Life’s not all fun and games, and communities aren’t either. But adding some supersized fun and games to your town or public space will certainly give people a lift — and your local economy too. Check out these free designs and instructions for giant versions of lawn games like checkers, kerplunk, twister, scrabble and more.
Read MoreIs your town stuck in a rut? Too many plans and not enough action? Do you hear too much “no” and not enough “why not”? Sounds like you need a lesson in improv community. Cities, groups, neighborhoods, boards — all can spark big ideas and make things happen by taking a few notes from improv comedy.
Read MoreWho are the local heroes in your community? The firefighters and schoolteachers, the people who quietly pick up trash and pull weeds, the movers and shakers, or the peacemakers? Whoever they are, there's power in recognizing them. Download our free Local Heroes kit with printable cards. Hang it up at an event or public space, and watch your community smile as you honor these special folks.
Read MoreHow can we rebuild streets, tackle climate change, and educate our kids if we can't stop chasing emails and grabbing each other by various body parts?
It's time to stage an intervention.
Simply download, print, and share the love. These FREE stencils and tear-off posters will help your neighbors smile, come together, and remember that we're all in this together.
Print the design out onto a material that will work for stencils. Plastic or mylar sheets are best; cardstock or cardboard can work. If you want the stencils to be larger than your printer paper, project them onto pasteboard or a larger sheet, and trace around the design. Cut out the letters, and if you use cardboard or cardstock, tape or laminate so it will hold up to paint.
Find a good location and materials for stenciling. Keep it legal, folks — use temporary chalk spray paint or tempera paint and steer clear of private property (or get permission). Public locations are great — main streets, town halls, library walkways. Smooth sidewalks or pavement work best. Polling places are great, as long as you abide by local election rules. Use tape or a buddy to hold down the stencil while you spray.
Share on social and spread your message even wider.
Easy peasy: download the file, load up your printer, and run off copies to post around your neighborhood.
Bring along some tape or thumbtacks and hang up your tear-off sheets on bulletin boards or other public places. Keep an eye on them - we have a feeling the tabs will be gone in no time!
Share on social and pass the word along.
A playlist featuring Deee-Lite, Kenny Loggins, Michael Franti & Spearhead, and others
Flashmobs are spontaneous mass performances — dancing, music, theater, or any other creative spectacle. Why? Why not?
Flashmobs are fun, surprising, interesting, thought-provoking, community-building wonders. They can be simple and just for fun, or can be carefully planned to educate, inform, or engage people in serious topics.
For the past few years we've organized community dance flash mobs for events, including this one at the Foodaroo food and music festival in Middlebury Vermont.
Ready to go? Use our Spotify playlist to get grooving!
Need some inspiration? Check out Flashmobs on YouTube for some great examples.
Picking a great time and place is half the battle. You want it to be public, at a time when a lot of people will be around — but don’t obstruct traffic or block sidewalks, and we don’t recommend interrupting important speeches or events. The less people expect something crazy, the funnier it will be.
Decide whether you want this to be a hush-hush event, which will mean a smaller, invite-only flashmob, or whether you want to go big and spread the word. Either way, put out a call for dancers early on. You might need to do a little arm-twisting.
Choose a song and plan some choreographed dance moves — it helps to have a choreographer friend for this step! It’s up to you how choreographed and complicated you want to make it. Think about how skilled your dancers are and how much time you have to practice. Then share around the song and the steps, and get your team to practice on their own and/or in person. Make a clear plan for where you’re going to meet up, how you’re going to start, and what everyone should wear, bring or do. Pro tip: make a simple video to teach the moves if you can’t all get together.
Once the music starts, there’s no going back! Test out your sound equipment and set up ahead of time, and get the volume right. If you’re attempting something top secret, be sure you arrive in cognito and at different times. Don’t forget to plant someone in the crowd to capture it all on video and film! Post it up on social at the end and share it with the world.
All content copyright 2020 by Community Workshop LLC.
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