The Power of

Community

The Power of

Community

Imagine waking up in a world where you face abuse at work, school, or even at home. Where you are not able to get the healthcare you need or feel unsafe just walking down the street.

This is the reality for many of your neighbours, friends, and family members who face discrimination because of their age, ethnicity, disability - or because they are part of the LGBTIQ+ community.

No matter who you are or whom you love, having people around you who support you can be the difference between dreading each day or waking up ready to face it head on.

Communities come in all shapes and sizes. They can be built on shared interests, a shared history, or a shared need for safety and solidarity. They can be online, in your neighbourhood, or people from different times in your life who are spread all over the world. What communities all have in common is the power to support you and help you thrive.

Community

Care

What do you do when you see someone - or an entire group of people - face violence and harassment? How do you respond to hate speech sprayed on walls, written on social media, or broadcast on TV?

No one should face bigotry alone. Community means standing up in the face of hate, protesting injustice, coming together to donate to a food bank, joining someone who feels unsafe walking alone. It means inviting someone who’s left without a support network to join yours.

But fighting for your own community is not enough. At its core, community means empathy. At their best, communities help everyone, not just people who think like you, look like you, or are in relationships that look like yours. For communities to flourish, we must put solidarity at their core.

Building

Community

Speak out

not just when you or people like you face injustice, but also when other communities and groups come under attack. Make your voice heard for equality and justice, and help others raise their voices too.

Welcome

people who need support into your community. Our willingness to embrace new people should not only be extended to people exactly like us. Diversity helps communities thrive.

Support

communities under threat – whether you are part of them or not - through words and actions. Hang a pride flag if you can, tell someone they are safe with you, speak out against discrimination and exclusion. Stand up against hate – online and offline.

Empower

your most at risk community members. Everyone in your community should be heard and respected. For some people, it is hard to speak up because they feel unsafe, or because they are physically unable to do so. Do not speak over people, listen to and speak with them. Embrace the power that comes from the collective voice of a diverse community.