Sociology Report: Community Organization Experiences and Insights

This report analyzes the student's experiences with two community organizations: the African Women's Association and Agenda 21. It explores the concept of community in the context of globalization and urbanisation, emphasizing the role of community service and its distinction from volunteering. The report discusses the importance of inclusive development models, the rise of civil society, and the influence of cultural capital, as theorized by Bourdieu, in community engagement. It highlights the concept of situated agency and the interplay between individual will and communal responsibility within community organizations. The report concludes by summarizing the various levels of community development work, the role of cultural assimilation, and the emergence of informed citizens within a civil society framework, drawing upon references from Bauman and Edwards to support the analysis.

Running head: QUESTION AND ANSWER
Running head: Question and Answer
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Authors Note

Running head: QUESTION AND ANSWER
Q2.
Community refers to any small section of people hold common sense of reference
point,. With the age of globalisation and increasing urbanisation, the community is expanding
in a vivid rate and the connection is sustained due to the rise in the science and technology.
However, the idea of community can also be linked to the particular institutions that work for
the benefit of the community. It must be noted that community service is distinct from the
volunteering service. I have been in association two Community Organization that works for
the development of people regardless of their ascribed status. One of the association is
African Women’ Association and they are funded by LBH and voluntary action. The other
association that I am engaged with is Agenda 21. This association works mostly on territorial
level to encourage participation of the people living in a community.
From engagement to this kind of community work, I was able to understand the
various relationship between different kinds of community. In my case, both the community
service associations are local-based. Development process need not be linear or circular it is
very important to have an inclusive development model. This is because it will help to create
a healthy and equal society. The circle of sustainability, where the treatment to the social
domains of ecology, economics, politics and culture are managed provides a holistic
understanding of the experiences of various people.
I have noticed that with mushrooming of the community association there is
increasing awareness related to the notions of equality, health and notions of empowerment.
More people are engaging in the social awareness campaign making people realise that they
possess their agency. However, it should be noted that the agency that they possess are not
always given the agency is also situated in their condition itself (Bauman 2011). This kind of
agency is called situated agency. With the greater awareness to these kind of issue and there
voluntary participation for the improvement of the community advocates to the presence of

Running head: QUESTION AND ANSWER
the section of population who are informed citizens. The Civil Society represents this section
of people where there is sense of freedom, knowledge and independent thinking. This sphere
includes people from various section who puts forward their notion of the truth actively
(optional). The rise of civil society is based the civil values which are integrity, honesty,
objectivity and impartiality (Edwards 2005). When the national machinery running under a
larger framework tries to reach the marginalised section of the society, there may occur many
problems such as deficit in funding, lack of human resource or relatively powerless location.
The rise of the civil society, often regarded as the “third pillar” can be very helpful.
This model of development where there is overall participation of every section of
people are encouraged represents the involvement of bio-psychosocial model of individual
inhabitation. However, with the introduction of this model the cultural capital as propounded
by Bourdieu is also enshrined. The cultural capital possess by one section of the society is
enmeshed in their social reality. The collective assistance to the section of society shows the
ways in which the culture of both the parties is enmeshed between each other. This is to say
when women are encouraged to participate the mainstream society they can effectively feel
the amalgamation of two cultures. In this way, cultural capital constantly transforms itself, by
both preserving the indigenous cultures as well as adapting new cultural dimension.
With the changes in the cultural pattern it must be noted that the power relations
which are emerging are in tune to adapt the newer situation. The individual will is well
recognised the customization of their need and crisis are also made available to them. The
communitarian view the communal responsibility dominates the section of the individual is
only partially true. This is because the individual can exercise the choice to volunteering for
the service. The communal ethos like love and integrity are sustained and the individual also
gets the exercise their will and in this way provide service to the larger section of the society.

Running head: QUESTION AND ANSWER
Thus, it could concluded that from the experience of the community social service I
get to understand the various level in which the associations work. The larger paradigm
through which the community development work. The cultural assimilation the cultural
capital and the circle of sustainable development serves as a larger paradigm through group
of people are emerging as informed citizen. This gives rise to civil society. Last but not the
least the issue of communitarianism and individual could also gauged from the involvement
of this community based social organization.

Running head: QUESTION AND ANSWER
References
Bauman, Z., 2011. Community: Seeking safety in an insecure world. John Wiley & Sons.
Edwards, M., 2005. Civil Society-the encyclopedia of informal education.