Community Engagement Solidarity & Citizenship 1-3

• Community dynamics


  Changes and development taking place within a community
• Community action


  Any activity that aims to increase the understanding, engagement, and empowerment of communities for the intention of giving services to people
• Community


  • Individuals having significant interaction within a specified area
  • Shares a certain sense of place whether geographical or virtual
• Types of community

  • Geographical community
  • Non-geographical community
• Geographical community


  Community where members share the same geographical vicinity such as a village, province, or neighborhood
• Non-geographical community


  Formed based on needs, ideas, interests, identity, practices, and roles in social institutions such as home, at work, in government, society, or the community in general
• Communication and relationships are imperative in building a community
• Levels of community

  • Micro-level community
  • Macro-level community
• Micro-level community


  A group that is formed based on personal ties, such as groups formed for pursuing common interests or goals
• Macro-level community


  A large group affiliation such as national communities, international communities, and virtual communities
• Understanding community life makes us value the things we have on a daily basis, social encounter constructs reality and affects some changes within – thus Community Dynamics
• The changes in the community are brought about by social, cultural and environmental experiences whether it is positive or negative development that impacts within the community
• Understanding (in community action)


  Raise awareness about certain communal issues that need to be addressed
• Engagement (in community action)


  Work collaboratively to act on communal issues, improve partnership and coalitions among the community
• Empowerment (in community action)


  Enables the people to independently decide, plan-out and take action to control the situation they have in the community
• The study of community action is imperative in the field of social sciences and other related disciplines as it lays on the foundation that individuals and families – as basic units - are embedded in different social structures that shape the behaviors in the system
• Having knowledge in community action makes an individual understand better by being aware in the environment, having meaningful engagement, and accepting empowerment to create significant impact
• Individuals and families shape the behavior in the social system
• Community action is necessary in the development of communities
• Community


  A group of people in a particular area interacting together
• Disciplines in social sciences related to the idea of community

  • Anthropology
  • Economics
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Sociology
• Anthropology


  • Examines various aspects of humans, such as their biology, behavior, culture, and social interactions
  • May study how people adapt their ways of living to different environments
• Economics


  • Studies the production, allocation and consumption of goods and services
  • Aims to improve the lives of people, such that their needs are satisfied
• Political Science


  • Encompasses the various ways and means of allocating power, influence, decision-making
  • Includes types of governments and management systems, and how people in small bands or informal groups make decisions
• Psychology


  • Studies the human mind, brain, and social behavior
  • Includes subfields like abnormal psychology, developmental psychology, cognitive psychology and social psychology
  • Most often associated with the study, diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses
• Sociology


  • Studies society, social order, social interactions, and culture
  • Introduces the concepts of social capital and communitarianism
• Civil Society Perspective


  • Stresses the idea of forming a group, foundation or an organization in service to society
  • Views society as a community of citizens linked by common interests and collective activity
  • Considered the affective model of community as a sense of belonging is achieved due to collaboration of shared interests and identities in serving humanity
• Local and Grassroots Perspectives


  • Highlights volunteerism
  • Community uses self-organization and encourages local citizens to contribute by taking responsibilities and actions
  • Leaders and members identify concerns and determine ways to address them
• Doctors and dentists in different communities come together to organize medical and dental missions especially for families affected by calamities
• The youth are often excited to engage themselves in outdoor activities like farming, fishing, and planting trees and crops
• First Dimension:

  It is an existing establishment or physical space where members of the community go for a certain purpose.
• Second Dimension: It is the institutional community as a social model. This is defined by networks and institutions where community groups are formed in certain areas such as schools, churches, or companies.
• Third Dimension: The community is composed of the ways people act, interact with each other, react, and expect each other to act and interact.
• Community power


  The capacity of the community to exercise control over activities and seek ways to employ available resources to establish a stronger and successful community
• Community structure


  The various aspects in the community which includes demographics, geography and environmental influences, beliefs and attitudes and the likes
• Leaders


  Important figures in the community who must possess important characteristics
• Leaders

  • Effective communication
  • Development of social capital building
  • Community engagement
  • Collaboration
• Collaboration


  Leaders should learn to "build bridges" and develop networks among community leaders within the diverse fields
• Collaboration


  One of the essential characteristics of leaders to build bridges and develop networks among community leaders in the different fields
• Formal power structure


  They are appointed based on qualifications, attitude and most often, through the votes of the residents