Who is My Community?

For the purpose of this assignment, my community is comprised of several overlapping and co-centric components. First, there is the place in which I live. My family, neighbors, and friends are in the close knit circle of my community. Beyond them there are associates in a variety of organizations—each individual organization its own distinct community. People I work with on different committees such as musical festival, Friends for Life (group fundraising for breast cancer), minor baseball executive members, and book club members are all examples of “who” is in my community at this level. At the furthest reaches, based on location, are the people who own and work in businesses where I live, acquaintances I might meet on the street, parents of my children’s friends, and the teachers and staff from the schools my children attend.

The second component of community revolves around my place of work. As “division office” staff, I work closely with a team of individuals who share a similar purpose. Beyond them are the staff members of the different departments throughout the building where we work. We are linked by the organization for who we work. The principals, teachers, and staff members in each school form the next level of community. Each is its own distinct community which I intersect and impact slightly. Finally, the students in the school become part of my community as well. It is only recently, have I started to become involved with the parents as well and can consider them part of my community.

Common interest can help to define a community. With each new university class, a new community develops. These are generally focused around the subject matter, but they widen and deepen based on particular areas of interest and subject matter. Based on my interest in reading and learning to read, my community includes consultants in other school divisions, teacher specialists and librarians in other schools, and book reps for example. Communities are constantly growing and changing and are affected by every individual I meet.