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 The
word community comes from two words - common and unity. A community
can mean different things to different people. Generally,
a community refers to all the people living in a specific
locality. These people sometimes share common interests or
characteristics. For example, members of a church, mosque
or temple share the same religious beliefs, and members of
a local gymnasium share a common concern for fitness and health.
From an ecological perspective, community refers to a group
of animals and plants living and growing in the same area.
There are many kinds of communities, both big and small. A
city of 100,000 people can be considered a community. Within
that community, however, there are other kinds of communities
such as schools, ethno-cultural groups, religious groups,
neighbourhoods, etc. And within these communities, there are
even smaller communities like the drama club at school, or
the women's group at the community centre, or the crime prevention
group in your neighbourhood. All these are examples of communities
- people living and working together sharing similar interests
or concerns. Even a family (and extended family including
cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc.) can be a community.
In many cultures, this is the most important community of
all.
In moving from smaller communities
to larger ones, our cities are part of a larger community
in the region, and the regions are part of the provincial
community. Beyond that there is the global community. To call
the world and the people in it a "global community" emphasizes
the fact that people in the world are inter-related through
trade, environmental links, culture, language and many other
connections.
In the global community, there are many things we share. The
need for food, clothing, and shelter are the most basic needs.
Making a living and getting an education are also important
to people around the globe. There are also concerns about
the environment and how the actions of humans have adverse
effects on the world. Citizens around the globe are feeling
the effects of the warming of the Earth, as a result of a
deteriorating ozone layer. Soil erosion and deforestation
are issues that we all face as members of the global community.
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