Culture in communities

And why it is important in community building

A group of friends at the Badagry Slave Route Point of No Return, Lagos, Nigeria

There is an old proverb that goes

“Show me your friends and I’ll tell you who you are”

That proverb summarises this post.

The communities we belong to define who we are; we are the sum of all our experiences. Who we are — in turn, defines what we get; what we get is the sum of all we have put out.

Subconsciously people know this and try to associate with the groups they want to be like.

But what is culture? Culture is a generic term that represents the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society.

This is key as you look to design and build your community. You want to bring like-minded people together, people who understand and live the culture you are looking to build.

And in your community, you want to be able to define and maintain a culture that supports your goals.

If you bring in members who do not fit in with your community culture, you risk your culture and community changing into something which will not support your goals, something that makes it harder for your members to succeed in your community. Your community being able to help your members succeed is key to your community’s success.