The Importance Of Building A Community

Determining what would best help me create a community on my floor took time. I learned that keeping my door open and engaging in conversation with residents whenever possible – in the dining hall, while brushing teeth, or even in passing around campus – really helped to establish relationships. Forming an interest survey early on in the semester was helpful in planning activities with higher attendance rates. For example, through the survey, I was able to determine that the majority of my residents were interested in athletics, study abroad, and baking, and from there, I was able to plan events like floor ice skating, an LDO with Education Abroad, and a cookie-decorating activity. Another aspect of the semester I found that worked well was developing a level of mutual respect with all of my residents and holding them accountable in a polite manner. On a …show more content…
Learning about topics such as racial identity, social capital, and LGBT* issues really opened my eyes to different challenges that residents face, which affected my community building approach. After understanding various conditions that lead to social stratification or convergence, my goals shifted more form hoping that all of my residents would be friends, to a new vision of acceptance and diversity appreciation. Upon learning about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, I learned that in order to help my residents develop self esteem and self actualization, I must first help them develop a concrete sense of love and belonging, “As a humanist, Maslow believed that people have an inborn desire to be self-actualized, to be all they can be. In order to achieve these ultimate goals, however, a number of more basic needs must be met first, such as the need for food, safety, love, and self-esteem”(Cherry). Through this knowledge, I placed a greater emphasis on safety and basic inclusion before I encouraged deeper