Community Of Place

Community of place

In my understanding a community of place is a community or group of people who are together based on having something in common, example would be a place of comfort and security, a place of birth and upbringing, where individuals reside or work. Such communities can be in cities, villages, towns, neighbourhoods, council estate, school or other common place of gatherings or interests.

Community of place is not static, its boundaries and limitations changes based on individual’s age, confidence, maturity, life styles, habits, work, hobbies and interest. Community of place and its residents rely on each other for support and stability which in time forms a strong sense of community and neighbourhood.

Example of me growing up in an east London council estate, due to my young age range of my community of place was very limited, I was allowed to play with my friends and neighbours on our landings, and on the streets where I was visible to my parents and family. As my family got to know people build relationships and becoming part of a strong community the range of my community of place extended from the street to the shops, football pitch and further as I got older and more mature.

Community of interest

Community of interest is a community which can be developed and formed by individuals based on common / shared interests. This may be political agenda, hobbies, watching or participating in leisure activities like football, golf, tennis, fishing, reading and many other interests people may have.

Some community of interest maybe an actual physical place or others could be online community forums, social media and virtual world where people meet on a regular basis to take part in meetings, discussions or activities.

An example actual place would be a group of friends meeting up at the local youth club on a daily basis or a local football club meeting up every weekday for training and weekends for match days. In community of interest members may not all be residing in the same neighbourhood, city or even country and an example would be the virtual world such as an individual subscribing to an online community form of their interest to discuss topics of shared interest the Manchester United football club official message boards where clubs supporters can take part in discussions relating to every aspect of the club such as games, results, players and team transfers etc.

My personal example would be when I meet my friends at my local snooker club every Friday evening for few hours to socialise and play few hours of snooker. Another example would be when I play multiplayer games on my console or PC with people from around the world who share the same interest in-game types I enjoy playing.

Community of identity

A community of identity maybe developed and formed based on individual’s religion, culture, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, class or any characteristics which makes us feel like who we are or gives us a sense of belonging. A person can belong to more than one community of identity an example of this could be a person coming from a strict Asian family upbringing who also recognises themselves as being gay or lesbian thus becoming part of two communities of identity.

My personal example would be that I consider myself to be part of numerous community of identity; one: I mainly class myself as a practicing Muslim who actively practices my religion to the best of my ability; I attend the mosques and meet with other people with the same values as myself which strengthens my faith, gives me a sense of brotherhood, unity and belonging. Second: being a British Bangladeshi person with strong cultural and family values and beliefs, I spend a lot of time with my family which has helped us form a strong bond. I believe both of these identities have built the foundation of the person I have become today.

Please note the views, opinions and ideas that have been shared is solely from me and is no way linked with youthworknews.com

By: Abdul Quddus Khan