Building better
communities
Contents
Building
better communities (
Top)
Building better communities is more about building better members that
are responsive to the needs of the community.
Communities that:
Are motivated.
Have a clear, positive
outcome: outcomes
that are clear, attainable, and worthwhile to all members.
Have
committed
members: all members feel a part of the process.
Have effective communication: all members communicate to, and respect
each
other.
Have
coordination
of activity: all members have clear valued roles.
are more likely to succeed.
Strategies:
(
Top)
An issue has been identified, or
A person has a particular
problem.
Identify
the issues:
What is the problem?
Why does the problem happen?
Where does the problem happen?
Who does the problem affect?
How does the problem affect others?
What other issues are involved in the problem?
Build a picture of the
problem and how
it relates to the
person or people.
Identify the stakeholders:
Who are the significant
others (family,
friends, school /
work colleagues etc)?
There may be others in the same situation.
How are they significant to the problem?
How can the stakeholders
resolve the
problem?
Involve the stakeholders
(groups,
committees, teams etc).
What are the preferred
outcomes?
What skills / resources are available?
What other agencies /
services are available?
What strategies can be used to resolve the problem.
Identify the communities:
Often, there is more than
one community
involved.
List all communities that are a part of the problem.
Understand the communities involved.
See how they work.
Identify communities within communities.
Identify the members.
How can the communities resolve the
problem?
Involve the communities
(groups,
committees, teams etc).
What are the preferred
outcomes?
What skills / resources are available?
What other agencies /
services are available?
What strategies can be used to resolve the problem.
Remember:
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Top)
Resolving issues can be very complex. Often, there are no perfect
solutions.
The target communities may also have unresolved issues of
their own which need to be resolved first before the problems of the
person or
people can be addressed.
Motivate the community.
Advocate / negotiate /
facilitate,
develop team roles within the stakeholders and the community.
Do not take sides.
The various problems expressed by the person are often best
resolved by the stakeholders <> target
communities.
Your role should be a supportive role, where the people
involved find their own solutions.
Respect the community’s goals, beliefs, values, cultures,
institutions, members, roles, resources etc.
Communities are generally very protective. Anything that does not fit
in will generally fail.
By working with the community in a supportive role (where
they do the work), the community has an opportunity to learn and
grow.
Don't understimate what the community is capable of doing, if it wants
to.
Solutions that the community have found are more likely to
succeed where:
… the community has
clearly defined
roles/goals
… the community has shared
goals, beliefs, values, cultures, institutions etc
… the community has clearly defined
boundaries
… the community has ownership of it's members
… the community provides valued roles for it's members
… the community communicates effectively with it's members
… the community can depend on it's resources
… the community can balance it's own needs
… the community can share and draw on skills / resources where
needed
