INPUT ARTICLE: Article: If you've already got a way to connect with everyone in your neighborhood (like an online message board or email list), use this to send out a message. Otherwise, go door to door on a weekday evening when most people will be home. Ask who would be interested in contributing to the garden and make a list. When you talk to community members, you can say something like: "Hi! I'm Jenna from down the street. I'm hoping to organize a community garden, and I'd like to know if you'd be interested in working with our neighbors and I on something like that." You may also be able to set up a town hall meeting. Contact a local governmental official or your neighborhood rep to find out if this would be a good option for putting together a garden group. There's going to be a lot of work involved in getting this garden up and running! You need a relatively large group to handle the load. If you end up with more families than fifteen, that's great! However, if your group begins to get too large, you may run into problems with available space. Consider capping the group at about twenty families. There's no set size for a community garden. Generally, single-family plots measure about 10 by 15 feet (3.0 by 4.6m). If you have twenty families with plots, then, you need a minimum space of 3,000 square feet (278.7 ). Most community gardens are at least 2,000 to 5,000 square feet (185.8-464.5 ). If you have access to a smaller spot, that will work great, too! Ultimately, your community garden can be as small or as big as you want. Members of your group will need to regularly water and weed their own plots, and they'll also need to help take care of any group plots. Be sure your prospective families understand these responsibilities before joining the group. It's best to assign certain people to take care of the logistics of your garden. This will keep your garden running smoothly and prevent the work from piling up. A president can coordinate between different families and speak to members about any problems that come up. For example, the president may occasionally have to talk to the group about strictly following the watering schedule. You might also have a vice-president to split the duties of the president. The treasurer can open a bank account in the group's name and pay water, land-leasing, electricity, and trash disposal bills out of that account. The secretary can keep track of all your records and take notes whenever your group (or the officers) meet. A social coordinator can organize monthly and/or annual events for your garden club. Since being an officer could involve a lot work, rotate the duties. Pick a date to hold elections each year. To elect your officers, gather the group together to put names in a hat, or use an online survey tool.

SUMMARY: Talk to your neighbors to see who's interested. Gather at least 10-15 households. Include only people who are willing to commit to a work schedule. Nominate a president, treasurer, and other officers. Plan for annual elections to replace your officers.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Just because your child is an introvert doesn't mean they don't want to have friends or socialize. They will probably do better becoming friends with other introverts than extroverts. Take your teen to places where they might meet other introverts, like library teen events, teen book clubs, or board game cafes. If your child has introverted friends already, make your home a safe space for them to interact without expecting them to be extroverted or going out of their comfort zone. Ask your teen's teachers or other parents if they know any introverted students who may be similar to your child. You should help your teen try new experiences even though they may be nervous. Do this slowly and gradually. Don't force them to go somewhere they don't want to, but also don't let them miss all new experiences. Gently encourage them to do things, like go to a birthday party they were invited to. However, respect their limits if they refuse to do certain things. If your child is resistant to trying new things, talk to them about it. Tell them, "The way you feel about things is normal. However, you should try some new experiences. There's nothing to worry about when you try something new. You may discover you like something you didn't know you liked. If you don't like it, then that's okay. At least you tried." Reinforce the positive outcomes when your child takes a chance. For example, if your child goes to a party, say, "Even though you were hesitant, you went to the party and had a great time. You even made new friends." Give positive reinforcement when your child goes outside of their comfort zone and tries something. Say, "I'm proud that you tried that new activity. I know that was difficult for you." Many people try to force introverted kids to be extroverted. Introverts are sometimes passed over because they're not as outgoing, or they are told they are wrong for being introverted. This leads to people trying to force them to socialize more, be more outgoing, and go out of their comfort zone. Try to avoid doing this with your child. Realize that your child has their own unique personality. Not everyone needs to be outgoing to be happy or fulfilled. Don't make you teen do things they are uncomfortable with or act in ways they don't want to. For an introvert, talking or interacting in person may be overwhelming or difficult. Many introverts pull away from crowds or others, or choose their words carefully and have trouble getting out their ideas verbally. Try using technology to communicate with your teen. Texting is a great way to talk to your teenager. Your teen may open up more if you text, "How was your day?" than if you ask them in person. Introverts may not feel comfortable calling their friends on the phone, but they can text and e-mail to keep in touch and communicate. Your introverted teen may feel overwhelmed when approaching new situations. You should allow them to get used to the idea of a new situation at first. You can do this by letting them arrive somewhere early so they get used to the area or discussing the situation and experience beforehand. Your teen may feel more comfortable arriving at a party early so they can get there before too many people are there and get used to the environment. Your teen may want to go to a new place and observe everything before joining in or entering. This helps them process. You may let your teen go to the school before the school year to check out where their classes are, the route they will have to take, and how close it is to their locker.

SUMMARY:
Help your child find other introverts. Encourage new experiences. Avoid forcing your teen to do things they don't want to. Use technology to communicate. Allow your teen to prepare for new situations.