We’ve nurtured community spirit
A new sense of togetherness has bonded us, and that’s something many want to keep going.
Small acts of kindness have shone through the dark days of the past months, with communities coming together to support one another through the crisis. Ironically, at a time when we have had to be mindful of getting physically close to people, new friendships and connections have been forged. A study for John Lewis & Partners found half the people asked now waved at others in the street, while 21% were part of a street messaging or Whatsapp group to keep in touch with one another.
‘Focus has shifted from the individual to the collective, kicking off a renewed communal spirit that will persist long after lockdown,’ says Gabrielle Lieberman, a director of trends and social media research for market research company Mintel. ‘The importance of human connection will be stronger than ever, and we will continue to see a strengthening of community.’
Lockdown certainly brought out the best in people. According to the Office of National Statistics, almost a third of us helped someone locally, and more than half said they felt a sense of belonging to their community. It is in stark contrast to six months earlier when four in 10 people admitted they didn’t even know their neighbours’ names.
Psychologist Vanessa King, author of 10 Keys To Happier Living and lead expert for Action for Happiness, is heartened by this shift. ‘We were ready to receive the kindness that came with the crisis. It almost gave us permission to connect with others and brought us back to the best of what makes us human – being socially minded and kind. Helping people is a social glue; it is not just good for the beneficiary, it also has a boosting effect on the brain of the giver.’
One of Vanessa’s lockdown highlights was families in her road gathering at a social distance outside the house of an 87-year-old to eat cake and sing Happy Birthday. ‘She put a note through my door the next day saying it was the best birthday she’d ever had,’ recalls Vanessa. ‘It hardly took anything, but it meant so much to her and brought joy to the street.’
‘The challenge now is to not let this community spirit slip away,’ says Vanessa. ‘We’ve sown the seeds. We just need to make a conscious effort to carry on nurturing them and they will continue to grow. Tiny things such as asking for help, sharing knowledge and checking in with the elderly and the isolated will keep it going. People have been experiencing this time very differently, and afterwards it will be the same. Some will be going back to work, while others will be unable to, and many will be grieving. Help and kindness will nurture connections. I see it as a massive opportunity. Community is for life, not just for crisis.’
Helen Goulden, chief executive of The Young Foundation, a charity that has launched a Uk-wide programme to understand the impact of Covid-19 on communities, agrees: ‘Any acts of kindness, altruism and generosity should be celebrated, and there has been a huge surge in people wanting to help each other. Those local connections that have been forged will continue; you can’t “unknow” your neighbour.’ But she adds a note of caution: ‘Will people be as willing to help others when everyone is experiencing a downturn?’
‘I see this as a massive opportunity. Community is for life, not just for crisis,’ says psychologist Vanessa King