The Concept of Community - Essay Example

Engagement with the community has improved my linguistic and cultural knowledge. Moreover, it has enhanced the respect I have for a community and its culture. The concept of community encouraged me to participate in social work. It also made me view the issues and involvement of the community as relevant and worthy.

My view on the organizational atmosphere of participation has also changed and I now see them as supportive and open to participate in community development. The concept of community has nurtured self-determination and community mobilization in me. This has enabled me to gain influence and control as and partner and a player in community action and decision-making. By participating in community development, one can weigh on the costs involved and know if the activity is viable. With the knowledge of cost in mind, one can use it in the development of appropriate incentives. The community concept has sharpened my relation skills and I can now easily interact with members of the community which has given me a broader knowledge of my environment.

As a facilitator, I have been in a position to guide and model dialogue processes providing information when needed and intervening in case of a breakdown in the process of communication. Besides, I have learned not to be neutral and engage myself fully in processes of dialogue. Such facilitation catalyzes community participation and engagement (Butcher et.al, pp58)

Why is thinking about community in social work important?

            Community development and community practices have always been at the core of the social work concept in towns. The reasons why community in social work is important are: community work aims at uniting people who were previously not organized into coalitions and effective groups that work as a group to pursue a common social agenda, secondly, community work aims at strengthening traditional neighborhoods, kinship, and friendship ties and developing new structures in the society which are important for the daily operation of society and lastly, community-based activities provide the best structure that is efficient and cost-effective for the service of the poor (Butcher et al, 1994)

            Community is very crucial in social work because the community is their objective. Social work works to develop the community hence the community stands out as a major factor in social work. The two depend on each other for their operations (Butcher et al, 1994)

Conclusion

The most important thing about the first part is that engagement with the community leads to change in an individual on the concepts of a community. The interaction of an individual with the community develops one to be a social tool. In the second part, community stands out be a vital factor in social work. This is because it forms the basis of social work as it is the target of social activities. In a nutshell, social activities work towards the welfare of the community. As a social worker, the course has made me a social agent. One who can interact smoothly with the community to establish viable projects. Read More