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SPOTLIGHT ON:
Measuring
Sense of Community
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Julia Lee,
Ph.D., Managing Associate, Community Science
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Research has conclusively found that a sense of
community (also described as social support, social cohesion, etc.)
is one of the most important factors needed for social,
psychological, and physical well-being. Community Science has been
the leader in the field in the measurement of a sense of community.
The Sense of Community Index version 2 (SCI-2) is based on a
well-known theory introduced in a seminal piece on sense of community
by David McMillan and Community Science's CEO David Chavis in 1986.
The authors describe sense of community using four elements:
membership, influence, meeting needs, and a shared emotional
connection. Community Science developed the measurement tool to help
assess sense of community. It is the most frequently used measurement
of sense of community among researchers and practitioners globally.
The original tool was a 12-item scale. The current version of this
assessment instrument - the SCI-2 (which is a 24-item scale with four
subscales) - was developed to better reflect the four elements of the
theory and advances in research on this topic.
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Project
Spotlight:
Strengthening
Community in Action: Using the Sense of Community Index-2
Jon Clarke, Community and Neighborhood Resources
Manager, City of Longmont, CO
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I use the concepts of the Sense of Community Index to
design programs that build a sense of community and to measure the
effectiveness of those programs in building a sense of community.
Those of us working for the City of Longmont, we know inherently that
building a sense of community is a good thing. The Sense of Community
Index has given me the ability to demonstrate to city leadership the
results of the work that we are doing in our community.
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Staff Profile: Sarya Sok 
Sarya
Sok, MPA, Analyst, has a background in international evaluation for
public health, democracy, human rights and governance, youth, civic
education, refugees and immigration, natural resources, and climate
change interventions. She is experienced in advising evaluation
teams, developing qualitative and quantitative data collection tools,
analyzing data, and writing reports. Before joining Community
Science, she served as an independent consultant for a national
education reform program in Jordan, a pilot impact evaluation of a
Cambodian civic education program, and a global network analysis of
newborn program partners.
Fun
fact: Sarya once pleaded with Thai bowling staff in Bangkok to allow
her to purchase the bowling shoes she wore when she broke 150.
Cost: 200 baht (roughly $6).
Sour look on the bowling staff's face: Priceless.
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 Community Science Day of
Service
On
August 22, Community Science participated in its biannual day of
service at A Wider Circle. A Wider Circle is a nonprofit organization
with a mission to end poverty. They address the whole person through
various programs targeting job preparedness, health and wellness, and
housing. Through their Neighbor-to-Neighbor program, A Wider Circle
provides beds, dressers, tables, and other large and small home goods
free of charge to individuals in need. A student crew filmed A Closer Look at A
Wider Circle on the day of service.
"At A Wider Circle, we meet people every day who are living in
unacceptable conditions - conditions that in this country we have the
knowledge, creativity, and energy to change. The only way it
will change, however, is when companies (yes, companies!) lead the
way. Community Science has become an integral part of what we
do at A Wider Circle, beyond the fantastic volunteer days they have
here. We learn a lot from Community Science, and we like
putting them to work as well! Here's to more volunteering - and
to even more progress in the movement to end poverty," said Mark
Bergel, PhD, Founder and Executive Director. Community Science staff
spent the day sorting furniture, clothing, and stocking the
organization's showroom. We have provided them with free planning and
evaluation as well as placed an intern at their office last summer.
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Presentations
and Publications
David
M. Chavis, Ph.D., Principal Associate/CEO presented on
Evaluating Community Change at the Institute of Medicine's Meeting
on Designing Evaluations for What Communities Value held in
Washington, DC on August 27, 2014. Click here for a copy of the
presentation.
David
Chavis and Scott Hebert were the primary authors of a recently
released publication by Grantmakers for Effective Organizations
(GEO), entitled Evaluating
Community Change: A Framework for Grantmakers. Click here to download a copy of
this interactive document.
The Annie
E. Casey Foundation released a report in July written by Scott
Hebert, Principal Consultant to Community Science, entitled Local Voices: On-the-Ground
Perspectives on Driving Community Change in the Making Connections
Sites. The Local Voices report summarizes the
findings of an evaluation of the initiative's effectiveness in
enhancing these community sites' ability to pursue their local change
agenda on an on-going basis. You can download the report from the
Upcoming
Conferences
Community Indicators Consortium (CIC)
September 29-30, 2014
Washington, DC
October 15-18, 2014
Denver, CO
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Join Us!
Community
Science is currently recruiting for the following positions:
(Washington, DC)
(Washington, DC)
To learn more about each position, or apply now,
visit
the Community Science CAREERS
page.
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About Community Science
Community Science is an award winning research and development
organization that works with governments, foundations, and non-profit
organizations on solutions to social problems through community and
other systems changes.
To discuss how Community Science can collaborate with
your organization, contact us at 301-519-0722 or info@communityscience.com
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