Lesson 3- Community Engagement, Solidarity and Citizenship

How Communities Work?

-Communities do not just sprout up for no reason.
-Quoting the German Philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz’ second principle, “There
must be a sufficient reason for its existence.”
- Social psychologists McMillan and Chavis (1976) called this phenomenon the “ sense of
community.”
-“Sense of community is a feeling that the members matter to one another and to the
group, and shared faith that member’ needs will be met through their commitment to be
together (McMillan, 1976).

Four Factors of Community

1. Membership. This is the feeling of belonging or of sharing a sense of personal relatedness.
This concept includes the following attributes:
a. Boundaries. How do people become members and what are the boundaries keeping
others out. Requirements are usually proof of residence and payment of the corresponding
membership fee.
b. Emotional safety. We can create trust and a feeling of safety when residence of a
community are building boundaries and recognizing the rights of people.
c. A Sense of Belonging and Identification. Members feel that they are welcome when
they fit in and they can say that this is “our community”.
d. Personal Community. Member’s contributions and sacrifices to the community
enhance their sense of community.
e. A Common Symbol System. Members of the community have an image as their
representation.

2. Influence. This is also understood as a sense of mattering. Its basis is that is to work both
ways with members feeling that they are influencing the community and the community having
influence over its members.
-To sustain this factor, the community must create an environment where members
would feel that they have a say on what happens. Having a regular meeting with the majority
residents and involving them in planning and implementation of things to be done to improve
the community is an excellent step to maintain influence.

3. Integration and Fulfillment of needs. In essence, this means that by becoming a member of a
community, that member gets what he hoped to get by joining.
This reinforces the idea that one’s community, needs to solve a problem/concern for its
members to make it worth their time and contribution. The community must strive to
attain/sustain something which is more tangible like a sense of belonging, a support network
that provides care and security, even being there for casual conversation, or for providing
inspiration.

4. Shared emotional connection. All communities, being made up of persons have their unique
story. Members will have a history of experiences together while they are in community – they
will talk about weddings, baptisms, birthday celebrations, school and sport activities that they
shared together.
This the definitive element for true community.

That is the part of the beauty of all literature. You

discover that our longing are universal longings, that
you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone.
-F. Scott Fitzgerald