The Four Squares

Experience 1: Belonging

For community to be a reality, our sense of who we are needs to go beyond our individuality. We need to know we truly belong in our relationships and in the groups of which we are a part. Developing identity and belonging that includes and goes beyond individual-ness is integral to community building. This belonging is experience in two main ways:

Friendship
Though everyone has people they call friends, friendships that regularly include encouragement, support and accountability aren’t easy to establish or sustain. The IFC will show you how to build friendships that not only bring you closer together, but contributes to group loyalty and commitment.

Membership
Membership isn’t about paying dues or being listed on a role. It means that my sense of who I am is integrally attached to the group of which I am a part. The IFC will train you in how to facilitate a positive sense of group membership and how this is crucial in the development of community.

Experience 2: Influence

Many people feel they have little influence in their relationships and the groups in which they are a part. To live in community, we must regularly see that we make a difference, and that we have a positive, meaningful impact on the lives of others and the people and the groups of which we are a part. This experience of difference making can be divided into two aspects:

Partnership
Partnership is all about knowing and being needed by the particular people with whom you live and work. The IFC will show you how to bring more partnership into your life through relationships in which you have a positive influence in the lives of others.

Ownership
Ownership is all about the ability to make a difference that affects the groups to which you belong. This experience includes positive influence in the group through shared decision making and mutual service. The IFC will train you in how to create ownership with the people with whom you live and work.