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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