COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Community development is a process where community members are supported by agencies

to identify and take collective action on issues which are important to them. Community
development empowers community members and creates stronger and more connected
communities.
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 disadvantage.

Outcomes of community development

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). Through community development initiatives,
community members can become more empowered, such that they can increasingly recognise
and challenge conditions and structures which are leading to their disempowerment or
negatively impacting their wellbeing (Ife, 2016). At a 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)..

Who can do community development?

It is important to recognise that community development is a practice with a well-developed
theoritical framework. Community development practitioners should be familiar, through
training or experience, with the theory, practice and principles of community development
work. In saying this, it is important that community development practitioners have effective
and respectful relationships with the communities they are working with, and sometimes the
ability to be able to build these relationships with the community is a more important quality
in a worker than having a community development qualification. In these instances, it is
important that the worker is supported by someone who has a good understanding of
community development theory and practice.

What is the role of a community development practitioner?

The key role of community development practitioner is to resource and empower the
community (Kenny, 2007). This is done through a broad range of actions and activities that
change depending on the context. Community development practitioners support community
members through the provision of information needed to identify issues and plan actions.
This could include sharing information on local data, good practice around particular
identified issues, and relevant programs and resources that are available. Community
development practitioners also connect with and build local networks and local leaders,
undertake community engagement and plan, deliver and evaluate projects and programs.
Community development practice has a focus on facilitation, education and representational
and resourcing skills.
Community development may not be the best approach if:
You already know what you want to do. If the outcomes you want to achieve, and the
activities that you will use, are already decided then there is no space for the community to
determine outcomes and activities. Similarly, if you don’t have the authority or resources to
implement the community’s decisions, community development is not a suitable strategy.
You have limited time or short-term funding. Community development is a long-term
process. Engagement and planning can take a year or more, and it can take several years to
build the capacity of community members to lead a project and ensure sustainable results.
Your focus is improving specific individual skills. If you are seeking to build individual skills
in a specific area (e.g., parenting skills or literacy), a program that targets these directly may
be more appropriate.
Who can do community development?
It is important to recognise that community development is a practice with a well-developed
theoretical framework. Community development practitioners should be familiar, through
training or experience, with the theory, practice and principles of community development
work. In saying this, it is important that community development practitioners have effective
and respectful relationships with the communities they are working with, and sometimes the
ability to be able to build these relationships with the community is a more important quality
in a worker than having a community development qualification. In these instances, it is
important that the worker is supported by someone who has a good understanding of
community development theory and practice.

What is the role of a community development practitioner?

The key role of community development practitioner is to resource and empower the
community (Kenny, 2007). This is done through a broad range of actions and activities that
change depending on the context. Community development practitioners support community
members through the provision of information needed to identify issues and plan actions.
This could include sharing information on local data, good practice around particular
identified issues, and relevant programs and resources that are available. Community
development practitioners also connect with and build local networks and local leaders,
undertake community engagement and plan, deliver and evaluate projects and programs.
Community development practice has a focus on facilitation, education and representational
and resourcing skills.

Difference between community development and other approaches:

Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD): ABCD is a version of community
development that begins the development process by identifying and building on a
community’s “assets” rather than needs. Assets include physical spaces, skills, local
knowledge, local groups and associations and networks as well as financial resources
(Kretzman & McKnight, 2005).

Strengths-based approach: A strengths-based approach seeks to build on an individual’s

strengths rather than deficits. This can be a good practice for a community development
practitioner to use, but by itself is not community development.

Collective impact: Collective impact is an approach to addressing complex social problems.

The collective impact framework consists of five “conditions” that provide a framework for
collaboration between stakeholders (Kania & Kramer, 2011). There are many similarities
between community development and collective impact, and much of the difference or
similarity derives from how the project is delivered. Collective impact is an emerging
practice and there is ongoing discussion around the role of community engagement and
community leadership (Cabaj & Weaver, 2016; Christens & Inzeo, 2015). Community
development is always driven by the community. The CFCA paper Collective impact:
Evidence and implications for practice discusses this and other practice challenges.

.
References
Cabaj, M., & Weaver, L. (2016). Collective impact 3.0: An evolving framework for
community change. Canada: Tamarack Institute.
Campbell, D., Pyett, P., & McCarthy, L. (2007). Community development interventions to
improve Aboriginal health: Building an evidence base. Health Sociology Review, 16, 304-
314.
Christens, B. D., & Inzeo, P. T. (2015). Widening the view: Situating collective impact
among frameworks for community-led change. Community Development, 46(4), 420-435.
Dooris, M., & Heritage, Z. (2013). Healthy cities: Facilitating the active participation and
empowerment of local people. Journal of Urban Health, 90(1), 74-91.
Higgins, D. J. (2010). Community development approaches to safety and wellbeing of
Indigenous children. Closing the Gap Clearinghouse. Canberra & Melbourne: Australian
Institute of Health and Welfare & Australian Institute of Family Studies.
Ife, J. (2016). Community development in an uncertain world: Vision, analysis and practice
(2nd ed.). Port Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.
Kania, J., & Kramer, M. (2011). Collective Impact. Stanford Social Innovation Review,
Winter, 36-41.
Kenny, S. (2007). Developing Communities for the Future (3rd ed.). South Melbourne:
Thompson
Kretzman, J. P., & McKnight, J. L. (2005) Discovering community power: A guide to
mobilizing local assets and your organization's capacity. Illinois: ABCD Institute.