blog

on defining "community"

Monday, 13 July 2009 12:07

In July and August 2009, four community-wide assemblies will be held throughout King County to discuss how we care for each other. Some of the questions that will be considered by the attendees of these assemblies will include, “What do we need in order to be the kind of community that truly cares for one another?” "What assumptions must we question to nurture and sustain this caring community?” “Who needs to come together to create this new way of viewing the world--and each other?”

Working as a Care Manager at Jubilee Women’s Center is a continual reminder of how important it is to understand how “care” is defined by the women whom we serve. Jubilee residents may hold differing perspectives of what actions and support are truly caring for her needs and for her humanity. As such, it is essential that I hold the capacity to look at the concept of care through each woman’s eyes and heart rather than simply dictating my concepts or definitions of what I define as appropriate care and support. It is my belief that by stopping to consider how we--as a community--can holistically care for one another, that I will increase my ability to offer care to Jubilee residents in a manner that is inclusive of the cultural, ethnic, spiritual, emotional, and physical realities of human existence.

Dannette Allen
Care Manager