Strengthening Community Essay Examples

In contemporary societies, there are factors in the external environment that provide challenges and adversities in people’s lives. Stress is actually observed as one of several factors that are attributed from social problems and evidently leads to the development of health dilemma and interpersonal conflicts. As indicated, there are various ways to adapt and address to these stressors; including manifesting aggressive behavior or relying on communication through the use of social media. The current discourse hereby aims to affirm that yes it is indeed possible for an individual to take action that would strengthen his or her community.
An individual plays a significant role in the family as the basic unit in a society. As such, just like a member of a family, an individual’s being a pertinent part of a community presumes that he assumes important responsibilities in watching over the local community to ensure that peace and order prevails. The individual also expects that his rights are appropriately accorded and respected. Moreover, there are also expectations that the community would provide safety and security for the individual to exist in a viable manner. Therefore, there actually is a symbiotic relationship between the individual and community, in general. There is clearly a role that individuals play in community development. As such, one clearly affirms that it is not only possible; but more so, it is actually a responsibility of the individual to participate in taking action towards strengthening the local community he or she is part of.
There are various ways that an individual could participate in strengthening the community For one, assisting in undertaking community assessments to determine root causes of social problems could be initiated. As emphasized, social stressors in the community affects the well-being of individual members. For instance, poverty could expose individuals to unsafe environment where crimes could prevail. Therefore, as the individual is affected, he or she should take an active part in determining how social problems could be solved with the assistance of other members of the community. Thus, from a simple initiative of the individual to reach out to other members of the community, the move towards strengthening community ties and participation in urgently needed programs are affirmed.
Concurrently, as acknowledged, the collaborative efforts of individuals in the community significantly help facilitate the achievement of defined targets in addressing social concerns and problems, including factors that are deemed contributory to stress. The personal experiences of individuals are relevant plus factors that would assist the local community in addressing urgent concerns. Upon undertaking of a community assessment, members of a local community could seek the assistance of individuals who have direct experience to the noted problems. For instance, if the problem is an outbreak of dengue, a disease instigated by a mosquito bite, local health community members could solicit feedback from individuals who have had experiences in dealing with the disease; aside from seeking professioal advice from the local health institutions. Further, to assist in addressing the issue, the local health community members could also seek assistance of individuals in educating other residents on the most appropriate interventions to prevent spreading the disease; such as cleaning the environment and not leaving stagnant water in the respective residences.
Ultimately, individuals’ initiatives to participate in community programs are relevant to ensure sustained support and success. The collective efforts of individuals provide the building framework for the coalision needed in a community. As such, communities which exemplify active participation and collaboration of individual members are more effective in solving identified community problems and concerns. For example, finding a solution to bullying in national university would necessitate insights and suggestions from various members: the individuals who could be victims, parents, school teachers and administrators, local community members, as well as state regulator. Bullying, per se, could not be solved only by an individual, his parents, or the teachers. There should be a collaboration among various stakeholders. However, the contribution of an individual is always an important element towards seeing the problem from a micro-oriented perspective. The sharing of experiences of an individual is instrumental in designing strategies that would help in the development of policies towards resolving the dilemma.
Finally, the concept of citizenship has been premised on the genuine interest and commitment of individuals to go beyond serving their own self-interests. As the common adage reminds us, no man is an island. The commitment and participation of a individual towards solving a social problem had been observed to be effective in strengthing a community. The collective sharing of insights, suggestions, resources, talents, knowledge, and skills of individuals significantly assist in resolvign community concerns in the most effective manner. In retrospect, it is indeed possible for an individual to take action to strengthen his or her community. A knowledgeable, involved, and highly skilled individual is attested to have been immersed in finding viable solutions to community problems. Participation and collaboration with community members have been affirmed as an indivual’s responsibility towards community development.