Our Natural Communities-NNYMC

Our Natural Communities

I was having a discussion with my wife this morning, after having attended our kids school’s Bush Dance. The evening was run to help raise money for the schools PFA and Chalency program.

Our family had a great time at the event and it was great to see the school community in action.

While it was clear to note that there was probably only a small percentage of the school community (students, staff and families), it really impressed me just how many teachers attended the evening.

Being a teacher myself (highschool) I know that any night out for a school related event, can often feel like a burden - let alone having and maintaining a positive attitude to it.

The discussion we had this morning was fascinating.

How has our interraction with community changed since our parents generation?

It dawned on me that it wasn’t too long ago that peoples lives revolved around a central geographic institution based way of living.

Let me explain:

It used to be that where you lived had great significance for the communities in which you lived out every aspect of your life.

- School
- Church
- Work
- Social Clubs
- Shopping and Markets

And I am sure the list could go on.

Also of note, is that this would be true for maybe several generations, where each of these perhaps descrete areas, in fact overlap in an organic, homogenus way.

Take the school community. People would have a long-term investment in the local school - it would be where they attended, where their children attended and where their grandchildren atteneded.

It is with this thought that I felt a sense of attachment, commitment and inspiration to our kids primary school - beyond the lip-service that I have afforded ideologies of comminity and organic and other catch phrases.

However, ultimately, the reality that we face now, is that all of the areas of our life are in separate geographic locations - which in its essence shows that we have had a massive paradigm shift in the way that our communities work.

We can’t find community in the way that previous generations have - so we need to re-think what the value of community is, how it is fostered, pursued - and what the cost is to see it realised in a meaningful way.

I think this conversation needs to continue.