describe the community you live in essay brainly

How to Write the Community Essay – Guide with Examples (2023-24)

September 6, 2023

Students applying to college this year will inevitably confront the community essay. In fact, most students will end up responding to several community essay prompts for different schools. For this reason, you should know more than simply how to approach the community essay as a genre. Rather, you will want to learn how to decipher the nuances of each particular prompt, in order to adapt your response appropriately. In this article, we’ll show you how to do just that, through several community essay examples. These examples will also demonstrate how to avoid cliché and make the community essay authentically and convincingly your own.

Emphasis on Community

Do keep in mind that inherent in the word “community” is the idea of multiple people. The personal statement already provides you with a chance to tell the college admissions committee about yourself as an individual. The community essay, however, suggests that you depict yourself among others. You can use this opportunity to your advantage by showing off interpersonal skills, for example. Or, perhaps you wish to relate a moment that forged important relationships. This in turn will indicate what kind of connections you’ll make in the classroom with college peers and professors.

Apart from comprising numerous people, a community can appear in many shapes and sizes. It could be as small as a volleyball team, or as large as a diaspora. It could fill a town soup kitchen, or spread across five boroughs. In fact, due to the internet, certain communities today don’t even require a physical place to congregate. Communities can form around a shared identity, shared place, shared hobby, shared ideology, or shared call to action. They can even arise due to a shared yet unforeseen circumstance.

What is the Community Essay All About?             

In a nutshell, the community essay should exhibit three things:

• An aspect of yourself, 2. in the context of a community you belonged to, and 3. how this experience may shape your contribution to the community you’ll join in college.

It may look like a fairly simple equation: 1 + 2 = 3. However, each college will word their community essay prompt differently, so it’s important to look out for additional variables. One college may use the community essay as a way to glimpse your core values. Another may use the essay to understand how you would add to diversity on campus. Some may let you decide in which direction to take it—and there are many ways to go!

To get a better idea of how the prompts differ, let’s take a look at some real community essay prompts from the current admission cycle.

Sample 2023-2024 Community Essay Prompts

1) brown university.

“Students entering Brown often find that making their home on College Hill naturally invites reflection on where they came from. Share how an aspect of your growing up has inspired or challenged you, and what unique contributions this might allow you to make to the Brown community. (200-250 words)”

A close reading of this prompt shows that Brown puts particular emphasis on place. They do this by using the words “home,” “College Hill,” and “where they came from.” Thus, Brown invites writers to think about community through the prism of place. They also emphasize the idea of personal growth or change, through the words “inspired or challenged you.” Therefore, Brown wishes to see how the place you grew up in has affected you. And, they want to know how you in turn will affect their college community.

“NYU was founded on the belief that a student’s identity should not dictate the ability for them to access higher education. That sense of opportunity for all students, of all backgrounds, remains a part of who we are today and a critical part of what makes us a world-class university. Our community embraces diversity, in all its forms, as a cornerstone of the NYU experience.

We would like to better understand how your experiences would help us to shape and grow our diverse community. Please respond in 250 words or less.”

Here, NYU places an emphasis on students’ “identity,” “backgrounds,” and “diversity,” rather than any physical place. (For some students, place may be tied up in those ideas.) Furthermore, while NYU doesn’t ask specifically how identity has changed the essay writer, they do ask about your “experience.” Take this to mean that you can still recount a specific moment, or several moments, that work to portray your particular background. You should also try to link your story with NYU’s values of inclusivity and opportunity.

3) University of Washington

“Our families and communities often define us and our individual worlds. Community might refer to your cultural group, extended family, religious group, neighborhood or school, sports team or club, co-workers, etc. Describe the world you come from and how you, as a product of it, might add to the diversity of the UW. (300 words max) Tip: Keep in mind that the UW strives to create a community of students richly diverse in cultural backgrounds, experiences, values and viewpoints.”

UW ’s community essay prompt may look the most approachable, for they help define the idea of community. You’ll notice that most of their examples (“families,” “cultural group, extended family, religious group, neighborhood”…) place an emphasis on people. This may clue you in on their desire to see the relationships you’ve made. At the same time, UW uses the words “individual” and “richly diverse.” They, like NYU, wish to see how you fit in and stand out, in order to boost campus diversity.

Writing Your First Community Essay

Begin by picking which community essay you’ll write first. (For practical reasons, you’ll probably want to go with whichever one is due earliest.) Spend time doing a close reading of the prompt, as we’ve done above. Underline key words. Try to interpret exactly what the prompt is asking through these keywords.

Next, brainstorm. I recommend doing this on a blank piece of paper with a pencil. Across the top, make a row of headings. These might be the communities you’re a part of, or the components that make up your identity. Then, jot down descriptive words underneath in each column—whatever comes to you. These words may invoke people and experiences you had with them, feelings, moments of growth, lessons learned, values developed, etc. Now, narrow in on the idea that offers the richest material and that corresponds fully with the prompt.

Lastly, write! You’ll definitely want to describe real moments, in vivid detail. This will keep your essay original, and help you avoid cliché. However, you’ll need to summarize the experience and answer the prompt succinctly, so don’t stray too far into storytelling mode.

How To Adapt Your Community Essay

Once your first essay is complete, you’ll need to adapt it to the other colleges involving community essays on your list. Again, you’ll want to turn to the prompt for a close reading, and recognize what makes this prompt different from the last. For example, let’s say you’ve written your essay for UW about belonging to your swim team, and how the sports dynamics shaped you. Adapting that essay to Brown’s prompt could involve more of a focus on place. You may ask yourself, how was my swim team in Alaska different than the swim teams we competed against in other states?

Once you’ve adapted the content, you’ll also want to adapt the wording to mimic the prompt. For example, let’s say your UW essay states, “Thinking back to my years in the pool…” As you adapt this essay to Brown’s prompt, you may notice that Brown uses the word “reflection.” Therefore, you might change this sentence to “Reflecting back on my years in the pool…” While this change is minute, it cleverly signals to the reader that you’ve paid attention to the prompt, and are giving that school your full attention.

What to Avoid When Writing the Community Essay  

• Avoid cliché. Some students worry that their idea is cliché, or worse, that their background or identity is cliché. However, what makes an essay cliché is not the content, but the way the content is conveyed. This is where your voice and your descriptions become essential.
• Avoid giving too many examples. Stick to one community, and one or two anecdotes arising from that community that allow you to answer the prompt fully.
• Don’t exaggerate or twist facts. Sometimes students feel they must make themselves sound more “diverse” than they feel they are. Luckily, diversity is not a feeling. Likewise, diversity does not simply refer to one’s heritage. If the prompt is asking about your identity or background, you can show the originality of your experiences through your actions and your thinking.

Community Essay Examples and Analysis

Brown university community essay example.

I used to hate the NYC subway. I’ve taken it since I was six, going up and down Manhattan, to and from school. By high school, it was a daily nightmare. Spending so much time underground, underneath fluorescent lighting, squashed inside a rickety, rocking train car among strangers, some of whom wanted to talk about conspiracy theories, others who had bedbugs or B.O., or who manspread across two seats, or bickered—it wore me out. The challenge of going anywhere seemed absurd. I dreaded the claustrophobia and disgruntlement.

Yet the subway also inspired my understanding of community. I will never forget the morning I saw a man, several seats away, slide out of his seat and hit the floor. The thump shocked everyone to attention. What we noticed: he appeared drunk, possibly homeless. I was digesting this when a second man got up and, through a sort of awkward embrace, heaved the first man back into his seat. The rest of us had stuck to subway social codes: don’t step out of line. Yet this second man’s silent actions spoke loudly. They said, “I care.”

That day I realized I belong to a group of strangers. What holds us together is our transience, our vulnerabilities, and a willingness to assist. This community is not perfect but one in motion, a perpetual work-in-progress. Now I make it my aim to hold others up. I plan to contribute to the Brown community by helping fellow students and strangers in moments of precariousness.    

Brown University Community Essay Example Analysis

Here the student finds an original way to write about where they come from. The subway is not their home, yet it remains integral to ideas of belonging. The student shows how a community can be built between strangers, in their responsibility toward each other. The student succeeds at incorporating key words from the prompt (“challenge,” “inspired” “Brown community,” “contribute”) into their community essay.

UW Community Essay Example

I grew up in Hawaii, a world bound by water and rich in diversity. In school we learned that this sacred land was invaded, first by Captain Cook, then by missionaries, whalers, traders, plantation owners, and the U.S. government. My parents became part of this problematic takeover when they moved here in the 90s. The first community we knew was our church congregation. At the beginning of mass, we shook hands with our neighbors. We held hands again when we sang the Lord’s Prayer. I didn’t realize our church wasn’t “normal” until our diocese was informed that we had to stop dancing hula and singing Hawaiian hymns. The order came from the Pope himself.

Eventually, I lost faith in God and organized institutions. I thought the banning of hula—an ancient and pure form of expression—seemed medieval, ignorant, and unfair, given that the Hawaiian religion had already been stamped out. I felt a lack of community and a distrust for any place in which I might find one. As a postcolonial inhabitant, I could never belong to the Hawaiian culture, no matter how much I valued it. Then, I was shocked to learn that Queen Ka’ahumanu herself had eliminated the Kapu system, a strict code of conduct in which women were inferior to men. Next went the Hawaiian religion. Queen Ka’ahumanu burned all the temples before turning to Christianity, hoping this religion would offer better opportunities for her people.

Community Essay (Continued)

I’m not sure what to make of this history. Should I view Queen Ka’ahumanu as a feminist hero, or another failure in her islands’ tragedy? Nothing is black and white about her story, but she did what she thought was beneficial to her people, regardless of tradition. From her story, I’ve learned to accept complexity. I can disagree with institutionalized religion while still believing in my neighbors. I am a product of this place and their presence. At UW, I plan to add to campus diversity through my experience, knowing that diversity comes with contradictions and complications, all of which should be approached with an open and informed mind.

UW Community Essay Example Analysis

This student also manages to weave in words from the prompt (“family,” “community,” “world,” “product of it,” “add to the diversity,” etc.). Moreover, the student picks one of the examples of community mentioned in the prompt, (namely, a religious group,) and deepens their answer by addressing the complexity inherent in the community they’ve been involved in. While the student displays an inner turmoil about their identity and participation, they find a way to show how they’d contribute to an open-minded campus through their values and intellectual rigor.

What’s Next

For more on supplemental essays and essay writing guides, check out the following articles:

• How to Write the Why This Major Essay + Example
• How to Write the Overcoming Challenges Essay + Example
• How to Start a College Essay – 12 Techniques and Tips
• College Essay

Kaylen Baker

With a BA in Literary Studies from Middlebury College, an MFA in Fiction from Columbia University, and a Master’s in Translation from Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis, Kaylen has been working with students on their writing for over five years. Previously, Kaylen taught a fiction course for high school students as part of Columbia Artists/Teachers, and served as an English Language Assistant for the French National Department of Education. Kaylen is an experienced writer/translator whose work has been featured in Los Angeles Review, Hybrid, San Francisco Bay Guardian, France Today, and Honolulu Weekly, among others.

• 2-Year Colleges
• Application Strategies
• Best Colleges by Major
• Best Colleges by State
• Big Picture
• Career & Personality Assessment
• College Search/Knowledge
• College Success
• Costs & Financial Aid
• Dental School Admissions
• Extracurricular Activities
• Graduate School Admissions
• High School Success
• High Schools
• Law School Admissions
• Medical School Admissions
• Navigating the Admissions Process
• Online Learning
• Private High School Spotlight
• Summer Program Spotlight
• Summer Programs
• Test Prep Provider Spotlight

“Innovative and invaluable…use this book as your college lifeline.”

— Lynn O'Shaughnessy

Nationally Recognized College Expert

College Planning in Your Inbox

Join our information-packed monthly newsletter.

I am a... Student Parent Counselor Educator Other Zip Code Sign Up Now

Search form

• Table of Contents
• Troubleshooting Guide
• A Model for Getting Started
• Justice Action Toolkit
• Coronavirus Response Tool Box
• Best Change Processes
• Databases of Best Practices
• Online Courses
• Ask an Advisor
• Subscribe to eNewsletter
• Community Stories
• YouTube Channel
• About the Tool Box
• How to Use the Tool Box
• Privacy Statement
• Workstation/Check Box Sign-In
• Online Training Courses
• Capacity Building Training
• Training Curriculum - Order Now
• Community Check Box Evaluation System
• Build Your Toolbox
• Facilitation of Community Processes
• Community Health Assessment and Planning
• Section 2. Understanding and Describing the Community

Chapter 3 Sections

• Section 1. Developing a Plan for Assessing Local Needs and Resources
• Section 3. Conducting Public Forums and Listening Sessions
• Section 4. Collecting Information About the Problem
• Section 5. Analyzing Community Problems
• Section 6. Conducting Focus Groups
• Section 7. Conducting Needs Assessment Surveys
• Section 8. Identifying Community Assets and Resources
• Section 9. Developing Baseline Measures
• Section 10. Conducting Concerns Surveys
• Section 11. Determining Service Utilization
• Section 12. Conducting Interviews
• Section 13. Conducting Surveys
• Section 14. SWOT Analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats
• Section 15. Qualitative Methods to Assess Community Issues
• Section 16. Geographic Information Systems: Tools for Community Mapping
• Section 17. Leading a Community Dialogue on Building a Healthy Community
• Section 18. Creating and Using Community Report Cards
• Section 19. Using Public Records and Archival Data
• Section 20. Implementing Photovoice in Your Community
• Section 21. Windshield and Walking Surveys
• Section 22. Using Small Area Analysis to Uncover Disparities
• Section 23. Developing and Using Criteria and Processes to Set Priorities
• Section 24. Arranging Assessments That Span Jurisdictions
• Main Section

What is a community?

What do we mean by understanding and describing the community, why make the effort to understand and describe your community, whom should you contact to gather information, how do you go about understanding and describing the community.

For those of us who work in community health and development, it's important to understand community -- what a community is, and the specific nature of the communities in which we work. Anything we do in a community requires us to be familiar with its people, its issues, and its history. Carrying out an intervention or building a coalition are far more likely to be successful if they are informed by the culture of the community and an understanding of the relationships among individuals and groups within it.

Taking the time and effort to understand your community well before embarking on a community effort will pay off in the long term. A good way to accomplish that is to create a community description -- a record of your exploration and findings. It's a good way to gain a comprehensive overview of the community -- what it is now, what it's been in the past, and what it could be in the future. In this section, we'll discuss how you might approach examining the community in some detail and setting down your findings in a community description.

While we traditionally think of a community as the people in a given geographical location, the word can really refer to any group sharing something in common -- place (such as a city, neighborhood, or school district), experience (such as shared experience of racism), or interest (e.g., a community's concern about poverty or violence prevention).

These various communities often overlap. A Black art teacher, for example, might see herself (or be seen by others) as a member of the Black, arts, and/or education communities, as well as of a particular faith community. Whichever community defines your work, you will want to get to know it well.

Understanding the community entails understanding it in a number of ways. Whether or not the community is defined geographically, it still has a geographic context -- a setting that it exists in. Getting a clear sense of this setting may be key to a full understanding of it. At the same time, it's important to understand the specific community you're concerned with. You have to get to know its people -- their culture, their concerns, and relationships -- and to develop your own relationships with them as well.

Physical aspects . Every community has a physical presence of some sort, even if only one building. Most have a geographic area or areas they are either defined by or attached to. It's important to know the community's size and the look and feel of its buildings, its topography (the lay of the land -- the hills, valleys, rivers, roads, and other features you'd find on a map), and each of its neighborhoods. Also important are how various areas of the community differ from one another, and whether your impression is one of clean, well-maintained houses and streets, or one of shabbiness, dirt, and neglect.

If the community is one defined by its population, then its physical properties are also defined by the population: where they live, where they gather, the places that are important to them. The characteristics of those places can tell you a great deal about the people who make up the community. Their self-image, many of their attitudes, and their aspirations are often reflected in the places where they choose -- or are forced by circumstance or discrimination -- to live, work, gather, and play.

• Infrastructure . Roads, bridges, transportation (local public transportation, airports, train lines), electricity, land line and mobile telephone service, broadband service, and similar "basics" make up the infrastructure of the community, without which it couldn't function.
• Patterns of settlement, commerce, and industry . Where are those physical spaces we've been discussing? Communities reveal their character by where and how they create living and working spaces. Where there are true slums --  substandard housing in areas with few or no services that are the only options for low-income people -- the value the larger community places on those residents seems clear. Are heavy industries located next to residential neighborhoods? If so, who lives in those neighborhoods? Are some parts of the community dangerous, either because of high crime and violence or because of unsafe conditions in the built or natural environment?
• Demographics .  It's vital to understand who makes up the community.  Age, gender, race and ethnicity, marital status, education, number of people in household, first language -- these and other statistics make up the demographic profile of the population. When you put them together (e.g.,  the education level of black women ages 18-24), it gives you a clear picture of who community residents are.
• History . The long-term history of the community can tell you about community traditions, what the community is, or has been, proud of, and what residents would prefer not to talk about. Recent history can afford valuable information about conflicts and factions within the community, important issues, past and current relationships among key people and groups -- many of the factors that can trip up any effort before it starts if you don't know about and address them.
• Community leaders, formal and informal . Some community leaders are elected or appointed -- mayors, city councilors, directors of public works. Others are considered leaders because of their activities or their positions in the community -- community activists, corporate CEO's, college presidents, doctors, clergy.  Still others are recognized as leaders because, they are trusted for their proven integrity, courage, and/or care for others and the good of the community.
• Community culture, formal and informal . This covers the spoken and unspoken rules and traditions by which the community lives. It can include everything from community events and slogans -- the blessing of the fishing fleet, the "Artichoke Capital of the World" -- to norms of behavior -- turning a blind eye to alcohol abuse or domestic violence -- to patterns of discrimination and exercise of power. Understanding the culture and how it developed can be crucial, especially if that's what you're attempting to change.
• Existing groups .  Most communities have an array of groups and organizations of different kinds -- service clubs (Lions, Rotary, etc.), faith groups, youth organizations, sports teams and clubs, groups formed around shared interests, the boards of community-wide organizations (the YMCA, the symphony, United Way), as well as groups devoted to self-help, advocacy, and activism.  Knowing of the existence and importance of each of these groups can pave the way for alliances or for understanding opposition.
• Existing institutions . Every community has institutions that are important to it, and that have more or less credibility with residents. Colleges and universities, libraries, religious institutions, hospitals -- all of these and many others can occupy important places in the community. It's important to know what they are, who represents them, and what influence they wield.
• Economics .  Who are the major employers in the community?  What, if any, business or industry is the community's base? Who, if anyone, exercises economic power? How is wealth distributed? Would you characterize the community as poor, working, class, middle class, or affluent?  What are the economic prospects of the population in general and/or the population you're concerned with?
• Government/Politics . Understanding the structure of community government is obviously important. Some communities may have strong mayors and weak city councils, others the opposite. Still other communities may have no mayor at all, but only a town manager, or may have a different form of government entirely.  Whatever the government structure, where does political power lie? Understanding where the real power is can be the difference between a successful effort and a vain one.
• Social structure . Many aspects of social structure are integrated into other areas -- relationships, politics, economics -- but there are also the questions of how people in the community relate to one another on a daily basis, how problems are (or aren't) resolved, who socializes or does business with whom, etc. This area also includes perceptions and symbols of status and respect, and whether status carries entitlement or responsibility (or both).
• Attitudes and values . Again, much of this area may be covered by investigation into others, particularly culture. What does the community care about, and what does it ignore? What are residents' assumptions about the proper way to behave, to dress, to do business, to treat others? Is there widely accepted discrimination against one or more groups by the majority or by those in power? What are the norms for interaction among those who with different opinions or different backgrounds?

We'll discuss all of these aspects of community in greater detail later in the section.

There are obviously many more aspects of community that can be explored, such as health or education.  The assumption here is that as part of an assessment, you'll aim for a general understanding of the community, as described in this section, and also assess, with a narrower focus, the specific aspects you're interested in.

Once you've explored the relevant areas of the community, you'll have the information to create a community description. Depending on your needs and information, this description might be anything from a two-or three-page outline to an in-depth portrait of the community that extends to tens of pages and includes charts, graphs, photographs, and other elements. The point of doing it is to have a picture of the community at a particular point in time that you can use to provide a context for your community assessment and to see the results of whatever actions you take to bring about change.

A community description can be as creative as you're capable of making it.  It can be written as a story, can incorporate photos and commentary from community residents (see Photovoice), can be done online and include audio and video, etc. The more interesting the description is, the more people are likely to actually read it.

You may at this point be thinking, "Can't I work effectively within this community without gathering all this information?" Perhaps, if it's a community you're already familiar with, and really know it well. If you're new to the community, or an outsider, however, it's a different story. Not having the proper background information on your community may not seem like a big deal until you unintentionally find yourself on one side of a bitter divide, or get involved in an issue without knowing about its long and tangled history.

Some advantages to taking the time to understand the community and create a community description include:

• Gaining a general idea, even before an assessment, of the community's strengths and the challenges it faces.
• Capturing unspoken, influential rules and norms. For example, if people are divided and angry about a particular issue, your information might show you an event in the community's history that explains their strong emotions on that subject.
• Getting a feel for the attitudes and opinions of the community when you're starting work on an initiative.
• Ensuring the security of your organization's staff and participants.  There may be neighborhoods where staff members or participants should be accompanied by others in order to be safe, at least at night. Knowing the character of various areas and the invisible borders that exist among various groups and neighborhoods can be extremely important for the physical safety of those working and living in the community.
• Having enough familiarity with the community to allow you to converse intelligently with residents about community issues, personalities and geography. Knowing that you've taken the time and effort to get to know them and their environment can help you to establish trust with community members.  That can make both a community assessment and any actions and activities that result from it easier to conduct.
• Being able to talk convincingly with the media about the community.
• Being able to share information with other organizations or coalitions that work in the community so that you can collaborate or so that everyone's work can benefit.
• Providing background and justification for grant proposals.
• Knowing the context of the community so that you can tailor interventions and programs to its norms and culture, and increase chances of success.

When should you make an effort to understand and describe the community?

• When you're about to launch a community assessment. The first step is to get a clear sense of the community, before more specifically assessing the area(s) you're interested in.
• When you're new to a community and want to be well informed before beginning your work. If you've just started working in a community -- even if it's work you've been doing for years -- you will probably find that taking the time to write a community description enriches your work.
• When you've been working in a community for any length of time and want to take stock. Communities are complex, constantly-changing entities. By periodically stopping to write a detailed description of your community, you can assess what approaches have worked and what haven't; new needs that have developed over time and old concerns that no longer require your effort and energy; and other information to help you better do your work.
• When you're feeling like you're stuck in a rut and need a fresh perspective. Organizations have to remain dynamic in order to keep moving forward. Reexamining the community -- or perhaps examining it carefully for the first time -- can infuse an organization with new ideas and new purpose.
• When you're considering introducing a new initiative or program and want to assess its possible success.Aside from when you first come to a community, this is probably the most vital time to do a community description.
• When a funder asks you to, often as part of a funding proposal.

While researching and writing a community description can take time, your work can almost always benefit from the information you gather.

Much of your best and most interesting information may come from community members with no particular credentials except that they're part of the community . It's especially important to get the perspective of those who often don't have a voice in community decisions and politics -- low-income people, immigrants, and others who are often kept out of the community discussion. In addition, however, there are some specific people that it might be important to talk to. They're the individuals in key positions, or those who are trusted by a large part of the community or by a particular population. In a typical community, they might include:

• Elected officials
• Community planners and development officers
• Chiefs of police
• School superintendents, principals, and teachers
• Directors or staff of health and human service organizations
• Health professionals
• Community activists
• Housing advocates
• Presidents or chairs of civic or service clubs -- Chamber of Commerce, veterans' organizations, Lions, Rotary, etc.
• People without titles, but identified by others as "community leaders"
• Business owners

General Guidelines

To begin, let's look at some basic principles to keep in mind.

• Be prepared to learn from the community . Assume that you have a lot to learn, and approach the process with an open mind. Listen to what people have to say. Observe carefully. Take notes -- you can use them later to generate new questions or to help answer old ones.
• Be aware that people's speech, thoughts, and actions are not always rational . Their attitudes and behavior  are often best understood in the context of their history, social relations, and culture. Race relations in the U.S., for example, can't be understood without knowing some of the historical context -- the history of slavery, Jim Crow laws, and the work of Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement.
• Don't assume that the information people give you is necessarily accurate . There are a number of reasons why informants may tell you things that are inaccurate. People's perceptions don't always reflect reality, but are colored instead by what they think or what they think they know.  In addition, some may intentionally exaggerate or downplay particular conditions or issues for their own purposes or for what they see as the greater good. (The Chamber of Commerce or local government officials might try to make economic conditions look better than they are in the hopes of attracting new business to the community, for instance.)  Others may simply be mistaken about what they tell you  -- the geographical boundaries of a particular neighborhood, for example, or the year of an important event. Get information, particularly on issues, conditions, and relationships from many sources if you can. As time goes on, you'll learn who the always-reliable sources are.
• Beware of activities that may change people's behavior . It's well known that people (and animals as well) can change their normal behavior as a result of knowing they're being studied.  Neighborhood residents may clean up their yards if they're aware that someone is taking the measure of the neighborhood. Community members may try to appear as they wish to be seen, rather than as they really are, if they know you're watching. To the extent that you can, try not to do anything that will change the way people go about their daily business or express themselves. That usually means being as unobtrusive as possible -- not being obvious about taking pictures or making notes, for instance. In some circumstances, it could mean trying to gain trust and insight through participant observation.

Participant observation is a technique that anthropologists use.  It entails becoming part of another culture, both to keep people in it from being influenced by your presence and to understand it from the inside.  Some researchers believe it addresses the problem of changing the culture by studying it , and others believe that it makes the problem worse.

• Take advantage of the information and facilities that help shape the world of those who have lived in the community for a long time . Read the local newspaper (and the alternative paper, too, if there is one), listen to local radio, watch local TV, listen to conversation in cafes and bars, in barbershops and beauty shops.  You can learn a great deal about a community by immersing yourself in its internal communication. The Chamber of Commerce will usually have a list of area businesses and organizations, along with their contact people, which should give you both points of contact and a sense of who the people are that you might want to get in touch with. Go to the library -- local librarians are often treasure troves of information, and their professional goal is to spread it around. Check out bulletin boards at supermarkets and laundromats.  Even graffiti can be a valuable source of information about community issues.
• Network, network, network .  Every contact you make in the community has the potential to lead you to more contacts. Whether you're talking to official or unofficial community leaders or to people you just met on the street, always ask who else they would recommend that you talk to and whether you can use their names when you contact those people. Establishing relationships with a variety of community members is probably the most important thing you can do to ensure that you'll be able to get the information you need, and that you'll have support for working in the community when you finish your assessment and begin your effort.

Gathering information

To find out about various aspects of the community, you'll need a number of different methods of gathering information . We've already discussed some of them, and many of the remaining sections of this chapter deal with them, because they're the same methods you'll use in doing a full community assessment. Here, we'll simply list them, with short explanations and links to sections where you can get more information about each.

• Public records and archives . These include local, state, and federal government statistics and records, newspaper archives, and the records of other organizations that they're willing to share. Many of the public documents are available at public and/or university libraries and on line at government websites. Most communities have their own websites, which often contain valuable information as well.
• Individual and group interviews . Interviews can range from casual conversations in a cafe to structured formal interviews in which the interviewer asks the same specific questions of a number of carefully chosen key informants. They can be conducted with individuals or groups, in all kinds of different places and circumstances. They're often the best sources of information, but they're also time-consuming and involve finding the right people and convincing them to consent to be interviewed, as well as finding (and sometimes training) good interviewers.

Interviews may include enlisting as sources of information others who've spent time learning about the community.  University researchers, staff and administrators of health and human service organizations, and activists may all have done considerable work to understand the character and inner workings of the community.  Take advantage of their findings if you can.  It may save you many hours of effort.

• Surveys . There are various types of surveys. They can be written or oral, conducted with a selected small group -- usually a randomized sample that represents a larger population -- or with as many community members as possible . They can be sent through the mail, administered over the phone or in person, or given to specific groups (school classes, faith congregations, the Rotary Club). They're often fairly short, and ask for answers that are either yes-no, or that rate the survey-taker's opinion of a number of possibilities (typically on a scale that represents "agree strongly" to "disagree strongly" or "very favorable" to "very unfavorable.")  Surveys can, however, be much more comprehensive, with many questions, and can ask for more complex answers.
• Direct or participant observation .  Often the best way to find out about the community is simply to observe . You can observe physical features, conditions in various areas, the interactions of people in different neighborhoods and circumstances, the amount of traffic, commercial activity, how people use various facilities and spaces, or the evidence of previous events or decisions. Participant observation means becoming part of the group or scene you're observing, so that you can see it from the inside.

Observation can take many forms.  In addition to simply going to a place and taking notes on what you see, you might use other techniques -- Photovoice, video, audio, simple photographs, drawings, etc.  Don't limit the ways in which you can record your observations and impressions.

Understanding the Community

Now let's consider what you might examine to understand and describe the community. You won't necessarily look for this information in the order given here, although it's a good idea to start with the first two.

The community's physical characteristics.

Get a map of the community and drive and/or walk around. (If the community isn't defined by geography, note and observe the areas where its members live, work, and gather.) Observe both the built and the natural environment. In the built environment, some things to pay attention to are:

• The age, architecture, and condition of housing and other buildings . Some shabby or poorly-maintained housing may occupy good buildings that could be fixed up, for example -- that's important to know. Is there substandard housing in the community? Look for new construction, and new developments, and take note of where they are, and whether they're replacing existing housing or businesses or adding to it. (You might want to find out more about these. Are they controversial? Was there opposition to them, and how was it resolved? Does the community offer incentives to developers, and, if so, for what?)  Is housing separated by income or other factors, so that all low-income residents, for instance, or all North African immigrants seem to live in one area away from others? Are buildings generally in good condition, or are they dirty and run-down? Are there buildings that look like they might have historic significance, and are they kept up? Are most buildings accessible to people with disabilities?
• Commercial areas .  Are there stores and other businesses in walking distance of residential areas or of public transportation for most members of the community? Do commercial buildings present windows and displays or blank walls to pedestrians? Is there foot traffic and activity in commercial areas, or do they seem deserted? Is there a good mix of local businesses, or nothing but chain stores? Are there theaters, places to hear music, a variety of restaurants, and other types of entertainment? Do many buildings include public spaces -- indoor or outdoor plazas where people can sit, for example? In general, are commercial areas and buildings attractive and well-maintained?
• The types and location of industrial facilities . What kind of industry exists in the community? Does it seem to have a lot of environmental impact -- noise, air or water pollution, smells, heavy traffic? Is it located close to residential areas, and, if so, who lives there? Is there some effort to make industrial facilities attractive -- landscaping, murals or imaginative color schemes on the outside, etc?
• Infrastructure .  What condition are streets in?  Do most streets, at least in residential and commercial areas, have sidewalks? Bike lanes? Are pedestrians shielded from traffic by trees, grass strips, and/or plantings? Are roads adequate for the traffic they bear? Are there foot bridges across busy highways and railroad tracks, or do they separate areas of the community and pose dangers for pedestrians? Is there adequate public transportation, with facilities for people with physical disabilities? Does it reach all areas of the community? Can most people gain access to the Internet if they have the equipment (i.e., computers or properly equipped cell phones)?

This is a topic that is ripe for examination. In many rural areas, particularly in developing countries, but often in the developed world as well, there is very little infrastructure.  Roads and bridges may be impassable at certain (or most) times of year, phone service and TV reception nonexistent, Internet access a distant dream. Public transportation in many places, if it exists at all, may take the form of a pickup truck or 20-year-old van that takes as many passengers as can squeeze into or onto the bed, passenger compartment, and roof. Is any of this on the government's or anyone else's radar as a situation that needs to be addressed? What is the general policy about services to rural and/or poor populations?  Answers to these and similar questions may both explain the situation (and the attitudes of the local population) and highlight a number of possible courses of action.

I n the category of natural features, we can include both areas that have been largely left to nature, and "natural" spaces created by human intervention.

• Topography . An area's topography is the shape of its landscape. Is the community largely hilly, largely flat, or does it incorporate areas of both? Is water -- rivers, creeks, lakes and ponds, canals, seashore -- a noticeable or important part of the physical character of the community? Who lives in what areas of the community?
• Open space and greenery. Is there open space scattered throughout the community, or is it limited to one or a few areas? How much open space is there? Is it mostly man-made (parks, commons, campuses, sports fields), or is there wilderness or semi-wilderness? Does the community give the impression  of being green and leafy, with lots of trees and grass, or is it mostly concrete or dirt?
• Air and water . Is the air reasonably clear and clean, or is there a blanket of smog? Does the air generally smell fresh, or are there industrial or other unpleasant odors? Do rivers, lakes, or other bodies of water appear clean? Do they seem to be used for recreation (boating, swimming, fishing)?

There is an overlap between the community's physical and social characteristics. Does the lay of the land make it difficult to get from one part of the community to another? (Biking, or in some cases even walking, is difficult in San Francisco, for example, because of the length and steepness of the hills.)  Are there clear social divisions that mirror the landscape -- all the fancy houses in the hills, all the low-income housing in the flats, for instance?

Studying the physical layout of the community will serve you not only as information, but as a guide for finding your way around, knowing what people are talking about when they refer to various areas and neighborhoods, and gaining a sense of the living conditions of any populations you're concerned with.

Community demographics.

Demographics are the facts about the population that you can find from census data and other similar statistical information. Some things you might like to know, besides the number of people in the community:

• Racial and ethnic background
• Age.  Numbers and percentages of the population in various age groups
• Marital status
• Family size
• Employment - Both the numbers of people employed full and part-time, and the numbers of people in various types of work
• Location - Knowing which groups live in which neighborhoods or areas can help to recruit participants in a potential effort or to decide where to target activities

In the U.S., most of this and other demographic information is available from the U.S. Census , from state and local government websites, or from other government agencies.  Depending on what issues and countries you're concerned with, some sources of information might be the U.S. Centers for Disease Control , the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services , similar websites in other countries, and the various agencies of the United Nations .

On many of these websites, notably the U.S. Census, various categories can be combined, so that you can, for example, find out the income levels in your community for African American women aged 25-34 with a high school education. If the website won't do it for you, it's fairly easy to trace the patterns yourself, thus giving you a much clearer picture of who community residents are and what their lives might be like .

Another extremely useful resource is County Health Rankings & Roadmaps , which provides rankings for nearly every county in the nation. The County Health Rankings model includes four types of health factors: health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic, and the physical environment. The County Health Rankings illustrate what we know when it comes to what’s making people sick or healthy, and the new County Health Roadmaps show what we can do to create healthier places to live, learn, work and play. These reports can help community leaders see that our environment influences how healthy we are and how long we live, and even what parts of our environment are most influential.

Community history.

This can be a complex topic. The "standard" history -- when the community was founded and by whom, how long it has existed, how people lived there in the past, its major sources of work, etc. -- can often be found in the local library or newspaper archives, or even in books or articles written for a larger audience. The less comfortable parts of that history, especially recent history -- discrimination, conflict, economic and/or political domination by a small group -- are may not be included, and are more likely to be found by talking to activists, journalists, and others who are concerned with those issues. You might also gain information by reading between the lines of old newspaper articles and tracking down people who were part of past conflicts or events.

If this all sounds a lot like investigative reporting, that's because it is.  You may not have the time or skills to do much of it, but talking to activists and journalists about recent history can be crucial.  Stepping into a community with an intervention or initiative without understanding the dynamics of community history can be a recipe for failure.

Community government and politics.

T here are a number of ways to learn about the structure and operation of local government:

• Go to open meetings of the city council, town boards, board of selectmen, or other bodies, as well as to public forums on proposed actions, laws, and regulations.  Such meetings will be announced in the local paper.

In most of the U.S., these meetings are public by state law, and must be announced in specific ways at least two days ahead.

• Community bylaws and regulations are often available at the public library.
• Make an appointment to talk to one or more local government officials.  Many hold regular office hours, and might actually take pleasure in explaining the workings of the local government.
• Talk to community activists for a view of how the government actually operates, as opposed to how it's supposed to operate.
• Read the local newspaper every day.

Reading the newspaper every day is a good idea in general if you're trying to learn about the community.  It will not only have stories about how the community operates, but will give you a sense of what's important to its readers, what kinds of activities the community engages in and views as significant, what the police do -- a picture of a large part of community life. Real estate ads will tell you about property values and the demand for housing, ads for services can help you identify the major businesses in town, and the ages and education levels of the people in the marriage and birth announcements can speak volumes about community values.  Newspaper archives can also reveal the stories that help you understand the emotions still surrounding events and issues that don't seem current.  The newspaper is an enormous reservoir of both direct and between-the-lines information.

As we all know, government isn't only about the rules and structures that hold it together. It's about people and their interactions...politics, in other words. The political climate, culture, and assumptions in a particular community often depend more on who elected and appointed officials are than on the limits or duties of their offices.

The politics of many communities embody the ideal of government working for the public good. In other communities, politics takes a back seat to economics, and politicians listen largely to those with economic power -- the CEO's, owners, and directors of large businesses and institutions.  In still others, the emphasis is on power itself, so that political decisions are made specifically to keep a particular party, group, or individual in control.

Obviously, only in the first case is the public well served. In the other situations, fairness and equity tend to go out the window and decisions favor the powerful. Understanding the politics of the community -- who has power, who the power brokers are, who actually influences the setting of policy, how decisions are made and by whom, how much difference public opinion makes -- is fundamental to an understanding of the community as a whole.

There's no formal way to get this information. Government officials may have very different interpretations of the political scene than activists or other community members. You'll have to talk to a variety of people, take a good look at recent political controversies and decisions (here's where newspaper archives can come in handy), and juggle some contradicting stories to get at the reality.

Institutions.

Community institutions, unless they are dysfunctional, can generally be viewed as assets. Finding them should be easy: as mentioned above, the Chamber of Commerce will probably have a list of them, the library will probably have one as well, the local newspaper will often list them, and they'll be in the phone book. 

They cover the spectrum of community life, including:

• Offices of local, state, and federal government agencies (Welfare, Dept. of Agriculture, Office of Immigration, etc.)
• Public libraries.
• Religious institutions. Churches, synagogues, mosques.
• Cultural institutions.  Museums, theaters, concert halls, etc. and the companies they support.  These may also encompass community theater and music companies run and staffed by community volunteer boards and performers.
• Community centers.  Community centers may provide athletic, cultural, social, and other (yoga, support groups) activities for a variety of ages.
• YMCA's and similar institutions.
• Senior centers.
• Hospitals and public health services.
• Colleges and universities.
• Public and private schools.
• Public sports facilities. These might be both facilities for the direct use of the public -- community pools and athletic fields, for example -- or stadiums and arena where school, college, or professional teams play as entertainment.

Groups and organizations.

The groups and organizations that exist in the community, and their relative prestige and importance in community life, can convey valuable clues to the community's assumptions and attitudes. To some extent, you can find them in the same ways that you can find institutions, but the less formal ones you may be more likely to learn about through interviews and conversations. 

These groups can fall into a number of categories:

• Health and human service organizations .  Known on the world stage as NGO's (Non-Governmental Organizations), these are the organizations that work largely with low-income people and populations at risk. They encompass free or sliding-scale health clinics, family planning programs, mental health centers, food pantries, homeless shelters, teen parent programs, youth outreach organizations, violence prevention programs, etc.
• Advocacy organizations . These may also provide services, but generally in the form of legal help or advocacy with agencies to protect the rights of specific groups or to push for the provision of specific services. By and large, they advocate for recognition and services for populations with particular characteristics, or for more attention to be paid to particular issues.
• Service clubs . Lions, Rotary, Kiwanis, Elks, Masons, etc.
• Veterans' organizations . In the U.S., the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars are the major veterans' organizations, but many communities may have others as well.
• Chamber of Commerce and other business organizations . Some of these may be oriented toward specific types of businesses, while others, like the Chamber, are more general.
• Groups connected to institutions . Church youth or Bible study groups, school clubs, university student groups (e.g., Foreign Students' Association, community service groups).
• Trade unions . These may be local, or branches of national or international unions.
• Sports clubs or leagues . Enthusiasts of many sports organize local leagues that hold regular competitions, and that may compete as well with teams from other communities. In many rural areas, Fish and Game clubs may function as informal community centers.
• Informal groups . Book clubs, garden clubs, parents' groups, etc.

Economics/employment.

Some of the information about economic issues can be found in public records, but some will come from interviews or conversations with business people, government officials, and activists, and some from observation. It's fairly easy to notice if one huge industrial plant dominates a community, for example, or if every third building appears to be a construction company. There are a number of questions you might ask yourself and others to help you understand the community's economic base and situation: What is the anchor of the community's tax base? Who are the major employers? Does the community have a particular business or business/industry category that underlies most of the jobs? Are there lots of locally-owned businesses and industries, or are most parts of larger corporations headquartered elsewhere?  Are there corporate headquarters in the community? Is there a good deal of office space, and is it empty or occupied?  Is there new development, and is the community attracting new business? What is the unemployment rate?

Social structure.

This may be the most difficult aspect of the community to understand, since it incorporates most of the others we've discussed, and is usually unspoken. People's answers to questions about it may ignore important points, either because they seem obvious to those who've lived with them for all or most of their lives, or because those things "just aren't talked about." Distrust or actual discrimination aimed at particular groups -- based on race, class, economics, or all three -- may be glossed over or never mentioned. The question of who wields the real power in the community is another that may rarely be answered, or at least not answered in the same way by a majority of community members. It's likely that it will take a number of conversations, some careful observation and some intuition as well to gain a real sense of the community's social structure.

Describing the Community

Once you've gathered the information you need, the next step is describing the community. This is not really separate from understanding the community: in the process of organizing and writing down your information, you'll be able to see better how it fits together, and can gain greater understanding.

There are many ways you can create a description of the community. The most obvious is simply to organize, record, and comment on your information by category:  physical description, government, institutions, etc. You can comment about what has changed in the community over time, what has stayed the same, and where you think the community might be going. You might also include an analysis of how the various categories interact, and how that all comes together to form the community that exists. That will give you and anyone else interested a reasonably clear and objective description of the community, as well as a sense of how you see it.

For a fuller picture, you could add photographs of some of the locations, people, conditions, or interactions you describe (perhaps as a Photovoice project), as well as charts or graphs of demographic or statistical information. For even more detail, you might compose a portrait in words of the community, using quotes from interviews and stories of community history to bring the description to life.

Given the availability of technology, you don't have to limit yourself to any specific format. Computers allow you to easily combine various media -- photos, graphics, animation, text, and audio, for example. The description could  add in or take the form of a video that includes a tour of the community, statements from and/or interviews with various community members (with their permission, of course), an audio voice-over, maps, etc.  A video or a more text-based description -- or both -- could then be posted to a website where it would be available to anyone interested.

Once you have a description put together, you might want to show it to some of the community members you talked to in the course of exploring the community. They can suggest other things you might include, correct errors of fact, and react to what they consider the accuracy or inaccuracy of your portrait and analysis of their community. With this feedback, you can then create a final version to use and to show to anyone interested. The point is to get as informative and accurate a picture of the community as possible that will serve as a basis for community assessment and any effort that grows out of it.

The last word here is that this shouldn't be the last community description you'll ever do. Communities reinvent themselves constantly, as new buildings and developments are put up and old ones torn down, as businesses move in and out, as populations shift -- both within the community and as people and groups move in and out -- and as economic, social, and political conditions change. You have to keep up with those changes, and that means updating your community description regularly.  As with most of the rest of the community building work described in the Community Tool Box, the work of understanding and describing the community is ongoing, for as long as you remain committed to the community itself.

Understanding a community is crucial to being able to work in it. Failing to understand it will deny you credibility and make it difficult for you both to connect with community members and to negotiate the twists and turns of starting and implementing a community initiative or intervention. An extremely important part of any community assessment, therefore, is to start by finding out as much about the community as you can -- its physical and geographical characteristics, its culture, its government, and its assumptions. By combing through existing data, observing, and learning from community members, you can gain an overview of the community that will serve you well. Recording your findings and your analysis of them in a community description that you can refer to and update as needed will keep your understanding fresh and help others in your organization or with whom you collaborate.

Online Resources

A  community description of Nashua, New Hampshire .

County Health Rankings & Roadmaps . Ranking the health of nearly every county in the nation, the County Health Rankings help us see how where we live, learn, work, and play influences how healthy we are and how long we live. The Rankings & Roadmaps show us what is making residents sick, where we need to improve, and what steps communities are taking to solve their problems. The health of a community depends on many different factors – ranging from individual health behaviors, education and jobs, to quality of health care, to the environment, therefore we all have a stake in creating a healthier community. Using the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, leaders and advocates from public health and health care, business, education, government, and the community can work together to create programs and policies to improve people's health, reduce health care costs, and increase productivity.

Describing the Community , from a WHO (World Health Organization) manual: Emergency Preparedness: A Manual for Managers and Policy Makers.  WHO, 1999.

The Distressed Communities Index  (DCI) is a customized dataset created by EIG examining economic distress throughout the country and made up of interactive maps, infographics, and a report. It captures data from more than 25,000 zip codes (those with populations over 500 people). In all, it covers 99 percent — 312 million — of Americans.

Ericae.net  is a clearinghouse for information on evaluation, assessment, and research information.

This  Human Development Index Map  is a valuable tool from  Measure of America: A Project of the Social Science Research Council . It combines indicators in three fundamental areas - health, knowledge, and standard of living - into a single number that falls on a scale from 0 to 10, and is presented on an easy-to-navigate interactive map of the United States.

The   Institute of Medicine  advances scientific knowledge to improve health and provides information and advice concerning health policy.

The  National Institute for Literacy  provides information about research and initiatives to expand the community of literacy practitioners, students, and policymakers.

Sustainable Measures  provides a searchable database of indicators by broad topics (health, housing) and keywords (AIDS, access to care, birth weight, etc.) for communities, organizations and government agencies at all levels.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services , the principal agency for protecting the health of U.S. citizens, is comprised of 12 agencies that provide information on their specific domains, such as the  Administration on Aging . Others cross health boundaries, such as the  Centers for Disease Control , which maintains national health statistics. The " WONDER " system is an access point to a wide variety of CDC reports, guidelines, and public health data to assist in research, decision-making, priority setting, and resource allocation.

The  U.S. National Institute of Mental Health  provides statistics and educational information for the public as well as information for researchers.

Print Resources

Jones, B. (1979). Defining your neighborhood. In Neighborhood Planning: A Guide for Citizens and Planners . Chicago, IL: Planners Press, pp. 8-11.

Scheie, D. (1991). August-September). Tools for taking stock. The Neighborhood Works . Chicago, IL: Center for Neighborhood Technology, pp. 16-17.

Spradley, J. P. (1980). Locating a social situation. In Participant Observation . Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, pp. 45-52.

Warren, R.B., Warren, D.I. (1977). The Neighborhood Organizer's Handbook . Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, pp.167-196.

• Core Convictions
• Daisaku Ikeda
• Staff & Leadership
• Ikeda Forum
• Dialogue Nights
• Indigo Talks
• Global Citizens Seminar Series
• Ikeda Center Youth Committee (ICYC)
• Education Fellows
• Find Resources
• Founding Lecture
• Founder's Messages
• Ikeda/Soka Studies in Education Bibliography
• Exam Copies

What Is Community, and Why Is It Important?

In 2005, the Center asked several people whose work involves community building this simple question, and got some not-so-simple answers.

Riché C. Zamor, Executive Director, Latin American Health Institute, Boston

To me a community is a group of individuals connected to each other by one or more attribute(s). The element that links them together is at the core, and is the essence of the group. Just as denoted by the root and the suffix of the word (common-unity), a certain segment of the population is united by a familiar thread. In the field of Public Health, we see community as a group of folks that are at risk of being infected or affected by certain types of diseases based on their demographic, social, and economic status. A community is a familiar thread used to bring people together to advocate and support each other in the fight to overcome those threats. As human beings, we need a sense of belonging, and that sense of belonging is what connects us to the many relationships we develop. Communities are also rich in resources, that is where their collective aspect comes into play. We are all members of many communities (family, work, neighborhood, etc.), and we constantly move in and out of them, depending on the situation. Community is where we find comfort in difficult times. When things are not going well in one community, we have the option to move to another. For me, the community is where one finds the balance between physical and mental fitness.

Sarah Michelson, Teen Intern with The Food Project

Most people in today’s world rely on a community for practical purposes. The necessities of life rarely come from one’s own hands, but rather from a complicated “web of mutuality,” as Martin Luther King, Jr. once phrased it. While most people need to be part of a community for life’s necessities, most people want to be part of a community because there is something indescribably lovely about being a part of a group of people who share something more substantial than geographical location… something they feel passionately about. Something that, when shared, makes individuals seem less lonely. A community is a safe place.

But there is something potentially dangerous about communities. A community that is safe, comfortable, and trusting can be so enticing that individuals can forget about the world outside of their community, or regard other communities with subtle prejudices.

I am a member of the Sudbury community, an affluent suburb of Boston. While I work to give back to my community, I also need to spend some time away from Sudbury, to know what life is like in Bolivia, in the American South, or in Roxbury, the inner city neighborhood where the Food Project does a lot of its work. I need to go to these places to remind myself that this way of life I am used to is not the only way or the best way. I need to be reminded that, while I give to my community, other communities are no less deserving. I need to be reminded that when I form a connection with someone based on common experience, it is not because that someone is from Sudbury. It is because we are both human beings, and I am part of a global community.

Alan O’Hare, Schenachie (Celtic Storyteller) and Director Life Story Theatre

In the silence of an early morning walk recently, the crystal song of a scarlet red cardinal atop an oak tree awakened me more fully. As I stood listening to him and his mate in a nearby tree serenading each other, a couple walking their dog joined me. Without speaking a word, it was clear we were enchanted by the gift of their song, and we joined together briefly in a community of celebration for the gifts of Nature.

The new light, the morning hymn, and the momentary connection with other travelers evoked images from other communities. Each of these whether for learning, work, healing, prayer, or friendship creates for us a safe experience of belonging, purpose, and shared values. In them, each of us encounters who we are and what our gifts are.

In the Sufi tradition, it is taught that the primary purpose of life is to awaken to the essence of who we are. Once we do so, we are invited to lovingly embrace this realization. The gift of community is that it offers each of us the fire of affirmation and support to achieve this… even on those days when we feel no fire.

But at that time we can recall the words of Thich Nhat Hanh: “I ask all of you to hold up your hands and tell me the truth. Do you believe, as I do, that someone in our hamlet is keeping the fire alive?”

Frances Moore Lappé, Author of Democracy’s Edge

Community — meaning for me “nurturing human connection” — is our survival. We humans wither outside of community. It isn’t a luxury, a nice thing; community is essential to our well being.   Inclusion in the social life of society is community’s foundation. By inclusion I mean universal access to entry, starting with legal protections against exclusion — racial discrimination, for example — but going far, far beyond. Inclusion means access to jobs with fair pay, decent shelter, effective schools, and reliable health care. If you deprive “a man of a job or an income,” said Martin Luther King, Jr., “you are in substance saying to that man that he has no right to exist…it is murder, psychologically…”   Yet today the ethic in ascendance is exclusion. We have allowed the government to let the minimum wage lose a quarter of its value in thirty years. One out of every five jobs in the U.S. will not lift a family of four out of poverty. And we’ve allowed health care to become unattainable by so many that America now ranks 42nd among the world’s nations in infant survival.   This profoundly disturbing assault on community calls us to accept an irony: We must risk exclusion — alienating or at least disturbing others — to become advocates for inclusion in community. That may mean speaking our minds even if  doing so triggers discomfort in others, reaching out to those excluded even when it feels awkward, engaging in visible civic public action such as a vigil or door-to-door education even where we risk angry rejection.   Appreciating that community is essential to human well being calls us to a particular kind of courage: walking with our fear of exclusion in order to stand up for inclusion.

Lisa R. Fortuna, Staff Psychiatrist, Cambridge Health Alliance

Community is about growing with others. I grew up surrounded by a culturally rich and loving community which has shaped my identity and pride as a black Latina woman. I have been blessed to be around young people and families ever engaged in improving the vitality of their community. Now, thirty five years into my life, I am a child and adolescent psychiatrist. Everyday, I get to meet with young people. I have the opportunity to be there in their lives during some of their most difficult and distressing moments. Because of who these young people are, and because of the love I have received, I strive to be the best physician I can be and to serve those who need me most.

In the process, my spirituality has been a central stabilizing and informing force in my life, one that has been very personal, very quiet and that has nevertheless guided every one of my life choices. This interface between community, medicine, and personal faith started with an early and long-standing fascination with the world around me. My mind was ignited by a love of science and medicine, and reliant on the power of community and deep respect and appreciation for healing. This attitude towards the world was inspired by my grandmother my mother, and the elders around me who took the time to care. This is what community is about… taking care of each other.

Shirley Tang, Assistant Professor, Asian-American Studies & American Studies, UM ass Boston

I accepted the invitation to write for the BRC newsletter as a way to reflect briefly upon my own questions about community-building after twelve years of teaching and developing Asian American Studies in both university and street settings with students from urban immigrant/refugee communities. I was first drawn to Asian American Studies, and ethnic studies in general, because of its revolutionary commitments to community-building, justice-centered education, and hands-on, practical work. I have always felt that the best places to learn/teach are not behind the closed doors of an ivory tower but where people are experiencing marginalization and exclusion from decision-making power and resource-rich opportunities.

Several years ago, that was all theory. After I listened carefully to how young people and their families experienced problems first-hand and after I realized that they had always been at the forefront in fighting for a just and healthy community for all, I had begun to see things from their perspective and apply myself to keeping their—our—dreams alive. Since I started working at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, I have become a U.S. resident, and like many of the students and community members that I work with, I also found my life becoming more and more tied to the political and social situation of immigrant communities/communities of color in U.S.  society.

So, why is community important? Because community saves us from the isolation and alienation we fear. Because in the real world people have no choice. Because community is about finding each other and a place we can call home. But we are also compelled to build community not only because we are survivors in an existing world order but because we bring differences to a society that erases our differences. By dealing with differences we confront the question of the social and economic foundations of our society. By building community we put some order in the fragmented world.

Interdependence

It’s a simple idea with vast implications. Known in Western society as interdependence, the concept has been known for millennia in Buddhism as “dependent origination.” Because of the light it sheds on all manner of living relations, Ikeda returns time and again to it in his writings, speeches, and dialogues.

10 Traits That Make a Positive Community

Before answering that question, let’s zoom out a little bit.

Humans are made to live and work with others in a community where we can thrive. We are social beings that have evolved to exist within communities.

The quality of a community is often dictated by the degree of engagement and happiness individuals can draw from community interactions. Yet, sadly, some communities promote feelings of self-doubt and isolation.

Positive communities are groups that inspire their members in ways that promote a sense of self-discovery and group connection, encourage members to express their beliefs and values and build relationships with others.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Relationships Exercises for free . These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or your clients build healthy, life-enriching relationships.

This Article Contains:

What is a community, what is a positive community, 5 drivers of helpful community formation, 10 traits of positive communities, 5 quotes about positive communities, a take-home message.

While most of us know intuitively what is meant by the word ‘community,’ the term has been used to refer to a wide range of different phenomena throughout time. For instance, the word is often used to refer to co-location in a neighborhood, social capital (i.e., thinking of others as resources), or social organization at a state or national level (Mah & Carpenter, 2016).

Today, the word can mean all or none of these things.

A synthesis of definitions from sociology suggests that a community is a social unit (or group of living things) that share something in common, such as customs, identifying characteristics, values, beliefs , or norms (Mah & Carpenter, 2016).

To illustrate, it is likely you have heard references to the term ‘LGBTQI+ community.’ This is a loosely defined grouping of individuals, organizations, and social movements who take an interest in the rights and subcultures of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex populations.

In line with the definition of a community, members of the LGBTQI+ community share common identifying characteristics (e.g., gender identity, sexual preference) and values (e.g., the freedom to openly express one’s identity).

Communities are based around networks of social relations that extend beyond one’s immediate family, and they are thought to have some longevity. That is, members of a community stay in regular social contact with one another.

Further, while being physically situated close to other community members is sometimes necessary for that community to thrive, there has been a rise in mobile and virtual communities that are challenging classic understandings of the term.

For instance, the 100 million users that regularly log in to online games like World of Warcraft (MMO Populations, n.d.) are part of a global virtual community. Likewise, online forums and Facebook groups on niche hobbies are other forms of virtual community.

Positive experiences with communities allow individuals to feel more connected to their environment and the people in it. Further, the connection that comes with being in a community can act as a support system for members when they require encouragement or help.

Indeed, the power of community involvement is well-recognized by scholars and can help combat the sense of isolation that can be felt among social minorities.

For instance, one study of mental health among bisexual women found that participating in a bisexual-specific community 2-3 times per week helped reduce the impact of internalized negative attitudes about one’s bisexuality on depressive symptoms (Lambe, Cerezo, & O’Shaughnessy, 2017).

Similarly, another study showed that rural, low-income mothers who regularly engaged with their faith-based communities exhibited fewer depressive symptoms (Garrison, Marks, Lawrence, & Braun, 2005).

Scientific recognition of the benefits of community involvement for mental health has translated to a range of mental health campaigns across the world. For example, Australia’s long-running Act-Belong-Commit campaign encourages people to be mentally healthy by getting involved with a local community group and committing to a meaningful cause, such as through volunteering (Act-Belong-Commit, n.d.).

At a national level, Iceland embarked on a plan to reduce teenage alcohol and drug consumption by providing more access to community sporting groups.

The results of the campaign were groundbreaking. Following the initiative, the percentage of teenagers who reported excessive alcohol consumption in the previous month dropped from 42% in 1998 to 5% in 2016. Likewise, the percentage who reported ever using cannabis dropped from 17% to 7%, and cigarette use fell from 23% to 3% (Young, 2017).

Based on these results, it is clear that involvement in positive communities can have a tangible impact on individuals by helping them avoid negative outcomes, such as poor mental health, by providing a sense of belonging and directing members’ attention and energy toward beneficial activities.

However, involvement in positive communities can bring about positive change in the broader environment, too.

In his book, Facilitator’s Guide to Participatory Decision-Making , leading expert on collaborative decision making, Sam Kaner (2014), describes the process that community groups undergo when trying to bring about change in an environment.

To achieve change, members of a group must navigate what Kaner refers to as the “ groan zone .” This is referred to as such because it is uncomfortable and sometimes marked by conflict. However, when parties build trust and communicate a shared vision with those who have the power to enact change, positive outcomes can result.

Download 3 Free Positive Relationships Exercises (PDF)

These detailed, science-based exercises will equip you or your clients to build healthy, life-enriching relationships.

Download 3 Positive Relationships Pack (PDF)

By filling out your name and email address below.

• Email Address *
• Your Expertise * Your expertise Therapy Coaching Education Counseling Business Healthcare Other
• Email This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

There are two key reasons why communities may form.

• Communities tend to form when one or more individuals want to connect with others possessing similar values, beliefs, interests, etc., and such a group doesn’t currently exist, or
• Inadvertently, as a result of being co-located.

Whether such groups form on purpose or by accident, discovering others with whom we share common characteristics can be incredibly comforting and rewarding. Involvement in positive and encouraging communities can also facilitate self-reflection and exploration of core values and beliefs.

Here are five key grounds upon which communities tend to form (and why others may be motivated to join said communities; Perkins, 2015).

1. Shared identity

It is common for communities to form among those who share a common sense of identity. For instance, alumni group-members share a history at the same learning institution. Likewise, ethnic communities share aspects of their culture and heritage in common.

2. Shared purpose

Those who feel passionately about social causes will often band together as a community. These objectives can be large-scale, such as working together to eradicate a particular disease, or be on a smaller, more local scale, such as a community that seeks to get a particular party member elected.

3. Common objectives

Some communities are united by concrete goals or the pursuit of mutually beneficial outcomes. For instance, millions of Facebook users around the world engage with Facebook’s many buy-and-sell communities.

These communities are formed by everyday Facebook users so that people can buy, sell, and bid on niche categories of items. Thus, these groups’ members share common objectives, such as acquiring new possessions or making a profit on ones that are no longer needed.

4. Shared interests or passions

Many communities form based on common interests or hobbies, such as in Iceland’s example of teen sporting groups. Examples of interests that may lead to community formation include the arts, sports, cooking, cultures, and games.

5. Common Behavior

Communities can serve to hold their members accountable for enacting particular behaviors and reaching certain goals.

When a person commits to achieve a goal, they are typically less likely to succeed when they do so in private. If they start deviating from their objective, there will be no one present to hold them accountable.

Conversely, when a person verbalizes their goals to others within a community, there is a social expectation that they will achieve that goal. Thus that person becomes more likely to succeed (Oppong, 2017).

Further, when someone faces hurdles to achieving a goal, others in their community pursuing similar objectives can provide support and empathize with their situations. Good examples of such communities include Alcoholics Anonymous and weight-loss groups (Perkins, 2015).

1. Common goals

Effective communities often share similar values and belief systems. These can motivate its individuals to accomplish mutually held goals, the nature of which may vary depending on the group in question.

For example, one community may value environmental goals, such as promoting recycling and making forest areas more habitable for wildlife. In contrast, another community may place value on an effective education system and thereby work toward the goal of influencing education policy.

2. Freedom of expression

Central to developing a positive community is comfort among its members when it comes to speaking their minds and expressing what is important to them.

Individuals who feel encouraged to give input about an issue and who feel heard when they speak their minds are more likely to feel connected to their community. Further, successful communities recognize the importance of opinions that diverge from the majority and are open to hearing these (Greenberg & Edwards, 2009).

In contrast, dysfunctional communities tend to silence voices that diverge from those espoused by the majority or group leaders.

At best, communities with such dynamics may miss opportunities to improve their practices and enhance their members’ fulfillment from their involvement (Bashshur & Oc, 2015). At worst, they may harm their members by isolating them from diverse viewpoints or exerting undue control.

3. Address member concerns with sensitivity

Not only is it important to create a community that encourages the voicing of concerns, but it is also important to ensure that members feel their concerns are adequately addressed.

Positive communities prioritize their members’ wellbeing and address concerns in a timely and sensitive manner when they arise. For community leaders, this means taking the time to listen carefully to any concerns raised and taking the necessary steps to assess risks and conduct further investigations when necessary.

Throughout this process, community leaders need to act fairly, keep clear records, and maintain good communication with the member who initially raised the concern (Whistleblowing Helpline, 2016). Sometimes, it may also be appropriate to protect the member’s identity by referring to the community member anonymously in any documentation.

4. Set clear policies and obligations

Strong and enduring communities typically set clear rules and expectations to guide the conduct of its members. Doing so ensures that there is as little ambiguity as possible regarding what is and is not okay and will help minimize misunderstandings.

Depending on the community’s nature, it may be helpful to establish a code of conduct that explicitly links a community’s mission, values, and principles to expected standards of behavior. Such a code can then help community members to behave ethically, meet their obligations, and carry out day-to-day decision making (Ethics & Compliance Initiative, n.d.).

5. Fairness

With policies and expectations clearly in place, enforcement of these rules should be applied fairly.

Feeling a sense of fairness is critical to the experience of good relationships, and good relationships are often a key driver of people’s involvement in communities (Butorova, n.d.). Therefore, a community that does not apply its rules fairly risks inadvertently driving away its members and producing feelings of disconnection.

For instance, the community member who feels that they must ‘pick up the slack’ for another member who has neglected to meet their obligations may begin to feel resentment toward this member. They may also feel resentment toward the community’s leadership, who have failed to hold this member accountable.

6. Celebrate heritage and traditions

Every long-standing community has heritage and traditions that have arisen during the community’s development. Positive communities embrace their culture by reminding members of the long way the community has come.

There are many ways to celebrate a community’s heritage and traditions. One way is through its artifacts–observable symbols and signs of a community’s culture (Ott, 1989).

Examples of artifacts include a community’s stories and legends, such as a dramatic tale of how the community was formed; Wilkins, 1983; language, in the way members greet one another; rituals and ceremonies (Smith & Stewart, 2011), and physical structures or symbols such as trophies or the design of physical spaces.

7. Promote interaction among members

Positive communities work to foster a feeling of genuine connection among members by providing plenty of interaction opportunities. Doing this can motivate members to meet their obligations and work toward the established goals of the community.

More specifically, crafting opportunities for members to experience emotional contagion in their interactions is key.

Emotional contagion occurs when two or more people focus on a common activity and emotional experience, generating feelings of group solidarity (Collins, 2004). Examples of activities that may induce emotional contagion feelings include protesting about a cause a community is passionate about or singing along to songs together at a karaoke night.

8. Elect leaders that stand by community values

Individuals elected to leadership positions within positive communities should be fair and just in their focus. Their shared values should inform the decisions they make on behalf of the community.

Where possible, leaders should be diverse and represent the full scope of views and identities present within the community, such as electing an equal balance of men and women to a board.

9. Prioritize effective communication

Communication is essential for any effective community. Not only does this mean clearly communicating policies, rules, and expectations, but it also means keeping members up to date about ongoing projects, changes to policies, and upcoming events.

Often, communities will set up their own customized channels to facilitate effective communication . Examples of such channels include regular monthly meetings, circulated meeting minutes, digital social networking services, and newsletters.

10. Make smart decisions

Decisions made by positive and encouraging communities focus primarily on the promotion of its vision and aims. When in doubt about decisions that must be made, positive leaders should consider whether any major decision is aligned with the community’s vision and aims. It is the members’ identification with a vision and aims that likely led them to join the community in the first place.

Members will inevitably disagree on some issues, but an effective community leader incorporates concerns from all sides of an issue to arrive at final decisions.

Creating a community and finding purpose – Stephen Thompson

People who work together in communities can achieve amazing things. Let these quotes serve as reminders of the drivers and benefits of positive communities.

As you read them, think about whether any resonate with you and the communities you are involved in.

The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.

Coretta Scott King

Every successful individual knows that his or her achievement depends on a community of persons working together.

The power of community to create health is far greater than any physician, clinic or hospital.

Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing.

Empathy is the starting point for creating a community and taking action. It is the impetus for creating change.

17 Exercises for Positive, Fulfilling Relationships

Empower others with the skills to cultivate fulfilling, rewarding relationships and enhance their social wellbeing with these 17 Positive Relationships Exercises [PDF].

Created by experts. 100% Science-based.

According to Henrik Ibsen:

“A community is like a ship; everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm.”

Indeed, well-functioning, positive communities can motivate extraordinary commitment and dedication from their members, such that they will be willing to ‘take the helm’ when called upon.

At their core, positive communities generate this commitment because they are founded on a compelling and inspiring vision that members can identify with. Whether this vision is to eradicate world hunger or have the best Christmas lights display in the neighborhood, positive communities get members excited about interacting with one another and contributing.

Positive communities are also governed by effective leaders, who represent and execute the community’s values with fairness and genuine concern for their members.

We covered ten factors that can help make a community successful, but did we miss any? We’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Positive Relationships Exercises for free .

• Act-Belong-Commit. (n.d.). What is Act Belong Commit? Retrieved from https://www.actbelongcommit.org.au/about-us/what-is-act-belong-commit
• Bashshur, M. R., & Oc, B. (2015). When voice matters: A multilevel review of the impact of voice in organizations. Journal of Management , 41(5), 1530-1554.
• Butorova, H. (n.d.). The importance of: Fairness . Citywise. Retrieved from https://citywise.org/importance-fairness/
• Collins, R. (2004). Interaction ritual chains . Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
• Ethics & Compliance Initiative. (n.d.). Developing an organizational code of conduct . Retrieved from https://www.ethics.org/resources/free-toolkit/code-of-conduct/
• Garrison, M. B., Marks, L. D., Lawrence, F. C., & Braun, B. (2005). Religious beliefs, faith community involvement and depression: A study of rural, low-income mothers. Women & Health , 40(3), 51-62.
• Greenberg, J., & Edwards, M. S. (2009). Voice and silence in organizations . Bigley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing.
• Kaner, S. (2014). Facilitator’s guide to participatory decision-making . San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.
• Lambe, J., Cerezo, A., & O’Shaughnessy, T. (2017). Minority stress, community involvement, and mental health among bisexual women. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity , 4(2), 218-226.
• Mah, A., & Carpenter, M. (2016). Community. Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology .
• MMO Populations. (n.d.). World of Warcraft . Retrieved from https://mmo-population.com/r/wow
• Ott, J. S. (1989). The organizational culture perspective . Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole).
• Perkins, L. (2015). 5 Key reasons people join communities . Social Media Week. Retrieved from https://socialmediaweek.org/blog/2015/01/5-key-reasons-people-join-communities/
• Smith, A. C., & Stewart, B. (2011). Organizational rituals: Features, functions and mechanisms. International Journal of Management Reviews , 13(2), 113-133.
• Whistleblowing Helpline. (2016). Raising concerns at work . Retrieved from https://www.norfolklscb.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Raising-Concerns-at-Work.pdf
• Wilkins, A. L. (1983). Organizational stories as symbols which control the organization. In L. R. Pondy, P. J. Frost, T. C. Dandridge, G. Morgan & S. B. Bacharach. (Eds.). Organizational symbolism . Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
• Young, E. (2017, January 19). How Iceland got teens to say no to drugs . The Atlantic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/01/teens-drugs-iceland/513668/

Share this article:

Article feedback

What our readers think.

Great article! Was great to learn about some positive traits in a community!

I am part of a small group of volunteers preparing our first community newsletter. We are not paid and the newsletter is free.

How can we request your permission to print portions of your essay “10 Traits of Positive Communities”? We would like to quote portions of your article and include your name and background.

We look forward to your reply. We enjoyed reading your informative essay.

If you’d like to republish portions of this article, please drop an email to [email protected] letting us know a few details about your newsletter and audience, and a member of our team will get back to you soon.

– Nicole | Community Manager

Let us know your thoughts Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Related articles

Unleashing the Power of Gentle Parenting (& 3 Examples)

Parenting is a beautiful and deeply rewarding, but also often a confusing and overwhelming journey. We all want to raise happy and well-adjusted children. However, [...]

Taming Temper Tantrums: Behavior Management for Toddlers

All parents have been there: whining, screaming, crying, throwing things, lying down on the floor, and refusing to get up. Hopefully, it’s the children doing [...]

Authoritative Parenting: Guiding With Warmth and Firmness

Parenting is rarely taught, so it must be learned quickly on the job. The parenting styles we adopt may not always be the most effective, [...]

Read other articles by their category

• Body & Brain (48)
• Coaching & Application (57)
• Compassion (26)
• Counseling (51)
• Emotional Intelligence (24)
• Gratitude (18)
• Grief & Bereavement (21)
• Happiness & SWB (40)
• Meaning & Values (26)
• Meditation (20)
• Mindfulness (45)
• Motivation & Goals (45)
• Optimism & Mindset (34)
• Positive CBT (27)
• Positive Communication (20)
• Positive Education (47)
• Positive Emotions (32)
• Positive Leadership (17)
• Positive Parenting (0)
• Positive Psychology (33)
• Positive Workplace (36)
• Productivity (16)
• Relationships (49)
• Resilience & Coping (35)
• Self Awareness (21)
• Self Esteem (37)
• Strengths & Virtues (30)
• Stress & Burnout Prevention (34)
• Theory & Books (46)
• Therapy Exercises (37)
• Types of Therapy (64)

• Comments This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

3 Positive Relationships Exercises Pack

10 Community Problems and 10 Solutions

We present here 10 community problems and 10 solutions. They cover food, energy, housing, social, education, economics, transportation, and more.

We all live and interact in communities of various sizes. Our towns and cities are the communities most people think of, but we also work in communities, go to school and/or take our kids to schools that have their own community structures, and we usually belong to various social and recreational communities too. As a person and parent living on this planet of finite resources, I’m very focused on solutions and approaches that make our communities more sustainable. As the Director of the One Community Global nonprofit , I’m also interested in community solutions that can be applied globally.

With this in mind, here are 10 common community problems and 10 solutions. If you’d like information on how One Community is integrating these into ultra-sustainable communities that will function as self-sufficient and self-replicating teacher/demonstration hubs , click the related icons.

FOOD SOLUTIONS

Large-scale applications for global change.

Duplicable food infrastructure designed to produce food that is grown on-site. Food grown this way will be fresher and can be produced without pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides. In addition, it will be more diverse than what people find in the grocery store because it is grown as part of our open source botanical garden model .

ENERGY SOLUTIONS

Duplicable energy infrastructure including solar , wind , and hydro to help people eliminate their power bills and be a source of revenue for those still connected to the grid. Also, built to evolve and grow with the evolution and expansion of new technologies too.

HOUSING SOLUTIONS

If the above plugin doesn't allow fullscreen, try a different browser. If that or anything else still isn't working for you, you can download a copy of the above book here:  Book PDF download (128 MB)

EDUCATION SOLUTIONS

Duplicable education models designed for all ages, built to exceed traditional educational standards, and modifiable for application in a homeschooling environment, a traditional schooling environment, or for use as a complete community-based private schooling program.

SOCIAL/RECREATIONAL SOLUTIONS

Duplicable social architecture and recreation models built within “ True Community ” and designed to provide a more enriching and fulfilling living experience . All on-site, freely available, and providing more activity diversity than most metropolitan areas.

SUSTAINABLE ECONOMICS

Duplicable for-profit and non-profit business infrastructure that prioritizes cooperation and collaboration over competition. Resource based economy application and a model for sharing it globally .

STEWARDSHIP SOLUTIONS

Duplicable “Highest Good” approaches to all aspects of life . This includes community and individually applicable lifestyle considerations and small and large-scale recycling, reuse, and repurposing options for all areas: paper , plastic , glass , polystyrene/styrofoam , clothing/cloth , food and other perishable items , and even non-recyclables .

TRANSPORTATION SOLUTIONS

Transportation is another common community challenge. It includes cost of ownership and maintenance, parking and other space needs, and vehicle contributions to the climate crisis. Co-ownership, ride sharing, alternative transportation (bike, scooter, moped, etc.), and public transportation are all common solutions to this. The larger the community participating, the more effective and convenient these solutions all are.

DIY duplicable housing infrastructure designed to demonstrate community and localized living with almost everything a person needs or would want within walking distance. Models like these will eliminate the need for regular car use, but everyone will still have access to a car anytime they need or want one.

VALUES DIFFERENCES

Values differences are arguably the most destructive community challenge. Religion, politics, lifestyle preferences, dietary preferences, how to raise kids, pets, etc. can all be areas where people passionately differ in their opinions and perspectives. If unresolvable conflicts are arising, your values differences may not be sustainable. One way to address this is to choose to focus on the areas you agree. A second way is to be more transparent with your values and primarily build community with others who share them.

Duplicable and adaptable values structures based on compassion, kindness, and what we call living and creating for “ The Highest Good of All .”

GLOBAL IMPLEMENTATION

Almost everyone can look at the list above and see something they would like to implement but find really challenging. Some would even like to implement all of these ideas, but how? Local, national, and global communities are the answer. Groups of people will find it easier to implement these solutions, even the individual ones. Find a group or start one, there are so many resources out there and every action makes a difference. The bigger the community, the bigger the difference.

Click these icons if you’d like to learn more about our community :

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

• Ways to Help
• Overview / Start Here
• Purpose, Vision, Mission
• Open Source and Free-shared
• Global Sustainability Strategy
• For The Highest Good of All
• Weekly Updates Blog
• Executive Summary
• Website Sitemap

MAIN OPEN SOURCE HUBS

• Highest Good Food
• Highest Good Energy
• Highest Good Housing
• Highest Good Education
• Highest Good Economics
• Highest Good Society
• Duplicable City Center

HIGHEST GOOD HUBS

• HG OS Main Hub
• Botanical Garden Creation & Inventorying
• Self-replication Model
• Lifestyle Considerations
• Innovation and Technology
• Consensus Model
• Water Conservation
• Evolving Sustainability
• Social Equality & Diversity
• Creating True Community
• Resource Based Economies
• Teacher/Demonstration Hubs
• Highest Good Software

GET INVOLVED

• All the Ways to Get Involved
• Weekly Progress Updates by Email
• View Weekly Progress Updates
• Community Membership
• Volunteering / Consulting
• Internet Participation
• Shopping to Raise $
• Facebook Updates
• Facebook Group

Search One Community

Connect with one community, one community’s principles to success.

• Open Source
• Methodology Details
• Solutions that Create Solutions

"In order to change an existing paradigm you do not struggle to try and change the problematic model. You create a new model and make the old one obsolete. That, in essence, is the higher service to which we are all being called."

~ Buckminster Fuller ~

One Community operates under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License .

Use of this website constitutes acceptance and agreement to comply with and be bound by these  Terms and Conditions . They apply to the Site and all of One Community’s creations, divisions, and subsidiaries. Please read them here .

Privacy Overview

Sample details

• Words: 2834

Related Topics

• Immune System
• Respiration
• Photosynthesis
• Regeneration
• Cohabitation
• Organic compounds
• Circulatory system

Describe the Community you Live in

Highlight some of the variations you may observe in terms of: Interests Beliefs Ages Lifestyles Personal, social and cultural identities. There is a different mix of people within the community in which I live. In the immediate community there are many variations; in the CUL De sac in which I live, it is occupied by people of all ages, from the very young (babies) all the way through to older people (Pops). There are differing values within these people due to age, as well as culture as there are people from different backgrounds.

From what I can observe, there are a few people from Poland (whom speak Polish and English) and there are people whom have a black ethnicity to which am unsure where they originate from and the language other than English which they speak. Different cultures have differing values and expectations, it is observable for instance in the way they dress. There are more variations within lifestyles, as some of the people whom I live near go to church, others don’t as well as people who smoke, have foul language and other various personal or lifestyle differences.

ready to help you now

Without paying upfront

Within my community you can see people have many interests, I can see them riding their bikes and playing football. There are groups of older people gathering and taking, socializing with one another. There are many mother and baby groups, as well as fitness groups at the local church (Samba). There are many cultures within my community, therefore there are more than one alluding devoted to faith and religion. There is a mosque, denominations of Christianity (such as Church of England, Catholicism and catholic schools) as well as a faith building I’m not too sure about.

There are many activities specialized for the different ages, there are mother and baby/toddler groups (which there are many babies and toddlers within the community), there are many schools, after school clubs and social groups for children (although their doesn’t seem as many children of school age). There are more people of retirement age, and the majority of the people within the community would appear to be out of work, for which there is a local job centre where the people of ages 20-40 seem to gather which is right next to the pub! The community I live in there is many different styles of housing.

Immediately around myself there are new build houses and apartments as it has been build on the old hospital grounds. Further a field there is a lot of social housing as well as student lets. Due to the area, the Muslim religion is very prominent especially with cultural outfits. 3. Explain how the variations in question 2 contribute to the diversity of the community. Each person has a unique set of qualities that makes them different from al other people, these variations within qualities are known as individual differences and contribute to the diversity of a community.

Different cultures, backgrounds, languages, age, gender and social/lifestyle choices all seen in the community in which I live all add to the diverse community in which I live, as diverse means different and varied. 4. Give some examples to explain how diversity: Enhances your life Enhances the local community Enhances this country. Diversity has enhanced my life in many ways; it has given me a wide range of experiences and opportunities.

I have got to know people who are different to yeses e. G. People originating from many different countries from my own (within my community there are many people orientating from Poland, I have got to know them and their culture), ethnic backgrounds, people of different genders (l have got to know many men within my community), with different sexual preferences (within my community there are people who are homosexual and heterosexual and I have learnt not to judge), values , beliefs, interests and economic backgrounds, it has given me an insight into how others live or feel and has taught me to emphasis with others and to appreciate what I have.

It has also brought scope for me to develop a wider variety of friendships and relationships. I now have quite a diverse friendship group with people of all backgrounds. Diversity has enhanced my community as it has brought new and different products and services to my community; this includes different items of clothing or food products. There are many sari shops and hall butchers as well as take away e. G. Indian, Chinese and Jamaican. It has enhanced my community, as diverse qualities have come together and created something new.

For example, the combination of different cooking styles, different language patterns and efferent musical forms can lead to something exciting and fresh. Diversity has enhanced my country as it has brought new ideas to the country, the way the country should be run, the laws and legislation that is required and has opened the people of the country eyes to the wider world. The country is now multicultural, with many languages, cultures, different food and services; it has provided a new and differently skilled work force and enhanced the economy.

For example, there are now many healthcare professionals such as doctors whom have studied and worked in different countries and gained valuable experience with what would be rare illnesses or infections within the UK due to the Auks quite high standards of living compared to that within some of other countries. The country now also has many workers from other countries that are willing to do some jobs that many people within the UK did not want to do (some of the lowest paid jobs).

Describe what it means to respect people’s differences and why it is important to respect differences. When people learn to appreciate diversity it develops a greater understanding and respect for people’s differences. People will have similarities and differences thin their qualities; if people have similarities with one another it is easier for them to accept one another. However, when people have different qualities to one another, they may act in many ways. To respect those differences is to accept that everyone has the right to be different. This does not mean to accept or agree with those qualities or choices, it just means that you tolerate them and can live with them.

Describe yourself in terms of: Personal interests Religion / culture Geography. Would describe myself as not having many personal interests, I use to be someone who enjoyed sports and socializing, but becoming a mother has made those interests very difficult. Instead my interests have become reading books and spending time trying to achieve personal goals. Eve spending time with my partner and my daughter. I would not consider myself as being very religious however; being a part of the Church of England it is important to me to live by the guidelines of the church.

I would say that I am a part of the western culture. Geographically I would describe myself as a Brume, a British citizen. 8. What is meant by having multiple identities? Give three examples in relation to people you know. Multiple identities means having more than one characteristic that defines who we are as a person. Humans are multifaceted therefore if we were defined as avian one identity such as being male or female, then there would be nothing that would uniquely define us as humans from one another.

By having multiple characteristics, such as our interests, ideas, cultures, our relationships, genders, race etc it creates a unique individual with multiple identities all with the ability to be discriminated against. Example 1: My mother is a parent in front of her children, she is also a wife to my father, and she used to be a daughter to her parents and is now a grandparent to my daughter. She is a Christian, and is heterosexual. She is disabled, and is also unemployed. It is evident that my mother has many identities and may act different for each of the identities with different people.

Having multiple identities for my mother means that it is possible to be seen in many different lights, and it is possible for her to be discriminated against for each of those multiple identities. This could include, unemployed, disabled women whom is a Christian all at once. However, it is also possible to be discriminated against for other identities that she may have as well. My father is a parent to his children, a grandparent to my daughter, he is a husband to my mother, and he is also a heterosexual male. He is a manager to people lower than him at work, but also a colleague.

He is a friend and a keen Villa Supporter. He is a member of the Labor party. He evidently has multiple identities and can be seen in many ways. Having multiple identities for my father means that it is possible to be seen in many different lights, and it is possible for him to be discriminated against for each of those multiple identities. This could include, his class, being a villa supporter, being a member of the labor party or even being male, all at once. However, it is also possible to be discriminated against for other identities that he may have as well.

Example 3: My partner is a friend to myself and a boyfriend, he is a father to my daughter and a son to his parents, and he is a brother to his sisters and an uncle to his niece and nephew. He is a colleague to his work mates, a keen Southampton supported and a truck spotter. It is evident that my partner has many identities and may act different for each of the identities with different people. Having multiple identities for my partner means that it is possible to be seen in many different lights, and it is possible for him to be discriminated against for each of those multiple identities.

This could include, being a Southampton supporter, lorry spotter or even being male, all at once. However, it is also possible to be discriminated against for other identities that he may have as well. 9. What is meant by shared identity? A person will have many characteristics that may be shared by others. When people have a shared quality or characteristic this is a shared identity. 10. Explain and give examples of how an individual can identify themselves as belonging to a number of different groups. A person can identify themselves with a number of groups, e. G. Heir gender group; whether that be male or female (or transgender), their sexuality; trousseaux or homosexual, their religion, culture, geographically etc. An example of this could be, a homosexual male student aged 19 goes to university in Birmingham but is from Manchester.

This male WOUld identify themselves as ‘male’ ‘homosexual’ ‘student’ ‘age 19’ ‘from Manchester’ ‘Lives in Birmingham’, this is just a small example and it is much more complex as that male may identify themselves in many more groups. 11. Describe yourself in terms of your multiple identities. M a mother, daughter, sister, girlfriend, niece, cousin, friend etc I am a number of people to the people am close to, all which have different identities. M a student, a Christian and a member of the IAMB. I am from Birmingham and England and I share identities with other Christians, people in the same geographic locations and members of the IAMB. 12. What is meant by stereotyping and labeling? Stereotyping is when you judge a group of people with a shared characteristic who are different from you based on your own and/or others opinions and/ or encounters.

It could be both positive and negative and may not be the truth. They don’t try to understand or respect the person’s unique qualities. Labeling refers to giving names to people based on their characteristics such as nationality, race etc. It is a form of prejudice and discrimination, as labels determine how people are and will be treated within society. People use their own prejudice to create these labels and they may not be based on the truth. 13. Explain why some people stereotype others. People stereotype because the human mind likes order and attempts to see patterns in disorderly situations.

It is much more comfortable to have a routine and a set of instructions that allow certain outcomes than it is to challenge our own minds, they like to make sense of the world. People can also become a bit lazy and not make the effort to change their outlooks. To change our outlooks would be to look far within and this can be frightening for many. People also have the desire to fit in and will act in accordance to that. It could also be because they have been programmed into thinking that the stereotypes they are using or thinking are actually the truth, as it can be passed down from generation to generation.

With some people being ignorant or not wanting to learn more about the group. Provide two examples of the damaging effects that stereotyping and labeling can have on people. There are many ways that stereotyping and labeling can have damaging effects on people. An example of this is conflict, by stereotyping and labeling people in a negative way could cause conflict e. G. Scottish people are tight fisted. This label given by the English to the Scottish people may in fact upset the Scottish people and cause conflict between the two groups of people.

Another example of the damaging effects of stereotypes and labeling have on people is that if you label people in a negative way then they may start acting in according to that stereotype. An example of where stereotyping had a negative effect on a group is Blacks were actively discriminated against and held out of certain places ND activities. They were treated as second class citizens and white people were hostile towards them. They laws were against them and they wasn’t even aloud to sit down on a bus. This carried on for years, and restricted the black population.

Times have changed since then, however there is still some hostility. This just shows that stereotyping can start as something small and end up segregating groups of people, causing civil wars and even deaths. Provide at least two examples of the way stereotyping is perpetuated in society. Stereotyping is perpetuated in society by the media, the views of the media is arced onto the public, in a kind of brainwashing way, e. G. Muslims are terrorists. The media shows Islamic people as terrorists by showing only the examples of this in the media and scaring the public into believing it.

This is also true of the views of families, friends or peer groups teaching young people or influencing people into having the same views as them. Stereotypes that are passed on through families and have been in existence for a long period is thought of as true facts; however this is not always the case. 16. Define prejudice and discrimination. Prejudice is a preconceived opinion not based on reason or experience. When someone discriminates against someone they use that prejudice and treat someone based on their ideas.

Discrimination means treating a person or group differently based on their prejudices, usually it means that people act in a negative way to a group of people due to their opinion. A person, whom discriminates, takes no time to understand a group of people or to even sympathies with them, but instead they judge them. Explain how people may develop prejudices. There are two main ways in which people develop prejudices. The first way is through solicitation, you learn the views of other people including family, rinds and the media.

For example, a certain member of my family does not agree with immigration within the country and believes that the only people who should live within the country should be the white people who are born here. Now for people such as myself I understand that, that view is very extreme and there is both a lack of understanding and tolerance, but he has 3 young children who believe that their father would not lie to them and therefore copy what their father says and believes. This breads negativity and makes no attempt to integrate with cultures other than that of their own.

They will experience these sews on a daily basis and it will stick with them and influence their views. When family bring children up with set views the children can come to view or think of the ideas as facts and believe them to be true and therefore will not challenge them. The second way is through over generalization, this is when a person has a bad experience and then generalists it to a group. This could be related to the idea that all Muslim people are terrorists, people could believe this to be true because the media focuses on a terrorist attack such as 9/11 and then strike fear into the people through association.

Cite this page

https://graduateway.com/diversity-assignment/

You can get a custom paper by one of our expert writers

• Cell biology
• Biomolecules
• Endocrine system
• Natural Selection
• Homeostasis
• Reproduction
• Cardiovascular system

Check more samples on your topics

Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today.

Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today.” This quote by James Dean is of great significance to me; it is what I live by. I feel it puts an optimistic outlook on my life. This quote can sum up my life so exactly because of my core beliefs. I believe

Analysis of Instinct and the Ancient Mariner – Live and Let Live

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

            The lone, repentant survivor of an ill-fated ocean journey in Coleridge’s poem, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” committed a sin but received mercy and redemption that spurred him to spread his bittersweet tale for the benefit of others.  His perplexing decision to kill a playful albatross that had followed his ship for days

Descriptions of the Community I Live In

Equal opportunity

The community in which I live is culturally diverse. There is a large Muslim community and Mosques which serve the community. Also there are Baptist and United Reform churches. There are a number of parks which are filled with young families during warm summer days in particular. There is also a local youth football team

Distinguish Between a Discourse Community and a Speech Community Analysis

Discussing Discourses Many people find the concept of a discourse community to be important enough to write about but many have failed to create a clear and universal definition. Three scholars: Porter, Swales, and Gee each attempt to create their own definition of the concept. Each of their articles has major differences in their interpretation of

The concept “community” and “community development”

Development

Assessment evidence shows that you can: critically discuss the meaning of the concepts "community' and "community development" discuss some of the difficulties encountered when explaining these concepts provide a historical background of community development critically discuss how the meaning of these concepts has changed over time and how scholars influenced by different ideologies and disciplines

Describe, Giving Examples, How Different Aspects of Development Can Affect One Another

Describe, giving examples, how different aspects of development can affect one another There are many examples that can describe how different aspects of development can affect one another. Most of the time one aspect will lead to another , so for example, if a child has a language barrier ( through a foreign language as

Describe a Person You Admire

Inspired Me

My mother is the focal point of our family, and I hold her in high esteem. She resembles the sun, with us orbiting around her like planets within a solar system. Apart from being affectionate, kind, and nurturing, she also possesses love, empathy, and an unwavering availability to assist us in resolving any troubles we

Describe Why Those Who Access Services Should Be Valued as Individuals

Describe why those who access services should be valued as individuals Those who access services are children, young people, and adults. Why should children, young people, and adults be valued? Because of the diversity involves presenting a positive attitude and approach towards differences between them, because of the equality everyone have to be treated equally.

Things that Describe Me

I would slightly disagree with the moral decision making aspect of this stage, because the avoidance of punishment. My mother is Latin and she is the authority of physical consequences in the house. I feel part of the reason why is because it is from the way she was raised and the fact my dad

Hi, my name is Amy 👋

In case you can't find a relevant example, our professional writers are ready to help you write a unique paper. Just talk to our smart assistant Amy and she'll connect you with the best match.

Ziemlich's Blog

Linggo, nobyembre 20, 2011, describe your community.

Walang komento:

Mag-post ng isang komento.