So Everyone Knows They Matter
Original Medium Post: https://justinpasquariello.medium.com/so-everyone-knows-they-matter-efd582498ba1
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Building an inclusive community joy movement
“When you’re alone, it’s no good.” – Giovanna Armata, Active Adult at East Boston Social Centers
This is third of a four-part series about increasing community joy for all. The first post was the story of family, friends, social workers, and others coming together — recognizing my birth mother and I mattered, even when we couldn’t. The second shares when we learned we mattered — and how mattering connects with community joy. The fourth will continue with how we all can help.
How do we build this inclusive community joy movement?
With some guidance and support, almost anyone can apply our five pillars [1] of community joy to increase their own, and their community’s, joy and wellbeing. This post and the next will focus on how to use those five pillars to foster inclusive community joy.
But first, we start with . . .
Addressing poverty
Addressing poverty and inequality also matters a lot for joy — particularly for those in low-income households — but it can be much tougher for an individual to improve their own financial circumstances or for a community to improve the financial circumstances of residents at a community level than it is for individuals or communities to act on our pillars of joy.
Acting together through policy and the actions of employers, we can reduce poverty and increase joy. We can support child and family flourishing, and stop many children and families from ever coming into contact with the child welfare system [2] (and other systems, including juvenile justice). To do this, we can work together for better wages and work protections; robust child tax credits; more affordable housing; and access to high-quality, affordable early education and care for all.[3]
In the meantime, communities can fill gaps. Groups like Mutual Aid Eastie enable neighbors to help neighbors. A variety of community organizations, including East Boston Social Centers, can help distribute emergency assistance from funders to community members — and initiatives including Every Child Shines can help families access the supports they need.
The United States is the wealthiest nation in the history of the world. Together, we can end poverty if we choose to do so.
We also can use our five pillars to advance community joy for all. Starting with . . .
Reducing isolation and increasing relationships
How organizations can help: the East Boston Social Centers example —
The MassINC Polling Group recently conducted Boston’s first citywide joy survey, in collaboration with the Shah Family Foundation and East Boston Social Centers. [4] Depending on the cutoff used on our loneliness scale, 13–19% of East Boston residents reported frequently feeling lonely.
Elaine Jeon, MPH, a researcher from The Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness [5] is building on this work, by collaborating with East Boston Social Centers on focus groups to better understand who could be more likely to be impacted by loneliness. Focus groups also will examine variations in how loneliness manifests, depending on culture, belongingness in East Boston, and other variables. We will talk with groups that could include older adults, teens, new parents, and new East Boston residents to learn more about the problem and potential solutions. We will build a plan together to support those who struggle the most.
This also will enable us to develop future interventions; we can work with those most likely to be impacted to prevent loneliness before it happens.
Policymakers and researchers —
Yesterday, Giovanna Armata, one of our East Boston Social Centers Active Adults, talked about taking the bus across the neighborhood to our program on a cold morning. She makes the effort because “when you’re alone, it’s no good.”
Policymakers can invest in programs like the East Boston Social Centers Active Adults program, which provide fun and enriching daily activities, and strengthen connections and reduce isolation among older adults. Researchers can study the impact of those investments; these programs might event pay for themselves, by improving the health of older adults and reducing health care costs.
Policymakers and researchers can research the impact of, and potentially incorporate, ideas from other places too. England has a Minister of Loneliness and Dr. Ruth just became New York’s first Loneliness Ambassador. Denmark invests in social clubs where people can organize and connect across class and other differences, around shared interests they identify — ranging from swimming to checkers and far beyond.[6]
Individuals
We can identify those in our lives who have fewest attachments and those who might be feeling isolated because of reasons including illness, loss, or depression. We can text to check in, or even better, call — even if saying we only have a few minutes to connect. [7] We can deliver a meal.
We can smile at people on the bus, or the train or the street. We can strike up conversations. We never know what an impact that might have — on the other and on ourselves, but the research suggests it will be positive for both.[8]
We can increase joy for all — starting by addressing poverty and loneliness. In our next post, we’ll explore how to apply the other four pillars to increase joy for all.
This is the 39th post about boosting joy the only way we can: in community. Please share, subscribe, and join our movement by emailing me or supporting East Boston Social Centers. Stay joyful, East Boston.
Giovanna Armata is sixth from left with Active Adults and partners from Eastie Farm, at the Active Adult plot at the Bremen Street Community Garden. Together, they are building strong relationships, pursuing purpose, and participating in an inclusive fitness activity while having fun!
[1] Learn more here.
[2] As highlighted in the previous posts, the child welfare system helped me thrive — and my birth mother couldn’t take care of me because of her illness. For many other children, however, if we only helped meet family basic needs, or provided other supports, children could stay in their families and thrive.
[3] For those in Massachusetts, you can support the work of the Healthy Families Tax Credits Coalition, the Common Start Coalition (for early education), and more (East Boston Social Centers supports both).
[4] A blog with results will be coming soon. This blog introduced the survey.
[6] Learn more in The Year of Living Danishly.
[7] Try the 8-Minute Phone Call.
[8] Even despite our inclination not to talk. See this article.