All blogs need a long introduction post!

My name is Amber Smith, and I am the President and co-founder of a non-profit organization operating in Wake County called ME³. ME³ (Motivate, Educate, Empower, and Engage) envisions "a world in which every individual realizes and exercises his or her potential to make a difference in the community." Our 'end goal' is to help create a permanent culture of caring and community involvement in North Carolina and beyond. That means that helping others and the community, such as through volunteering, will become a normal part of everybody's lives - of their own choice - instead of extracurricular. It means that our communities will be known for high levels of civic engagement and participation in efforts to improve the world around us. Essentially, that the term 'apathy' will become obsolete. That we will be a community in action.

It all sounds so idealistic when I put it that way, but let me explain. Simply, I believe that all people do care about one another, that the majority of people even want to act to make a difference in the world, but that many do not know where to start. It may be because volunteering (and know that when I say 'volunteering' I mean helping others and working to make an impact in a general sense, though it is often and effectively done by working through charitable organizations) hasn't become a part of our every day lives. Maybe the media or commercialism or materialism or any number of other things are to blame. No matter the reason, the information, the tools, and the resources are out there to help people get started. They just need to know it exists. They need access to it.

And they need to see why it matters.

In his book Bowling Alone, author Robert Putnam explained the term "social capital": the premise of social capital is that social networks have value. Social capital refers to the collective value of all "social networks" [who people know] and the inclinations that arise from these networks to do things for each other.

In very personal, every-day life terms, when I think of social networking I think of that job Joe Somebody got because a friend of a friend was the manager of a local company, or the cuddly puppy Eva Everygirl adopted after her neighbor recommended a visit to a local shelter. There are numerous examples of times in my own life where I achieved something or learned something or got something because I interacted with somebody in my 'social network'. People are born to need people (and people who need people are the luckiest people in the world). People benefit from knowing and interacting with others, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Numerous studies show that people with greater and wider social networks have lower risks of certain diseases and illnesses.

More important (and relevant to what I'm getting at), Social Capital goes beyond the very personal, every-day life as well. As explained in the definition of "social capital", when people are connected through social networks - when they know others - they have greater inclination to do things for each other. Are you more likely to help out your best friend, or some guy in another city you've never met? Who would be more likely to help you - your brother, or a woman across the world? The concept of "taking care of your own" arguably springs from this idea of social networks and capital; the empathy we as humans have been born with is there because we need each other to survive. We need community to thrive, grow, evolve, improve.

So, why does helping others and volunteering matter? Because not only do social networks get people active and volunteering (the biggest reason people list for starting to volunteer is "Somebody I knew asked me to."), but volunteering and helping others, in turn, creates and widen's people's social networks. And altruism aside, having social networks makes us happier, healthier individuals who live longer, have a greater sense of identity, and have less heart disease. Volunteering helps the individuals doing it. Volunteering helps the community, and other individuals living in it. Sounds good to me!

Harvard University lays it out for us:

How does social capital work? The term social capital emphasizes not just warm and cuddly feelings (such as the ones you might get when you do a good deed or help somebody), but a wide variety of quite specific benefits that flow from the trust, reciprocity, information, and cooperation associated with social networks. Social capital creates value for the people who are connected and - at least sometimes - for bystanders as well.

Robert Putnam says a lot of other neat things in Bowling Alone, but I want to drive this point home by making a final connection: Volunteering increases community "social capital". Communities with high social capital enjoy higher educational performance, less teen pregnancy and child suicides, lower crime rates and higher voting rates. Students who volunteer are more likely to graduate from college and get higher test scores. Volunteering enhances an individual's self-esteem and social support networks, leading to fewer premature deaths, lower blood pressure and less heart disease. Volunteering enhances an individual's career development because employers are more likely to hire somebody who has volunteered than somebody who has not. It's not just about feeling good, it's also about practicality, reality, and survival. I think volunteerism should be more than something people do when they commit a nasty traffic offense. I think volunteerism should be considered more than an activity done during the holidays or here and there. I think it should be a natural, normal part of our culture and our community - as much as working, as much as shopping, as much as eating or sleeping or having fun.

There may be lots of questions that arise in your heads from considering my philosophy, and that's okay. I assure you, over the past decade I've been thinking about these things a lot - the how, the what, and the what for? In this blog I hope to explore all sorts of concepts related to these things, and maybe determine some answers.

Also in this blog, I hope to start exploring and writing about what the blog title says I'll be writing about - Wake County's 'communities in action'. There are a gazillion great people who dedicate their time and lives to helping others and improving our community and world, right here in our area and they have a gazillion great stories to tell - stories that, I hope, will lend some perspective to all the things I'm saying.

Maybe if we just know each other a little better, we'll be more inclined to help each other out. That's what I'm hoping for.