A community may be defined as a group of people working towards a common goal. It can be seen as an organization built on intentions of mutual growth.

Examples of a community can be;

• Social Media Community
• People belonging to a certain caste or creed
• People belonging to a certain organization
• People belonging to certain places
• People who are passionate about certain things that they have in common

If you will notice, every community has one thing in common, and that is their purpose of being or mission.

Community is critical to our overall wellbeing and the decline of our connectedness is coming at the same time mental health issues are on the rise. In a study conducted by some college students, among working-class people around 30% of people were feeling lonely, even though they all were connected to people around the world using one or other means.

We are social animals and our instinct is to find a purposeful community to be associated with. We appreciate the small circle of passionate people surrounding us. Our health and happiness are inextricably linked with our connections.

Below are some of the ways by which you can build a community;
1. Have a Purpose
Strong communities have a significant sense of purpose. People's roles have meaning in the bigger picture of the community and each member of the group understands how their work connects to others and adds value to the whole. 

Build your community by keeping your purpose in mind and reminding yourself of how your contribution matters. 

2. Have a Sense of Belonging
When we are part of a community, we feel a sense of belongingness or connectedness. There is a role for each person, and group members take part believing that they can bring all of themselves to their work and their team. Someone has rightly said;

Communities take care of their members and vice versa

This is true to its roots. In a community, everyone has to support another person. This becomes more important as new members join, as they need guidance on what needs to be done to continue as per community guidelines.

Connecting over a quick video call or a meetup in a nearby cafe is a great way to foster belongingness in the community. This makes people feel privileged to be part of a community and they actively take part in the same. You can have small coffee breaks or outings with your community members, or get together to discuss community purpose and its progress.

3. Empower Your Community Members
Having a community is not enough. You should have a plan to empower community members as well. This is because power brings responsibility and hence translates to more loyal community members.

For Example, if you have an online community, ensure that you are giving other people a chance to become moderators so that they can guide new people and also help keep the community clean.

4. Keep space for more
Strong communities are always evolving. They aren't immune from tough circumstances, instead, they adapt and become stronger as they cope together. Effective communities support members who take risks, try new things, and go out on limbs to create and innovate. 

For Example, you would have heard about the bitcoin community, which grew exponentially just because Satoshi Nakamoto was read to allow people to take over and innovate.

Although you can set up the building blocks of a community, you should give an open hand to the member of the community to innovate and change the narrations over time.

5. Support Your Community Members
Although you will be having a purpose in mind while creating the community. But you should not hesitate to help community members in need. For Example, helping someone with finding a job, when you know his or her resume is lacking skills and abilities, because of which they are not able to get employment is important. Especially in situations like pandemics.

Go out and help people in need, and they will surely want to be part of your community.

Conclusion
Although we all are part of one community or another, we can always work towards a mission or purpose and develop our own community as the need arises. You should focus on helping other people out, and they will love to be part of your community.

Note: If you have any other ideas about building a community, please share the same in the comments below, and we will include the same in this article.