Central-Cocoanut is home of the
Neighborhood Scavenger Hunters
Neighbors on a quest to explore all the great things in our home neighborhood, and to discover how we might increase our sense of connection and belonging in this particular patch of Sarasota, Florida that we call home.
While a few of us are grown-ups, most of us are kids. That's because our neighborhood scavenger hunting is all about following neighborkids' lead, since kids are naturally inclined to make friends, tell stories, and be curious, playful and exuberant - the very qualities that make for gifted neighborhood changemakers, community leaders, and social innovators.
Summertime is "scavenger hunting season" in our neighborhood.
That means that each week, we set out on foot, scooter or bike, with our toys in tow, and explore another block in our neighborhood. We meet people who live or work here, find all sorts of fun ways and places to play, and keep an eye out for fellow neighborkids. We snap pics as we go and afterward we write up stories of our adventures, both to remember our discoveries and to share them with everybody else in our neighborhood and community. We hope this will help us all to better tune in and recognize all that's going on around here these days, so that we can make the most of opportunities as they arise and also respond to upsetting stuff as it happens.
Community development professionals call neighborhood scavenger hunting an innovative approach to
ASSET-MAPPING
We say it’s something we do together as neighbors because it's fun, and we love it here, and we are explorers and inventors at heart. It is not a formal service program. It is not an "out-of-school time initiative." It is about being neighbors together, with intention and awareness.