Communities

What?

Communities can be viewed as a strive for human connection. A connection that spans through interests, goals, views, values, and much more. Communities are made up of many different elements. Preserve Articles states a few… “Locality, community sentiment, likeness, permanency, neutrality, size, common interest, tradition, customs, and morals.” (Sunil, 2011) Every community is different. Each has its own set of elements that makes it operate or act differently from others.

So What?

Why does leadership matter in communities? Within communities, you’re likely going to have some form of leadership within it. Within communities, there may be multiple levels of leadership or there may only be one leader. But typically, as said by Dr. Eaton, “Community leadership means that one person does not do it all…Community leadership is about building relationships and working together. Being patient with one another and supporting one another process builds capacity and relationships.” (Eaton, 2018) By this, Dr. Eaton means that a community is founded on the similarity of values and principles within people. It’s also based on collaboration, learning together, and building stronger relationships over time. Leadership is what drives communities to continue forward. Moving forward involves collaboration in thinking and planning, this is what helps make new ideas. Mari Martiskainen states “Research findings show that community leadership can aid the development of grassroots innovations, which operate in niches and require nurturing. Community leadership benefits from being embedded into social networks, shared vision and decision making, but pre-existing skills and tacit knowledge also play a role.” (Martiskainen, 2016) While Martiskainen is talking about grassroot innovations, I believe this idea applies to all parts of community and leadership. To me, community is what brings people together. Communities act like teams in that not everyone thinks the same but share common goals and can easily work and collaborate.

Now What?

I’m going to take my knowledge of communities and put them forth in my adult life. One major community that sticks out to me is a homeowner’s association (HOA). HOAs are usually made up of volunteers of people within the community that they serve. I’m sure many of us have heard horror stories about different HOAs around the country. Some are great and keep the neighborhoods looking nice where others are tyrannical and make the neighborhoods unbearable to live in. As someone who grew up in a tolerable HOA, I still debate whether or not I would want to live in an area with one. The HOA I grew up on made quite petty citations on the homes in our neighborhood. One for example being the bricks on the back of our home that no one could see was blue whereas the siding was white. Once I graduate and move out of my parent’s home in a few years, my goal is to live in a rural area. I know it may take a few years to save up and buy my dream home, so I worry I may have to live in an area with an HOA. I see the benefits of living in a neighborhood with one; however, if I did live in a neighborhood with one, I would be sure to extensively research it and ensure the leadership is good.

References:

Eaton, S. (2018, January 8). 10 characteristics of community leaders. Learning, Teaching and Leadership. Retrieved October 13, 2021, from https://drsaraheaton.wordpress.com/2012/08/21/10-characteristics-of-community-leaders/.

Martiskainen, M. (2016, May 26). The role of Community Leadership in the development of grassroots innovations. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions. Retrieved October 13, 2021, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2210422416300417.

Sunil. (2011, April 30). What are the essential elements of community? PreserveArticles.com: Preserving Your Articles for Eternity. Retrieved October 13, 2021, from https://www.preservearticles.com/sociology/what-are-the-essential-elements-of-community/4558.