Working Together as a Community

Community was one of the key aspects brought up during one of my recent youth forums, as we discussed the issue of violent crime.  One of the young people said that although he does not think that anyone cares, he does think that the community cares, and another said, “We’ve got to work together.” 

Another individual also added, “Only we can change it.”  As a community, we are able to make changes that may have a bigger impact than even the largest organisations or the powers that be, because we have a true and better understanding of the needs of those around us.  This got me thinking about the Croydon community and whether we are truly working together for a common purpose or whether we are separately trying to make our own individual changes.

Earlier this month, I was part of a European youth project in Bournemouth.  Within this project, we had created our own community made up of individuals with different nationalities, ethnicities, beliefs, ages and physical abilities, but were one in the same, united by a common purpose and the desire to change the world around us.  We respected, learnt from, effectively communicated and worked with each other, irrespective of all of our differences.

This again got me thinking about Croydon.  I started wondering how I could bring that sense of community and oneness back with me, and really implement it into our borough.  Croydon is filled with many lovely, inspiring people and individuals who want to make a difference or who are already making a difference.  There are a number of great communities and networks that have sprung up, numerous social and entertainment events that are held in some brilliant venues, and many wonderful charities that are doing fantastic work.

Great things are being done individually, but how much are we actually doing together?  How often do we cross over and mix together to become one big community within the borough?  How often do the youth integrate and converse with their elders to bridge the generation gap?  How much time do we spend effectively communicating with and trying to understand each other, breaking down the walls of ignorance and discrimination?

Croydon is taking a step forward in the right direction, but so much more needs to be done in order for us to work together more efficiently and as a whole, because that is when big change will start to take place. More young people need to put themselves out there and attend events that are mainly made up of their elders, and there should be more elders supporting and mentoring the youth so they can bring more to Croydon.  And as a whole, we should be doing more to branch out to those hard-to-reach groups and integrate them with our society.

Let’s do all we can as a collective and create change, so that we can make the community of Croydon a really great one.