Community development must respect local traditions.
Community development is the process that is carried out when social problems are resolved and the sustainable and equitable growth of a community is promoted . Governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and social movements work to achieve poverty reduction, promote social inclusion and achieve other goals that are associated with this concept.
It should be noted that the idea of development has several uses. In this case we are interested in its meaning as the progress of a human group at a cultural, social and economic level. Community , meanwhile, is that linked to a community: the set of individuals in a nation or a region.
It can be said that community development is achieved by improving the quality of life of the people who make up a given society , favoring their empowerment . Public policies and social work are two instruments that are applied for this purpose.
Characteristics of community development
Community development can be understood as a type of collective intervention that aims to build an inclusive society . Those who assume community leadership and those who develop volunteer actions are among the protagonists of these actions, which require citizen participation and intersectoral collaboration.
Community development, in short, is local development with community participation . Although social projects can be carried out even with international cooperation, they aim to modify the reality of a specific territory.
Literacy , adult education , job training, access to housing, and food security are some of the issues addressed as part of community development. As we already indicated, resource management must seek sustainable development , guarantee human rights and promote family well-being.
Humanitarian assistance is often part of community development.
Your story
Although everything that represents the idea of community development has existed for a long time, it is usually mentioned at the end of World War II as the starting point of the modern meaning of the concept. It was at that moment when the social sciences began to emphasize the processes and techniques that make the progress of people and the communities in which they are inserted possible.
UNESCO , in this framework, was a pioneer in promoting initiatives to improve the social situation in the so-called Third World (underdeveloped countries). Thus, the first community development programs were carried out in regions of Latin America , Asia and Africa . A particularity is that these projects were designed in rich countries and applied in poorer ones; Then, with the training of development agents, planning became local.
Similarly, community development initiatives also began to be applied in poor neighborhoods and rural areas of the First World . Thus, new methodologies and theoretical concepts emerged.
Community development can be promoted with public-private partnerships.
The importance of knowledge in community development
Community development is key in social integration and emergency response. Beyond good intentions, scientific knowledge is needed to design interventions and apply them efficiently, with sustainable practices that achieve changes with positive results capable of being maintained over time.
According to experts, the first step is to precisely define what a community is . In this sense, we speak of the group of human beings who inhabit a delimited geographical area and who share problems and interests. The members of a community understand that the group's problems are also their own.
Faced with this reality, the community takes on the challenge of seeking solutions to its problems. Although there are different responsibilities, there is a collective intervention . It cannot be omitted to mention that the community has the right to participate in those decisions that will modify their living conditions.
That is why community education is also very important. Each individual must be trained to interpret reality and contribute to the evolution of their family and community with their contributions.
The methodology
To launch a community development project, a series of steps must be followed.
First it is necessary to analyze the needs of the territory . The diagnosis must be participatory, allowing neighbors to express themselves about their own reality.
Then you must pose a hypothesis and set objectives . The next stage consists of developing a work plan , defining the operational and organizational structure.
With the agreed work scheme, it is time to obtain the resources (both material and human). Once these were obtained, the community development program is now underway.
While the actions are carried out, it is essential to evaluate their progress to introduce any necessary changes. Once the planned work is completed, a final evaluation is made.
Community development goals
As a summary, we can indicate that the main objectives of community development are the following:
- Promote social well-being , satisfying people's basic needs.
- Improve the quality of life , acting on the conditions that surround the subjects.
- Encourage inclusion , providing opportunities for progress to all individuals.
- Promote social cohesion , working on cultural identity and sense of belonging.