Towards a Stronger Sense of Community - Case Klaukkala

Abstract

Oguntuase, Tanja Towards a stronger sense of community - case Klaukkala 55 p., 4 appendices December, 2018 Master’s Degree in Social Services and Health Care Master of Social Services Master’s Degree Programme in Community Development, Human Rights and Conflict Resolution

The aim of this thesis was to explore the existing positive elements and possible threats regarding the sense of community in Klaukkala, a residential area of Nurmijärvi. The purpose was to explore what should be done to improve the situation regarding the youth of the community and to enhance the overall sense of community. The connection between the concepts of sense of community and social capital was also examined. The research was ordered by the municipal youth work of Nurmijärvi. The research methodology followed the principles of community-based participatory research and mixed methods. The qualitative data was obtained through community meetings, focus group interviews and open-ended replies of online-surveys, and was analysed with theory-based content analysis; the quantitative data was gathered with online-surveys. The results were compared, merged and then analysed and discussed together.

The major findings can be summarized as follows. Possibilities for hobbies and participating in them are regarded as positive aspects and reflecting the sense of community. The majority of the youth are considered to be well-behaved. Views regarding alarming development vary, including e.g. negative atmosphere, attitude of adults, vandalism, crimes and substance abuse of the youth, separation among the community and among the youth, bullying, alienation, lack of support in schools and lack of interest from parents. These aspects diminish the sense of community. The main result is that the sense of com-munity varies within the community. The different experiences of community members are a sign of disruption within the community. The existing sense of community does not benefit the whole community, of which the alarming development of the youth is a symptom. The results suggest that active participation is central in enhancing the sense of community and that community members are willing to make change happen. Participation of the youth is seen central in developing the community and sense of community; however, community members of all ages are needed in enhancing the sense of community. The youth want more caring adults in their life, in school and in spare-time. The authorities are needed to offer platforms for participating and to take care of the public spaces in a more sustainable way, which would also have a positive impact on the sense of community.

The results suggest that the sense of community and social capital consist of similar attributes. However, the conclusion is that sense of community is the feeling of individuals that generates visible action in the community, which eventually forms into social capital, which traditionally is regarded as characteristic of a community.