With a knock at the door, Highlands neighbourhood tries to rebuild social bonds

EDMONTON – If you live in Highlands, expect a knock on your door from a well-intentioned, inquisitive neighbour.

The community proposed a pilot project to rebuild the social bonds between neighbours. They’ve started going door-to-door, holding one interview at a time, asking people what they love and laying the ground work for a neighbourhood choir, walking groups and/or a mentorship program for kids.

It will be a labour of love for Howard Lawrence.

“What really matters? It’s our relationships with one another,” said the former Baptist pastor and the main organizer behind the effort. When communities are connected, “there’s a richness of day-to-day living, overlapping our lives together.”

The project, inspired by the 2010 social development book The Abundant Community, won a $15,000 grant from the city’s community initiative fund and has five of the 50 block volunteers needed signed up. If the one-year project succeeds, the city plans to use the training materials and interview question developed to help other interested communities follow suit.

“It just shows so much potential,” said Anne Harvey, the city’s liaison with the community. “It’s a pilot project that has room to grow. It can be a strong package to deliver anywhere.”

Highlands is a century-old neighbourhood just north of the river on the city’s east side. It already has a lot neighbourhood interaction.

A group of neighbours set up a bonfire on the street corner last Halloween, handing out free hot chocolate. Another resident runs horse-drawn wagon rides through the community many wintry Friday evenings, and about 30 men turn out every Thursday night for pickup hockey and beer.

Lawrence believes this project will build on those efforts. Each volunteer will be responsible for about 20 houses. They’ll knock the door and chat for half an hour, asking residents what they want in the neighbourhood, what their interests are, and what skills the people in their household have.

The volunteers will also ask for contact information, then meet with the rest of the volunteers to see how they could facilitate new groups of neighbours sharing common interests.

Lawrence expects many of these groups will form naturally, helped by a simple list of email addresses.

“I know already there are a lot of people who want a choir,” Lawrence said.

There are others who’ve said they are interested in a band, in showing late night movies outdoors and in mentoring kids. There’s a judge who has expressed interest in starting a walking group.

“It’s fascinating what ideas come up,” he said. “It just takes initiative to start that process.”

Lawrence has lived in Highlands for 26 years and raised three children there. After 25 years, he no longer works as a pastor, but has spent several years consulting with churches to help them better connect with their surrounding communities.

He’s also past-president of the community league.

The project will be a success if several new groups are formed, he said, and hopefully the effects will last for decades. “Men can play hockey for 20 years together. They’ll play hockey just to be connected,” he said. “These residual effects can last a long time.”