For the purpose of this assignment, I decided to use a recent community meeting of my residential neighbourhood back home in Calgary; Meadowlark Park. Meadowlark Park is one of the smallest neighbourhoods in the city, located in the SW quadrant, there are approximately 275 homes and just over 600 residents. Being located next to the largest and most popular mall in the city, as well as two of the major roadways (Glenmore Trail and Elbow Drive), the community itself has developed and gone through substantial change in recent decades. These changes are particularly why it has been so important to hold monthly community meetings in the area.
Question 1
Every year, the community holds an annual meeting where the annual report of the community’s …show more content…
However, as has been increasingly witnessed over the past few years, cohesion of the group is not as strong as it once was. Meadowlark Park used to primarily consist of elderly homeowners, but in the past decade in particular, a growing amount of young couples with children have begun to move into the neighbourhood, with a noticeable amount of the elderly leaving to retire into nursing homes or having passed away. Differences of opinion between these two groups have arisen in community meetings, particularly in regard to expressed needs. The younger couples desire more playgrounds, hockey rink(s), and kids activities whereas the older generation places more value on maintaining a quiet and calm neighbourhood with more volunteer efforts put forth towards things such as “snow angels” and companionship programs for isolated seniors. This puts forth a continuing theme of distinct needs between an aging demographic and that of a younger one impact the community’s overall functioning and …show more content…
As Corey, Corey, and Corey (2014) remind us, “You can teach members directness couple with sensitivity, which results in their seeing that confrontation can be done in a caring yet honest manner” (p. 183). The current president stepped in at a pause in the elderly gentleman’s long speech, and thoughtfully said “Bill, I appreciate you attending today and voicing your concerns to the committee. I can assure you that we have recognized traffic flow in the neighbourhood to largely be unsafe due to speeding recently, and will not only be discussing this later in the meeting but have already put forth a proposed plan to reduce the issue. I want to be aware of time however, and would like to hear from others so that all concerns can be addressed. Thank you.” This action by the committee president reflects how confrontation is a useful tool in practice, as when it is used effectively, it aids in the progress and continuing momentum of the group while respecting and validating each group
Question 1
Every year, the community holds an annual meeting where the annual report of the community’s …show more content…
However, as has been increasingly witnessed over the past few years, cohesion of the group is not as strong as it once was. Meadowlark Park used to primarily consist of elderly homeowners, but in the past decade in particular, a growing amount of young couples with children have begun to move into the neighbourhood, with a noticeable amount of the elderly leaving to retire into nursing homes or having passed away. Differences of opinion between these two groups have arisen in community meetings, particularly in regard to expressed needs. The younger couples desire more playgrounds, hockey rink(s), and kids activities whereas the older generation places more value on maintaining a quiet and calm neighbourhood with more volunteer efforts put forth towards things such as “snow angels” and companionship programs for isolated seniors. This puts forth a continuing theme of distinct needs between an aging demographic and that of a younger one impact the community’s overall functioning and …show more content…
As Corey, Corey, and Corey (2014) remind us, “You can teach members directness couple with sensitivity, which results in their seeing that confrontation can be done in a caring yet honest manner” (p. 183). The current president stepped in at a pause in the elderly gentleman’s long speech, and thoughtfully said “Bill, I appreciate you attending today and voicing your concerns to the committee. I can assure you that we have recognized traffic flow in the neighbourhood to largely be unsafe due to speeding recently, and will not only be discussing this later in the meeting but have already put forth a proposed plan to reduce the issue. I want to be aware of time however, and would like to hear from others so that all concerns can be addressed. Thank you.” This action by the committee president reflects how confrontation is a useful tool in practice, as when it is used effectively, it aids in the progress and continuing momentum of the group while respecting and validating each group