Community development:
Community development is a process where community members
come together to take collective action and generate solutions to
common problems. Community wellbeing (economic, social,
environmental and cultural) often evolves from this type of
collective action being taken at a grassroots level. Community
development ranges from small initiatives within a small group to
large initiatives that involve the broader community.
Effective community development should be:
a long-term endeavour
well-planned
inclusive and equitable
holistic and integrated into the bigger picture
initiated and supported by community members
of benefit to the community
grounded in experience that leads to best practices
Community development is a grassroots process by which
communities:
become more responsible
organize and plan together
develop healthy lifestyle options
empower themselves
reduce poverty and suffering
create employment and economic opportunities
achieve social, economic, cultural and environmental goals
Community development seeks to improve quality of life. Effective
community development results in mutual benefit and shared responsibility
among community members. Such development recognizes:
the connection between social, cultural, environmental and economic
matters
the diversity of interests within a community
its relationship to building capacity.
Community development helps to build community capacity in order to
address issues and take advantage of opportunities, find common ground
and balance competing interests. It doesn’t just happen – capacity building
requires both a conscious and a conscientious effort to do something (or
many things) to improve the community.
Community
Often when we think of community, we think in geographic terms. Our
community is the city, town or village where we live. When community is
defined through physical location, it has precise boundaries that are readily
understood and accepted by others. Defining communities in terms of
geography, however, is only one way of looking at them. Communities can
also be defined by common cultural heritage, language, and beliefs or
shared interests. These are sometimes called communities of interest. Even
when community does refer to a geographic location, it doesn’t always
include everyone within the area. For example, many Aboriginal
communities are part of a larger non-Aboriginal geography. In larger urban
centres, communities are often defined in terms of particular
neighbourhoods.
Most of us belong to more than one community, whether we’re aware of it or
not. For example, an individual can be part of a neighbourhood community,
a religious community and a community of shared interests all at the same
time. Relationships, whether with people or the land, define a community for
each individual.
Development
The term “development” often carries an assumption of growth and
expansion. During the industrial era, development was strongly connected to
increased speed, volume and size. However, many people are currently
questioning the concept of growth for numerous reasons – a realization that
more isn’t always better, or an increasing respect for reducing outside
dependencies and lowering levels of consumerism. So while the term
“development” may not always mean growth, it always imply change.
The community development process takes charge of the conditions and
factors that influence a community and changes the quality of life of its
members. Community development is a tool for managing change but it is
not:
a quick fix or a short-term response to a specific issue within a
community;
a process that seeks to exclude community members from
participating; or
an initiative that occurs in isolation from other related community
activities.
Community development is about community building as such, where the
process is as important as the results. One of the primary challenges of
community development is to balance the need for long-term solutions with
the day-to-day realities that require immediate decision-making and short-
term action.