Make the Most of National Night Out

National Night Out is an annual event designed to promote positive police-resident partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie with the goal of strengthening overall public safety. Held on the first Tuesday in August, these community celebrations have an important role to play in bringing people together in an era when a range of societal factors — including swiftly advancing technology and increased political polarization — make forging such personal connections that much more difficult.

With National Night Out 2022 set for August 2, now is the time to take the steps to ensure your neighborhood’s event draws a sizable crowd and maximizes its impact on public safety. Here’s how to make sure your neighbors turn out for National Night Out.

It’s All in the Planning: Suffice it to say, the earlier you can start planning the better. Canvass your neighbors to determine who would like to serve on an organizing committee and schedule regular meetings to move the process forward. The amount of lead time needed to ensure a successful event will depend on a variety of factors, not the least of which is how ambitious your plans become.

Contact the Authorities: With public safety as a prime theme, it’s tremendously helpful to have a peace officer speak at your event. Given the size of your city and number of gatherings, such appearances are probably at a premium. The solution is to contact your local police department or sheriff’s office sooner rather than later to see what steps need to be taken to arrange an officer’s presence. Also consider contacting your city council member or county supervisor to see if they are available to attend.

Get the Word Out: The importance of alerting your neighbors regarding what you have planned for August 2 cannot be overstated. Whether it be via social media, notices pinned to telephone poles or simply going door-to-door, it’s essential National Night Out organizers prioritize getting the word out about the event. This will go a long way toward maximizing turnout and, with it, the event’s ability to positively impact public safety.

Let’s Have Some Fun: Serious themes underlie National Night Out but it should also be a fun social occasion that neighbors will enjoy. To that end, consider getting the barbecue going, brining in some live music and providing special activities for the kids. Keep in mind the goal is to bring neighbors together at an event through which they can bond and begin to develop friendships for the betterment of the entire community.

Collective Action: National Night Out in addition presents an ideal opportunity to bring people together to support a good cause. You could, for instance, announce on your invites and posts that the event will be collecting canned goods for the local food bank. And because it’s in the neighborhood, if people forget, they can always run home and grab something. Set a goal and see how much your event can raise.

At Harmony Communities, we feel strongly that each resident has a sense of home. That they come home from work and feel pride in their environment and in their place in the greater community. That families are comfortable raising children in our neighborhoods, and that couples and singles know that they belong to something bigger than their four walls. In other words, we seek to create harmony within each community, making our communities not just passable, but peaceful, safe, functional, and beautiful