Promoting caring communities through collective action

Current times call for the promotion of caring communities through collective action. In caring communities, we feel connected, experience a sense of belonging, and deeply care about each other's health and well-being. Seymour Sarason's notion of social change as the creation of settings may have anticipated the art and practice of creating caring communities. Caring communities are thriving environments where members are there for one another, provide support when experiencing challenges, identify issues, take action on what matters to them, and celebrate achievements. In this paper, I call for creating caring communities through collective action. I discuss the concept of caring communities and propose a framework that introduces three key dimensions that characterize care-inducing settings: mutual aid, building on community strengths and assets, and opportunities for engagement and shared power. I discuss how together, these dimensions foster a deep sense of community and belonging, the adoption of caring practices and advocacy, and promote voice, influence, and meaningful social participation. This framework invites a reimagining of community as a relational and justice-oriented space where caring is not peripheral but central to how we organize, engage, and transform together. Examples of my research and action scholarly work illustrate the framework.