The Community 5 with Alyssa Kay and Roi Maufas
Roi Maufas and Alyssa Kay are working on the Sego Lily net-zero school project.
This article was originally published on examiner.com. Links updated November 2016.
- Grow a garden. When Alyssa Kay, staff member at Sego Lily, moved here from Louisiana, she had a garden in her front yard that helped her make friends. As people were walking by, they would ask her about it.
- Share parenting responsibilities. It can be difficult finding a babysitter. If parents get together, they can watch each other’s children and free up a couple of evenings a week for other activities. The children get the benefit of learning from other adults and children.
- Sing. Maufas, CEO of Gorilla Design, says that singing helps people learn the value of their voice. Then when they see injustice they won’t have a problem raising their voice. “In Louisiana, music happened everywhere,” says Maufas. He followed the sound of a banjo one evening and ended up on a stranger’s porch. It soon turned into a crawfish cookout. The musicians were the Pine Leaf Boys.
- Have dinner together more often. “Grandma used to say, ‘We could solve the world’s problems if we just had dinner together more often,” says Maufas.
- Listen. Part of talking is listening. People who don’t listen exhibit a lack of respect. Until we talk about a problem, we can’t heal. “We need to work together to face it [the problem],” says Maufas. One of our greatest tools is our sense of humor.
This article was originally published on examiner.com. Links updated November 2016.