Community Membership

What is it?

Community membership is having a sense of belonging and a feeling of connection to those around you. It is an identity, a way to know who you are because of your relationship to the community. Members of the community have relationships that tend to be stable and characterized by reciprocity. Community membership is not only being in the community but being the fabric of daily life in the society.

The Center for Aging and Community (CAC) believes that all adults, with and without lifelong disabilities, can benefit from community participation and can make important contributions to the people and places around them. Community participation adds meaning, value and purpose to the lives of all. For those of us who support persons with disabilities it is our responsibility to find opportunities that will enhance choice making, being respected, increasing competence, community presence, and community participation. With the baby boomers reaching retirement age, many organizations are seeking information on retirement programs. CAC endorses community membership as the most favorable approach.

Why is it so important?

"They like me here. When I get there, two tables had a seat for me and I had two alones." Jim says with a smile as he gets into his car after a weekly euchre game at the Bloomington Senior Center.

Jim in his early sixties and has been playing euchre for many years now. He quickly became one of the regulars. Other players know his name; they laugh a lot and ask questions about what is going on in each other's lives.

"I have learned many different things from being a friend of Jim's. Just hearing him talk about the things that are important to him and knowing how much he wants to have the things that everyone wants out of life. That is something that I really had not realized until we became closer friends." - Tammy, a former co-worker and long-time friend of Jim's

When the YMCA director heard Ernie did not hav money to renew his bus pass, she asked staff and board members if they wanted to contribute toward Ernie's bus pass. They donated enough money to pay for one year's worth of passes.

More nad more people with disabilities are aging and quickly approaching retirement age. Many aging adults feel ill-equipped for this late life transition and lack reservoir interests, hobbies, and/or friendships to help fill their days and provide some meaning to their lives. As an antidote, CAC focuses on improving the quality of life of older adults with developmental disabilities through community membership. Community builders (staff) are specifically charged with discovering the interests, gifts and talents of the person and finding welcoming places where they could shine.

What staff members can do to support clients in becoming valued community members

Although the journey is different for each person, four stages that contribute to successful outcomes have been identified and outlined below. The stages are not always distinct, nor are they predictably sequential.

Becoming Familiar with Each Other

Rapport, trust and mutual respect are established in the initial phase of community membership. The community builder assists the participant to discover his or her preferences, interests and talents in a variety of settings over a long period of time through community and neighborhood exploration.

Developing a Vision

Discoveries made during the "getting to know you" stage combined with dreams for the future creates the vision. You may consider some of the following questions as guidelines to navigate this process.

• How does the individual contribute his or presence and gifts?
• What does the individual enjoy doing?
• With whom and in what types of environments does this person shine?

Getting Connected

Specific locations and/or activities where valued roles and new interests can be explored are chosen during this phase. The individual and the community builder (staff) seek out sites that are well-matched to the individual's interests, abilities, and personal habits, where there is a core group of people to get to know and something meaningful for the person to do.

There are many wonderful examples of individuals finding the right place and right activity for them. Ernie is just one of the many.

In the "getting to know you" stage, Ernie always became excited in the presence of children. So, it was natural to seek out a place where children were present for Ernie. Several child care centers were investigated and the YMCA was chosen as the best place.

"he reaction of the children when Ernie comes into the room is just wonderful. The children come running to him" - Carol, the child care coordinator at the YMCA to which Ernie goes.

Cultivating Relationships

Relationships are considered by many to be the most important and satisfying aspect of life. The community builder helps facilitate the growth of new relationships with people outside the human service system. There is an array of ideas and support strategies, and the CAC training seminars can help you and your staff of community builders learn about them and how to use these strategies.

"He has done so much for us; we don't want to lose him." - the Executive Director