We use the word community a lot on the Appalachian State University campus, so we thought we’d ask what it means to our students.
Transcript
Dave: Appalachian State University students answer the question, “What is ‘community’ to you?”
Voice 1: “I’d say community to me is just a group of people who live and work together in a way that benefits everybody equally.”
Voice 2: “I believe community is the people and cultures just coming together. Unity.”
Voice 3: “To me, community is people interacting with each other peacefully in the same environment.”
Voice 4: “Community is being able to greet somebody and go in a space and not feel alienated or impersonal.”
Voice 5: “Community to me is a sense of belonging amongst like minded people.”
Voice 6: “Community is a group of people living in the same area working towards a common goal.”
Voice 7: “It’s people who come together because they believe in the same thing and they are passionate about the same thing, and they work together to make sure that thing happens. So, for me, that’s social justice.”
Voice 8: “Community to me is a group of people that care about one another. They may be united over an issue like the LGTB Center that we’re in right now, or they may just be a group of friends. But it’s people that care about each other enough to create a system of love and support for one another.”
Voice 9: “I think that community is a group of individuals that whether because they come from the same place or live in the same place or are working towards a common goal find it in themselves to work together and support each other.”
Voice 10: “Community is a group of people who are together who are working towards a common goal who have the same beliefs and help each other out through the hard times.”
Voice 11: “Community to me is a sense of support around you from a big group of people who are just welcoming and supportive and loving of you.”
Voice 12: “I guess community to me is a sense of belonging and an organization...a team as well. Everyone has a collective task and a collective goal, trying to better themselves. Not only personally and individually, but as a group as well.”
Voice 13: “This is a good question but I need to brainstorm.”
Voice 14: “What is the question?”
Voice 13: “‘What is community to you.’”
Voice 14: “Oh. This is a community!”
Voice 13: “This is a great community.”
Voice 14: “Everyone just kind of works together and helps each other out, and it’s encouraging.”
Voice 13: “Yeah, encouraging one another!”
“That’s community.”
“And challenging each other in a positive way. And supporting each other. Community.”
What do you think?
Share your feedback on this story.
About Appalachian State University
As the premier public undergraduate institution in the state of North Carolina, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls more than 19,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.
