Folks have asked me how to find and build community.

Here is a very pragmatic and approachable way to find the community in your local town or neighborhood.

A little of bit of the concept with a focus on praxis.

So if you're new to community and mutual aid, don't think about what you can build. You're going to be wrong. People have already tried what you're thinking and dropped it back at version 0.3 - Everyone is on 8.2c right now.

So join what exists. Once you get good at it, then you can build out from there - with the knowledge of what is actually needed and works.

Quick note: Things are working. You're just not hearing about it via corporate news. Because it doesn't make those corps money. But its working and has been working. Glad you are joining us now! I think you'll be very pleasantly surprised as what exists around you and what you've been missing out on. Everyone joins at some point. Glad you're here now.

How do you find what exists?

The simple answer is, via community. But you haven't joined the community, so how do you find community without the community!

Since you're here, on the internet, let's start with the internet.

One thing: Folks building and running mutual aid aren't always building and running websites. They're meeting actual people doing physical things in the world. So their websites suck. Also, putting things out publicly runs the risk of inviting the nose of town government and their police forces. Sometimes posting publicly is a *BAD IDEA*. So they don't. You understand OpSec. They understand it better.

But, you certainly can start on the internet to find a "doorway".

Mutual Aid and community is DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT from charities/non-profits. I won't go into it here, but the two (mutual aid and charities/non-profits) aren't the same and actually opposed to each other.

Buuuuuut.....

Folks overlap between the two.

So I might focus on mutual aid, but I'll work with some charities because their apparatus furthers a mutual aid goal in the immediacy.

With that in mind, you can search out charities on the internet. They are well established there and are often upheld by local govt and churches. So they're protected.

Certainly go find some charities that align with your "one thing" (the thing you'll focus on now until you learn about more).

The big thing though, is the charity is not the goal. The people that work there are the goal. You are building a network. So go and meet people but BE FUCKING CHILL about your goals. You start spouting off mutual aid and bad things happen. So just be quiet and listen (this being quiet and listening is going to be your main skill to develop for a long while... so embrace it now).

You'll mostly find old boomers in retirement and religious folks with some politicians. They are charity folks. Great. But you're looking for folks that don't fit those molds. You're looking for the hippies, the socialists, the anarchists, the folks who have grown up poor and now have some means. "One of these things is not like the other". Find the anomalies and follow *their* lead.

You're going to sit in these charities for months while you meet people. Listen to "small talk". If it's Jesus focused, just smile and nod and praise god.

But if it's apparatus building and working with other groups, those are the conversations you want to join in on.

I'll say that again:

If the conversation is about WORKING WITH OTHER GROUPS on shared goals... get in on that. I don't care if its other charities. Get in on it.

After a while, you'll start meeting folks that are building real mutual aid. Learn the initiatives in your area and you'll find and settle into the groups that are doing work but not advertising on social media about it.

So.

Where to start?

Pick one of the following areas (there are more, but these are entry points):
- Food.
- Homeless outreach.
- Literacy / schooling.
- Political access and voting.

Just pick one area and find groups that do that thing. Don't worry about picking the right one. You're going to be moving around for a bit while you learn, so its fine. They all flow.

For Food: Find your local Food Bank and Food Pantries. Feeding America is a good start. Look there. Food Banks need lots of volunteers. Find a thing you can do and do it. Local churches act as Food Pantries. Go to those and help hand out food. If you're really lucky, find a place that makes and serves hot food. DO THAT!!! You'll get real close to mutual aid right away.

For Homeless outreach, look up local shelters - sure. Shelters tend TO ABSOLUTELY SUCK!!! So your mileage may vary. Look for places that gather up clothes and coats and hand them out. Look for places that serve the homeless communities and do that.

For Literacy and schooling, look up various elementary schools, libraries, and the same. After school programs for children. Boys and Girls clubs and the like as well. If you have kids, talk with your school counselors and ask them about the school programs that serve under-privileged families.

For political access and voting, don't join a political party. Instead find local orgs that focus on registering people for voting. The NAACP shines in this. You don't have to be black to join the NAACP. Local DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) are also a good place to look.

Great. So how do you find them?

A quick note on internet searches just to get it out of the way: Search for "city or town name" and:
- "food bank"
- "food pantry"
- "mutual aid"
- "after school programs"
- "voter advocacy"
- "homeless shelter"
- "women's shelter"
- "town resources"
- "library"

On that last note: The BEST PLACE TO START is your local library.

Just go hang out in the library for a while. They post A LOT of stuff for the town. Classes, resources, groups, events, etc. And by "post" I actually mean physical posts. Fliers on the wall and on physical "announcement boards". The librarians themselves are great. Just ask them. They're there to help. Literally.

In fact, don't approach looking for these groups as a volunteer (I hate that word). Don't approach them as a person looking to contribute and build.

Instead, approach these groups as a person who could benefit from them. So for food, ask the librarians to help you find "food pantries for distributions". The libraries are geared to help the community. So get all the info on that, and then flip it around and go to the food pantries and ask how you can help.

So. Internet search for groups is an okay start. But go to the local library and ask.

All you need is ONE WAY in. Once you find some sort of group doing something - anything... go there. Then meet the people. Find a stray community worker that also works there and learn from them. Then find out about the other groups that meet and are building and doing. Go to those in person meetings and spread from there.

(Ask questions in this thread and I and others will give you ideas.)

Also, if you need help finding those initial groups, DM me with your town name and I'll give you a list of groups that you can start with.

#solarPunk #mutualAid #community

@tinker in canada, non profits have work in the areas you are discussing. I have work at one site, a job that is difficult to fill at a site that struggles with hiring. Yes non profits can be considered "sell outs", compromising values for funding, but they do provide for people struggling. I cook 2 days a week. In 4 years this building has been open, they have only had one other person cook my shifts, and only for 5 months. The site i work at hasn't had a janitor in over two years. The people who live there used to be homeless and many of them struggle with substance use/self medication. Another option for joining in.

@tinker What a great post! I appreciate your wisdom. Thanks for sharing. 😊

@tinker Thanks for your heartfelt post about building communities, thank you, God bless

@tinker Make sure to pin this bad boy to your profile! I gurantee people will look for it when they are at a place to do something with it

@tinker Thanks for writing this! When I get back to the (potentially radically altered) US this is exactly what I'm seeking.

@tinker What a generous essay! Thank you for sharing everything you know so far about mutual aid. Some really solid points about knowing the difference between charities and actually effective work one can do.

I donated a bunch of food to this great after-school center with all kinds of cool programs, overtly for all kids, essentially for underprivileged kids. I want them to have everything.

I’ve also started a couple local communities for like-minded people to get together over common interests, and they are really hard to get off the ground, so I appreciated the point of not being tempted to roll your own when you can be more effective going where people already are.

And omg so true about relying on the internet as little as possible. OPSEC more than ever before, people. Work locally for maximum impact.

💞 💞 💞

@tinker this rocks, I bookmarked it and I don't bookmark anything LOL 💚

@tinker for me, when I moved there 3 years ago, it was *food* — it was the pandemic and I was just really drawn to making sure people could EAT. Food banks, community gardens, garden training, farm share, food co-ops... it took me a minute to work into it but as you say, they're all connected. My fav time of year is when I can pick up from farm share and drop half at the food bank. It's more "charity" I guess but I can afford it. And it connected me to a TON of b-corps...

@tinker Great post, thank you.

@tinker This is summing up so many pieces of valuable advice heard and done and seen for many years 🫶🏻

@tinker Excellent post, thank you so much. I'm compelled to add to it but feel free to delete/mute if not appropriate.

I work for a local community clinic in a red state and even though I have no social work credentials, I've become sort of the acting social worker for patients in need of resources. Healthcare is a SUPER vulnerable field and there are so many people within it that are worth approaching if you're looking for community. And like you said, approach as if you're in need. Local clinics will be able to direct you to medical transportation companies who are DESPERATE for drivers. Many of these positions are paid! If you're looking for debt relief funds in need of donors, approach us. If you hear about someone who needs meds but can't pay, approach us. We are in direct contact with pharma reps who have robust financial aid programs. There's so much more I could post on this but even if you don't immediately need help, approach us anyway. We're here to help too. ❤️

@tinker I've been thinking this for a while, but you put it into words so much better than what I could have - thank you. Someone should turn this into a zine.

@tinker this is such a brilliant post with some great advice. I will share it with my family some of whom live far away from me.

@tinker Super helpful, just what I needed to read. Thanks!

@tinker That all sounds great. I suggest another area to start: If you are working, your workplace is a good spot. The advantage of your workplace is that you are already there and that your workplace's dependence on its workers gives you special power. I invite people to contact me for training and literature on organizing the workplace. Many of the methods also apply in other sorts of organizing, so I invite you to contact me even if it is not for workplace organizing.

@tinker this post made me appreciate our openly anarchist local groups availability even more 💗

@doublemonkeyfun - Yeah, non-profits and charities are similar in that. It's capitalism co-opting community movements.

The goals of that non-profit are good, as you've mentioned. But the apparatus of the non-profit and forcing it to find "funding" from capitalist sources are limiting. And that's by design.

It makes sense that it has the problems its having.

My section where I say I'll work with some charities if it has an apparatus that helps with an immediate goal applies to non-profits as well.

I don't think of them as "sell-outs" - I just dont think that model works at all. The examples that you've given align with my understanding.

@foggy______ruins - Cheers! Let me know if you need any help along your way!

@geekgrrl - Cheers!

@Aboodj_new - Cheers

@Diami03 - will do

@1dark1 - That's awesome!!! And yeah, discursive spaces are awesome - very cool that you built those up! 💕

@susankayequinn - Ha! I'm glad! Let me know how it goes for you and let me know if you need any help along the way!

@tinker

& nonprofits, one of which sponsored a solarpunk Expo & then we were getting closer. The vibes were better. But still *networking* maybe? Working toward something that connected likeminded folks for support (emotional mutual aid LOL).

I'm literally tomorrow zooming w/2 other non-profit peeps to organize our solarpunk discord: still sussing it out but it's a way to connect, give info, I'm gonna maybe teach solarpunk classes to draw people in etc

I'm gonna think about this post tho...

@Nightmancore - This is wonderful perspective and insight, thank you!

@gendor - that's a good idea

@gendor @tinker yes!

@susankayequinn - That's amazing!!! Let me know what y'all come up with.

I've got a nascent solarpunk group in my town and we work with a lot of the mutualaid groups around us.

I'd like to connect with other similar groups and start networking our towns and cities. Share ideas and see what works, etc.

@tinker Anytime! And if you or anyone on here has any industry-specific questions or needs guidance with healthcare navigation, don't hesitate to reach out to me. I don't know everything but I'll pull what strings I can.

@tinker oh cool! You know, I feel like this is just bubbling up everywhere at once. Feels invisible but people are just like OH HECK Imma just do this. It's beautiful.

I love the idea of having some higher level networking to see what works. Applications have to be super local cuz that's how that works but IDEAS should swish around so they can find where they'll work best.

I'll think on this thread and touch back with you as we progress. 💚 🌱

@susankayequinn - I look forward to it!

@tinker this was a damn good post, very nuts-and-bolts. I can echo that round here at least (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA) library noticeboards are Good Shit

@tinker the way this post is written, it sounds like mutual aid groups are some kind of underground resistance movement that the cops are actively trying to infiltrate and shut down. is that really how it is? why would the cops even care that much, and what crime(s) could a mutual aid group be accused of breaking anyway?

what would happen if I just volunteered at a charity and was completely open and honest about being interested in mutual aid and about not being a Christian? I hate lying or misleading people

@kasdeya - Coming back to this thread, sorry for the late response.

But yeah! Right?! So two examples, one historical and another more recent.

When the Black Panthers started up a mutual aid program to feed school children free breakfast, they put all the food in a local church to prepare for the next day. The local police went into the church and urinated on all the food in an attempt to destroy the program.

More recently, we see police coming down hard on mutual aid groups trying to feed the hungry. Houston Food Not Bombs was getting a ticket EACH TIME they fed people. They were in the upper hundreds of tickets last I checked.

Long and short, if your mutual aid group is undercutting the social order (which is where we all individually get our resources from corporations), then the local town and police may step in.

That said, you, personally, can join a charity group and feed people. Certainly. Charity groups don't solve the underlying *reason* why hunger (or whatever else they're serving) exists in the first place, but they can help people in the immediacy. So go for it.