What do we mean by understanding and describing the community? Whichever community defines your work, you will want to get to know it well. An Italian woman may become an intensely involved member of the ethnic and cultural community of her Nigerian husband. An African American art teacher, for example, might see herself (or be seen by others) as a member of the African American, arts, and/or education communities, as well as of a particular faith community. The gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community.The Catholic community (or faith community, a term used to refer to one or more congregations of a specific faith).These are often defined by race or ethnicity, professional or economic ties, religion, culture, or shared background or interest: This may refer to smaller geographic areas - a neighborhood, a housing project or development, a rural area - or to a number of other possible communities within a larger, geographically-defined community. While we traditionally think of a community as the people in a given geographical location, the word can really refer to any group sharing something in common. In this section, we'll discuss how you might approach examining the community in some detail and setting down your findings in a community description. It's a good way to gain a comprehensive overview of the community - what it is now, what it's been in the past, and what it could be in the future. ![]() A good way to accomplish that is to create a community description - a record of your exploration and findings. Taking the time and effort to understand your community well before embarking on a community effort will pay off in the long term. Carrying out an intervention or building a coalition are far more likely to be successful if they are informed by the culture of the community and an understanding of the relationships among individuals and groups within it. Anything we do in a community requires us to be familiar with its people, its issues, and its history.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |