Courage Igene has developed a great passion for community work and helping others throughout his life and professional career.
“Without a sense of caring, there can be no sense of community.” – Anthony Burgess
What is community? Community means many things. It is a group of people, large or small, who share their sense of place. People can establish social ties easily because of different reasons for the association. Community comes from comunete in French, or communitas in Latin. In a comunete, people join for the importance of many things as community expert Courage Igene explains below.
As a certain identity, community is a support group with people who are of the same ideology, theology, ethnicity, or communities of need. For those who may be conservative or liberal, Christian or Muslim, Asian or Hispanic, or gay or suffering from a disability, these are the groups they want to be a part of knowing they belong. There’s a scientific community, a voluntary association, cooperative groups, and communities of action and practice. As human beings, we need that sense of belonging because it is what connects us to the bonds we develop over time. These are the groups that say, “You are not alone.”
As a town, village, or city block, communities like these are close in range where neighbors and other businesses know each other. This kind of community offers many things that we really like such as safety, awareness, support, and loyalty. It also brings appreciation, which comes from the contributions we being to the community, rather than the efforts or status of a sole individual.
So, why is community important? Courage Igene has found throughout his experiences that community comes in multiple forms. What would people do without being in a community of sorts? Community is a place of safety in times of difficulty where we can encounter others. It isn’t (or should not be) a luxury, but something that is decent to have for our well-being.
“I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.” – Abraham Lincoln
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