Community Development

Community development is an active process of bringing together numerous individuals to create, maintain, and strengthen connection. This may be from the perspective of economic wellness, safety, or sustainability, among others. Hasan (2022) defined the term community development as “a process of bringing people together to achieve a common goal related to changing the quality of life.” This definition comprises the following elements: 

1. 1. It is a process
   2. Collective actions; people act together
   3. Common goal
   4. Quality of life (para. 19)

The concept of community development is broad, and involves uniting people to achieve their goals with the aim of enhancing their lives. To be successful, community development must go through a process in which people work collaboratively in good faith, not only to achieve their goals, but also to enhance their lives.

Torneire (2021) observed, “community development theory recognizes and addresses that maintaining the structures, roles, and processes, which are performing effectively, is vital for the sustainability of the community” (p. 7). This theory recognizes that in any community development, the structure must be maintained, because the system is created and implemented through the structure. The structure shows who is placed where and why, as well as the boundaries of each participant. Community development also indicates the roles of each member and the processes required to implement strategies effectively. The sustainability of the community depends on these three components. A holistic explanation about the meaning of the community from multiple community members is indicated in the video What does community mean to you? (ThorntonPlace, 2009).

Reflective Questions: Video

Figure 1 shows that the process includes the nucleus parts, which are community engagement and relationship management. Community development requires that people collaborate to meet their common goals, involving high levels of engagement. The management of relationships is equally important to be able to work with others to achieve common goals. Collective action requires well-managed relationships that depend on interpersonal communication among the community members to maintain a strong and collaborative community and a sense of cohesion. Therefore, the nucleus of the community development process requires that community members define their roles to reduce confusion and conflict among themselves.

Figure 1: Community development process

Members must conduct research to determine the best course of action for community development, which means development of the people involved to achieve the quality of life and goals they desire. Welcoming new people to join is vital, as it increases diversity, inclusion, and a sense of belonging.

The success of the community also requires that the members be conscious of factors such as relationships with others, the tasks that they need to do, the roles that they need to assume, the contributions of each member to the development of the community, and the means of achieving success. Aligning with democratic and collaborative decision-making and problem-solving principles will improve the outcomes the community aspires for. This can be achieved through various approaches and strategies that focus on goal achievement and community development.

A needs assessment initiative can be helpful for communities to determine what they need to do, for what purposes, and how to achieve the end goal. The needs assessment is the beginning of the process of making a road map, which helps to create goals and monitor progress along the way. This is an important aspect of the community development process. Goal setting, monitoring, and other steps in the community development process will enhance the effectiveness of the organization of the community and contribute to a better quality life for the people. Without effective organization, the members will not have a clear direction for implementation, which can slow down or halt the development of community initiatives.

Strategizing is also important in the process of community development. This might involve leaders, community members, content experts, and consultants who plan for the development of their community. The strategies are based on the tasks, goals, and plans that the members implement. These strategies are the stepping stones towards successful implementation. Once the members develop strategies, they must then act in the implementation stage based on their needs and which specific action plans are suitable. Determining the success of community development depends on many factors; for example, key players, goals, implementors of the goals, time allocated, material, human resources, and specific strategies for success. All of these require an evaluation stage to determine if they have achieved what they planned, as per their expectations. If not, then evaluation will identify what went wrong and how to fix it in a replanning stage. If the community members have achieved their goals, they can then plan new goals to maintain their community development.

References

Hasan, M. (2022). Community development practice: From Canadian and global perspectives. Centennial College. https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/communitydevelopmentpractice

ThorntonPlace. (2009, April 27). What does community mean to you? [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/wv7T23P9oS8

Torneire, M. A. (2021). Holistic community development: Where secular and religious world intersects. International Journal of Novel Research in Humanity and Social Sciences, 8(3), 5–14. https://www.noveltyjournals.com/upload/paper/Holistic%20Community%20Development.pdf

Image Credit

Figure 1: Community development process by Mahbub Hasan for Centennial College, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.