Chances are that you have complained about some issues in your community and have questioned what it takes to solve the problems. The real question, however, is whether you have advocated or worked for any change yourself. Knowing how to get started to lead to a real difference in your neighborhood. This is what you can do in your very own community:
Advocate for Health and Fitness Centers
A community center is an example of a place where people can go to improve their health. However, not all neighborhoods have these establishments. Speaking with a professional in athletic administration can help you to learn about different athletic programs and the facilities needed for them. If constructing a center is not possible, consider starting up an outdoor game day for the community or inspiring charity sporting events to raise awareness about health in the area. Also, it would be a good idea to get involved with local politics and bring this up in committee meetings, town hall meetings and, possibly, in a personal conversation with the mayor or a district representative. This is an important step as local politicians can influence city budgets and help put in community centers. Of course, this is something that you probably will have to advocate for more than once. You may even have to create a petition and lobby to your neighbors and other people around the city for people to sign it to show your local government that it is something that the people really want, need, and will use.
Govern Access to Medical Facilities
According to the Adventist University of Health Sciences, “50% of the population lives with at least one chronic condition.” Little access to health care services is, as a result, a major problem. Access is about the presence of medical facilities in the area but also about getting to those facilities. For example, contact the bus provider in your neighborhood to find out about implementing routes to the hospitals, doctors and other medical offices. Also, contact the town about unpaved roads or broken sidewalks that may cause issues for people trying to access medical facilities. If you feel like your community lacks in such facilities or that people in certain areas have to travel a good distance to get to one, then this is an issue that you should address as well. Although you may not be able to open up your own clinic and solve the problem that way, you can petition that one be put in the community as well. You can also lobby to health groups that already have a couple clinics open to open another in your community as well. As you attempt such initiatives, make sure that you get statistics and show that there is real need for such services.
Promote Healthy Restaurants
If you live in a neighborhood that is filled with fast food establishments, you probably don’t think you reside in the healthiest place. One way to fix this problem is to seek out those little stores that sell healthy food and promote them. When you visit, write about your experience on popular review sites—such as Yelp. Check into the place on social media. Write posts about how good the food there was. Also, you can contact healthy food establishments in the area with a suggestion to expand to your neighborhood. Express the need that your community has for an establishment like theirs. Also, another good way to promote healthy restaurants is to take friends there who have never had the opportunity to eat there before. Doing this will introduce them to something new that they might like and might even help turn them into loyal customers. When one healthy restaurant succeeds, this opens the door for other healthy food establishments to come in and take root in the community. Another good idea that you can try is writing to already established restaurants in the area and asking them to provide healthier options. Although this probably won’t work for chain restaurants, you should most definitely do this for local restaurants.
Find Your Representatives
You may feel overwhelmed by the prospect of tackling these goals because you don’t know how to do it by yourself. The helpful news is that you don’t have to make this study an independent one. Start by seeing if your community has a social media page because these pages can help you to connect with your representatives. Your neighborhood might have a chamber of commerce or a civic association that can supply you with this information. Furthermore, you may live in a hamlet that is part of a larger town responsible for providing services and yielding inquires.
When you feel as though you can do nothing to improve the health in your community, you are likely incorrect. It’s important to decide which areas you want to focus on. Then, you can start to unite with others who share your goals and visions.