What is community?

1. What is community? MCOM 404: Community Journalism

2. Most people think of communities as a place or setting, or a suburb or city that they live in. Communities are much more that that. They are the very essence of how we live and socialise with others. We have our own personal communities, the communities that we are a part of and the communities that we associate with. Communities are the building blocks that allow us to make sense of the world in which we live, participate and share experiences. They provide a sense of identity and purpose, a sense of being a part of and belonging.

3. Communities are about caring and sharing. The idea of "community" probably came about where people gathered around a common area for their mutual benefit. Sharing a language, customs, ideas, skills, goods and services, or protection from enemies would be some of the advantages in being a part of a group. Over the years the idea of community has changed to accommodate different things. While different definitions mean different things, the idea is the same; that a group comes together or lives together to share something that is of value to the members of that community.

4. Today, the word "community" has taken on whole new meanings New technology in communication and transportation mean that a community is no longer where we live. While we may live in a suburb, town, city or some geographical location, they no longer define the communities that we are a part of Communities have also become so specialised these days that we no longer look for one community to fulfil our needs.

5. Different communities fulfil different needs: • The spiritual community • The family community • The living community • The recreational community • The learning community • The employment community • The health community • The internet community It could be argued that the more communities that a person participates in, the richer and more diverse the persons life will be.

6. Characteristics of a community

7. 1 Communities have various roles / goals Each community has a particular role that fulfils a particular need. The role of the community provides the members with a sense of belonging and purpose. Community roles can be active in providing a service, supportive, where the members support the activities of another community, or a mixture where the members share experiences, resources, skills and knowledge with each other. Communities can be recreational, and provide a social role in enabling its members to participate in various activities, or provide an educational role in providing its members with knowledge, skills and resources, or fulfil any other role that is valued in society as well as other communities that it is a part of. Valued community roles provide a common cause or focus for the community. The members develop a sense of pride and purpose in being a part of the community that bond and strengthen the community. Valued roles are also about community leadership that is in touch with the community and can create a feeling of importance within the members.

8. 2 Institutions … Define the way we interact with each other within the community. They are determined by the formal and informal cultures and values of the society in which the community participates, and provide order and stability within the community.. In doing this, a positive environment is created where all members have valued roles in supporting each other as a group. Characteristics of an institution

9. 1) Culture: "The set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization or group" The culture of the institution is the way the institution is organised. This is generally determined by its role in society. For example, while the institutions of a hospital, nursing home or prison are simular, the culture of each is quite different. 2) Values: Institutional values (or social values) are different to our personal values in that they allow the members to function within the institution. 3) Hierarchy: Institutions are all about a means of coordination and cooperation. The hierarchy defines the agenda and purpose, and the way things get done. 4) Roles: Leadership is probably the most important role, and provides the identity and purpose within the institution. Other roles are determined by the hierarchy and the members in fulfilling the agenda and purpose of the institution. 5) Expectations: The members are expected to fulfil their assigned role within the institution. 6) Behaviours: The way the members treat each other or interact with each other is determined by the culture, values, hierarchy, roles and expectations of the members within the institution.

10. 3 Boundaries ... • All communities need a way to determine what the community does and how it does it. Boundaries can be physical, virtual or psychological. They define the identity of the community. • Without boundaries, the roles of the community become meaningless. • Without boundaries the community may ... • ... become unfocused, • ... become too diversified and uncoordinated, • ... not adequately provide for its own needs, or the needs of its members, • ... create tensions within communities that it is a part of, or a part of it, • ... create layers of bureaucracy that become communities in their own right, • Boundaries are often defined by the ... • ... the institutions of the community • ... the members of the community • ... the settings (physical, virtual or psychological) • ... government (local state and federal) policy and practice • ... other communities that it is are a part of, or are a part of it

11. 4 Members ... Communities are about caring and sharing. All members share a common cause and have a sense of identity. A sense of belonging is created where the members are connected to, and interact with each other. Just as the members of the community have ownership of their lives and property, the community has ownership of its members and property through the various mechanisms put in place by the community. The community has ownership of its members through: ... Commitment: Members have a sense of obligation towards the community ... Loyalty: Members give up a certain amount personal autonomy for the greater good ... Respect: Members have respect for each other. ... Responsibility: Members take on responsibilities (and feel responsible for others) within the community. ... Safety and security: Members feel that they can call on other members in times of need or when threatened. ... Resources: Community resources are owned by the community on behalf of its members. Personal resources are sometimes shared between the members. ... All members have the opportunity to participate in the activities of the community.

12. 5 Communication ... The community needs to be able to communicate with its members in order to achieve its goals. The members communicate with each other to share thoughts, feelings, experiences, skills and knowledge. Clear thinking and expression of thoughts is essential to effective communication. The community also needs to communicate with others outside the community. To function effectively as a community, the community needs to be able to respond to events that are outside the community and have an impact on the community.

13. 6 The skills and resources of the community provide for the needs of its members … A community needs a set of skills and resources in order to achieve it's goals. They provide an available source of wealth that can be drawn upon when needed. If the community does not have the skills and resources to look after the needs of its members, those skills and resources need to come from somewhere else.

14. 7 Needs … • Balance the needs of the community with the needs of its members. • Community Leadership … • ... Understanding the changing internal and external environments and how they relate to the community • ... Involving all members • ... Effective communication between all members • ... Understanding what members need • ... Aware of relevant research and the evidence base for practice • ... Data gathering, analysis and reporting mechanisms • ... Informed decision making processes • ... Coordinating internal and external services

15. 8 Teams groups … Teams and groups are an important part of any community in providing for the needs of its members.

16. Communities have rights and responsibilities

17. Rights: ... the right to its own identity ... the right to set its own agenda, constitution and institution ... the right to participate within the wider community ... the right to access skills and resources within the wider community ... the right to support its members within the wider community ... the right to protect its members from influences that disadvantage its members ... the right to refuse entry to members that do not fit into the community ... the right to evict members that do not accept the agenda, constitution and institutions of the community ... the right to refuse skills and resources to the wider community, where its members are disadvantaged ... the right to determine its own destiny

18. Responsibilities: ... to ensure the agenda, constitution and institutions of the community, protect and support its members, as well as other communities and their members ... to provide a safe, secure environment for its members, as well as other communities and their members ... to facilitate the development of valued roles and relationships for the community, its members, as well as other communities and their members ... to ensure that the community communicates with its members as well as other communities and their members ... to ensure the community does not disadvantage other communities or their members ... to responsibility use, and share, skills and resources to the advantage of its members, as well as other communities and their members ... to respect, protect and promote the rights, cultures and institutions of other communities and their members ... to engage with other communities in an interdependent relationship