Communities that have strong bonds among their residents are more resilient and resilient to destructive rumours. In such communities, it is more difficult for rumors and misinformation to spread because people know and trust each other. And that resistance is stronger when it involves groups across society.
A recent article in Vox described the rise of “neighborliness” as people increasingly valued more local connections for childcare or emergency assistance. As the article notes, “For many Americans, the difference between stability and crisis depends on whether or not someone nearby can help.”1 And those neighborly bonds can lead to actions beyond watering plants or feeding cats, like when people in Minneapolis came together to protest federal law enforcement actions that led to the deaths of two US citizens.2
Strong connectors make strong teams
To get some insight into how community connections grow and strengthen, I spoke with Mike, who helps build community connections in a variety of ways. Mike has a background in consulting and currently focuses on student financial aid, but outside of his regular work, he is also involved in promoting stronger community ties.
One way Mike fosters community ties is by running a local dart league. Once a week during the winter months, the league brings 60 people together to play darts and socialize.3 Those who do not participate in the league have the opportunity to play in the matches after the league matches. These pickup games extend the community-building aspect of the league and are a way to attract new players to fill the few openings that occur each year.
As Mike puts it, “The goal (of the dart league) is to make more community connections.” As he likes to say, “League’s strength is the collective weakness of talent,” which is a funny way of saying that the league’s main goal is socialization (and fun) rather than violence. competition. But Mike still admits that “establishing traditions and symbols of dealing with things like trophies” helps foster a sense of belonging and bonds for all league players (and fans).
Another feature of the League that contributes to its success in building a strong community is that its membership is diverse. genderprofessional and socio-economic groups, so it connects people who might not otherwise meet or interact.
Mike is also a bartender at a local movie house “lounge” that is open a few nights a week. It’s not as solid and big as the Cheers bar in the TV show, but it has the same small-town vibe where many people greet each other by name as they walk down the street.
“The lounge is a place for people to come together, interact and connect, especially at karaoke nights because it’s harder for people to stay in their groups.” Other events at the hall include monthly TED-style artist talks, painting and singing groups, book events, and Saturday morning cartoons during the school holidays. The lounge also features nightly bands and horror movies on weekends. Each type of event develops its own mini-community, and for people who may find it harder to connect, the lounge can be a comfortable area to meet and connect with people.
Third spaces welcome places that build connection and community
“A good healthy community happens organically, but it comes from welcoming places,” is how Mike describes the importance and value of the dart league and lounge. The same is true for other places that support the community, such as coffee shops and pizza pubs, where the charming bartender knows everyone. Such public spaces are sometimes called “third places,” a term coined by Christensen and Oldenburg in their 1989 book. Very good placeupdated by Christensen in a new version titled A Great Good Place II: Shelters and Conversations at the Heart of Community.4
The importance of such third places becomes clear when one of them is closed. This happened recently at Mike’s, when one of the few full bar/restaurants closed suddenly in the fall of 2025 and has yet to reopen. It was a well-known meeting place where locals and tourists of all kinds gathered at the bar, at close-to-the-seat tables, and on the patio. (The place was more like TV’s “Cheers” than a movie theater, as it was bigger and more of a place to drink and dine, plus it was decorated with lots of sports memorabilia, etc.).
And finally, it’s not all anecdotal or conceptual: Studies have shown that the use of third places has declined.5 parallel to the increasing pace of loneliness.6
Summary and conclusions
With places taking third place, community building is becoming less important and contributing to the loneliness epidemic in the US.7 This adds a new set of parameters to assess the value of various organizations and enterprises in urban and rural areas. While traditional measures of success, especially for for-profit companies, focus on financial performance, Mike’s Close wisdom very clear: “Community is more than revenue for a nonprofit. Community is ROI for a nonprofit or any organization or individual seeking to connect.”
That’s right philosophyGiven the need for third places of all kinds to support strong communities, nonprofits can benefit financially by providing more welcoming spaces and places that are immune to negative rumors and misinformation, thereby promoting better-educated residents, local economic stability, and growth. These skills are becoming more and more important AI-generated videos are becoming more common and it is very difficult to recognize them as fake and misleading.8
