Your involvement in your community is important for maintaining your social wellbeing and reaching your full potential in life. As we have previously discussed, people are social beings and thrive on connection with others. A community setting allows you to connect others who share your interests as well as discovering new activities and learning new skills.
Your community can play an important part in your whole wellbeing as being part of a community contributes positively to your mental and emotional wellbeing. It provides you with a sense of belonging and being part of something that builds on your values and purpose in life. Your community allows you a social connection with other likeminded people you may not have thought of connecting with otherwise.
While connection is a top priority, liveability and equity are also two more essential ingredients to maintaining your community health. These three factors are summarised below:
Connection
Your social network to other and give support and build social trust in your community. Connection helps to empower all members to participate in group activities, create harmonious relationships and create friendships.
Liveability
A healthy community contains the right infrastructure to support growth of people to assist them build a sustainable life. This includes: education, housing, transport services, health, safety, culture, arts and recreation facilities.
Equity
All community members are supported in shared values, social justice and diversity is empowered and respected. An equitable community allows the needs of all to be met and everyone is treated fairly.
However, data from South Australian councils show that about one third of adults are not involved in any community or social groups. This may be due to heavy work or family commitments which means they may be missing out on making new social connections.
A healthy community can take many forms including hobbies, interests, lived experiences from a shared location. These don’t need to be in person, online forums and groups can provide the same feeling of connection and communication. Online forums are ideal for those whom are just starting out and want to explore different interest groups.
Below are just a few suggestions of activities you may want to participate in or even start your own community group:
💚. Dance groups
💚. Learn a a language
💚. Volunteer groups
💚. Arts and craft group
💚. Reading groups
There are many more activities that can help you increase your confidence, sense of belonging and wellbeing in your community. Some local councils and community centres even have meetups or `come and try’ days.
Your Community Health Framework
Brings together strategies you can adopt to improve your community wellbeing while empowering you personally to achieve your goals and live your best life.
