Welcome your neighbour.
Simple steps to make people feel welcome, included and safe.
This initiative is a social movement that has its roots in aspirations toward a diverse and inclusive society. It has been developed by local Christchurch peacebuilder, Wayne Marriott. He says it is about generating a conversation about celebrating our diverse backgrounds, beliefs and social identity. As more people become involved, the strategy creates spaces for discussion and help people learn how to talk about racism, xenophobia and hate crime safely.
So, how does the strategy work?
This initiative works on several levels. People engage in the amount of activity they are comfortable contributing. People must choose to participate in the process of making a diverse and inclusive society as much or as little as they are comfortable. Over time, folk will find discussing challenging topics easier as they increase skills in respectful discourse.
Display a sign outside your house to communicate with your neighbours that you want an inclusive, diverse and happy place to live.
Talk to your neighbours about why you have the sign. You might find it convenient to talk about it over coffee and cake. So, invite them over, dust off your Edmonds cookbook and get baking.
When the popularity of the sign has reached a critical mass in your community, people will naturally have further conversations about why it's crucial to have an inclusive, diverse society for health and happiness. I can help you promote additional opportunities for groups of people to come together in a celebration of our differences. You never know, that barking dog or shading tree might be fixed more easily than you first thought.
In every community, there are leaders skilled in promoting diversity and inclusion. As the strategy grows, specialists will engage with those communities that strive for understanding, empathy and respect for one another. This phase of the plan can be funded by community partners such as non-government organisations, local, territorial authorities and central government. There may be private entities willing to come on board also.
Why did Wayne start this initiative?
In 2018 he returned from the United States where he had spent three years studying conflict transformation and peacebuilding at the Eastern Mennonite University. During his time in Harrisonburg, there were 'welcome neighbour' signs on many front lawns and roadside verges. For a Kiwi so far from home, away from family, the signs were warm and welcoming. Once he returned to New Zealand, he wanted to begin the initiative in Christchurch and following the terror attacks of March 15 2019, he felt compelled to communicate a message of respect, trust and peace in the community. In April 2019 he placed the first sign at his gate and encouraged others to participate with a few extras he produced. Having received support and positive feedback, he decided to take the idea further. He made that sign in Somali, English and Arabic out of respect of many of the people affected by the March violence.
"It is my message to everyone living in Christchurch that it is the simple things that create loving spaces. We can eliminate racism, one home at a time".
The welcome neighbour's sign grew out of an idea from the Mennonite Church, in Harrisonburg, Virginia. A pastor, Matthew Bucher, began the initiative to reach out to his neighbours and neighbourhoods, welcome those who come from different backgrounds and places and practice hospitality through the open doors of their communities. The display of the signs has spread across the United States. People are encouraged to join in welcoming the stranger, getting to know your neighbours, hosting and being hosted, reaching out across divides, providing shelter, seeking justice, and sharing-the-love with friend and stranger.