This is the most open and varied category of all. The underlying intention of this theme is simply to come together and connect around a shared interest or curiosity. It encompasses activities that nurture body, mind and/or spirit. This may be through arts, music, sports, activism, environment, etc. It is the broadest level of activities and the one with the least emotional investment required. Most activities will fall under this theme.

Remember that the sense of community and belonging comes from shared experiences and a sense of—not necessarily the actual experience of—shared history. Memories can be the strongest bond-forming of all human experiences, always design keeping them in mind. Activities that reflect on what the community has done together are important to ground and materialize this sense of collective memory. They can be active, such as a commemoration event, or passive such as keeping track of memories from events in an open photo book.

This theme encourages a reciprocal approach to sharing knowledge where a member of the community offers to teach others something on which they have expertise. Here activities are meant to promote knowledge as a currency; where if someone learns something new in this opportunity, they will offer something different on another occasion.

Although care is thought through the way this playbook approaches community-building, activities that directly centre around care are necessary for the emotional well-being of the community and to cultivate a conscious culture of care. What does nurturing safe spaces actually entail? Creating a truly safe space requires a discerning and nuanced understanding of the complexity of human emotions, personalities, fears and aspirations. Offering activities where these are explored together in a non-judgmental way is key. Since these activities require a higher sense of vulnerability, plan their frequency according to the needs of the community at a given time.

Being self-reflective is a necessary component of growth. Looking into who you are as collective individuals is important to nurture the soul of the community. Occasionally, reflect upon what the community’s core values are and if they are still in alignment with what the community has become. Doing this occasionally will contribute to maintaining a healthy feeling between the community members, the community, and the environment. Plan these activities in longer intervals to allow enough time for happenings to unfold to have enough content to reflect on.

Create your own theme. As your community of care evolves and dynamics change over time, there may be a particular theme that emerges that your community might want to focus on.