Community Strength In Relation To Australian Aborigines And Australian Western Culture

Introduction

Communities play an important role within society through the provision of resources, information and opportunities, and their ability to shape an individual's identity whilst promoting wellbeing and a sense of security. This essay will review and consider the different views and understandings of community and community strength in relation to Australian Aborigines and Australian western culture. It will also explore the different concepts, understandings, and constructs of communities and how they can influence both an individual’s and a community’s cultural identity and health and wellbeing.

Definition of community

Aristotle defined a community as a “complex system of human relationships, voluntary as well as coercive, personal

Community strength is defined as "the extent to which resources and processes within a community maintain and enhance both individual and collective wellbeing in ways consistent with the principles of equity, comprehensiveness, participation, self-reliance and social responsibility" (Black & Hughes, 2001). This is opposed to a disadvantaged community, which can be seen to have poor social networks and material disadvantage. Similarly, community strength can be defined as “people (and their organisations) engaging with each other and their community’s social infrastructure for the betterment of the community (Cheers, 2004). Thus, strong communities are seen as communities who are well resourced, have low levels of social problems, and are inclusive (Stone & Hugh, 2002). Community strength can be identified and measured through the review of natural capital, produced economic capital, human capital, and social and institutional capital (Stimson, Western, Baum & Gellecum, 2003). Strong communities are considered to embody of all these resources. Another element seen to contribute to community strength is civic participation. It

Within Aboriginal families there is a collectivist approach to child rearing and preservation of their wellbeing. This ongoing support by extended family members and other community members such as elders provides lifelong opportunities for all members of the family and the community as a whole. This example of community betterment through focusing as a community on child rearing rather then the responsibility lying with the immediate family as exemplified in western communities is an example of community strength through the pooling of community