A Sense of Community I will: Understand that people belong to many different communities and Identify the communities to which I belong. Examine why belonging to communities is beneficial. Discuss why neighbourhood community spirit seems to have reduced. Examine how neighbourhood community spirit can be increased. Look at conflict in the community and how it can be resolved.

Community Community = a group of people with a shared identity or interest. Most of us belong to lots of different communities.

Hayley Cropper 1. What different communities does Hayley belong to? 2. What communities do you belong to? 3. Why are the communities that you belong to important? Hayley and her husband run a café. Hayley works as a machinist at a factory. Hayley is a Christian and does voluntary work. Hayley socialises in her local pub. Hayley lives on Coronation Street.

Communities The communities that you belong to help you to develop your sense of identity (who you are and how you see yourself). A sense of belonging comes from shared interests and shared values (things you think are important) Your sense of identity and belonging are developed in areas such as:  School and the area you live in, the friends you make and the in interests, such as music, that you have in common.:  Work where you spend a lot of time and develop friendships.  Religion in which you share a set of beliefs with others.  Local issues groups, where people share interests and goals. When we talk about our community we are usuallly referring to the are we live in, our neighbours, the shops we go to and so on.

Community is Good For You Researchers have found that being part of a community makes people more content. People like to have other people to talk to, say hello to; to feel that others share their interests. More than this, it seems that the more communities we belong to, the more satisfied we are with our lives.

Neighbourhood Community Spirit Many people feel that there is not as much neighbourhood community spirit as there used to be. In groups of 4 try to think of the reasons for this. Reasons why there is no longer as much neighbourhood community spirit: 1. 2.

Reasons why there is no longer as much neighbourhood community spirit: More women go out to work these days and so do not have time to build friendships with neighbours. People are more likely to live in an area where they did not grow up and so they will not know the local people. People don’t have to spend as much time socialising with neighbours now they have TV’s and computers to entertain themselves. Many people work long hours and so do not have time to socialise with their neighbours. Now communication and transport is easier and cheaper people don’t have to make friends with people that live locally. Neighbours no longer have to rely on each other to share things as many people now have more money and so have things of their own. People in local areas no longer work together. Many local people used to work at the same place e.g. the local mill.

A New Housing Estate A new housing estate has been built in the countryside over the last few years. It is on the outskirts of a large city – about 30 km from the centre – but far enough away for it to seem like a place on it’s own. There are all sorts of houses:  Expensive ones with drives and gardens.  Starter homes for young couples.  Affordable housing for families supported buy the council and a housing association.  Rented council housing in low-rise blocks.  Flats for single people.  A retirement complex. The people who planned the are wanted to make sure that there was a wide range of people of all ages with all sorts of interests, so that a balanced community would develop. Unfortunately many of the people who live on the housing estate work in the city nearby. They go to work in the morning and return in the evening and do not really mix with the other residents.

Developing a Sense of Community How can you help this are to develop a sense of community? Choose four of the buildings to add the area to help the local people to mix and develop their sense of belonging to the area. Think about:  Which ones would bring the people together.  How would you cater for different age groups.  What would give the local community a sense of purpose.  What would make the inhabitants feel they shared a common interest. In groups of 4. 1.Which four buildings would you choose? Why? 2.Which buildings do you think are not important? Why? 3.Choose other community buildings or space that you think the area should have. Explain. 4.Start a campaign to have one of the buildings built.

Conflict Conflict can threaten community relationships. In pairs though shower all of the things that can lead to conflict. Conflict

Conflict Sketch Working in groups of 4. Act out a scene of conflict. Explain:  The cause of the conflict  How the conflict can be dealt with fairly

Community Questions 1.Why is a neighbourhood community important? 2.How can we increase neighbourhood community spirit? 3.Create a leaflet/ poster encouraging people to become community spirited.