New App Aims to End Neighborhood Drama and Inspire Kindness Instead
As anyone who uses the popular NextDoor neighborhood app is well aware, conversations can quickly go south. Fights are constantly breaking out between neighbors about topics like homelessness, parking, pets and lots of other subjects.
But KinderUS is a new kind of neighborhood app. Instead of a social network, it’s a support network — a place where people can help each other out and create an authentic community.
The app was created by brothers Spencer and Hunter Hillman who saw the need for people to get to know their neighbors in a positive way.
“We created KinderUS to change the way people think about interacting with the people around them and to help incentivize positive interaction, strengthening community bonds where they exist and building them where they don’t,” says Spencer Hillman.
The idea is really to create IRL connections between neighbors. “Instead of simply providing a community forum – where people can yell at their neighbors or complain about homelessness from behind a screen – the goal of KinderUS is to get people out having face-to-face, real life interactions that are rewarding to all participants involved,” adds Hillman.
“We believe that its mutual aid and reciprocity that truly ties communities together. One of my favorite examples is the Amish tradition of barn-raising. The whole community comes out to participate, knowing that they either were or will be supported in the same way when they start their family.”
I signed up for the app’s beta launch in my Hollywood, Calif. neighborhood, and I’ve seen people offering to pick up things at the hardware or grocery store for neighbors, giving items away, and making recommendations. All kindness, all the time. You can even earn rewards from businesses (think Beyond Meat, The Honest Company) for participating.
When logging in, the app asks “How will you make the world a better place today?” I COULDN’T LOVE IT MORE.
In the words of Mr. Rogers, “All of us, at some time or other, need help. Whether we’re giving or receiving help, each one of us has something valuable to bring to this world. That’s one of the things that connects us as neighbors—in our own way, each one of us is a giver and a receiver.”
Hillman echoes those neighborly sentiments, explaining that running an errand for someone or borrowing something creates bonds of trust. “It’s not that hard to help another person, and you both walk away feeling grateful for the experience,” he says. “The people who live around you don’t have to be strangers. They can be neighbors – or even friends.”
Hillman hopes that the app really brings people together — something we’re all in desperate need of these days.
“Every neighborhood has different kinds of people, different needs, and different things they can share,” he explains. “All that matters is that they’re using the app; we want people getting out and talking with the people around them, having face to face interactions that humanize people to their neighbors. When they do that, they’re going to see that we’re all human, and there’s something special to love about everyone.”
Agreed 💯.
Because the app is brand new, it’s still in beta testing and you need a group code to join, but stay tuned for rollouts in additional neighborhoods! In the meantime you can follow KinderUS on social media @kindertogether!
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