What’s Irvington Connect about?
(There’s over 6,000 of us!)
Our mission is to bridge the gap of social isolation by connecting residents through shared activities that strengthen community bonds, foster a stronger sense of belonging, and enrich everyday life.
Ready to get started now? Click the Join button below to create an account/join!
Choose one of these activities to post:
(Or come up with your own ideas!!!)
Here are some ideas for activity posts we are looking for YOU to add to the Calendar (or come up with your own ideas!):
We are hoping you will at least create a ‘go for a walk with someone’ post.
(Click HERE for a list of ways that you can make money with your activity posts!)
- Go for a walk with just one person
- Go for a walk with a group
- Go for a walk with or without dogs or babies
- Start a book club
- Start a grief group
- Start a game night
- Start a volleyball, basketball, frisbee, etc. game in the park
- Start a weekly poker game
- Host a Super Bowl watch party
- Start a Spanish speaking or other language group
- Hold a community emergency preparedness meeting
- Start a neighborhood watch group
- Host an art studio open house (make money!)
- Offer art classes (charge money for it!)
- Have a garage sale
- Host a clothing swap
- Host a weekly Artists Way group
- Host a weekly Writers group
- Get together to explore certain topics (world travel? solar power? Bitcoin?)
- If you’ve retired from a career, host a gathering to share your knowledge
- House or porch concerts
- Picnics in the park
- Clothing or toy swaps
- Block parties
- Gardening groups (one idea is to swap tomatoes for squash for example)
- Post a ‘Barn Raising’ event (see below)
What is a Barn Raising event?
A Barn Raising event gets its name from the old settler days. Basically it just means that you agree to help someone else out that has helped you.
Barn Raising events are for those instances when you need help with something too big for you to handle by yourself such as digging up your yard, moving heavy rocks or furniture, cleaning out your basement, removing a large structure from your property, or building a greenhouse and installing solar panels in the backyard.
Let’s imagine that you create an activity post, for example, that on Saturday at 10:00am, you want to host a Barn Raising event to help you move some heavy rocks on your property. You want 6 people which you choose from the drop-down menu. Once this number is reached you will also have a waitlist to draw from. (Please note that the suggested time to volunteer with a Barn Raising event is one hour). Of course, individual circumstances and choices will vary and is up to everyone’s choosing. After it’s done, and within the next calendar year, you will agree to volunteer with someone else’s Barn Raising Activity Post. If you are not able to reciprocate in the same way that you received (such as in the case of physical limitations), if you can show up with donuts/coffee/cookies/pizza etc, to someone else’s Barn Raising event, you are complete! Yay!
The Big Vision
Imagine a world where every neighborhood has a community calendar like Irvington Connect. These calendars transform neighborhoods into vibrant hubs of social connection, shared experiences, and collective creativity. Each neighborhood becomes a small, interconnected village, contributing to a broader network of strong, resilient communities working together to build a better, more connected world.
Irvington Connect has been built as a prototype to be replicable. If all goes well, this neighborhood Calendar will be adopted in any neighborhood looking to benefit from social connection.
Stranger Danger?
If you are not comfortable with having people in your home:
- First seek out public places to meet. Going for a walk, meeting at the park, or a local coffee shop or restaurant, can be great options. Once you are ready to have an event in your home, there are a few things you can do in order to feel more comfortable.
- Call each person on the phone that has signed up for an event and talk with them long enough to feel like you have an idea about who they are.
- Meet with each participant at a public place to see them face to face before inviting them into your home.
- Verify their home address to confirm that they are who they say they are by asking them to take a photo of their mail and texting it to you.
- And finally, only choose to host or participate in events that you are comfortable with and feel safe doing. Remember that we are ALL neighbors and there are many of us to help if any issues should arise.
Irvington Connect is currently compiling a list of public event spaces for residents to conduct meetings in. If you know of a church or other business in or near Irvington that can serve as one of the neighborhood meeting places, please contact us HERE and we will add it to the list. At this time, The Book Pub on NE Fremont is available for a limited number of group gatherings.
Here are some benefits of socially connected neighborhoods:
- Enhanced Sense of Belonging: Feeling part of a community can significantly boost happiness and reduce feelings of isolation.
- Improved Safety: Connected neighbors look out for each other, creating a safer environment for everyone.
- Better Mental Health: Strong social ties help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression by providing emotional support and companionship.
- Physical Health Benefits: Community activities like walks, gardening, or group sports encourage physical activity and a healthier lifestyle.
- Shared Resources: Connected neighbors can share tools, skills, and knowledge, reducing individual burdens and increasing collective resources.
- Community Resilience: In times of crisis, connected neighborhoods are better equipped to support one another and recover quickly.
- Opportunities for Collaboration: Social ties facilitate collaboration on projects like cleanups, beautification, or advocacy for local causes.
- Stronger Local Economy: Frequent neighborhood events and gatherings can support local businesses and strengthen the local economy.
- Inclusive Atmosphere: A connected neighborhood fosters inclusivity, welcoming people from all walks of life to participate and contribute.
- Increased Happiness: Being part of a vibrant community brings joy, fulfillment, and opportunities for lasting friendships.
