Module 2 Youth in the Community

(c) Copyright CTA CODE of Course CHC51408, MODULE 2 Version Date: 15.03.2013

CHCCD412B Work within a Community Development Framework

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Principles and practises of Community Development work

Structural disadvantage and Inequality

Social Justice and Human Rights

Participation and Empowerment

Political process

(c) Copyright CTA CODE of Course CHC51408, MODULE 2 Version Date: 15.03.2013

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Structural disadvantage and inequality

Lack of community services, employment opportunities, shops or social/recreational opportunities in an area

Specific groups in a community are marginalised and lack access to some features of their communities; or those features are not appropriate for them

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Disadvantaged Groups may include:

Children and young people

Those with mental health issues

Minority racial, cultural or religious groups

Low Socio economic status

The elderly

Those with disabilities

The socially isolated

Those with special needs: drug addicts, gamblers, victims of domestic violence, homeless, etc.

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Social Justice and Human Rights

Social Justice is built upon the concepts of Human Rights and Equality

Social Justice rejects disadvantage. Everyone should enjoy the same freedoms and life opportunities

Community development aims to provide social justice by eliminating social imbalances in a community

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Participation and Empowerment

One of the aims of Community Development is for political empowerment of individuals and groups within a community

This political power is often expressed through opportunities for community participation in decision making

This can involve having a say in the design of community programs that you hold an interest in or to have your vote on the outcome of an important decision that affects your community

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Participation and Empowerment cont. You can empower people by giving them an

opportunity to express their needs and to influence the decision making process

In community development that means listening to the needs of all community members and allowing everyone to have their say on the decisions being made

True empowerment involves supporting community members to effectively participate in the decision making process. For example:

by hosting community meetings

by providing them with all the information they need to make informed decisions

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Community Participation and Empowerment

A developer wants to build a beachfront resort. The local council hosts a community meeting to discuss the proposal. Some people are for the development because it will create jobs and extra tourist dollars for local businesses. Others are worried about losing access to the beach and have environmental concerns

The community meeting allows everyone to express their concerns and share ideas on how the proposal can be amended so that it is acceptable for all

The decisions made in the meeting are then incorporated into the development plan

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Why is Community Participation and Empowerment important?

Professional experts and Politicians are not perfect; they do not always make the best decisions

The best decisions are made when all relevant information is available

Local knowledge, experience, values and beliefs are important. This information paired with expert knowledge is most likely to lead to successful decision making

Community members are more likely to support the final outcome when they have participated in the decision making process

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Political Process

Through Community Participation and Empowerment, political power is granted to individual community members

Depending on the organisation, council or government department that has set up the process, the power of individuals in the participation process can range from token to complete decision making powers

Decisions can be made via a public vote or the end outcome can be the result of careful analysis of the feedback and either a partial or complete deferral to community opinion or advice

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Political Process; Stakeholders

Other times a reference group of stakeholders is chosen/elected to work in collaboration with the decision-making body or organisation; working together for an appropriate outcome

When conducting Community Consultation it is important to balance the community participation and empowerment outcomes

It is often not feasible to try and get the whole community involved in decision making processes, part of what a community worker must do is to identify the key stakeholders

The key stakeholders are the people who are most affected by what is happening and the final decision

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Community Consultation It is often a matter of policy that community

consultation be done and the views of community members to be considered in decision making

Community organisations, local councils and government departments can conduct community consultation

A good community consultation where advice is heeded leads to community acceptance of the final decision. If the community’s advice is ignored, the final decision may be rejected by that community

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Models of work for Community Development

Locality Development Work

Brokering connections between communities and systems

Community needs analysis

Research

Social Action

Advocacy

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Social Action Model

Social Action or Group Action is where individuals with an issue will band together to be heard and create political power for themselves

Social Action is often coordinated by a number of volunteers who do fundraisers, rallies, advertising campaigns and petitions to promote and advocate for their cause

Social Action groups become more powerful as they grow in membership

Politicians can co-operate with social action groups to gain their support

Politicians who ignore powerful social action groups risk being dumped at the next election

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Advocacy Model Similar to the Social Action Model

Advocates or Advocacy groups speak out for disadvantaged or marginalised groups in an effort to influence government policy to help support those groups

Advocacy groups actively engage in the political process and are often sought to be involved as stakeholders in decision making processes

Charities often function in advocacy roles

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Locality Development Work Locality development work is community

development that is initiated by the community members that are in need (and professionals and volunteers are invited to assist)

An easy to recognise form of Locality Development Work is disaster relief, for example cyclone, floods

Locality Development Work is always controlled by the community members seeking support and outsiders are directed as to what needs to be done to help them

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Brokering connections between communities and systems

Another form of Community Development work is when an organisation or government department actively tries to forge links with communities to learn how to make their services more user-friendly

This is an area where community reference groups come into play

These reference groups provide on-going advice to the organisation on things like policies, procedures and needs in the community

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Community needs analysis / research

Forming and supporting a community reference group can provide on-going advice to an organisation on what they should be doing. Sometimes an organisation will just want a snap-shot of what they should be doing next

A community needs analysis or research project is an exercise where community members and stakeholders are approached and their needs documented (often as a survey). This data helps the organisation plan what they should be doing next

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Working with Individuals in Groups In community development you will work with

many individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds and a range of personalities

An effective community development worker will be respectful, friendly and a great listener

When working with groups it is also important for the worker to be able to push discussions along and prevent them from going off-topic and also to ensure everyone has a chance to express themselves

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Individual differences

Talkative

Shy

Helpful

Difficult

Optimist

Pessimist

Respectful

Disrespectful

Prepared

Unprepared

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Individual differences

Language

Social, economic, physical and health issues

Culture and cultural practices relating to:

Religion / Spiritual Observances

Family Relationships

Status / Protocol

Ceremonies / Celebrations

Prohibition / Taboos

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Areas of bias Pro-business

Pro-environment

Religious bias

Cultural bias

Age bias

Bias against unemployed, homeless, drug addiction, gamblers, etc

Bias against illness, disability or mentally health status

Personal beliefs bias

Bias to issues you are dealing with personally

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Constructive Outcomes from Community Consultation

In community meetings the Community Development Worker assumes the role of the facilitator

As a facilitator you must:

Ensure everyone at the meeting understands what is under discussion.

Start with presentation, use agenda or info pamphlets

Show no bias towards any group or individual

Make sure everyone knows the rules for the meeting and that those who break them will be asked to leave

Ensure every person receives an equal opportunity to express their ideas and opinions

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Constructive Outcomes from Community Consultation

As a facilitator you must:

Prevent discussions from going off-topic

Prevent any one person from dominating the discussions

Conduct meetings in a culturally appropriate manner

Keep meetings to time and ensure agenda is followed (if there is one) – an agenda can be agreed on at the very start of the meeting

Record discussions and outcome of meetings

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Making a difference

A community consultation meeting can by itself provide valuable feedback for organisations to improve programs or make better decisions

However for a more meaningful approach and if there is enough community interest and resources available, creating a community reference or working group can be valuable

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Making a difference

A community reference or working group can be formed by delegates of various stakeholder groups or made up from elected representatives from a community meeting

A community reference group can be involved in all steps of the decision making process and their recommendations can be incorporated into the plan for whatever is happening

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Summary

Community Development is action that serves the needs of groups in a community that need support and don’t have a voice

Community Development is not led by the ideas of “experts” and imposed upon communities

Community Development is always informed by the ideas, knowledge and values of community members

The outcomes of Community Development include quality community services, programs, policies, local laws and decisions for the sale and use of public land and waters

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Community Development is making a Town or City Home for all Community

members

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