The City’s 1,000 Neighborhood Gatherings initiative ended Sept. 28, on Good Neighbor Day, and a public report is now available with insights into the 133-day-long campaign. The initiative encouraged residents to host or attend a neighborhood gathering to address social isolation and loneliness. It successfully brought together neighbors, while also engaging nonprofits and businesses throughout the city. The interactive report can be viewed at ColoradoSprings.gov/1000GatheringsStoryMap.
A total of 880 gatherings were registered during the campaign period, which began May 18, during Mental Health Awareness Month. It started, in part, as a response to U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy sounding the alarm of the negative impacts of loneliness, and a global study from Nextdoor that showed knowing as few as six of your neighbors helps decrease levels of social isolation, anxiety, and loneliness. The initiative is also part of Pikes Peak Rising, a multifaceted mental health awareness effort led by Abbey Mobolade, a nurse, nursing educator, and wife of Mayor Yemi Mobolade.
“Our strategic priority of Community Activation has always been about encouraging our local residents to take ownership of their own flourishing,” said Mayor Yemi. “ I am proud of our city and our residents for stepping up and taking action in their own neighborhoods. What started as an initiative to combat mental health and reduce social isolation has turned into a movement and an effective upstream strategy for addressing our city’s most pressing issues, including homelessness, public safety, and raising our youth. As we saw in Springfield, Missouri, this initiative is something that other cities are replicating, and I am proud of the work Colorado Springs is doing to lead the country in unique ways to address social isolation and loneliness by connecting neighbors to one another.”
“By all measures, this campaign was a resounding success in raising awareness around mental health in our community through the simple but effective method of connecting with neighbors,” said Colorado Springs City Councilmember David Leinweber who helped design and support the effort. “As we continue to make strides in addressing this crisis in our region, I am thrilled by the level of community support for this initiative and the ripples it has created across Colorado Springs and beyond.”
The success of the initiative was made possible by several partners and sponsors, including Phil Long Colorado, COS I Love You, CONO, National Alliance on Mental Illness of Colorado Springs, the Colorado Springs Police Department Neighborhood Watch Program, Silver Key Senior Services, UCCS’ Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience, and the Pikes Peak Library District. Media sponsors included The Gazette, Fox21, and iHeart Media Colorado Springs.
As a testament to the success of the campaign, the City was named the No. 1 Most Neighborly City in America by Neighbor.com on Sept. 27, earning the top spot amongst the 100 largest metro areas in the country from data based on survey responses from 1,000 Americans.
1,000 Neighborhood Gatherings by the numbers
- There were 880 registered gatherings throughout the campaign, which averages to between 6 and 7 gatherings every day during the 133-day campaign.
- The single largest day of gatherings by count was Aug. 10, with 27 gatherings.
- A gathering was held in all 77 of the City’s neighborhoods, including 38 in the Pulpit Rock neighborhood, which took the top spot.
- City Council District 1 had the most gatherings of the six districts, with 158 total gatherings.
- The City of Springfield (Missouri), contacted the City of Colorado Springs about the 1,000 Neighborhood Gatherings initiative, and after learning more, decided to host their own version of the idea by encouraging residents to host 100 block parties during Missouri Good Neighbor Week (Sept. 28-Oct. 4).
- Based on extrapolated data from hosts surveyed after their gathering, it is estimated that more than 55,000 people attended a gathering throughout the campaign and more than 10,000 new connections were made between hosts and their neighbors.
- 96% of hosts felt more connected to their neighborhood after hosting a gathering and 95.4% felt their gathering had a positive impact on their neighborhood.
- 47% of hosts also said they felt more equipped to connect others with mental health resources in the community and 49% were more aware of how their community was being impacted by mental health than before hosting.
- Finally, 84% of hosts met someone new at their gathering.