Understanding the Functioning of Community Centers - Essay Example

Best ways to promote use of the community centre------------an essay. Community centers are public meeting places where members of a particular neighborhood may gather for social , cultural or sports activities , for receiving information’s , learning new skills or for making new friends. There are community centres which caters for small groups within the greater community such as Muslim community centres, Gay community centres etc. For this essay, we shall restrict our discussions to Community centres that are open to all members of the community. Community centers that succeeds in establishing a strong bond and fellowship among its members ultimately builds strong communities. And strong communities are essential for building strong and vibrant democratic nations. . [1] . In the following paragraphs, we shall briefly look into the history of its development , examine the dynamics of human behavior in a group situation, discuss social theories that are relevant for understanding the functioning of Community Centers and finally suggest ways and means of building community centers that can become the nerve centre of the community they serve. Mary Parker Follett (1868-1933), an American author and social worker, was a pioneer of ‘Community centres”. She actively promoted the concept during the first half of the twentieth century. Because of her untiring efforts , the community centres came to be recognized as important social and educational form . Her work has given a tremendous insight into how groupwork , community development and organizations are interlinked. [2] She argued that democracy can only flourish if individuals organize themselves into neighbourhood groups and then this group as a whole attend to people’s need, desires and aspirations.. She also successfully introduced her” power sharing theory” at work places .Today her concept of employees participation in management , negotiations and power sharing has profound influence in the ways organization and community centres function[3] Let us examine some of the important theories that guide our social behaviour. Social Identity theory is one of the main theories in social psychology . It was developed by Henri Tajfel and Turner in 1979 . The theory proposes that our self concept depends on our membership of a social groups and categories. According to the theory , when as individuals, we interact with another , we do not behave as a single person but represent a particular group or category to which we belong .Even a single conversation can take place at two levels ; one at the personal level and the other as representative of a particular group . The theory has three distinct psychological mechanisms; a) Categorisation : It is a process by which objects, events and people are marked into categories . By doing so , we highlight the similarities of those who are in the same group and exaggerate differences with members of an out side group . b) Social comparison : This refers to the process of comparing ones own groups’ power , prestige , status etc. with that of another group and determine the relative status . This results in members of a group distancing themselves from members of another group which does not match their own group’s standing or do not share the same beliefs and ideas . c) Self esteem : The third psychological process marks people’s tendency to acquire positive self esteem by being a member of a particular group . Basic human nature is to maintain positive Self- esteem and if the group fails to live up to his expectations , then he may try to leave the group . If that is not possible , then he may rundown his own group by comparing it with another group of lower status [4] SOCIAL CAPITAL is another important concept that has caught the imaginations of social psychologists in a big way . ‘Social Capital’ was first used by L.J.Hanifan , state supervisor of Rural Schools in West Virginia [5]. He used the term to describe ‘those tangible substances (that) count for most in the daily lives of people’. The concept in its simplest form can be explained thus ; By forming relations with one another and keeping the relation going over time , people are able to achieve much more than they could individually . Therefore it follows that if one knows more people and share common outlook with them , the richer he is in social capital. There is a popular saying which goes like this , ‘It is not what you know that counts , but who you know’ .Though in real life , both are equally important. Just knowing a great number of people will be of little consequence unless they feel obliged to help . People come forward to help when they feel that they have something in common with each other .’ ‘Membership of networks and a set of shared values , are at the heart of the concept of social capital[6] ‘Social capital’ became a popular focus for research and policy discussion after Robert D Putnam published his findings . Putnam in his writings suggested that Social capital brings the following advantages to the society: 1) It allows citizens to resolve collective problems easily. 2) Allows communities to advance smoothly. 3) Improve their lot by widening their awareness of the many ways in which their fates are linked. Further it has been suggested that people who are well connected with family , friends or fellow community members , develop or maintain character traits that are beneficial for the rest of the society [7]. tM.K.Smith in his article , ‘Social Capital’ [8] observed that communities that are reach in ‘Social Capital’ have the following additional advantages; 1)Child developments are faster.. 2)People are friendlier , public spaces and high school areas are cleaner and streets are safer. 3)Firms , neighbourhoods and even nations prosper economically. There also appears to be a strong relationship between the possession of social capital and better health. We now come to the concluding part of the essay where we shall put forward ideas and suggestions that will ensure maximum participation in the centre’s activities by all segments of the community. This is easier said than done . Social identity theory [4] clearly states that people are conscious about their own status , prestige , self image etc. Hardly a community exists where all its members are at par in their social standings. Then how do we integrate disparate members of the same community ? It can be done if the community centre in question is looked upon by other communities as a shining example. Then people of this particular community , irrespective of their status , will be inclined to join as it enhances their positive self esteem. It will further help if sufficient emphasis is placed on the opportunity to improve their Social Capital by interacting with other community members. Popular community centres are those where facilites , programmes and services match the expectations of its members . Hence finding out all we can about the local community will help choosing the right programmes and sending out the right messages . Much of this information about the community can be had from the local authorities , e.g recent surveys , audits , local research etc. that have been concluded .[10] Receiving feed back from community members are also of paramount importance. Establishing contact points manned by well informed volunteers of the community is a proven method. Once the information is in place , volunteers need to reach out with details of programmes and activities to all members of the community. A good marketing strategy will help to get maximum exposure . Local media , both print andvisual and internet should be used imaginatively to this end. People should be in the know as to what is happening in the area, what is knew ,what are the new learning opportunities etc. When they learn that their problems are being attended to ,it conveys a sense of energy and wellbeing about the local area[ . While local problem solving should remain high on the agenda , community centres should attempt to serve all ages and ethnic groups by offering a wide variety of resources that focus on recreational , social and cultural activities . Programmes should include art and crafts , dance , fitness , swimming , table tennis , child care , language skill ( for immigrant community ) and many more . Residents will then use the facility to relax , learn new skills, exchange ideas and make new friends. Funding is vital for smooth operation of any organization. While funding from local government sources and NGOs are available in most cases , business enterprises can be a useful partner in community development . Communities are essential for survival and growth of business .Wise entrepreneurs understand this very well. Therefore getting their support in community development should not be difficult. We would like to conclude this essay by quoting from Libby Maynard’s book review article [9], He observed that ,“ … ..creative community building is (such )an effective and powerful method . It reconnects us to our core values and gives us the courage and space to open ourselves to others who may seem too different from what we are used to . That interaction is what has allowed us to create communities and societies in the first place.” References: [ 1 ] From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ,’Community centre’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_center [ 2 ] From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia , ‘Mary Parker Follet’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Parker_Follett [ 3 ] Smith, M. K. (2002) 'Mary Parker Follett and informal education',the encyclopedia of informal education, http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-foll.htm. [ 4 ] Mark Holah & Jamie Davis,2006. ‘Social Identity Theory ‘, Learn Psychology .net , http://www.learnpsychology.net/g/421 [5 ] From Citizendium , Article on ‘Hanifan, L. J. (1916)’ http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/L.J._(Lyda_Judson)_Hanifan [ 6 ] Field, J. (2005) 'Social capital and lifelong learning', the encyclopedia of informal education, www.infed.org/lifelonglearning/social_capital_and_lifelong_learning.htm.  [ 7 ]Putnam, R. D. (1995) 'Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital', Journal of Democracy 6:1, Jan, 65-78. http://muse.jhu.edu/demo/journal_of_democracy/v006/putnam.html [ 8] Smith, M. K. (2007) 'Social capital', the encyclopedia of informal education, www.infed.org/biblio/social_capital.htm [ 9 ] Libby Maynard , Book Review: ‘The Creative Community Builder’s Handbook’http://www.communityarts.net/readingroom/archivefiles/2006/11/book_review_the.php [ 10 ]Glasgow Community Learning Strategy and Adult Literacy and Numeracy Strategic Plan,http://www.csglasgow.org/services/learning/InYourCommunity/CommLearningDev/ Read More