The United States Coast Guard Naval Engineering Support Unit (NESU) Seattle is a community of naval engineers consisting of one hundred and five (105) weapon specialist, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and structural technicians and administrators who coordinate and complete depot level maintenance for over forty ships in the Coast Guard Fleet. Damage Control Man Third Class Juan Jose Robles Munoz, a five year Coast Guard employee, has been at the NESU for over a year and had worked through three other units to finally be selected for the NESU. Even though Munoz’s family is primarily in Puerto Rico, he chose to come to the NESU community because of the reputation NESU had for giving employees a variety of complex experience, good mentors and strong leadership. Munoz states that he enjoys working with all the people from different trades and backgrounds and hopes to leave NESU in three years with advancement in rank, experience that will give him more confidence, and opportunity to take on more responsibilities. The NESU is continuing to uphold their strong reputation of professional ship repair with employees like Munoz and is in return providing him with the resources of knowledge, experience, and recommendation for advancement.
Communities are powerful entities that surround human existence. These social gatherings have existed since the beginning of time because they have provided humans with a method of mutual protection (security), a way to achieve common goals (like hunting and farming at the same village), and a safer opportunity for human interaction (dealing with acquaintances rather than strangers in the bush). Communities have changed drastically over the years due to technology overcoming limitations like distance, geography, language, and disability, yet they still come in many different sizes, shapes, locations, and styles. This is reflected in the diversity of communities in the 21st Century. Communities all have one thing in common; they create action based on shared expectations, values, beliefs and meanings between individuals.
Once a community’s members move toward a mutual goal, the group action will provide result. The individuals involved share in the sense of empowerment provided by any achieved success. As an example, the college student body community has a goal to effectively share knowledge to achieve a degree that will hopefully provide value to a future employer. In John Stewart’s “Commencement Address” he is awarded an honorary doctorate then goes on to say how it devalues the community by stating “I’m sure my fellow doctoral graduates-who have spent so long toiling in academia, sinking into debt, sacrificing God knows how many years for what, in truth, is a piece of parchment that in truth has been so devalued by our instant gratification culture as to have been rendered meaningless-will join in congratulating me” (126). Stewart is essentially stating that the college, by giving away the symbol of empowerment not earned, is depreciating the community.
Communities are more than the group of individuals that they consist of, community may “morph” into a life form of its own. Many communities, such as towns, have existed before the current members were even alive and will continue to exist long after they are gone. The concept of “community” is a symbol of learned things that grows, responds, and behaves though different principles, forces, and mechanisms that a human being does and so changes by new ideas and behaviors of individuals. With good leadership and active members, the community will continue to grow, change with the times, and stay empowered through collective ideas, values, and expectations. In return the individuals will progress with the community and retain the benefits from the knowledge, experience, resources, and security the community provides.
In an essay by Shari Caudron called “Befriending Barbie”, she writes about a community that started off with collecting Barbie dolls and trading them among the members. The community grew over time to major conventions and becoming involved in public service through several charities like “Toys for Tots”, “Angels Unaware”, and “Parents of Murdered Children.” Caudron also describes a situation with a community member’s son who was murdered and the community provided her with friends when her normal friends dropped out of her circle for reasons of not knowing how to approach her. The same community also managed to donate a blanket and money to memorialize her son. In her case, this community became her whole connection to the world and satisfied her needs for friendship and solace.
Communities form a culture around a shared interest and guide lines that are formed while a community is being created. The cultural guidelines can be the determination for acceptance in the community for an individual. In “Making the Grade”, by author Kumi Hodge, the author writes about being in a black community and not being accepted because he is book smart. Hodge writes about how hard it is to step out of your community culture and still try to be accepted, but concludes “To me, the struggle of fitting in can be like giving up on yourself”(259). Cultural requirements for community can be anything from language, ethnicity, stereotypes like Hodge’s essay, to an infinitive variety of subjects or issues. Culture is definitely an element of acceptance and part of the mechanics that drive human interaction and reaction within a community.
Communities require leadership that will act as a catalyst for mobilizing the whole community, inspiring members to participate, creating places and opportunities for communication, and solidifying the common interests that attract and retain people to the community and ensure their loyalty. In return, communities can provide planning, problem solving, education, networking, and at minimum, a resource of knowledge that is needed to achieve group and individual goals, empower members, and can produce better performance within an organization, such as the NESU does for the Coast Guard. Active members in community optimally gain the opportunity for social engagement on important issues, appreciation of the community culture, and a feeling of acceptance and friendship. Once an individual finds a community he/she relates to, the experience can help them accomplish rewarding goals. The mutually beneficial relationship between NESU and DC3 Munoz illustrated this critical point.
Works Cited
Stewart, Jon.”Commencement Address.” Remix. Boston, MA. Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2010.
Caudron, Shari. “Befriending Barbie.” Remix. Boston, MA. Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2010.
Hodge, Kumi. “Making the Grade.” Remix. Boston, MA. Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2010.
Munoz, Juan. Personal Interview. 30 Apr. 2010.
Community Provides Revisited
Caudron, Shari. “Befriending Barbie.” Remix. Boston, MA. Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2010.
Hodge, Kumi. “Making the Grade.” Remix. Boston, MA. Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2010.
Munoz, Juan. Personal Interview. 30 Apr. 2010.
Community Provides Revisited
Communities are a central hub to obtain and collect knowledge, share knowledge, and discuss or possibly act on the results of that information. The requirements of a community are members with a common interest and a communication path to discuss their ideas, issues, and passions. A community can be an emotional driven group that meets in secret or through written communications; like our forefathers did to organize an army to overthrow the British rule, or they can be just a support group that meets online to discuss problems like the Military Wife Organization. An empowered community can also be a powerful force for change with good leadership, active members, and a common passion or goal. Communities are an essential part of our lives because communities serve the goals and needs of the people, provide community leadership and guidelines, and can benefit organizations they interact with.
The United States Coast Guard Naval Engineering Support Unit (NESU) Seattle is a community of naval engineers consisting of one hundred and five (105) weapon specialist, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and structural technicians and administrators who coordinate and complete depot level maintenance for over forty ships in the Coast Guard Fleet. Damage Control Man Third Class Juan Jose Robles Munoz, a five year Coast Guard employee, has been at the NESU for over a year and had worked through three other units to finally be selected for the NESU. Even though Munoz’s family is primarily in Puerto Rico, he chose to come to the NESU community because of the reputation NESU had for giving employees a variety of complex experience, good mentors and strong leadership. Munoz states “I enjoys working with all the people from different trades and backgrounds and hope to leave NESU in three years with advancement in rank, experience that will give me more confidence, and opportunity to take on more responsibilities.” The NESU is continuing to uphold their strong reputation of professional ship repair with employees like Munoz and is in return providing him with the resources of knowledge, experience, and recommendation for advancement.
Communities are powerful entities that surround human existence. These social gatherings have existed since the beginning of time because they have provided humans with security, a way to achieve common goals (like hunting and farming at the same village), and a psychological human need for interaction with other humans. Communities have changed drastically over the years due to technology overcoming limitations like distance, geography, language, and disability, yet they still come in many different sizes, shapes, locations, and styles. Communities all have one thing in common; they create action based on shared expectations, values, beliefs and meanings between individuals.
Once community is in movement towards a goal and the action provides results, the individuals share in the empowerment of the community which is a value to each individual. As an example, the college community has a goal to effectively share knowledge to achieve a degree that will hopefully provide value to a future employer. In John Stewart’s “Commencement Address” he is awarded an honorary doctorate then goes on to say how it devalues the community by stating “I’m sure my fellow doctoral graduates-who have spent so long toiling in academia, sinking into debt, sacrificing God knows how many years for what, in truth, is a piece of parchment that in truth has been so devalued by our instant gratification culture as to have been rendered meaningless-will join in congratulating me” (126). Stewart is essentially stating that the college, by giving away the symbol of empowerment not earned, is depreciating the community.
Communities are more than the group of individuals that they consist of, community is a life form of its own. Many communities, such as towns, have existed before the current members were even alive and will continue to exist long after they are gone. Community is a symbol of learned things and grows, responds, and behaves though different principles, forces, and mechanisms that a human being does and so changes by new ideas and behaviors of individuals. With good leadership and active members, the community will continue to grow, change with the times, and stay empowered through collective ideas, values, and expectations. In return the individuals will progress with the community and retain the benefits from the knowledge, experience, resources, and security the community provides.
In an essay by Shari Caudron called “Befriending Barbie”, she writes about a community that started off with collecting Barbie dolls and trading them among the members. The community grew over time to major conventions and becoming involved in public service through several charities like “Toys for Tots”, “Angels Unaware”, and “Parents of Murdered Children”. Caudron also describes a situation with a community member’s son who was murdered and the community provided her with friends when her normal friends dropped out of her circle for reasons of not knowing how to approach her. The same community also managed to donate a blanket and money to memorialize her son. In her case, this community became her whole connection to the world and satisfied her needs for friendship and interaction.
Communities form a culture around a shared interest and guide lines that are formed while creating the community. The cultural guidelines can be the determination for acceptance in the community for an individual. In “Making the Grade”, by author Kumi Hodge, the author writes about being in a black community and not being accepted because he is book smart. Hodge writes about how hard it is to step out of your community culture and still try to be accepted, but concludes “To me, the struggle of fitting in can be like giving up on yourself”(259) Cultural requirements for community can be anything from language, ethnicity, stereotypes like Hodge’s essay, to an infinitive amount of subjects or issues. Culture is definitely an element of acceptance and part of the mechanics in community.
Communities require leadership that will act as a catalyst for promoting participation and mobilize the whole community, active participating members, a place to communicate, and a common goal or interest that can inspire people to share resources like knowledge and experience with each other. In return, communities can provide planning, problem solving, education, networking, and at minimum a resource of knowledge that can achieve goals, empower members, and can produce better performance within an organization such as the NESU does for the Coast Guard. Active members in community will have a sense of belonging, social interaction on passionate subjects, a community culture, and a feeling of acceptance and friendship. Once an individual finds a community he/she relates to, the experience can help them accomplish rewarding goals as the relationship between NESU and DC3 Munoz illustrated.
Works Cited
Stewart, Jon.”Commencement Address.” Remix. Boston, MA. Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2010.
Caudron, Shari. “Befriending Barbie.” Remix. Boston, MA. Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2010.
Hodge, Kumi. “Making the Grade.” Remix. Boston, MA. Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2010.
Munoz, Juan. Personal Interview. 30 Apr. 2010.
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