The holidays can be a great time to slow down and take some time to connect with your neighbors and the people in your community. How many people in your neighborhood or your community do you really know? And which of them would you go to for help after a disaster? Do you know which of them need the most help from you and your neighbors?

With busy schedules, it can be hard to get to know your neighbors, but there are fun and easy ways you can build ties to help secure your community’s health resilience, and in turn, our nation’s health security.

One such activity most communities may already take part in is the block party. Block parties offer neighbors of all ages, backgrounds, and mobility the chance to get out and meet one another, building strong new relationships. These relationships can be important every day, but they are even more important when disaster strikes. If you start planning now, you can host an event just in time for the holiday and have a great turnout!

Never thrown a block party before? It’s easy! Here’s a few quick steps to get you started:

Step 1: Team Up With Your Neighbors!

The first step towards throwing a successful block party is building a great team of neighbors to help! Reach out to the people in your community who may have experience organizing community events, or neighbors you know would enjoy being a part of such an event. You could even try posting a call-for-volunteers in a neighborhood social media group!

Step 2: Check-In on Progress

Meeting with your fellow volunteers to check-in on progress for your block part is a great way to make sure everything is taken care of and ready to go. Throw a fun kickoff meeting at someone’s house or local coffee shop. Start off with selecting a day for your block party that works for everyone and doesn’t compete with any other community events. Decide if you are going to check in with each other as your party date gets closer.

Step 3: Choose How You Want to Help

How big is your block party going to be? If it’s a simple potluck for your street, just ask people what dishes they might want to bring and who can host the event. If you and your neighbors want to go big and put on an event for the whole neighborhood, it’s going to take a few more steps. It depends on the size of your event, but some key areas to keep in mind are permits and security, entertainment and activities, food and beverage, and set-up and clean-up.

Step 4: Have Fun!

Make sure you enjoy all the hard work that you and your neighbors put into this event!

These steps will set you well on your path to creating a great, fun community event where your neighbors can start building new relationships and stronger community health resilience in the process.

Looking for more information? Check with your local Parks and Recreation or Public Health Department to see if they can offer any help or assistance!

To learn more about what you can do to for national health security, visit www.PHE.gov/sites/ASPR1/nhss or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.