Community: Concepts and Perspectives

Module 1: Community - Concepts and Perspectives

• Community comes from the Latin word "communis," meaning "common" or "shared."
• Community action aims to increase understanding, engagement, and empowerment, giving services to people
• Community dynamics refer to changes brought about by social, cultural, and environmental experiences
• Empowerment enables people to independently decide, plan, and take action to control their situation
• Non-geographical communities are formed based on needs, ideas, interests, identity, practices, and roles in social institutions
• Geographical communities share the same geographical vicinity

Defining Community

• The concept of community can vary based on different perspectives
• Four key perspectives are defined here
• Social Sciences: Focuses on people interacting and exchanging views while being sensitive to them
• Anthropology: Understanding the interaction with people, assessing history and present situations
• Economics: Allocation of production, assumptions of products and services improving living
• Polotical Science: Usage of power , influence and decision making for community
• Psychology: How the human mind ,brain, and behavior.
• Sociology: Understand social order , social interactions and culture

Institutional Perspective of Community

• Views community in three dimensions: physical space, social model, status or class, and other roles
• Includes physical spaces where members gather (companies, hospitals, markets)
• Social models that represent establishments and groups that meet needs and/or interests
• Status or class: presents marriage, friendship, neighborhood, and other roles within the community

Community - Civil Society and Local Levels

• Civil Society: Forming groups/organizations that serve society, linking people for the common good
• Local and Grassroots: Perspective highlights volunteerism and citizen contribution by taking responsibility and actions

Elements of Community

• Community Leadership: guidance from leaders helps facilitate coherence of plans and better implementation of programs
• Formal Power Structure: authority is based on established government protocols
• Informal Power Structure: influence is derived from respect and appreciation from the community
• Legal Authoritative Decision-Makers: appointed and possess the authority based on formal rules

Dimensions of Power Dynamics

• Key dimensions of power dynamics outlined
• Interrelationship: leaders are directly related to community members
• Organization: leaders affiliated with institutions or associations with specific purposes

Community Dynamics - Leadership

• Leadership provides responsibility to take charge of groups.
• Success is determined by guiding and caring out to better collective planning and implementation.

Qualities of a Good Community Leader

• Effective Communication
• Development of Social Capital Building
• Community Engagement
• Collaboration

Community Dynamics - Relationship & Social Change

• Success comes from economic growth and changes in it's environment
• Harmonious relationship between leaders and citizen seeking feelings of belonging helps them connect
• Social Change: Changes in the social order.
• Cultural factors, religious values, economic factors and technological factors

Community Typologies

• Formal Communities: groups formed systematically and hierarchically, with distinctions based on position
• Informal Communities: formed based on shared interests, behavior, characteristics, or preferences
• Rural and Urban Communities: formed base on loose structure with no hierarchy to satisfy needs.

Describing Communities by Population Density

• Rural Characteristics: low and spacious populations.
• Urban Characteristics: high, diverse sub groups ethnic tensions,
• Local Community: group of individuals that share environment and practices
• Global Community: interaction between people that are away from each other by modern telecommunication
• Sectors: Health, economics, law enforcements, business, youth/media/ human services etc..

Social and Micro Levels of a Community

• Social Spaces: Virtual or physical spaces where people can stay and interact as social centers, online forums, etc
• Micro level: group sharing needs , interest, to achieve common goals
• Macro Level: large, connected people as national groups, and international virtual communities

Community Engagement

• Outreach: Slight members involvement for community, and communication is only one way by top to down levels.
• Community Action: More members involvement of feedback and inputs is received
• Involvement: Better involvement from members is achieved.
• Collaboration: Comm. involvements become more visible made more public, communication flows two ways
• Shared Leadership: Shared leadership between two parties, and final decision made at community level.

Community Engagement - Areas and Benefits

• Agenda determined focus of projects, to discuss collaboration
• Design and Delivery - Understanding compositions that is made with partners and engaging participants
• Implementation and change can be made by using research results and expand long term partnerships.
• Public Involvement in Ethics of project
• Academic Partners can enhance skills, knowledge and improve studies

Defining Solidarity

• Solidarity: Seen as responsibility among members and unity based on interests/ goals/ responsibilities
• Significance: To maintain/ enhance group stability from family and friends etc...
• Objective: Hope and the building of good relationships is a key goal

Perspectives & Types of Solidarity

• Solidarity Philosophy
• Mechanical Solidarity
• Organic Solidarity

Civic Virtue - Solidarity, Philosophy, Social Justice

• Practicing participation with a coming goal makes being linked to common goal is valuable
• Encourage in Virtue for helping
• Philosophy, Social, Justice

Citizenship - Definition

• Birth: Nationality of parents who obtain soil by Jus Solis with right of blood by jus sanguis
• Natural born acquisition
• Renunciation
• Must be over 21 day of petition with good moral, and proper conduct
• Able to speak ,understand, and read the language

Citizen Participation & Causes for Loss of Citizenship

• Citizen Participation: affect Community to improve, the volunteer with all concern, improve volunteer by participating
• Commonwealth Act:
• Naturalization
• Taking Oaths/ Service with military ,etc

Re-acquisition of Citizenship

• Provided by Rep. Act citizens who who acquire the freedom act, to reacquire philippino citizens by action to state the nation

Equality Of Indigenous Peoples

• Housing: concern.
• Poverty:
• Children
• Equity
• Executions

Dr. Jose Rizal's Youth

• His thoughts are positively viewed for helping with the development of Community
• He is the trust in youths , that can help the most to the community with guidance through attitude.
• Motivated young people by helping with Community services.

Planning For Community Action

• Is important.
• Should make the young motivated.
  • Encourage social to help with the possible
  • Know the people that help
• Plan Ways to help the youth that can change for the better of the Communitys - Highlight those the youth can help them with better help for the community
• Show leadership to determine better strengths by helping new skills. .