What is Community Development? Explained.

What is Community Development ?- Community development is made up of two words: community and development, both of which need to be learned about in order to understand them. A "relatively self-sufficient population, living in a small area, bound together by feelings of unity and interdependency" is one of its definitions.

group: "a group of people who have similar characteristics or interests and who see themselves as separate from the rest of society, for example, the business community or the community of scholars."

People who live in communities are people who live in specific places and have common interests. Three centuries ago, a lot of things changed about what it meant to be a part of a group. We have gone from a mostly agricultural and rural society to a mostly urban and industrialized society, and now we live in a society that is no longer industrialized. In this last phase of de-industrialization, there has been a loss of community life and a decrease in civil society groups. These have led to a gradual breakdown of traditional family networks, a rise in inequality between groups of people, and the growth of institutions to meet the needs of the people, which were once met by the community itself.

There must be progress or change for the better so that groups of people have more security, freedom,dignity, self-reliance and self-development. This is what development means. This would be about both social and economic development at the same time.

Concept of Community Development 

Community development is a process in which people and government work together to improve the economic, social, and cultural conditions of communities so that these communities can be fully integrated into the life of the country and be able to help make the country better.

People in the community, institutions, and academics all play a role in community development, which is a collaborative process that helps people build the skills they need to improve their quality of life.

Community Development is the process of building active and long-term communities that are based on social justice and respect for each other. It's about changing the way power structures work so that people can have a say in the things that affect their lives. Community workers help people be a part of this process. They make it easier for people to connect with each other and with people who are working on bigger policies and programs. Community Development is about fairness, equality, accountability, opportunity, choice, participation, mutuality, reciprocity, and learning all the time. All of these things are at the very heart of Community Development.

Community Development is about building active and long-term communities that are based on social justice and respect for each other. In this case, it's about changing power structures so that people can be more involved in the things that affect their lives. Communities are being built. Workers help people, groups, and organizations in this way because they have certain values and commitments.

For example, community development makes sure that people in real-life communities are stronger so they can meet their needs for belonging, practical needs like caring for each other, and political ones like voting and campaign for what they want.

Approaches of Community Development 

Various approaches to community development include the following: 

  • Utilizing an asset-based approach that capitalizes on existing strengths and resources;
  • Encouraging inclusive processes that embrace community diversity; 
  • Fostering community ownership through collaboratively 
  • Planned and led initiatives. 
  • The objectives of community development are to provide equal conditions and outcomes for health and well-being; to improve the health and prosperity of the community as a whole; to generate sustainable communal projects; and to foster sustainable self-sufficiency for the individuals engaged.
Values of Community Development 

Community development is intrinsically moral. These are referred to as:
  1. Social Justice - empowering individuals to assert their human rights, meet their basic requirements, and exert greater influence over the decision-making processes that affect their lives.
  2. Participation - encouraging citizens' democratic participation in issues affecting their lives on the basis of full citizenship, autonomy, and shared power, abilities, knowledge, and experience.
  3. Equality – opposing individual attitudes and institutional and societal behaviours that discriminate against and marginalize people. Recognize the skills, knowledge, and expertise that individuals offer and gain as a result of their efforts to address social, economic, political, and environmental concerns.
  4. Collaboration - identifying and implementing actions collaboratively, based on mutual respect for varied cultures and contributions.
Assumptions in Community Development

In community development, several implicit assumptions are made. These are the following: 
  1. Individuals, groups, and local institutions within community areas share common interests, which bond them together and also motivate them to collaborate.
  2. The various groups' interests do not conflict. The state is a supranational authority that allocates resources impartially and does not exacerbate inequality through its actions. 
  3. Community activities are achievable as a result of shared interests. Workers in community development are committed to the following:
  4.  Confronting prejudice and repressive practices inside organizations, institutions, and communities. 
  5. Develop environmental-friendly practices and policies; promote networking and connections between communities and organizations. 
  6. Assure that all groups and individuals in society have access and choice. Influence policy and programs from a community perspective. 
  7. Prioritize concerns affecting those who are poor or socially excluded. Promote long-term and sustainable social transformation. I
  8. inequality and an imbalance of power connections in society must be reversed; community-led collective action must be supported.

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