COMMUNITY
INTRODUCTION:
I try to make a distinction between Community Building (a process), A Community (a
group of 2 or more people), and Being in Community (a state of being). These all mean
something different, yet all are related, but are often confused when talking about them.
I like listing principles of community or attitudes of community rather than a single
definition because attitudes and principles are easier to understand and put in practice.
These definitions may not fit the bill for a new generation community, but I generally find
them acceptable working definitions until a group otherwise defines community in terms
of their task.
Definition 1. Community is a way of relating to other persons as brothers and sisters
who share a common origin, a common dignity, and a common destiny. Community
involves learning to live in terms of an interconnected "we" more than an isolated "I'. It
involves making choices which reinforce the experience of relatedness and foster the
sense of belonging and interdependence. Community begins, but does not end, in our
face to face relationships with the persons who are closest to us. ..from Making Life
Choices by Margaret Betz
Foundation for Community Encouragement Definitions :
Definition 2. (Taken from Preparation and Guidelines for Community Building)
A community is best defined as a group of people who, regardless of the diversity of
their backgrounds, have been able to accept and transcend their differences, enabling
them to communicate effectively and openly and to work together toward goals
identified as being for their common good.
Definition 3 . ( taken from an untitled, 4 page handout they often used in mailings)
A community is a group of two or more people who have been able to accept and
transcend their differences regardless of the diversity of their backgrounds (social,
spiritual, educational, ethnic, economic, political, etc.) This enables them to
communicate effectively and openly and to work together toward goals identified as
being for their common good.
The word community. . . can refer to a specific group of people (a geographical
community, a church congregation) or it can describe a quality of relationship based on
certain values and principles.
Definition 4 . (Community Building Process taken from brochure titled “1996 Schedule
of Events”)
Reaching community is both intentional and challenging. The group process requires
that an individual give up learned defenses and habitual way of behaving. Through
increased responsibility, risk and vulnerability of its members, a group develops into a
"safe place" providing an environment of acceptance, appreciation of human diversity,
and nurturance of personal growth, healing and self-discovery.
Definition 5. (Taken from the “1996 The Community Continuity Conference brochure)
[sic] Emptiness is a central to the community building process. A challenging place to
enter and inhabit emptiness is fertile ground for the growth of personal insights and
deeper relationships. Community Building is a powerful process - a technology and a
discipline -which helps us learn about ourselves and relate to others in new ways.
Definition 6. (Taken from Leadership Program Participants pre work manual --dated
Sept. 1994)
A Learning Community is a group that can live the experience of authentic community.
Competent and capable of vulnerable and authentic communication, individuals have
developed their capacity to attend simultaneously to their own and the group's
consciousness.
Definition 7. (From Community Insights -the booklet provided at the end of a workshop)
(The stage of) Community is the goal. When this stage is reached the full range of
emotions can be expressed. Even though community is the goal, it is not a static state
that once reached never changes. Community can be palpable to some and very subtle
to others.