Community Development Assessment (Essay Sample)

Community Development Assessment
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Community Development Assessment
A community is a group of individuals who live together or are considered a unit because they have shared interests, social group, or nationality. Many people think of a community as a good thing because, according to Gilchrist (2019), it provides one with a sense of belonging and forms part of one's social identity. Also, being in a community makes one feel safe and can also instill in an individual a sense of purpose. It is, therefore, necessary for a community to be empowered. This is where community development comes in.
Community development refers to a set of practices and methods that are geared towards tapping into the abilities and potential that exist within a community, and therefore enable it to improve itself (Gilchrist & Taylor, 2016). Community development seeks to bring about the best qualities in a person and use the qualities in the progress of a community according to Gilchrist and Taylor (2016), one of the primary purposes of community development is to augment the effectiveness of community action, participation, and capacity. Community development can also be referred to as; social development, popular education, critical pedagogy, community organizing, community education, and community engagement.
The people involved in community development are known as community workers or community development workers. Community workers engage in activities that are crucial in bringing about changes in society and thus enhancing the quality of life of individuals. Community workers are involved in many activities, including educating members of a community in matters of community development and carrying out community development projects such as the provision of clean water to the community. In this paper, we will look at the role of community workers in improving the wellbeing of a community, the core values that define the work done by the community workers, the professional discipline and community area within community development sector, and a community development project that is being carried out and how it affects its surrounding community.
Role of community workers
As stated earlier, community development workers are vital to the development of a community that is capable of sustaining itself. They work under such authorities as municipalities, social service agencies, non-profit development organizations, etc. and the extent of their job is defined by many factors, including the population of the community and the geographical area under their jurisdiction.
Community development workers are involved in a myriad of activities that facilitate the growth and development of a community (Maravilla et al., 2016). The roles played by community development workers in the development of individuals and a community as a whole include recruitment and training of people either in the paid or voluntary capacity to help in the development of a community, identifying problems in the society and setting up new services or improving the existing facilities in order to eliminate or reduce the issues identified. They also encourage people in the community to enhance their skills and help others acquire new strengths, which will enable them to develop themselves and those around them (Kim et al, 2017).
Community development workers also advocate for fair distribution of resources in the community by empowering marginalized groups in the society such as refugees, women, and orphans to speak for themselves and encourage them to develop a common way of communicating their problems and finding the solutions (Hooley & Sultana, 2016). They can also be the voice of the marginalized groups in the society where they collect and present the problems of these groups of people to the concerned parties.
Furthermore, community development workers challenge the manner in which a system is run in order to bring about fairness in the service of the public. They fight the various inequalities that are present in the distribution of power and resources. For instance, social development workers ensure that women get the same employment opportunities as men in society, and therefore play a crucial role in eliminating biases in the community.
In addition, community development workers are also involved in supportive activities such as guidance and counseling to help people build themselves at a personal level. They offer advice to individuals and help them develop their self-esteem, especially after a devastating experience. They connect people with similar physical and emotional burgages and encourage them to work through them by listening and providing advice.
Community development workers are also involved in the organization of activities, especially those that require the involvement of the whole community. For instance in a fundraiser for the construction of a medical facility, community development workers may undertake the role of an organizer and ensure that the concerned parties attend all meetings prior to the fundraiser, all paperwork has been done appropriately, the venue of the fundraiser is available and many more activities so as to ensure that the main activity runs smoothly.
Core values of community workers
The purpose of community development work is to enhance the welfare of a community and help it meet the needs of its members. Given the importance of their work, community development workers are required to follow a particular code of conduct. The manner in which a community development worker conducts themselves is dictated by certain values, without which the very meaning of community development is lost. The core values that govern community development include a commitment to integrity, importance of human relations, service, dignity, justice and fairness, competence, and worth of the person.
To begin with, community development workers are governed by integrity. Integrity can be defined as the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles (Chenoweth and McAuliffe, 2017). Community development workers are expected to conduct themselves in a trustworthy manner. Community development workers are supposed to work in liaison with all the stakeholders such as security agencies, the administration of society, and the individual members of a community in order to bring about development in that community. Trustworthiness enables them to create a good rapport with all the involved parties. A good relationship will allow community development work to be done quickly and without any problems. It is, therefore, vital for community workers to be morally upright.
Secondly, community development workers must be competent. Competence can be defined as the ability to carry out one's duty in a diligent manner. Community development is a very important, yet tricky undertaking. A lot is expected from a community development worker from both their employer and the community in which they work (Newman et al., 2019). They must, therefore, be able to deliver the best service and within the expected period. This requires them to have the necessary knowledge and experience to tackle the problems within the community and be able to come up with the best way of solving the issues. Community development workers are, therefore, supposed to be proficient in their field of training.
Thirdly, community development workers must be able to relate well with others. As stated earlier, a good working relationship between the community and the community worker is what defines the success of the community development project being undertaken (Spolander et al., 2016). A good relationship will instill trust, and therefore the community development worker will be welcomed and allowed to carry out their duty in peace. Furthermore, a good working relationship will enable the community worker to get labor, either paid or voluntary, which will allow the development project to progress smoothly (Newman et al., 2018). In the words of Newman and Alvarez (2015), ¨building rapport and developing appropriate and positive relationships are at the heart of all youth work¨ (p. 133). Understanding the importance of a good relationship is, therefore, of utmost importance to the worker of a community development worker.
Next, community development workers are guided by the value of service. Community development involves putting the interest of the community above those of any individual. Community development workers engage in activities that are designed to help the community, which usually pays poorly, for instance, cleaning the environment. A social development worker´s first duty, therefore, is to serve regardless of the conditions of service.
Finally, a community development worker must be just. Justice is the quality of being fair in one´s undertakings (Frederick et al., 2018). A community development worker is expected to pursue justice regardless of the prevailing circumstances. A community development worker must provide equal opportunities to the members of the community, for employment in community development projects, and encourage fair allocation of resources to all.
Professional discipline and community area
There are many professional disciplines that are involved in community development. Examples include health educators and community health workers, school and career counselors, rehabilitation counselors, social and community service managers, marriage and family therapists, etc.
Health educators and community health workers are professionals who teach about behaviors that promo...