By Ashley Smith

As humans, we want to feel connected. We want to feel proud of who we are, who we surround ourselves with, and where we live. These steps have helped me make the shift from Franklin being where I grew up to where I have proudly chosen to call home as an adult—a place I want to see thrive and be part of making that success happen. I’ve found these steps helpful to push myself to get out and immediately feel more rooted in our community.

Be a Friendly Face
When walking down the street or waiting in line, it is easy to pull out our phones. We need to try to look a person in the eye, smile (even under your mask), and say “Hello.” Ask how their day is and practice genuinely caring about their answer. Once we start talking to neighbors and people in our community, we begin to grow relationships, make friends, and root for each other’s success.

We can also go out of our way to thank people doing the work. Giving thanks energizes everyone. Event volunteers, workers, organizers, artists, public leaders—there are many layers of people involved in making our community a better place. It is ok if we don’t have the time or passion for some things  in our community, but we can thank the people who are doing that work.

Be Woke
Get educated and stay informed. Talk to people and ask questions. When does my favorite local event happen? Who sponsors it? Where does this local store get merchandise? How can I support them? It is shocking how many businesses and organizations exist here! The staff at the Venango Chamber are great resources to help connect us with local information.

Be Active
Once we get informed about opportunities, we can choose something that interests us to dive into. Volunteer for a local event, go to public meetings, become a member of a board, coach a school sport, join a church group, etc. Attend events that you may have never heard of. Be brave and try new experiences that will drive you to meeting new people that are looking to see our area thrive.

Be an Advocate
Spread the word! The Be Here Ambassador program is a great place to surround yourself with positive thinkers who want to celebrate great opportunities and tackle challenges that we have here. The Be Here Venango website is a great resource for information about living, working, and playing in our communities.

On social media, like and follow local places, events, and groups. If we like those local pages, we can share posts on news about local businesses, non-profits, schools, and events that might speak to us directly or to a friend. We can write our own posts about our own experiences in the community. Somewhere along the way, someone is going to see, read, or hear your positive advocating and it might be just what they need to feel connected.

Be Better
Most importantly, we need to aim to be better. No matter what, if we go into each day thinking about how we want our community to be better, positivity aides success. 

Thanks for the tips, Ashley! Find more FLEX tips by searching “professional development” in the search bar on this page.

This article was published in the Future Leaders & Entrepreneurs Exchange’s (FLEX) August 2020 edition of the FLEX Your Ideas (FYI) Newsletter.