Convening Neighborhood Joy
De’Amon Harges on Roving Listening and Neighborhood Abundance
It’s easy to talk about neighborhoods in terms of problems to fix or people in need. But what if we flipped the script and started with what’s possible? What if the most sacred thing we could do for our actual blocks and boulevards was simply to pay attention?
In this Parish Collective Coffee Break Conversation, Tim Soerens sits down with longtime friend and “roving listener” De’Amon Harges, artist, neighbor, and co-founder of The Learning Tree in Indianapolis. De'Amon shares a collection of raw and beautiful stories from his community, detailing how paying attention, convening unlikely friendships, and celebrating what already exists can fundamentally change everything.
What You’ll Hear in This Conversation:
Asset-Based Community Development vs. Needs-Based Fixing: When we look at a neighborhood through a needs-based lens, we tend to focus on deficiencies and immediately look for a professional or a funded program to fix the problem. But when we flip the script to an asset-based approach, we ask: What brings you alive? What are you willing to share? Who are you willing to learn from? Shifting from gaps to gifts transforms ordinary neighbors from passive consumers of services into active citizens of their blocks.
The Rooted Heritage of Naming Gifts: De’Amon reflects on how his grandparents beautifully modeled asset-based community development long before it had a formal academic name. Growing up in South Bend, Indiana, he watched his grandfather take discarded things that others threw away and creatively fix them, and neighbors always noted that he beautifully did the exact same thing with people.
The Human Necessity of Being Needed: Beyond basic human needs like food, water, and shelter , human beings carry a deep biological and spiritual necessity to belong and to be needed. Neighborhoods truly begin to thrive when everyday people are actively seen, valued, and allowed to offer their unique inherent gifts to the collective fabric.
Roving Listening as a Neighborhood Vocation: Armed with curiosity and a backpack full of art supplies, De’Amon originally walked his neighborhood simply looking to notice and appreciate local artists. This natural practice of paying attention eventually evolved into a formal title and job, proving that when you take the time to deeply see people, unusual opportunities for communal repair begin to emerge.
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Take the Next Step
This isn’t just a conversation; it’s an active invitation. In a world chasing fast solutions and rapid scale, what if we intentionally slowed down enough to truly see the people right next to us? What if localized celebration became a form of sacred resistance?
What might it look like to throw a small gathering or party on your block this month, not for transactional results, but purely for communal joy? Who could you gather and celebrate right where you are? Leave us a comment below and let us know!
