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Effective approaches to community development

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 Effective approaches to community development

Community development empowers persons and groups within society to have capacity to
improve their lives. Community development is a positive change and value based process
which aims to address imbalances in welfare and power based on inclusion, human rights,
social justice, equity and equality. The paper highlights on different approaches to community
development. The community development approaches include: needs-based approach, problem-
solving approach, participatory approach, asset-based approach, the power-conflict -approach,
welfare approach and rights-based approach.

Is also seen as a course of action where community participants or settlers agree to take
collective action and create results to overcome the challenges faced in the area of jurisdiction.
Its also seen as a progression where the public residents coming from a particular village are
buttressed by interventions to deal with challenges and take shared action on issues which are
important to them. Community development empowers the community and creates stronger and
more networked communities.

Community Development Challenge report(2009) defines it as a set of values and practices

which plays a special role in overcoming poverty and disadvantage, knitting society together at
the grass roots and deepening democracy. Community Development Exchange defines
community development as: both an occupation (such as a community development worker in a
local authority) and a way of working with communities. Its key purpose is to build communities
based on justice, equality and mutual respect. The United Nations defines community
development as "a process where community participants, settlers, or citizens come together to
take shared or communal action and make or generate solutions to collective challenges or
difficulties1.

Community development promotes equality, egalitarianism, classlessness, consensus, fairness,

human rights and social justice, through education and empowerment of people within their
communities, whether these be of locality, identity or interest, in urban and rural settings
(Gilchrist and Taylor 2011).

1
Community development". UNTERM. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014
Community development is a holistic approach grounded in principles of empowerment, human
rights, inclusion, social justice, self-determination and collective action (Kenny, 2007).
Community development considers community members to be experts in their lives and
communities, and values community knowledge and wisdom. Community development
programs are led by community members at every stage - from deciding on issues to selecting
and implementing actions, and evaluation. Community development has an explicit focus on the
redistribution of power to address the causes of inequality and disadvantage2.

Community development empowers persons and groups within society to have capacity to
improve their lives. Community development is a positive change and value based process
which aims to address imbalances in welfare and power based on inclusion, human rights,
social justice, equity and equality.

Community development involves changing the relationships between local and uncivilized
people and elite, rich, in positions of power. This enables them to participate in the discussion of
community issues that affect their lives.

Community participation involves sharing on knowledge and experience which is shared to

create solutions into communal and cooperative action to achieve desired goals. Community
change-makers work with communities. The process enables them build networks with groups,
skilled personnel, professionals and organizations to deal with community challenges. They
create opportunities for the community to learn new skills and, by enabling people to act
together, community development practitioners help to foster social inclusion and equality3.

Community development is crucial purpose is to build communities based on justice, equality

and mutual respect. There are potential outcomes at both individual and community level.
Children and families directly involved in community development initiatives may benefit from
increases in skills, knowledge, empowerment and self-efficacy, and experience enhanced social
inclusion and community connectedness (Kenny, 2007).

2
https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/expert-panel-project/what-community-development
3
Definition of CD". Community Development Exchange.
https://web.archive.org/web/20100714160130/http://www.cdx.org.uk/community-development/what-
community-development
Through community development initiatives, community members can become more
empowered. This enables them to increasingly recognize and challenge conditions and
structures which are leading to their disempowerment or negatively impacting their wellbeing
(Ife, 2016).

At the community level, community development and empowerment initiatives can achieve
long-term outcomes such as stronger and more cohesive communities, evidenced by changes in
social capital, civic engagement, social cohesion and improved health (Campbell, Pyett, &
McCarthy, 2007; Ife, 2016; Kenny, 2007; Wallerstein, 2006)

The community development approaches involves different methods and techniques of operation
and functioning with communities for conventional programs and organization. Community
development approaches include: needs-based approach, problem-solving approach,
participatory approach, asset-based approach, community-based approach, the power-conflict -
approach, welfare approach and rights-based approach.

 The needs-based approach focuses on the community's needs, deficiencies and problems.
It focuses on identifying needs in a deteriorating community and creating external inputs
to meet those needs. as a traditional approach, is generally understood as a deficit model
which focuses on the community's needs, deficiencies and problems.
 The problem solving approach focuses on different methods approaches that can be used
in creating different solution for the problems that are faced by communities
 Participatory approach focuses on ensuring that people are educated and encouraged to
participate in the development process. People should participate in every step from
initiation to evaluation on every development project and programme.
 The asset Based Community Development is an approach to sustainable community-
driven development. Asset Based Community Development's basis is that communities
can drive the development process themselves by identifying and mobilizing existing, but
often unrecognized assets.
 The power conflict approach concentrates on creating a peaceful community. The process
deals with solution that will deal with conflicts that slow the progress and hamper
development process
  Welfare approach. Is an approach that deals with working communities to build their
capacity that improves their wellbeing, happiness and eventually their prosperity
 Righ based approach focused on ensuring that people ‘s human rights are by themselves
and the leaders. The process deals with human rights abuses which especially have kept
people in suffering and poverty

The paper focused on community development approaches of operation and functioning with
communities. Community development approaches included: needs-based approach problem-
solving approach, participatory approach, asset-based approach, community-based approach,
area-based approach, community economic development, the power-conflict -approach, welfare
approach and rights-based approach.
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