Communities Designed For People
I've been thinking a lot about the core tenets that people look for in a community—digital or in person. I'm exploring this more in my own consulting work and how I can continue to improve the guidance I provide for my clients. I wanted to share a few examples of apps, brands, collectives, and organizations that I think are great examples of building a community that is designed for their members in mind first and foremost.
Screenshots of in-app experience of Gag
El Camino Travel is a company that has been disrupting the travel industry. Colombian-American founder, Katalina Mayorga, started El Camino with the goal of enabling women travelers to “experience new cultures in ways that would otherwise be difficult to access on their own” in destinations around the world. It has since evolved into a beacon for similarly-minded solo travelers of all genders who are seeking an immersive experience that is both full of joy and safe. They also center the local communities of the destinations by working directly with local entrepreneurs and small businesses and contributing to sustainable tourism.
Greenish is a “Brooklyn-based directory of businesses and resources that prioritize the safety, comfort, and agency of Black consumers.” I learned about the collective through Whitney McGuire, a creative powerhouse and one-half of Sustainable Brooklyn (another great example of community). Sustainable Brooklyn is a co-founder of Greenish along with a collective of other Brooklyn-based organizations and individuals. Through their work, Greenish is “establishing a new standard of care for Black consumers and businesses.”
The Irth App (as in Birth, but dropping the B for bias) was founded by Kimberly Seals Allers. It's a groundbreaking app that helps “Black and brown women and birthing people have a more safe and empowered pregnancy and parenting experience by allowing them to see how other parents of color experienced care with a doctor or at a hospital.” The app then turns those collective experiences into meaningful data to push for change within health systems.
Innopsych is another medical provider referral community designed to help people of color find therapists of color. Dr. Charmain Jackman founded the company after her own experience struggling to find a therapist that also identified as a woman of color. In addition, the company "facilitates the process for therapists of color to launch their own private practice in order to increase the pool of therapists of color in the field." Innopsych also hosts regular networking and workshop events centering BIPOC mental health.
Gag Life is a “globally inclusive app that connects girls and queers.” The app provides a safe space to find friendship, roommates, travel partners, gym partners, and more. To set up an account there is a series of steps to verify user identity, along with a required reference. These measures set the bar higher than most digital spaces to ensure members feels safe. Note, this app no longer exists as of 2022.
If you have built a community or are planning one, it's worth asking some questions like the following:
-Who am I designing this community for?
-Does it still serve those members?
-Is the space you've created safe for them?
-If you want to invite more folks into your community, will it be safe for them too?
My sharing of these references is by no means an opportunity for others to copy or duplicate the hard work the founders and teams have invested in building their communities. Rather, it's an opportunity to learn and acknowledge opportunities for growth on your own. Work with those closest to the issues you need to address within your community. Support businesses and organizations like the ones mentioned above, while advocating for change in unsafe spaces. On that note, I encourage you to read this important article by Irth's founder Kimberly Sears.
