Community Development – a shared responsibility

Or Straight A’s for Community

Development

Alan Barr

Before we start – a straw poll…

• CD is:– the primary function of my role – CD is a secondary element of another role– I am not directly involved in CD

• I am paid for the CD work I do• I do my CD work as a volunteer• I see CD as:

– a distinct profession/occupation – an approach that many should take– both

• I am confident about the future of CD

Adversity and anxiety

• Persistence of poverty and inequity• Public expenditure cuts

– direct loss of CD posts in public sector– knock on loss of funding to voluntary and

community sectors– differential impact on the most vulnerable

• Equipment of practitioners– resources for the task– capacity to evidence the case for CD

Ambivalence and ambiguity

• High profile for CD in public policy • Emergence of new language – co-production?• CD adding value or compensating for cuts that

assault the foundations of a welfare state? • But what commitment from and relationship

with the state? – naivety, cynicism or genuine and realistic vision? Redesigning or restructuring?

• Motivation and competence of the widening range of players apparently espousing CD – necessity or positive choice?

Ambivalence and ambiguity

• The function of CD: helping communities to organise (not organising the community!)

• But for what and for whom?– a universal approach or targeting positive

change in disadvantaged communities? – fostering independent communities or

colonising social capital?– promoting cohesion and celebrating difference?– recognising diverse responses to needs but

sustaining equity?

Aspiration and Ambition

• Balancing principle and pragmatism in an inherently contradictory context.

• What is legitimate adaptation to the conditions in which we find ourselves?

• What is non-negotiable?• How can we forge a level of

agreement to take forward an increasingly diversely shared responsibility and a potentially new relationship with the state?

The ABCD Model

A shared wealth

A caring communi

ty

A safe communi

ty

A creative communi

ty

A citizens’ communi

tyQUALITY OF COMMUNITY LIFE DIMENSIONS

Liveable Sustainable

Equitable

STRENGTHENED COMMUNITY

A Healthy Communit

y

Positive action Community organisation

Participation & involvement

COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT DIMENSIONS

Personal Development

Alliances and associations

• Avoiding precious schisms– tribal, ideological, professional/sectoral etc

• Clarifying the common denominators of CD.• Maximising available resources• Local and national mechanisms to integrate

activity – Locally driven by genuine community led community

planning– Nationally by strengthening CDAS as a voice for the

potential of CD and a conduit for evidence of its achievements , SCDN as a network for practitioner support

Accomplishment and achievement

• Accomplished practitioners need to give attention to their own development and be supported to do it

• Achieving practitioners need clear vision of the changes they seek and capacity to critically evaluate and analyse performance

• Established imperatives have not changed!