Meeting #13 - Henry Law Park Cleanup

We had a great turnout and a successful volunteer effort!

Thank you for reading the Strong Towns Newsletter. Last month we planned a partnership with Dover Doers to do a cleanup of one of the large mulch beds in Henry Law Park in downtown Dover. We had 9 total people working to clean it up and I think we achieved a great result. I want to share with you some of the photos from that day, just so that people can see what a difference it makes in the park.

Our team of volunteers, plus one Mozy!

The finished results!

I want to say, “Thank you!” to everyone who showed up and volunteered their Saturday morning to help us accomplish this, with a special thanks to Dover Doers for partnering with us on this and to SABR (Seacoast Area Bike Riders) for helping to promote our event.

We did intend on painting the benches in the park, and the city was even kind enough to supply us with paint and rollers, but unfortunately the weather did not hold up on Saturday and there was intermittent rain. However, since I asked for supplies and the city delivered, I will make good on that offer and find time in the next few weeks to finish up that task.

Strong Towns Need Strong Citizens

The 5th principle of Strong Towns is that Strong cities, towns, and neighborhoods cannot happen without strong citizens. Our places need active residents who take ownership, and become shareholders in their communities. Just a few, passionate people can work together and make a big difference that can inspire others to join in.

There is a video that Strong Towns like to share in its courses of a lone man dancing by himself while onlookers just stare at him. He looks odd and out of place, until another person from the crowd joins him and then another. Slowly, people start to crowd around him, and by the end of the video people are running to join the dance party. That is a story of one person inspiring others and getting people to join in on making something bigger.

I want to highlight an example of just that thing happening in our Seacoast region with Deborah Clough. She started picking up trash by herself several years ago because she felt impassioned to do it. For a while it was just her doing it, but then some other people wanted to join in and so she started Don’t Trash Dover. Since then she has helped start Don’t Trash groups in Barrington, Rochester, and Somersworth! That’s what a strong citizen can do in a community.

Anyone Can Become a Strong Citizen

Being a strong citizen isn’t a super power that you are born with nor is it a skill that takes years of study. The secret to becoming one is to identify an area where your community is struggling, find out what the next, smallest thing you can do is, then do it. Take the initiative and see how it goes, then take your feedback cues from the people who are affected. Obviously, observation is a big part of this, both in the planning and in reviewing the results, so make sure that you are forming a solid understanding of the problem. These small steps build on each other and small actions can build big things.

Wrapping Up

We need strong citizens to lead and inspire us, to identify community needs, and help us realize a solution. Our places, our neighborhoods, our streets, our institutions, our culture, and our vibrancy are made better when people care about them and become active participants. I’m confident that there are people all over the Seacoast who are already strong citizens or on their journey to become one. If you know of one who deserves some recognition, shout them out!