Have you ever asked yourself what defines a community? In its simplest definition, a community is a group of people that share something – ideals, ethnicity, context, values, profession, etc. – and that are aware of their belonging and participation within said group. They usually share physical or virtual geography and tangible or intangible resources. The formation of a community also emerges from meeting common needs. 

However, community is more than that. Community is also a feeling that emerges from a set of relationships among people and from shared experiences and the perception of shared history. Members of a community care for each other and feel connected through a sense of trust, belonging, and safety. Ultimately, community builds an individual and collective sense of identity.

Social Identity Cycle
Three things need to happen for someone to become part of a community when interacting in a “community” event or activity:

1. Perceiving an alignment between the community and their identity. The person identifies with the values, ideals, and identity of the community and therefore is attracted to the social identity of the group.

2. There is participation with the community. They know how and are encouraged to participate, and the person takes some sort of action to do so.

3. There is a validation for this participation. The person feels a reward (intrinsic or extrinsic), and this strengthens their feeling of belonging to the community.