The Importance of Community Leadership
The Importance Of Community Leadership
Community leadership is the courage, creativity and capacity to inspire participation, development and sustainability for strong communities. — Sir Gustav Nossal
Happy Easter Sunday everyone. Happy Passover and Ramadhan month to those who celebrate these special days.
First, I have long been a passionate advocate of sustainable development. The word “sustainability” has a huge meaning for what a community is: the ability to exist.
Together. Collectively.
Photo Cred: iDARE® Inc
The basic definition of a community leads us to limit it to a group of people in a certain geographical location. Communities encompass everything from geography, to people who share the same values, customs, religion, gender, race, interests and skills. Our interactions with others help form strong social ties with people who are like us, and that is the essence of community. Communities are diverse, ranging from neighborhoods, to schools, to organizations, to ethnicities and so much more. Regardless of all this diversity, it is important to realize the role leadership plays in maintaining order and giving direction in each community.
Members of a community have a sense of trust, belonging, safety, and caring for each other. They have an individual and collective sense that they can positively influence each other and the environments they are in. With the right leadership, the impact can be monumental until we have healthy communities that live in harmony with each other. Thriving communities have a positive effect on the image of a nation. Once we have strong communities across nations, we restore love, peace and harmony to the entire world and humanity becomes better because of it.
We can build the world we want to see, one community at a time, but this requires leaders at community level who will provide guidance and inspire people to be better.
The role of leadership in the community.
“The golden way is to be friends with the world and to regard the whole human family as one.” — Mahatma Gandhi
A leader’s greatest role in the community is to bring people together.
The duty of any leader is to motivate people to achieve a certain outcome. Each community has a set of goals, and most of them revolve around corporate development and formation of strong ties amongst its members. The goals spill over into meaningful contributions to other communities that are less fortunate. Community leaders play an important role in the attainment of these goals. They care about the development of their people in all aspects and will lead all efforts to ensure their members are thriving.
Communities will live up to their function and purpose when leaders not only understand it, but build the life of the community in line with the function and purpose. There is no greater purpose than impacting other people and enriching their lives. A good community leader will ensure interactions within their communities that help people connect and exchange skills and ideas to enrich each other. They will help people develop a sense of community and social responsibility that results in strong social ties. Leaders encourage people to be there for each other. Such interactions are important in times of sickness, bereavement and any other period of difficulty that is part of daily living.
Leaders are also important in the social set-up as they help keep their communities safe from anything that threatens their well-being. They have the responsibility of protecting their communities from drug abuse. They work together with law enforcement agents and people in the community to eradicate crime.
Leaders can also facilitate community development projects. These can include projects like food and clothing runs for the less privileged in the community or in neighboring communities. It can also encompass building projects where the community pulls resources together to build houses or schools or community centers for at-risk youths and any sector of society that may benefit from such facilities. The leader’s role in this can even extend to getting sponsors to partner with the community. They can engage corporations and organizations within the community to make contributions toward these projects. Community leaders are the persons most knowledgeable about their people’s needs, and the best advisers on what approaches best suit their area. They can engage individuals and organizations without compromising the integrity and value system of the community- without selling the soul of the community, so to speak.
There has never been a time where it is more imperative for community leaders to rise like the present moment. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, we need leaders to ensure the safety and survival of the people in their communities. We need leaders who provide support to those affected by the virus. With many companies closing down and global economies being hit, all communities are feeling the effects of the pandemic. It is the role of community leaders to come together from their different spheres to provide spiritual, psychological and financial support for their people.
There are countless organizations doing great things around the world.
As a founder of iDARE®, our grassroots mission is to educate and promote sustainability through safety and self reliance programs. The core of our programs focus on impacting children, women, families, building resilient communities. Our commitment is making a difference in the world by building resilience and promoting disaster risk reduction. This is a collective responsibility and challenge which calls for coordinated actions. We believe communities are vital to the success of human experience.
Being part of a community gives us a sense of belonging and can make us feel as though we are a part of something greater than ourselves. — Nicky Dare
Photo Cred: iDARE® Inc
Communities can be physical places where people connect geographically, or virtual spaces, such as social media groups or private community platforms. Communities bring together like-minded people with similar characteristics and common interests. Each community works within a certain range to meet the needs of that community.
Photo Cred: iDARE® Inc
HealthWatch Stockport is one organization with community leaders who are staying vigilant during the pandemic and offering much-needed support for their community. They realized how overwhelmed local authorities could get in trying to meet the needs of people in their areas. They set up volunteering services to help people get every kind of service imaginable, from grocery and medication delivery to creating a volunteer database across the community to cater for needs as they arose. One leader, Maria, works with local council authorities, charities and well-wishers to gather and distribute emergency food parcels. During early days of the pandemic, one woman reached out for diaper deliveries when she had run out and a team of volunteers delivered them together with a few essential grocery items. There are many other communities coming together in different parts of the world, with good, responsible leaders at the forefront ensuring that they meet people’s needs during these trying times. All these efforts are possible because of the presence of community leadership.
You do not have to wait for a title or position to be a leader in your community. All you need is the drive to see your community thrive. You can start leading with minor tasks such as fundraising programs, organizing community activities and running community meetings and build up your way to larger projects. You can be the difference that your community needs if only you can step up and lead.
One man (or woman) can change the world.
As always, feel free to leave your feedback and comment below. Love to hear your thoughts.
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DARE To Live Love and Lead Fearlessly,
Founder DARE Education, and Leadership365°
Founder iDARE® Inc.
iDARE® Inc. a registered 501©(3) nonprofit, exclusively organized and operated for charitable and education purposes. #iDAREcares
Creator of Global Roadmap To Sustainability, Leadership Sustainability
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