We Are Neighbors

  Click photo for video In contemporary America, the narrative of polarization and antagonism has dominated discussions around political and social divisions.  However, a closer examination reveals a more complex reality: many Americans are not necessarily divided in their beliefs but are isolated and disoriented in their interactions with one another. Isolation is a key factor contributing to this perceived polarization.  With the advent of social media and the decline of local community engagement, individuals often find themselves entrenched in echo chambers, where their views are reinforced rather than challenged. This digital isolation can create the illusion of a society deeply divided, as people interact primarily with like-minded individuals online.  As a result, many Americans may feel more disconnected from their neighbors, leading to misunderstandings and the assumption that opposing views are inherently antagonistic. The rapid pace of societal change has left many feeling d

  Photo above: From a block party in Ferguson, Missouri. New to Missouri Good Neighbor Week this year was recognition for the most neighborly cities in the state.  This honor was based on points earned by participating in the week, city campaigns and proclamations, residents making nominations for most engaged neighbor and reporting acts of neighboring, and statewide or local prizes won.  "The goal was to further engage cities with Missouri Good Neighbor Week and we had over 12 pass proclamations and at least 12 that had organized city-wide efforts for Missouri Good Neighbor Week," said David Burton, community development specialist with University of Missouri Extension and creator of Missouri Good Neighbor Week. "We ended the week with over 31,000 documented acts of neighboring and five cities worthy of the title 'most neighborly city' in Missouri." In 2024, five cities were named the most neighborly cities in Missouri: Houston, Excelsior Springs, Sikeston,

  In the early years of Missouri Good Neighbor Week, we had a category of prizes for the "best acts of neighboring" for the week.  But I realized that sometimes what works in one community or neighborhood does not work in another. Plus, some people engaged in neighboring were reluctant to report on their acts of neighboring if they thought they would win a prize for their effort. They were not doing it to win a prize. So, for those two reasons, I changed this category for 2024 and going forward. I no longer have a committee that looks at what is reported and selects "the winners."  Instead, I collect all of the reported acts of neighboring from our website, randomly sort all submissions, and draw for prizes. We also give people the option to opt out of the drawing. This year, we were able to honor eight submissions with a $50 check. I hope we can grow this category with other sponsors in order to offer more prizes. But when I look at people or groups that were chose

  Dr. Shawna Beese is an assistant professor at Washington State University and one of the few other extension specialists in the nation focusing her work on neighbors and neighboring! She calls her efforts Grassroots Neighboring. You to see your introduction video here . Beese has been studying healthy neighborhoods for years and working to develop rural specific resources. In her work, she has developed a theory based on building trust among neighbors in order to reduce stress among residents and improve their health. Beese is now connected with the Engaged Neighbor program and talking with David Burton about some possible grants to move our efforts forward. See her blog post online here .

  Several hands have been busy tabulating the final results from the 4th Annual Missouri Good Neighbor Week. While those volunteers and partners are invaluable, people like you are also worthy of thanks.  Individual Missourians who reported their acts of neighboring nominated someone for an award, or organized a block party! Or you were on one of 60 committees with University of Missouri Extension to organize county-level efforts that account for over 14,000 acts of neighboring this year!  No matter your role or level of involvement, thank you. On another positive note, the efforts in Missouri have not gone unnoticed. In the last month, I have received inquiries about the creation of other statewide neighbor weeks from Massachusetts, Michigan, Connecticut, California, Florida, Oklahoma, Washington, and Colorado. How exciting! Based on this year's results, the future seems bright. ENGAGED NEIGHBORS. We have already announced the 22 individuals being recognized as Missouri's mos

  There is a growing interest among real estate agents about the power of engaging with neighbors and neighborhoods to improve an area’s appearance and the perceived value. Neighborhoods do have reputations and when there is connection and involvement between neighbors that actually helps to increase the value of the home and the ability to resale quickly. In the Spring of 2024, two different national real estate groups asked for my input. These Q&As are a way to try and capture the main content of those who discussions. 1  Your work with the Neighboring 101 series has evolved into an ongoing opportunity for people to learn from experts monthly. Can you elaborate on why a sense of community, neighboring, and placemaking are crucial for individuals and families and community players like real estate agents? A: Realtors would be interested to know that creating a sense of community with connected neighbors increases the value of homes and the interest in certain n

  Back in August, I read an article in the  Sikeston  newspaper about a plan students in Leadership  Sikeston  had developed to celebrate Sikeston Good Neighbor Week.  My first thought was: they have a wonderful plan, but the wrong week!  Back in 2022, the Governor signed a bill creating Missouri Good Neighbor Week (Sept. 28 - Oct. 4).   But when I reached out to organizers, I discovered they had a very good reason to designate Sept. 23-27 as Sikeston Good Neighbor Week. "We were aware of Missouri Good Neighbor Week and of the dates. However, it was the wrong week for us in Sikeston, said David Jenkins, communications manager for the City of Sikeston. "That week is homecoming week for our high school and the Leadership  Sikeston  group decided in order to have better participation to move the week up. Our week also coincides with a previously scheduled suicide awareness walk that we are promoting as part of our Mental Health Awareness Day. We felt it was still in the spirit

I showed the documentary "Join or Die," which focuses on the work of Robert Putman and the importance of social capital in the health and welfare of our communities and nation, at the Republic Library on Sept. 28.  The movie is a call to "join" in your community. You might want to join a club or volunteer with an organization, or become an active member of a local faith community.  In anticipation of the screening I researched how and where to "join" in Republic and one finding is that we have a club shortage.  But Republic does have these clubs that could use you as a member. Republic has a Kiwanis Club that meets the fourth Thursday of each month at 12 noon at Arris Pizza. Kiwanis clubs and members conduct service projects and hold fundraisers to support the Kiwanis Children’s Fund. Worldwide in 2023, Kiwanis gave 12 million service hours and more than $107 million.  The Republic Historical Society maintains a museum located at 146 N. Main Street.  The m

  During Missouri Good Neighbor Week 2024, over 120 individuals were nominated as Missouri's Most Engaged Neighbor, and 22 were selected for individual recognition. Our Missouri celebration also got national attention from NextDoor, the social media company, whose leadership team worked with us to create a post that went out nationwide on NextDoor on Sept. 27.  You can access it here . At that point, another 50 nominations poured in from across the state. "The nominations were of really high quality this year," said David Burton, community development specialist with University of Missouri Extension and creator of Missouri Good Neighbor Week. "Every nominee should have received a letter letting them know of the nomination and a memento, a Missouri Good Neighbor Week nominee keychain." The top nominees (22 this year) will receive a check for $100 and an official award certificate. In past years, there have been 50 to 60 nominations. But this year, the window for