March 27,2024 Wednesday ( NO CLASSES)

Prepared by: Julita J. Rodriguez, RN, MSN

Coverage of MT EXAM

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (1)

Community development can be understood as a planned effort to build assets that increase the
capacity of residents to improve their quality of life. These assets may include several forms of
community capital: physical, human, social, financial, environmental, political, and cultural.”

These assets forms of community capital in the context of community development because they
represent valuable resources or assets that can be leveraged to improve the well-being and resilience of
a community. Let's explore each one:

“Leverage" - refers to the strategic use of a resource or advantage to achieve a desired outcome.

1. Physical Capital: This refers to the assets within a community, such as infrastructure (roads,
buildings, utilities), natural resources (land, waterways), and equipment.

2. Human Capital: Human capital encompasses the skills, knowledge, health, and creativity of
individuals within a community. Investing in education, healthcare, and workforce development
enhances human capital, leading to increased productivity, innovation, and overall quality of life.

3. Social Capital: Social capital relates to the networks, relationships, and norms of trust and
reciprocity within a community. Strong social capital fosters collaboration, collective action, and
mutual support among community members, which are essential for addressing common
challenges and achieving shared goals.

4. Financial Capital: Financial capital includes the monetary resources available within a
community, such as savings, investments, and access to credit. Adequate financial capital
enables businesses to start and grow, individuals to invest in education and housing, and
governments to fund public services and infrastructure projects.

5. Environmental Capital: Environmental capital refers to the natural resources and ecosystems
that provide essential services and support life within a community, such as clean air, water, and
biodiversity. Protecting and sustainably managing environmental capital is crucial for ensuring
the long-term health and resilience of communities.

6. Political Capital: Political capital encompasses the institutions, governance structures, and
mechanisms for decision-making within a community. Effective governance, participatory
processes, and accountable leadership are essential for managing resources, resolving conflicts,
and advancing the common good.

7. Cultural Capital: Cultural capital includes the shared values, traditions, identities, and cultural
assets that define a community's identity and heritage. Preserving and promoting cultural capital
fosters a sense of belonging, pride, and cohesion among community members, contributing to
social cohesion and resilience.
In summary, these different forms of capital are interrelated and interconnected, and they collectively
contribute to the overall development and well-being of communities. Recognizing and leveraging these
diverse assets is essential for sustainable and inclusive community development.

AIMS OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT?

Community development seeks to empower individuals and groups of people with the skills they need to
effect change within their communities. The main purpose of the community development is to aware
the people and build their capacities for the enhancement and improvement their communities.

FACTORS AFFECTING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Some of the key factors that affect community needs include: Demographics: The composition of a
community in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, education level, and income can significantly influence its
needs

Demographics play a significant role in community development because they provide insights into the
composition, needs, and dynamics of the population within a community.

Here's why demographics are a factor that affects community development:

1. Population Size and Growth: Demographic data, such as population size and growth rates,
provide a fundamental understanding of the scale of the community and its trajectory over time.

Example: Rapid population growth may necessitate infrastructure development, increased

access to services, and expanded job opportunities to accommodate the growing population.

2. Age Structure: The age distribution within a community influences its social and economic
dynamics.

Example For instance, communities with a large proportion of elderly residents may require
specialized healthcare services and age-friendly infrastructure, while those with a high
proportion of young people may prioritize education and youth programs.

3. Income Levels and Socioeconomic Status: Demographic information helps identify income
disparities and socioeconomic inequalities within a community. Understanding income levels
and poverty rates is crucial for designing targeted interventions to address economic disparities.
Example: job training programs, affordable housing initiatives, and access to social services.

4. Education and Workforce Characteristics: Demographics reveal the educational attainment

levels and occupational profiles of the population, which are essential for workforce
development and economic planning.

Example: Communities with higher levels of education and skilled labor are more likely to attract
businesses, promote innovation, and foster economic growth.

5. Cultural and Ethnic Diversity: The cultural and ethnic composition of a community influences its
social cohesion, identity, and sense of belonging. Embracing diversity and promoting inclusivity
 are essential for fostering social harmony, reducing discrimination, and leveraging the cultural
assets within a community for economic and cultural development.

Example: Cultural festivals celebrating different heritages are organized regularly, showcasing
music, dance, food, art, and customs

6. Migration and Immigration Patterns: Demographic data on migration and immigration patterns
provide insights into the mobility of populations within and into the community. Understanding
migration trends helps anticipate changing social, economic, and cultural dynamics, and informs
policies related to housing, employment, and cultural integration.

Example: Cultural Integration: Immigration patterns shape the cultural landscape of a

community, bringing diverse languages, customs, and traditions.

7. Health and Well-being: Demographics help assess the health status and healthcare needs of the
population, including prevalence rates of chronic diseases, access to healthcare services, and
health disparities among different demographic groups.

What is community development empowerment?

Community empowerment refers to the process of enabling communities to increase control over their
lives. "Communities" are groups of people that may or may not be spatially connected, but who share
common interests, concerns or identities

What is the difference between economic development and community development?

It is important to recognize that economic development and community development are not the
same.

Community development is a process for making a community a better place to live and work.

Economic development is purely and simply the creation of wealth from which many community
benefits result.

Local Community Development (LCD) is the expansion, perfection and transformation of the economy in
a given social, ecological or environmental subsystem of a particular locality or territory.

SIX STRATEGIES OF COMMUNITY CHANGE

Strategies of community change include: mass mobilization, social action, citizen participation, public
advocacy, popular education, and local services development.

Here's an explanation of each of the six strategies of community change:

1. Mass Mobilization:

 Mass mobilization involves organizing large numbers of people around a common cause
or issue to effect change.

 This strategy often involves rallies, protests, marches, or other collective actions aimed
at raising awareness, increasing visibility, and demonstrating public support for a
particular cause or demand.

2. Social Action:

 Social action involves organized efforts to challenge existing power structures, systems of
oppression, or injustices in society.

 This strategy focuses on addressing root causes of social problems through activism,
advocacy, and direct confrontation with oppressive forces.

 Social action may include campaigns for civil rights, gender equality, environmental
justice, or other social justice issues, with the goal of promoting systemic change and
empowering marginalized communities.

3. Citizen Participation:

 Citizen participation emphasizes the involvement of community members in decision-

making processes that affect their lives.

 Citizen participation can take various forms, such as participatory budgeting, community
forums, advisory boards, or grassroots organizing efforts aimed at increasing civic
engagement and accountability.

4. Public Advocacy:

 Public advocacy involves influencing public opinion, policy-making, and resource

allocation through strategic communication, lobbying, and coalition-building.

 Public advocacy may involve working with media outlets, conducting research,
organizing campaigns, and collaborating with stakeholders to advance advocacy goals
and achieve systemic change.

5. Popular Education:

 Popular education focuses on empowering individuals and communities through

participatory learning, critical reflection, and consciousness-raising.

 This strategy emphasizes peer-to-peer education, skill-building workshops, and dialogue-

based approaches to promote critical thinking, leadership development, and collective
action.

6. Local Services Development:

 Local services development involves improving access to essential services and

resources within communities to address unmet needs and improve quality of life.
  This strategy emphasizes community-led initiatives to provide health care, education,
housing, economic opportunities, and other vital services that support individual well-
being and community development.

. Overall, these six strategies of community change represent diverse approaches to addressing social
issues, promoting equity, and building power within communities to create positive and lasting change

What are the 5 stages of community development?

There are five main stages in the community lifecycle: ideation, initiation, growth, maturity, and
bifurcation/decline. Communities are dynamic and require different activities at different stages of their
lifecycle, so it is important to be able to identify where the community is along its lifecycle.

Here's an explanation of each of the five stages in the community development:

1. Ideation:

 Ideation marks the initial stage of community development, characterized by the

emergence of an idea or vision for forming a community.

 This stage involves brainstorming, discussions, and conceptualization of the community's

purpose, goals, and values.

Certainly! Here's an example illustrating the purpose, goals, and values of community
development:

Example of Purpose of Community Development

 To improve the overall quality of life and well-being for residents in a specific urban
neighborhood facing economic challenges and social disparities.

 To address issues such as poverty, unemployment, crime, and inadequate infrastructure through
collaborative efforts and community-driven solutions.

Example of Goal of Community Developments

1. Economic Empowerment: Increase economic opportunities and financial stability for residents
by promoting job creation, entrepreneurship, and workforce development initiatives.

2. Housing Affordability: Improve access to safe, affordable housing options and reduce
homelessness through affordable housing developments, rehabilitation programs, and housing
assistance services.

3. Community Safety: Enhance public safety and reduce crime rates by implementing crime
prevention strategies, enhancing law enforcement-community partnerships, and supporting
community policing efforts.

4. Education and Youth Development: Ensure access to quality education and youth development
programs that empower children and adolescents to reach their full potential and succeed
academically, socially, and emotionally.
 5. Health and Well-being: Promote physical and mental health among residents through access to
healthcare services, wellness programs, recreational facilities, and healthy food options.

6. Environmental Sustainability: Foster environmental stewardship and sustainability by promoting

green initiatives, improving access to green spaces, and reducing environmental hazards and
pollution in the neighborhood.

Example of Values of Community Development:

1. Equity and Inclusion: Embrace diversity, promote inclusivity, and ensure that all community
members have equal access to resources, opportunities, and decision-making processes.

2. Collaboration and Partnership: Foster collaboration among residents, community organizations,

government agencies, businesses, and other stakeholders to leverage collective strengths and
resources for greater impact.

3. Empowerment and Participation: Empower residents to actively participate in shaping the future
of their community, amplify their voices, and engage in decision-making processes that affect
their lives.

4. Accountability and Transparency: Uphold principles of accountability, transparency, and integrity

in all aspects of community development, ensuring responsible stewardship of resources and
fostering trust among stakeholders.

5. Resilience and Sustainability: Build a resilient and sustainable community that can adapt to
change, withstand challenges, and thrive over the long term by investing in capacity-building,
asset development, and community-driven solutions.

2. Initiation:

 Initiation represents the stage where the community begins to take shape and formalize
its structure and processes.

 Activities during this stage may include establishing leadership roles, creating
governance structures, and developing guidelines or rules for membership and
participation.

3. Growth:

 Growth signifies a period of expansion and increasing engagement within the

community.

 During this stage, the community experiences a rise in membership, participation, and
activity levels as it attracts new members and builds relationships.

 Efforts may focus on outreach, recruitment, and networking to broaden the community's
reach and diversify its membership base.

4. Maturity:
  Maturity marks a phase of stability and consolidation within the community,
characterized by a well-established presence and a strong sense of identity.

 At this stage, the community has solidified its organizational structure, established
effective communication channels, and developed sustainable practices.

 Members are actively engaged, and the community has built strong relationships, trust,
and social capital.

 The focus may shift towards deepening relationships, fostering collaboration, and
sustaining momentum through ongoing activities, events, and initiatives.

5. Bifurcation/Decline:

 Bifurcation/Decline represents a critical juncture where the community faces challenges

or transitions that may lead to divergence or decline.

 This stage may be triggered by internal conflicts, leadership changes, external factors, or
shifts in member interests or priorities.

Examples of Great Community Service Projects

 Collect Food. Contact your local food bank and they will provide you with the necessary
information and materials to have a food drive. ...

 Recycling Program. ...

 Community Garden. ...

 Cleanup drive

 Blood drive. ...

MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS FOR COMMUNITY SUCCESS?

I three factors of successful communities as: 1) Participation, 2) Relationships, and 3) Empathy

1. Participation: When community members actively participate, they contribute their skills,
knowledge, and resources towards the common goals of the community. Active participation
fosters a sense of ownership and belonging among members, leading to a vibrant and dynamic
community.

2. Relationships: Relationships form the backbone of any community. Building strong connections
and fostering a sense of camaraderie among members is crucial for creating a supportive and
cohesive community environment.. These relationships enhance the overall community
experience and facilitate effective communication and problem-solving which contribute to the
long-term success of a community.
3. Empathy: Cultivating empathy within a community fosters a culture of compassion, tolerance,
and acceptance. When community members empathize with one another, they are more likely
to offer support, listen actively, and collaborate effectively. Encouraging empathy through
education, open dialogue, and empathy-building exercises can create a more harmonious and
resilient community ecosystem.