Victoria Philosophy Salon

Topic: What Matters When Developing Community?

Chairman:
Robert Light

Moderator:
Spencer Sinclaire

Meetup Date:
Wednesday, August 19th, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., with a 15 minute break at 8:00 p.m.

Meetup Location:
Upstairs at The Bent Mast, 512 Simcoe St. Victoria, BC, V8V 1L8

Members:
If you plan to attend, please take a moment and RSVP. If your plans change and you cannot attend, to the right of your name there are three dots, please click on them and move yourself to “Not Going.” Thank you.

Quotes:
"There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about." ~ Margaret J. Wheatley

"Friendship also seems to be the bond that hold communities together." ~
Aristotle

Synopsis:
A community is a social unit (a group of people) with one or more shared socially-significant characteristics, being place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, town, or neighborhood) or in virtual space through communication platforms. Durable good relations that extend beyond immediate genealogical ties also define a sense of community, important to people's identity, practice, and roles in social institutions such as family, home, work, government, society, or humanity at large. Although communities are usually small relative to personal social ties, "community" may also refer to large-group affiliations such as national communities, international communities, and virtual communities.

The development of a community is influenced by several key factors, including the following:

Collaboration: Community development requires collaboration among individuals and groups to achieve common goals and enhance quality of life.

Empowerment: Empowering community members to make their own choices and decisions is fundamental to community development.

Collective Action: Coming together in groups or organizations strengthens the voices of communities and promotes collective action.

Asset-Based Development: Utilizing community assets to improve the quality of life is a core principle of community development.

Human Rights and Social Justice: Community development is grounded in the values of human rights, social justice, equality, and respect for diversity.

Participative Democracy: Promoting participative democracy and sustainable development through the organization, education, and empowerment of people within their communities is essential.

These elements are crucial for the sustainable and effective development of communities, ensuring that all individuals have access to health, wellbeing, wealth, justice, and opportunity.

Watch: Introduction to Rousseau: The Social Contract on Youtube:
https://youtu.be/qvjrE5nc4xs?si=oeXB1Q1mv3YIi25j