I wrote two university papers over the past two days. My brain is fried and I've lost the ability to think on any kind of comprehensive level. Therefore, I ask you to please read my papers and tell me if they're any good or not.
Introduction
The purpose of this report is to adequately present to the responder the concept of community, together with it a concise idea of how different organisations, stakeholders and groups within society come together to achieve this. I also intend to demonstrate my knowledge and understanding on how various factors from not only a local perspective, but from an international scale as well, can influence how a community behaves and responds.
Community; and the concepts associated with them
What is community? There are many different interpretations, and many different representations of how a well functioning community should be structured, how individuals should behave, and what moral and ethical guidelines community members are to abide by. Some are very organic in their nature and formulation; it just gradually builds over the course of time, with a group of individuals working towards or sharing a common goal or interest. Small rural towns in which everyone knows one another- this is a perfect example. Early sociologist Ferdinand Tonnies had a name for this; he called it Gemeinschaft. According to Tonnies, Gemeinschaft is a type of society in which life is intimate; a community in which everyone knows everyone else and people share a sense of togetherness (Henslin, Possamai, Possamai-Inesedy 2011). In short, everyone has something to contribute, and everyone has something to take away or receive. However, this definition is not to be confused with associations of individuals, which is much more mechanical and industrial in its formulation. Individuals will form these relationships for the sole intention of taking something away from the said relationship, ie- regular customers who frequent a liqour store. They might know everyone that works there on a first name basis, but at the end of the day their sole purpose for entering the store and engaging with the employees is for their own benefit; walking away with something they desire. Tonnies had a term for this, too- he called it Gesellschaft. So if we look at the rural town as being Gemeinschaft, than we can establish that the notions associated with Gemeinschaft are being replaced with Gesellschaft (mechanical and industrial) style communities. In general, Gemeinschaft signifies the old, and Gesellschaft the new. (Day, 2006 pp. 5)
There are concepts that are common within all communities, regardless of whether the community is a group of people from the same neighbourhood or suburb, or a local sporting team, or even a high school chess club. One of these concepts that are uniform to all communities is that of having well established moral and ethical codes of conduct. These might be more prevalent and highly regarded in some communities as in others, like religious sects- some faiths prohibit the consumption of alcohol; some faiths consider marriage to be polygamous. We can expand the sociological lens to a wider international perspective and conclude that the majority of communities world wide have adopted similar western industrialised notions into their social and community structure. Most communities regard the killing of another human being to be a most heinous act, and one which bears significant repercussions on the individual in question. Likewise, theft is something that is also viewed negatively in most communities and cultures globally.
That feeling and sense of belonging and contributing towards something an individual feels strongly about, this too is a concept that is prominent in communities. If we take a look a gangs, for instance, there seems to be this unwavering logic of "you hurt one of us, we'll hurt one of you'. While this concept is a poignant element of Gemeinschaft, it often leads to drastic consequences. Wars between rival motorcycle gangs, for instance, can impact communities and societies on a much larger scale. Families and friends will mourn the lives that have been lost, and communities will adapt to accommodate this change in social order- residents may issue a curfew onto young people living in the home, they may become too frightened or anxious to venture outside and continue living their regular routine, which will in turn place a drain on government funded NGO's as they work overtime to accommodate the overwhelming influx of new consumers. Many families might just pack up and leave to a new suburb, which will also affect community on a larger scale in that no people equals no sociological structure, which equals no employment opportunities, which equals no means in which to sustain a reasonable quality of day to day living, which means a breakdown in Gemeinschaft. This sense of togetherness works both ways, however, and we can see this in our volunteer emergency services. People from within the community in the Blue Mountains, coming together to fight, contain and extinguish fires which threaten residencies and businesses, is an excellent example. SES crews working together to sift through debris, looking for survivors, and working through the arduous task of cleaning up after a mass catastrophe.
Stakeholders; and how they influence community ideals
As earlier discussed, whilst communities are made up of individuals with a shared interest or goal, it is important to note the various stakeholders which also have an influence in either how the community functions, or how the said goal is achieved. Stakeholders are those individuals who have an invested interest in how a community issue or problem is addressed, or how a goal is achieved. This can include business owners, residents, lobby groups, committees, and local and state government and parliamentary officials to name a few. Gardner and Fitzpatrick (2003) discussed how an empowered partnership in regards to neighbourhood renewal can improve sustainability, community pride, an increase in job opportunities and a heightened sense of belonging. The report states how various stakeholders (in this instance, the community, Brighton Council, the Tasmanian Government and the Federal Government, and the local services; the neighbourhood centre) came together to achieve the Bridgewater and Gagebrook Urban Renewal Project (BURP) stated objective- to make Bridgewater and Gagebrook an even better place to live by improving the economic, social and physical environments. A similar example can be found in my current work project. A few stakeholders (in this instance, parties from Westfield Penrith, The Joan, and Penrith City Council [Community Safety and Youth Development teams]) formed a committee to discuss ways of handling the growing number of young people congregating in an area known as the Mondo on Thursday nights. After much deliberation and input, a 2 year long planned program was undertaken with fun and engaging activities as a means to reach out and establish rapports with young people. A grant for funding was issued by local member David Bradbury, and in the first 3 months it has been reported that crime related incidents perpetrated by young people has been reduced by 50%. (eds Kidon, Wilson, Tahija et al 2012).
Summary
In conclusion, we can identify the various concepts, as well as the various stakeholders, which shape the way a working community behaves and responds to a number of impacting factors from a local to global scale. We can see how most communities can readily adapt and respond to changes in sociological, commercial, geographical and economical structure, and it is plain to see that be it Gemeinschaft or Gesellschaft, on the whole community is a part of everyday life and is something that will continue being a major part of sustainable life.
References
Henslin, JM, Possamai, A, Possamai-Inesedy, A 2011, Sociology: a down to earth approach, 1st edn, Pearson Australia Frenchs Forest, NSW
Day, G 2006, 'The idea of community', in Community and everyday life, Routledge, New York, pp. 1-25.
Gardener, K and Fitzpatrick, C 2003, 'Creating community pride: the Bridgewater-Gagebrook urban renewal program', in W Weeks, L Hoatson & J Dixon (eds), Community Practices in Australia, Peason Australia, Frenchs Forest, pp. 4752.
Kidon, O, Wilson, J, Tahija, K et al (eds) 2012, Minutes of the second monthly meeting of young people and Mondo stakeholders, January 5 2012: Feedback from stakeholders, Westfield. Penrith City Council, Penrith.
Introduction
The purpose of this report is to adequately present to the responder the concept of community, together with it a concise idea of how different organisations, stakeholders and groups within society come together to achieve this. I also intend to demonstrate my knowledge and understanding on how various factors from not only a local perspective, but from an international scale as well, can influence how a community behaves and responds.
Community; and the concepts associated with them
What is community? There are many different interpretations, and many different representations of how a well functioning community should be structured, how individuals should behave, and what moral and ethical guidelines community members are to abide by. Some are very organic in their nature and formulation; it just gradually builds over the course of time, with a group of individuals working towards or sharing a common goal or interest. Small rural towns in which everyone knows one another- this is a perfect example. Early sociologist Ferdinand Tonnies had a name for this; he called it Gemeinschaft. According to Tonnies, Gemeinschaft is a type of society in which life is intimate; a community in which everyone knows everyone else and people share a sense of togetherness (Henslin, Possamai, Possamai-Inesedy 2011). In short, everyone has something to contribute, and everyone has something to take away or receive. However, this definition is not to be confused with associations of individuals, which is much more mechanical and industrial in its formulation. Individuals will form these relationships for the sole intention of taking something away from the said relationship, ie- regular customers who frequent a liqour store. They might know everyone that works there on a first name basis, but at the end of the day their sole purpose for entering the store and engaging with the employees is for their own benefit; walking away with something they desire. Tonnies had a term for this, too- he called it Gesellschaft. So if we look at the rural town as being Gemeinschaft, than we can establish that the notions associated with Gemeinschaft are being replaced with Gesellschaft (mechanical and industrial) style communities. In general, Gemeinschaft signifies the old, and Gesellschaft the new. (Day, 2006 pp. 5)
There are concepts that are common within all communities, regardless of whether the community is a group of people from the same neighbourhood or suburb, or a local sporting team, or even a high school chess club. One of these concepts that are uniform to all communities is that of having well established moral and ethical codes of conduct. These might be more prevalent and highly regarded in some communities as in others, like religious sects- some faiths prohibit the consumption of alcohol; some faiths consider marriage to be polygamous. We can expand the sociological lens to a wider international perspective and conclude that the majority of communities world wide have adopted similar western industrialised notions into their social and community structure. Most communities regard the killing of another human being to be a most heinous act, and one which bears significant repercussions on the individual in question. Likewise, theft is something that is also viewed negatively in most communities and cultures globally.
That feeling and sense of belonging and contributing towards something an individual feels strongly about, this too is a concept that is prominent in communities. If we take a look a gangs, for instance, there seems to be this unwavering logic of "you hurt one of us, we'll hurt one of you'. While this concept is a poignant element of Gemeinschaft, it often leads to drastic consequences. Wars between rival motorcycle gangs, for instance, can impact communities and societies on a much larger scale. Families and friends will mourn the lives that have been lost, and communities will adapt to accommodate this change in social order- residents may issue a curfew onto young people living in the home, they may become too frightened or anxious to venture outside and continue living their regular routine, which will in turn place a drain on government funded NGO's as they work overtime to accommodate the overwhelming influx of new consumers. Many families might just pack up and leave to a new suburb, which will also affect community on a larger scale in that no people equals no sociological structure, which equals no employment opportunities, which equals no means in which to sustain a reasonable quality of day to day living, which means a breakdown in Gemeinschaft. This sense of togetherness works both ways, however, and we can see this in our volunteer emergency services. People from within the community in the Blue Mountains, coming together to fight, contain and extinguish fires which threaten residencies and businesses, is an excellent example. SES crews working together to sift through debris, looking for survivors, and working through the arduous task of cleaning up after a mass catastrophe.
Stakeholders; and how they influence community ideals
As earlier discussed, whilst communities are made up of individuals with a shared interest or goal, it is important to note the various stakeholders which also have an influence in either how the community functions, or how the said goal is achieved. Stakeholders are those individuals who have an invested interest in how a community issue or problem is addressed, or how a goal is achieved. This can include business owners, residents, lobby groups, committees, and local and state government and parliamentary officials to name a few. Gardner and Fitzpatrick (2003) discussed how an empowered partnership in regards to neighbourhood renewal can improve sustainability, community pride, an increase in job opportunities and a heightened sense of belonging. The report states how various stakeholders (in this instance, the community, Brighton Council, the Tasmanian Government and the Federal Government, and the local services; the neighbourhood centre) came together to achieve the Bridgewater and Gagebrook Urban Renewal Project (BURP) stated objective- to make Bridgewater and Gagebrook an even better place to live by improving the economic, social and physical environments. A similar example can be found in my current work project. A few stakeholders (in this instance, parties from Westfield Penrith, The Joan, and Penrith City Council [Community Safety and Youth Development teams]) formed a committee to discuss ways of handling the growing number of young people congregating in an area known as the Mondo on Thursday nights. After much deliberation and input, a 2 year long planned program was undertaken with fun and engaging activities as a means to reach out and establish rapports with young people. A grant for funding was issued by local member David Bradbury, and in the first 3 months it has been reported that crime related incidents perpetrated by young people has been reduced by 50%. (eds Kidon, Wilson, Tahija et al 2012).
Summary
In conclusion, we can identify the various concepts, as well as the various stakeholders, which shape the way a working community behaves and responds to a number of impacting factors from a local to global scale. We can see how most communities can readily adapt and respond to changes in sociological, commercial, geographical and economical structure, and it is plain to see that be it Gemeinschaft or Gesellschaft, on the whole community is a part of everyday life and is something that will continue being a major part of sustainable life.
References
Henslin, JM, Possamai, A, Possamai-Inesedy, A 2011, Sociology: a down to earth approach, 1st edn, Pearson Australia Frenchs Forest, NSW
Day, G 2006, 'The idea of community', in Community and everyday life, Routledge, New York, pp. 1-25.
Gardener, K and Fitzpatrick, C 2003, 'Creating community pride: the Bridgewater-Gagebrook urban renewal program', in W Weeks, L Hoatson & J Dixon (eds), Community Practices in Australia, Peason Australia, Frenchs Forest, pp. 4752.
Kidon, O, Wilson, J, Tahija, K et al (eds) 2012, Minutes of the second monthly meeting of young people and Mondo stakeholders, January 5 2012: Feedback from stakeholders, Westfield. Penrith City Council, Penrith.