Sierra Shared Spaces

I had the great honor of accepting a proclamation from Phillip Peters and the Kern County Board of Supervisors recognizing National Good Neighbor Day! Watch the presentation here: https://lnkd.in/gRr72-sb According to https://lnkd.in/gW76WuKF, National Good Neighbor Day (Sept 28th) was first recognized with a proclamation by Jimmy Carter in 1978. This represents an opportunity for us to recognize the importance of having neighbors that we know and can rely on. In 2023, the US Surgeon General released a report titled "Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation". It found, among other things, that social isolation is associated with a significantly increased risk of early death from all causes. In fact, lacking social connection is as harmful to your health outcomes as smoking 15 cigarettes per day. The need for social connection with our neighbors has never been greater. Our organization Sierra Shared Spaces is working towards transforming the way that people in rural communities connect with each other. From creating ambitious shared spaces that bring communities together, to curating community-focused events, we are focused on being the antidote to loneliness, and enabling our rural communities to thrive. Much thanks to California Volunteers, Office of the Governor and Kern County for including us in the Neighbor to Neighbor program, and to our partner organizations Kern River Valley Art Association, Riverstone Wellness, and Hopester (including their partner KRV Bridge Connection). Other notable supporters on our journey are Ashley Proctor, Tony Bacigalupo and Dr. Elissa S. Lee, OTD. #GoodNeighborDay #Community #WorkWhereYouPlay #KRVTogether #ItTakesaNeighborhood #Neighborhood

It’s amazing what happens when you create space for people to connect with each other and express themselves. On #InternationalCoworkingDay, Sierra Shared Spaces and Kernville Cowork threw a block party in Kernville. We set out to create an atmosphere for fun and celebration, but above all we were intentional about creating spaces for connection, conversation, and creativity to happen. We arranged some living room furniture in the middle of the street. On the coffee table we placed interesting books and a chess set. No sooner did I walk away than people sat down and started connecting over the coffee table. My favorite image from that evening was when I came upon a crowd of kids immersed in a rather competitive game of chess! We placed games like ladder ball, jenga, and connect 4 out in the open, and before we knew it people were playing games with total strangers! Hopester brought out water guns for the kids to play with, and while the kids certainly made the most out of drenching each other, what I wasn’t expecting was the group of parents gathering in the shade to watch and connect with each other. The KERN RIVER VALLEY ART ASSOCIATION showed up with rock painting and sidewalk chalk - I was expecting creativity but I certainly wasn’t expecting massive ninja-warrior style hopscotch courses! Riverstone Wellness showed up with Neighbor Narratives - a fascinating speed-dating style storytelling activity. I was overwhelmed with the turnout, and it was gratifying to see people continue to talk to each other and make connections after the storytelling was done. The US Surgeon General’s report titled “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation” indicates that loneliness is as dangerous to our health as smoking 15 cigarettes per day. This is sobering news given how pervasive isolation is in our society. Imagine the community health benefits if we can make connecting events like this block party a regular ritual in our communities! Much thanks to Kern County and California Volunteers, Office of the Governor for supporting this event through the #NeighbortoNeighbor program, events like this are doing a lot to help rebuild the social fabric that holds our communities together. We’ve got a lot more community events like this coming up over the next year. If you or your organization would like to get involved, please reach out! #ItTakesANeighborhood #KRVTogether #WorkWhereYouPlay

“We are not simply renting desks, providing coffee & WiFi. ?It’s not just about the space itself. It’s about what happens when we work together.” ? Coworking is an action, a model, and a movement. A genuine coworking community is built intentionally, to encourage engagement, and to accelerate serendipity. We value collaboration over competition. ? In a genuine coworking space; We are dedicated to serving our members while animating and cultivating the community; We are making entrepreneurship and distributed work accessible; We are breaking down barriers and building bridges between individuals and industries; We are inspiring and empowering our members; We are sharing best practices and expanding our networks; We are creating healthy work space and work culture; We are bringing people together and dismantling loneliness; We are nurturing and strengthening our communities; We are protecting workers’ rights; We are accelerating local economic development and retaining talent; We are increasing productivity and the capacity of our member organizations; We are ensuring the sustainability of local social enterprises, independent workers and small businesses; We are building community-led networks of mutual aid; We are modelling reconciliation, allyship, equity, diversity and inclusivity; And collectively, we are shaping the future of work. ? Coworking Manifesto - Ashley Proctor, Creative Blueprint & Coworking Canada (2017) #coworking #coworkingcanada #community #collaboration #futureofwork #internationalcoworkingday

We're not building FOR the community, we're building WITH the community. I'm still buzzing with excitement from our Sierra Shared Spaces community hub co-creation event last week! We were honored to have Ashley Proctor facilitate the session, and we had a great turnout from the community. We got a lot of amazing input and discussions from our community members and local organizations. Thank you to Bryan A. from Kern River Ceviche for the fantastic catering, and thank you Valley Strong Credit Union for sponsoring the food. There's much more collaboration on the way! Be on the lookout for future collaboration events, and reach out if you or your organization would like to participate in future events as we continue on this journey to build the future of our rural communities! Photo credit: Jeffrey Walters and Dan Ocampo #sharedspaces #kern #community #coworking #collaboration #kernrivervalley #workwhereyouplay