LOCAL TREASURES
This year at the Global Service Jam Cologne we came up with a concept to reconnect local neighborhoods and communities. Our new service is a platform to get in touch with neighbors and to create a network of friends around the district and to unleash the hidden potential of the social capital we are not really aware of. First of all we create an interest and awareness within the community by spreading messages and stickers around the district. This messages are rather typical neighborhood comments people give to each others when they accidental meet, like "Your cooking smells nice" or "I like your taste in music". Moreover people are getting excited about little colorful stickers near some doorbell. This stickers use color and QR code to signalize to neighbors or pedestrian what kind of people live in a house. By scanning the QR code the person get information the owner of the door bell want to share with his neighbors/pedestrians. Also the Sign on the door saying THIS HOUSE IS PARTICIPATING IN THE LOCAL TREASURE brings people who are not yet aware of the initiative to search for it and to get involved too. But behind all this different visual attributes on the street there is a big multimedia community. By creating and verifying a profile neighbors can engage each other in different way. By defying their passions, needs wishes and offers they can welcome other neighbors to interact with them on any level, not only to share things, space and time but also to destroy language barrier and to create relationships, friendships and collaborations. The House is not a chamber anymore where one lives, it is a living community of people who do share their lives together. The goal of the concept is to use the power of social media to promote offline activities and create real, not online friendships. Another important element of the platform and the big reason for offline presence is to include all kinds of people, who may not be able to follow it online. As a vision of the concept we want local businesses and newspapers to start spreading the word about it, supporting it and using it for their benefit and the benefit of the whole neighborhood.
