Meaning of Community

Community is the key concept of this book, and at the forefront of the community support worker profession. According to Merriam-Webster (n.d.), the meaning of community is a collection of people who share similar interests in a particular area, a broader network, or a nation with a shared history or economic and political goals; it may also be a single area with different kinds of people.

This meaning has multiple layers. First, people who share the same interests make up a community of interest. Second, sharing history, culture, and economic or political interests leads to a community of attribute. Third, people are part of the same community when they live in the same geographic location or neighbourhood. These three meanings all involve people who live together, have the same interests, and share norms, values, and cultures. Professionals can also be included; people in the same profession such as teachers, students, farmers, businesspeople, caregivers, and practitioners can make up a community. 

Community can arise in many different formats, especially in the age of technology. Weil (2012) stated “community is a structure, it’s a place, it’s a defined space, but community can also transcend space. It can be a place where we belong. Where we make meaning.” According to Carney et al. (2022, para. 1), “communities of meaning or those based on shared beliefs, shared experiences, or shared ethnicity also tell the story of the people in the community.” In today’s modern world, many people are a part of a community of interest, belonging to online platforms and groups where members share a common belief, hobby, or passion.

People belong to communities due to a variety of individual and collective needs. They collaborate with each other to meet their needs socially, psychologically, economically, culturally, politically, and educationally. Some of the ways that people’s needs are met are through the resources that exist within those communities, fittingly called community resources. Community members use community resources for many reasons, including to enhance their satisfaction by meeting goals and attaining needs.

Easy access to resources helps to serve each member of the community. These resources may include work, education, spirituality, medicine, and social or recreational outlets. Community is shaped by agreement among its members regarding shared beliefs, roles, needs, and goals. Communities can be structured formally or informally, both of which may hold authority and influence over members. Communities are constantly evolving due to changing socio-cultural and economic factors and the perspectives of their members.

MacQueen et al. (2001, para. 19) found that communities have common interests and perspectives, such as the following:

• • Values, norms, mindset, viewpoint, ideology, beliefs, visions
  • Passions, obsessions, interests, likes, dislikes, opinions, concerns
  • Activities, goals, objectives
  • Symbols, jargon
  • Skin colour, sexual identity
  • Tribulations, oppression, repression, history

Sharing contributed to a sense of community through the following:

• • Common issues, threads, beliefs, factors
  • Being in tune with each other
  • Comfort, familiarity, togetherness, identity, recognition

References

Carney, M. M., Adams, D., Mendenhall, A., & Ohmer, M. (2022). The lens of community. Journal of Community Practice, 30(2), 105–108. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705422.2022.2077598

MacQueen, K. M., McLellan, E., Metzger, D. S., Kegeles, S., Strauss, R. P., Scotti, R., Blanchard, L., & Trotter, R. T. (2001). What is community? An evidence-based definition for participatory public health. American Journal of Public Health, 91(12), 1929–1938. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.91.12.1929

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Community. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved October 11, 2023, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/community.

Weil, M., Reisch, M. S., & Ohmer, M. L. (Eds.). (2012). The handbook of community practice. Sage.