.  To 1 in 3 of us, it’s not worth it.  Which one are you?

©2010 Fuller Youth Institute