How Londoners can embrace a new form of neighbourhood connection

Canada, and one London organization is taking up the charge.

It’s a pandemic support network, a push for stronger neighbourhoods and a bid to build community resilience all rolled into one.

Neighbourhood “pods” – families or households that come together in an informal group to help out during COVID-19 isolation – are being built across

“We know we’re all in this together, we know we can’t operate outside of each other in order to thrive. Those connections will continue after this crisis is over,” Shawna Lewkowitz, head of the Urban League of London, said of the effort.

“I think we’re going to come out of this (pandemic) with just a much different appreciation for what it means to be in community with one another. Ideally, we’re not going to take our relationships for granted.”

So what’s it mean to be part of a “pod?”

The groups typically start with a leader, someone on the street or in the apartment or condo building will pass out notes asking neighbours to join, or start compiling names and offers from people who can help or need support. It’s a great way for neighbourhoods that don’t have a community association, or where people don’t know one another, to connect.

Maybe you’re able to pick up a few items the next time you hit the grocery store, or drop off some baked goods or garden vegetables to a neighbour. You might be able to offer a listening ear, talking on the phone or texting your podmates, or doing “wellness checks” on those who are especially isolated. Support could mean an impromptu book or clothing swap.

It doesn’t have to be complex, or a big commitment. The system works best when everyone is both giving and taking, Lewkowitz said.

“It recognizes we all have strengths and vulnerabilities,” she said.

“It’s not based on charity . . . it’s not wealth trickling down to the so-called ‘needy,’ it’s recognizing that everyone has something to offer.”

And though the Urban League is promoting pods as a form of “mutual aid” during the pandemic, passing out seeds as a starter gift to Londoners who jump on board and providing a guide online, there’s hope the idea will stick around long after COVID-19.

“This provides a different way of meeting our needs that’s based in community, and based on the reliance in one another and how we can support one another. Going forward, it provides a different model,” Lewkowitz said.

mstacey@postmedia.com

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LIKE THE POD IDEA?

For more information on starting a pod or to find out how to get seed packages for your neighbours in a pod, go to www.urbanleague.ca/neighbourhood-pods