Community Development

Definition • Community development is a log-term value

based process which aims to address imbalances and bring about change founded on social justice, equality and inclusion.

• Community development (CD) is a broad term applied to the practices and academic disciplines of civic leaders, activists, involved citizens and professionals to improve various aspects of local communities.

Scope of Community Development

Community  development  is  a  very  broad  and  wide term. It covers many issues including:

• Planning Services• Servicing self help groups• Running support and social action groups• Building Community Networks• Participating in inter-agency meeting• Undertaking needs assessment

• Increasing people’s skills• Resourcing the community to meet needs• Improving quality of life• Defining priorities• Working towards social justice• Empowering individuals and communities 

Principles of Community Development

• Social Justice

• Citizenship and human rights

• Empowerment and Self-determination • Collective action

• Tolerance of diversity

• Working  for  change  and  involvement  in conflict

• Liberation and participating democracy

• Accessibility of human services

Values of Community Development

• Equality and Anti-discrimination • Collective Action • Social Justice • Working and Learning together

Rural and Urban Community Development

• There are  lots of differences  in process of community development in rural and urban areas.

• In rural areas communities are closely net, whereas in urban area communities are sometime not very closely located. 

• In  rural  areas  community  sometimes  people  are  not aware  of  several  issue  and  additional  efforts  are required to motivate them.

• Sometimes  issue  of  rural  and  urban communities  have  different  types  of  issues, problems hence they address those proposal as per their social requirements.

• In  rural  areas  population  is  sometime  divided on the basis of biraderies, class, tribes and caste system,  hence  it  requires  different  types  of efforts to tackle those problems.

• In urban areas communities are divided on the basis  of  professions,  ethnicities,  religions. Hence problems are different.

• In  rural  areas  sometimes  societies  are  close but  in  urban  centers  societies  become multiethnic and cosmopolitan. 

Elements of Community DevelopmentThe idea of community development as a process is consisting following six inter-related elements or stages:

Element Characteristic QuestionInformation Theories

ConceptsResearch reportsStatistics surveysBudgetsPeople’s own experiences

What we know

Authenticity People’s own knowledge and viewpoints What do the people thinkPragmatism Existing structures, processes and 

practicesWhat are the facilitating or constraining factors?What are our choices?What can we do

Vision Alternative views of how things could be done

How could things be different? What would we like to happen?

Strategy  Plans for getting to where we want to be

What is to be done and who will do it?

Transformation

Changes of existing structures, processes and practices

What changes have taken place?

Evaluation Evaluating the changes to existing structures, processes and practices

What so we think of the changes that have taken place?

Role of Community Development Workers

• Community workers play central pivotal role in the community  development.  Community  workers have to keep following things in their mind:-

 a) Tasksb) Abilitiesc) Knowledged) Skills