What Is a Community?

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

Human beings are born with four essential needs.

Food, water, clothing, and shelter are essential to sustaining human life. Without these four things, our human bodies would not be able to survive the conditions on Earth. This is a proven fact and it cannot be disputed. What can be disputed is the need for other things.

Yes, the four basic needs are non-negotiable, but there are other things that human beings need to be able to live a full, productive, happy life. One of those things is other human beings! Think about being grounded to your room FOREVER without any interaction with other people. YIKES!

Think about what your life would be like if you lived with food, water, shelter, and clothing, but NO other people.

• Would that be a fun life for you?

Now don't get me wrong, there are days when everyone needs a break from other people, and a little silence and alone-time is healthy, but think about being alone 100% of the time:

• No one to talk to or learn from, and no one to help you when you are in need.
• No police officers to help or fire fighters to do their job.
• No teachers or people in your life who teach you or guide you in decision-making.

Imagine this for a moment and write down your thoughts. Using paper and a pencil, write down how you would feel if you were all alone and had no other human beings in your life. Think about how that would impact you and your ability to cope with life and your needs. When you have written for five minutes or more, share your writing with your teacher or parent.

The Merriam-Webster definition of a community includes three different meanings:

• the people living in an area as well as the area itself
• organisms that belong to one or more species living in one place (like a pond) and interacting ecologically
• a group of people with common interests especially when living together

Which of these definitions best fits your type of community? Talk it over with your teacher or parent.

A community is your support system, the people you live near, or a group of people with whom you share a particular interest. For example, if you live in an apartment building, the other people living in the apartments around you or in the same complex of buildings could be your community, but the people who live in the town are also your community.

You can be a member of many different communities at the same time. You could be a member of the apartment complex community, a member of the chess team community, and a member of your church community. Now, all three of these communities may not have anything in common — except your membership or participation — but they are all communities.

These communities of people are what make you feel as though you belong to something, and can sometimes change the way you view the world around you.

Communities have been in existence since the beginning of mankind. Think about what it may have been like for people of ancient times. These groups of ancient people made up their communities. Without each other's help, completing all the necessary work to survive, like gathering wood to make shelters, hunting, farming, gathering food, making clothing, and fighting off predatory animals would have been impossible.

The members of the community all pitched in and helped to get the work done so everyone could benefit. During these ancient times, when everyone had a special job to do in order to keep the community functioning, being part of a community was essential to survival. In today's world, a community serves some of these original purposes, but as times have changed, so have roles within — and the purposes of — communities.

Your community probably isn't helping you hunt for food or gathering firewood for you, but they do help you in other ways.

For example, with the advancements of the 21^st century, and the development of the Internet, online communities have become even more prevalent and influential for some people. If you participate in a social media site such as Facebook or Twitter, your community could be people you have never met face-to-face! Think about explaining that phenomenon to the people of ancient communities!

Online communities provide support and a connection to others who may or may not have the same views and ideals as you, but who somehow are connected to you.

Communities have evolved quite a bit in the past 2,000 years, but the one constant is that they are needed by people in order to feel connected, valued, and able to work towards a common goal. For example, there are thousands of online support groups and fan pages where people can connect over a common issue or interest. The invention of YouTube has spawned a whole community of YouTubers who have amassed a community of followers who join together to show support for particular artists or issues.

Online communities truly have redefined the roles and purposes of the original definition of a community while still serving a need.

In many modern physical communities, individuals still have defined roles, and communities sometimes get together for things like yard sales and picnics. Some communities have a Community Center that provides a place for parties and for kids to hang out. Modern communities are also comprised of businesses and residences (and sometimes farms) that rely on each other. Communities have schools, hospitals, and various modes of transportation available for their members, and people use these services for the betterment of their families.

Although communities have taken on a different look, they are still a very important aspect of modern-day life.

Move on to the Got It? section to use your new in-depth knowledge to discover your own communities!