What is Community Development?

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Community Development is a collaborative, collective action taken by local people to enhance the long term social, economic, and environmental conditions of their community

The primary goal of community development is to create a better overall quality of life for everyone in the community

Community Development is when a community uses a process whereby people get together, communicate, identify priority needs, plan and take action to resolve problems, and achieve outcomes which are desired by the community.

Steps in Community Development

• Perceive a need.
• Organize.
• Plan.
• Agitate and Animate.
• Get the community behind you.
• Use all community resources at your disposal.
• Involve the media.
• Keep it Mom and Apple Pie.
• Never Cry Wolf.
• Gauge Success and Adapt your plan.
• Share the fruits of your success.

Perceive a need

Usually a blank space in the community or something that is being threatened such as:

• a Food Bank
• a Womens' Shelter
• threatened institution, such as a Police Station closure.

Organize

• Find people with like minded views
• Rally around the cause

Plan

• Meet
• Share
• Plan
• Be Aware

Agitate & Animate

Get into the Community and Inform them of the problem and your planned solution.

Use Mall Displays, Pamphlets, Posters, Loudspeakers on Cars, the Internet....

Use Community Resources

• Approach Merchants
• Service Clubs, Police, Firemen,
• Media (TV-Radio-Press)

Get the Community Behind You

Make sure everyone is on side or at least given the chance to decide where on the issue they are!

Involve the Media

If the story is big they will come to you. Don't count on it. Be proactive but be prepared for their needs. You have to make it easy for them to do a story on you.

Keep it Mom & Apple Pie

Usually blank space in the community or something that is being threatened.

Never Cry Wolf

Don't act prematurely or without everything you need. If you burn the community once they will never forget.

Gauge Success

And Adapt Plans.

Share Victories

If you are fortunate to win, Be gracious in victory. Invite everyone to celebrate, even your opponents.

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