Transforming Neighborhoods: The Radical Hospitality of Deep Listening with DeAmon Harges

60% of Americans today report feelings of loneliness, and studies have shown that social disconnection increases our risk for premature death as much as smoking 15 cigarettes a day! Four years after mandated social distancing, we’re more distant than ever, opting for screens over face to face time. How will we cope with this growing epidemic of loneliness and isolation??

For De'Amon Harges, it’s simple –? take a walk with your neighbor and ask them to tell you their birth story. As wild as that sounds, he’s been doing just that for nearly two decades, and it's working.

Known as the Original Roving Listener, De'Amon Harges began going door to door asking folks to tell him their stories. It became his job to discover the gifts, talents, and dreams of his neighbors, and find ways to celebrate their gifts publically, to ultimately cultivate community, economy and mutual delight.?

Over time, De'Amon discovered such a wealth of talent in his Indianapolis neighborhood that he started a consulting company with his neighbors that would go on to advise major municipalities and organizations across the nation, including the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr Vivek Murthy, who came seeking their insight as he compiled the Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community. By this point, there were whole teams of Roving Listeners throughout Indianapolis, practicing deep listening and establishing the deeper trust that builds community, connection, and social currency.?

From a young age, De'Amon Harges understood that beyond money, there were other currencies worth tracking, like social capital, talent, trust, and generosity. Today De'Amon is a social banker and he helps institutions shift from a needs-based transactional way of handling social issues to the relational model of Asset Based Community Development.

This model turns it upside down. It’s no longer institutions telling people what they need. It starts around the kitchen table, identifying and celebrating the gifts, talents, and resources that already exist within the community; and organizing them, to develop opportunities and restore a sense of ownership.

Deeply influenced by the storytelling heritage of his grandparents and the musical expression of his parents, De'Amon shares his journey as if we were sitting on the front porch with a pitcher of lemonade, inviting us to discover the rich stories, gifts, and dreams that live behind the doors of our own neighborhood. By the end of our conversation, we’re feeling a little less lonely, and a lot more connected.?

Join us for the new episode of Hope Is My Middle Name, Transforming Neighborhoods: The Radical Hospitality of Deep Listening with De'Amon Harges, now streaming wherever you listen to podcasts.