Community
“A true community is not just about being geographically close to someone or part of the same social web network. It’s about feeling connected and responsible for what happens. Humanity is our ultimate community, and everyone plays a crucial role.”
A community is a group of individuals that are united in some way, shape, or form. Although members may live in close proximity, they may also be scattered among a larger group of individuals. A few examples of how people may unite into a community are people who share professional, societal, or historical contexts or are like-minded in some area of life. Those within a community typically feel a “sense of community” that includes feelings of belonging, feelings that members value each other, and common expectations that members' needs will be met through their commitment to the group (Weiss-Dagan et al., 2021). Inclusion, authenticity, being heard, and sharing goals, support, and interests are core characteristics of a beneficial community. Community participation and sense of belonging, or the feeling of mattering in an integral way, are crucial components of a community that increase well-being, sense of purpose, and meaning in life (Weiss-Dagan et al., 2021; Lambert et al., 2013). In this module you will learn how to foster a sense of community and how to increase belongingness in the communities that you may be part of.
It is important to understand that not all communities are beneficial. Some communities subject members to harm, encourage members to hurt themselves or others, and/or perpetuate negative and harmful beliefs. Even in a seemingly innocent community such as a sports group or book club, there can be negative effects when any of its members feel that they don’t belong or have a perception of burdening the community. It is important to address and prevent these negative feelings because they can have serious repercussions including suicidal ideation (Brochu et al., 2021). Due to these important consequences, we each have a moral responsibility to promote belonging in the communities we are a part of. In some cases, it may be necessary to remove ourselves from communities that are detrimental. Continue to explore this module to learn about what good communities are and how a sense of community and belonging can be cultivated.
Contributors: Grace Lee, Addy Cragun, Brayden Funn, Jonathan Myers, Conner Diechman, and Jared Warren