The Research Paper's Focus on Waterloo Region's Vital Signs
The research paper primarily focuses towards analyzing the journal's reporting on the "Waterloo Region's Vital Signs." There are various signs in the journal that help in examining the priorities of the Waterloo community. The journal describes "vital signs" in three distinct perspectives. It views the vital sign as a tool for knowledge, an element for change, and as a device for action.
Vital Signs as a Tool for Knowledge
The perception that "vital sign" is a tool for knowledge is attributed to the fact that the Foundation for the Waterloo community compiles reports regarding vital signs based on the valid and reliable, but most current, statistics, focus groups, and special studies composed of the members of the community to understand Waterloo Region's life. Understanding the life of residents in Waterloo Region enables the foundation to come up with some significant ways through which lives in the region can be improved consequently creating a change (Block, 2018). Improving livelihood through vital signs qualifies it to be a "tool of change." However, it is an element of action since it motivates individuals to come together and to take the responsibility of transforming the community to gain the required state.
"Strong Community Belonging" as the Core Subject
"Strong community belonging" forms the core subject of discussion in the whole journal. The subject refers to the spirit of oneness in a community whereby a feeling that community members matter to each other is created. With regards to the definition of strong community belonging, Block (2018) argues that a community is expected to be an open-ended, diverse, and an actively welcoming geographical network. Strong sense of belonging within a community enables the people bounded within the network to be able to meet the needs of one another. In reference to the Waterloo Region's residents, all the issues that matter to them are associated with community belonging. The argument is that there is a great need to improve the sense of belonging among the residents. However, the only strategy to achieve the improvement objective is by analyzing the degree of belonging for various members within the community. For that matter, the three key issues established to be influencing people's level of belonging in the community include mental and physical health, belonging and leadership, and the experiences in the art, recreation and culture.
"Belonging and Leadership" in Waterloo Region
In regards to "belonging and leadership" in Waterloo Region, the aspect of community belonging is viewed in two different directions; whether the programs and services offered by Region are able to meet the diverse population's needs and whether there is a close touch between the needs of the community and Regions. In relation to arts and cultures, different community members have different views regarding the most pleasing elements of life. In an effort to evaluate the views, location to amenities, high community spirit, community size, and access to art and culture are some of the most attractive aspects of life (Ansdell, 2017). Health and wellness affect people's sense of belonging in the community. Cases have been reported involving suicide attempts by the people suffering from mental illness. The suicide attempts result from the low levels or lack of the sense of community belonging.
Reports and Findings
Belonging and Leadership
Various reports have been provided in regards to the aforementioned issues. Focusing on "belonging and leadership," the report illustrates that the Region's programs meet approximately 69% of the total needs of the different population, thus making a higher percentage of the residents to record a higher sense of belonging within the community. Also, when individual persons were interviewed based on the touch between the needs of their community and the "Region foundation," 57% recorded there is a significant touch, thus providing a view that there is a greater sense of belonging. Vogl (2026) posits that the results create a bigger picture stating that people's sense of belonging controls their behaviors like volunteering and donating. The report demonstrates that only few community members respond positively in matters associated with donations and only a small portion of the community is in leadership. Therefore, it is imperative for the leadership of communities to ensure that all its programs and services touch the needs of the general community in order to build the sense of belonging across all the members within a society.
Art and Culture
Reports on "art and culture" demonstrate that approximately 65% of skilled workers and business perceive that thriving art and culture is a significant initiative and should be accorded a high priority (Simpson, 2014). The community residents post that developing sectors of art and cultures within communities is a single strategy through which the economy can be enhanced. Besides, attracting and retaining new talented locals can highly be achieved through the initiative thus improving their sense of belonging in the community. Reports on health and wellness demonstrate that a significant number of people suffering from mental health problems within communities have engaged in suicide attempts. The incidents of suicide attempts result from the perception of the group that they are secluded in the community, thus lowering their sense of belonging. Therefore, from the research study, it is appropriate to conclude that leadership, art and culture, and health and wellness are key issues influencing strong community belonging.
References
Ansdell, G. (2017). Reflection Belonging through Musicing: Explorations of Musical Community. In Where music helps: Community music therapy in action and reflection (pp. 41-62). Routledge.
Block, P. (2018). Community: The structure of belonging. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Simpson, A. (2014). Community. In The Brand Strategist’s Guide to Desire (pp. 19-49). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
Vogl, C. (2016). The art of community: Seven principles for belonging. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
