essay about i am a community development worker

Community Development Workers Face Exploratory Essay

Community development (CD) can be defined as the empowerment of members of a community. This empowerment is tailored to ensure that the members of the community are not only willing, but also able to make good decisions about their lives. Community development is relevant in any country, regardless of whether the country is a developing country or an already developed country.

Although term community development is mainly used to refer to the economic empowerment of a community, this is not all community development is about. CD is not only meant for economic related concepts, but also for other life concepts that are of concern. It could revolve around education, politics, and health among other things. There are very many people who work as community development workers.

They include civil servants, teachers, and those working in non- governmental organizations that deal with community development. In as much as these and other community development workers work to make the community self sufficient, there are very many challenges, tensions, and dilemmas that get in their way. The community development workers have to be good at what they do, despite all these challenges.

A community development worker is supposed to be well trained in order to do his or her work accordingly. A CD worker is also supposed to be organized, a good facilitator, a good public speaker, able to work in teams, and a good problem solver. There are, however, very many challenges that make community development workers unable to be the best that they can be.

Some of these challenges are personal while others affect every community development worker regardless of the region they are located. The most common personal dilemmas that the community development workers face revolve around individual ethics. The other problems that CD workers face revolve around governments, funding, and social problems among other issues (Hoggett, Mayo, & Miller, 2008, p. 34).

One of the biggest challenges that make the community development worker’s work difficult is shallow training. There are many universities and colleges that offer community development as a course, yet most of their students cannot solve some of the common problems in their respective societies. The Kenyan society has had its share of community development projects.

The country is categorized as a developing country in Africa. However, there are very many members of this country who do not know how to make fulfilling decisions. This is mainly visible in matters that concern finances. Very many of the elderly in the community are illiterate and they cannot make decisions concerning education and health.

This presents a huge challenge to the community development workers in the country. CD workers are unable to have satisfactory conversations and projects with some of the members of the community due to language barriers among other barriers. The students who have taken the course in schools have also not been well trained.

The school curriculum is not sufficient for the societal problems that Kenya and other developing countries face. It is possible to find that the students taking CD courses use case studies that were relevant more than a decade ago. The students should be encouraged to use recent case studies even though the lessons of the past might be useful in solving some of the problems today.

This will not only ensure that students can think on their feet, but it will also ensure that the solutions that they come up with in the future for the societal problems will be relevant. Failure to ensure that the students keep relevant can lead to low standards among community development workers.

Another challenge that the community development workers in many areas face is culture. There are various types of cultures that an individual can have. For example, an individual can have the culture that they were born in. One could be an Asian, thereby possessing the Asian culture.

There are also cultures that one adopts as they socialize in life. Workmates in the same company have a certain work culture that might be different from the work culture of the members of another company. The cultures that are adopted through the process of socialization shape the personalities, attitudes, and beliefs of the individual in question.

Some of the cultures that members of the community have made it impossible for the community development workers to do their job sufficiently. For example, one of the commonest cultures in the Latina community is that in a restaurant, the waiter should give the client the bill only after the client has asked for it. Giving the client the bill before they ask for it is considered rude and unacceptable.

This has put the Latinos in awkward positions with other cultures, especially the white people who do not agree with the practice.

In relation to community development, it is possible to find that many restaurant owners believe that people from the Latino community are not good customers because they are known to run away without paying their bills. The other communities, therefore, shun the Latinos, thereby making it impossible for the community development workers work with them.

The community development workers also get little support for their projects. There are governments that do not allow some types of community development projects. For example, the Gladstone’s Philip Street social services hub in Australia has had a hard time getting the required funding from the federal government. The project involves child care, retirement, and entertainment concepts that were to be set up in the region.

All the facilities that were to be included in the project were for the benefit of the community. However, the politics and the ethics of the federal government did not allow this project to go through.

This is just one example of some of the community development projects that have been rejected by governments over the years. Many of the governments have claimed that the projects that were rejected were either irrelevant or very expensive. This denied them the desired support.

There are also projects that have been approved by governments but have never been implemented. These include the projects that are implemented slowly and for very many years. Such projects waste time and do not help the community in any way.

This shows that the community development worker who was involved in the creation of a concept that was supposed to be helpful to the community did his/her part of the work had no impact on changing of the community for the better. This, in turn, means that the community involved will still be lagging behind in some aspects.

For example, the Clean Development Mechanism project that is designed to help in the conservation of the environment has met one challenge after the other. This is a project that is to be implemented in very many countries that formed the treaty.

There is no one country that has achieved the full goals of this project up to today. Other countries that are also included in this treaty have not done anything toward the implementation of the treaty. The governments of these countries can be blamed for this.

Politics and politicians can also present a big challenge to the community development workers. Politics can do this by refusing grants that are forwarded to fund such developments. They also present challenges by linking all the community development projects to politics. This becomes a disadvantage to the community development worker as some members of the community might not be comfortable with the project.

This is mainly true in the areas that did not vote for the government in power. The bitterness that the members of the specific community might have toward the government might make them refuse any kind of community development project supported by the government.

It is true that all community development projects rely on the members of the community. The project is seen as a failure if members of the community refuse to participate in the project for any reason whatsoever.

The formulation of policies for the community development projects also presents several challenges. In most countries, community development projects are usually funded by non-governmental organizations and the government itself. It is very difficult to find individuals funding entire community development projects.

The sponsors usually want the projects to be finished as quickly as possible since they have very little to gain from the community development project. This might mean overlooking some of the important aspects that might make a huge difference. This, in turn, leads to short term results.

The community might get the knowledge that was being passed, but forget the lessons after a short while. This takes the entire community one step backwards. Such projects are usually beneficial to the sponsors who want to create a better image of themselves to the public.

It has also been evident that the rate of change in general in the world is greater than that of community development policies. This means that the world is changing at a very fast rate such that community development workers have a hard time catching up.

For instance, the policies that were used last year to solve the problems of a community are not applicable this year to solve the problems of the same community. This might be due to different factors. For example, new challenges might have arisen, making the specific policy that was used a year ago useless.

It is also possible that the technological advancements that are experienced in the world play a major role in the failure of community development workers. These technological advancements have created new problems that CD workers have to address on a daily basis.

Another dilemma that the community development workers face is intertwining and connecting social factors. In this day and age, there are very many factors in the community that are related. This means that changing one factor might affect other factors directly or indirectly and the results can be good or bad.

The community development worker has to ensure that the factors that will be affected by the change they are advocating for are not depended upon by the community in question (Brake & Deller, 2008, p. 94). For example, the issue of street urchins has been among the hotly debated topics in many developing and developed countries.

Many of the projects that have been put up to ensure the removal of children from the streets have proven futile. Most of the developing countries have tried putting street teenagers and kids in school and children’s homes. However, many of the street urchins are unable to stay in school and in the homes. They, therefore, run away. The factors that revolve around this issue of street urchins include socialization and culture.

Many parents do not feel safe when their children interact with street urchins. This gives the street urchins a very hard time at school. Sadly, very few people in the community want to be associated with street urchins. These, among other factors, have made the community development projects related to improving the lives of the street urchins difficult, if not impossible.

In the same breath, building of rehab centres in the cities has led to an increase in the number of people abusing drugs. This might not have been the intention of the community development workers who advocated for the rehab centres. In this scenario building of the rehab centres affects another social factor by increasing the number of people who abuse drugs.

There are also the ethical challenges and dilemmas that the community development worker faces. These ethical challenges also affect the work quality of the community development worker in question. Respect is one of the most conflicting factors in community development. Most community development workers interact with the members of the community closely.

CD workers are supposed to respect the views and opinions of the individuals that they interact with. However, there are some times when the individual themselves might be rude toward the community development worker.

This puts the worker in a bad position since they are not supposed to argue with the people they are interacting, despite feeling hurt and probably wanting to become defensive (Hoggett, Mayo, & Miller, 2008, p. 34).

Another ethical dilemma that any community development worker faces is not being in agreement with the project at hand. For example, an individual might not be comfortable teaching the public about reproductive health because they are shy, or their culture does not allow such discussions.

However, the CD worker will have to do the project if they are in need of work. Unfortunately, the fact that they are not comfortable with the work might affect the end results of the project.

There are also some sponsors who engage in community development for other reasons apart from helping the society. Many governments have experienced this problem. Some of the decisions that the government makes are not only to help the citizens of the specific country, but also to benefit them individually.

For example, projects that involve the construction of dams, wells, and schools among other facilities can be awarded to personal friends of the government. Even though this problem does not affect the community directly, it is an ethical dilemma for the community development worker and might affect their desire to do the project.

There are very many challenges that the community development worker has to overcome in order to do their job accordingly. Many of the problems that have been discussed are brought about by governments and the society. The problems that the community development worker faces due to personal attitude, beliefs, and culture are very minimal.

Despite these challenges and dilemmas, the community development worker is expected to be a good facilitator and problem-solver. One thing that is clear is that the work of the community development workers will be reduced to identifying problems in the society and not being able to solve them if the problems the CD workers face are not addressed exhaustively.

Reference List

Brake, R & Deller, U 2008 , Community development: A European challenge, Barbra Budrich Publishers, Stauffenbergstr, Germany

Hoggett, P, Mayo, M, & Miller, C 2008, The dilemmas of development work: Ethical challenges in regeneration, The Policy Press, Bristol, UK

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Community Development Essays (Examples)

1000+ documents containing “community development” .

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Community development is a journey not a.

Community Development Is a Journey Not a Destination Community Development Community development is a course of action, where people not only work to increase their income or to produce more jobs but also helps in managing changes "in their community," and that is a process which is performed by the members of the local community. There is a strong interaction between the two words "community" and "development," which depends on the interaction between people and actions shared by different members of the community to which can only happen by bring changes in the way of communication. Therefore, community development is a journey, which can never end (Flora & Flora, 1993). Community development is a journey not a destination means this is a continuing process to make innovative changes in the development of community, and resolve community issues by local community members. The basic goal of the community members is to make the future….

Community Development Foundation (2013) Five reasons why community development is a great way to tackle crime. Retrieved from: http://www.cdf.org.uk/5-reasons-why-community-development-is-a-great-way-to-tackle-crime on 2nd May, 2013.

Flora, C.B. & Flora, J.L. (1993) Entrepreneurial Social Infrastructure: A Necessary Ingredient. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences vol.539 p.48-58.

Holton, M. (2007) 10 reasons rural community development is hard to do. Penton Media, Inc.

Okiy, R.B. (2003) Information for rural development: Challenge for Nigerian rural public libraries. Library Review vol.52 no. (3) p.126-131.

Community Development in Practice the

The significant natural deposits in rural areas are water, wildlife, woodlands and the environment as a whole. ural areas like Bulilima-mangwe in Matabeleland, Mutoko and Kariba have actually had effective ecological plans that have actually brought to life the Communal Areas Management Program for Indigenous esources (CAMPFIE) which has concentrated on the development of neighborhood organizations particularly in rural areas for the management and sustainable usage of communal wildlife resources, allowing areas and households to benefit financially from wildlife in their locations (UNCSD; 1998). Various other planning measures consist of water planning which enables equal chance to all to gain access to water which promotes social development, accomplish integration in between different sectors such as farming, mining, domestic use and ecological requirements in addition to accomplish sustainability such that future generations can enjoy the resource along with save water for effective use. From the previously mentioned, one can keep….

Booth, D. (2005) 'Missing Links in the Politics of Development: Learning from the PRSP Experiment'. Working Paper 256. London: Overseas Development Institute.

Chambers R, (2005), Participatory Rural Appraisal, (PRA): Analysis of Experience, World Development.

Cornwall, a. (2004) 'Spaces for transformation? Reflections on issues of power and difference in participation in development'. Chapter 5 in Hickey and Mohan, 2004, pp. 75-91.

Dzinavatonga, N (2008) Community Participation and Project Sustainability in Rural Zimbabwe: the Case of Sangwe Communal Lands, University of Fort Hare, South Africa

Community Organizing Principles Community Development Aboriginal vs

Community Organizing Principles Community Development: Aboriginal vs. Feminist Principles: Examining Similarities and Differences Community development is vital for all humans. No matter what the term utilized, this action has been undertaken in all societies, for it binds us together and keeps us safe from the outside world. Furthermore, community development brings trust and resources that cannot be furthered but a single individual. For this reason, a social contract is necessary and it is for this reason as well that communities has formed and have existed for so long, in a wide variety, and so successfully. The paragraphs below will examine two communities, namely the aboriginal community at-large and the feminist community, and will compare and contrast principles of community development. Aboriginal Principles Achieving a successful community development practice in today's aboriginal communities, all over the world, has been quite a challenge. n Australia, for example, the trauma inflicted by the colonial and postcolonial era still reverberates….

In order to examine more differences, however, it is first important to look at feminist organizing (FO). FO, according to one author is a "process designed to legitimize the lived experience of marginalized women, include diverse partners, equitably distribute power and responsibility, and foster respectful social connections."[footnoteRef:3] Though this many seem familiar with the poverty and community related issues described in aboriginal communities above, feminist principles and organizing focus on issues in a different way. For instance, another important facet of FO is power sharing, which is not found as clearly in the paragraphs above. This is defined as being "committed to creating balanced power relationships through democratic practices of shared leadership, decision-making, authority, and responsibility."[footnoteRef:4] This is a vital principle that can ensure success in this community. [3: Ponic, P and Frisby, W. (2005). Feminist Organizing as Community Development. Canadian Society for Leisure Studies. Retrieved October 23, from . ] [4: Feminist Principles (n.a.). (2003). DAWN Ontario. Retrieved October 23, from .]

Conclusions

It is important to organize as a community, especially if one is marginalized, discriminated against, or if one's community does not achieve full potential. The examples given above, from the aboriginal and feminist communities around the world are very good places to start looking. Though different in many ways, these two communities have one thing in common: striving constantly for success, which is an admirable quality and which should be encouraged by all countries and all governments.

Community Development of Corporations Corporate

As our business operates in many remote, poor areas, which is ironically where gold is found the majority of the time, our community development and CSR managers travel extensively to these locations and complete planning and implementation programs to define how best the local economic can be improved through infrastructure development. A series of these trips showed that by providing Internet access throughout the local libraries, high school graduate rates increased by over 60%. The compound effects of this initial investment in infrastructure also led to greater job creation and a more eclectic mix of professions. With greater knowledge flowing throughout the communities, many who had given up on education and jobs were re-invigorated. Gold mining communities tend to attract contract workers and their families that live from boom to bust, and almost become nomadic over time. By investing in the infrastructure of the community to accentuate learning, our company….

Community Development the Recent Boost

Also, when one leading agency will take control of representing the partnership to the international organizations and make the contractual agreements and take control of the incentives to increase the members, that is when the structural functionality will be done along more aware and knowledgeable lines (Dotterweich, 2006). 5. Timeframe (in relationship) The final elements that is assessed in the 5 lenses analysis is the timeframe between the associations or partnerships. It is no hidden fact that most organizations will be built on a self-perpetuating basis and the members' and partners;' livelihoods will be invested in its success. Also, the members and constituents will be most likely to get impatient as the sustained change will perhaps take up more time than will often be expected - or allotted. Something like the reformation of a structure within a community is bound to be a long-term contract with time-consuming ventures. One way to keep….

Blank, M.J and Langford, B.H. Strengthening Partnerships: Community School Assessment CheckList, 2000. Taken at http://www.communityschools.org/assessmentnew.pdf

Bruner C. Thinking Collaboratively: Ten Questions and Answers to Help Policy Makers Improve Children's Services.Washington, DC: Education and Human Services Consortium; 1991.

Dotterweich, J.A. (). Building Effective Community Partnerships for Youth Development: Lessons Learned From ACT for Youth. Public Health Management Practice, 2006, November (Suppl), S51-S59

Himmelman, at. On the Theory and Practice of Transformational Collaboration: Collaboration as a Bridge From Social Service to Social Justice. Minneapolis, Minn: The Himmelman Consultation Group; 1995.

Community Development Objectives for Bloomington

The fourth step will be to have each member will then split up and accomplish the tasks assigned to them. Tasks may include items such as placing an ad in a newspaper, putting up posters, talking to twenty people, or making an announcement on the radio. Once the second round of recruiting is completed then the next step would be to actually hold the first official meeting. The meeting organizer should introduce the group and explain what the group is all about, talk about the history of the group and all of the science it is based on. The fifth step in the first meeting would to be to announce elections for the official positions. The next step would be to vote on all the official positions, count the ballets, and declare the winners. Also, the person who was elected note taker should begin taking notes. The sixth step once the positions are….

Future of Community Development Historically Early Civilization

Future of Community Development Historically, early civilization and communities desired to increase the welfare of its people through collective efforts. More recently, community development trends seek to capitalize on integrative intentional factors to enrich the lives of its residents. Communities are dynamic and challenging social systems that oftentimes require diverse approaches to achieve community goals. Several schools of thought, such as Postmodernism, Aboriginal, and Feminism, have spawned a more integrative approach that accurately represents the community systems as a whole. As a result, the future of community development is evolving into three intentional approaches for effectiveness. Holistic Approach Linkages exist between community infrastructure components: economic base, physical, support, human, and leadership (CDI, 2006). For example, the economic infrastructure necessitates the economy to provide work opportunities and development for residents. Similarly, economic disparity may adversely affect the development of a community. Physical infrastructure entails communities' access to basic resources, such as water, electric, transportation,….

Zautra, A., Hall, J., & Murray, K. (2009). Community Development and Community Resilience: An Integrative Approach. Community Development, 39(3), 130-147.

Vidal, A.C., & Keating, W. (2004). Community Development: Current Issues and Emerging Challenges. Journal of Urban Affairs, 26(2), 125-137. doi:10.1111/j.0735-2166.2004.00191.x

Community Development Institute (CDI). (2006). Trends and issues in community development: Building sustainable communities. Retrieved from  http://sustainabledevelopment.osu.edu/educational-resources/cdi-east-2006-trends 

Aranui Nursing Project Community Development

Helping the community is always vital, as is finding out what one's role has been within it to better improve it for later people and instances. In the study referenced, one can clearly see the cooperation and collaboration between various officials in many instances, for example, there is a clear collaboration between the principal of the local secondary school and the nurses. Also, it is noted that, "Consideration of the new nursing role scope involved discussing clinical case management with an advanced rural nurse colleague […] and attending a pharmacology workshop to update skills […] activities [which] affirmed an adequate existing knowledge and skill base for safe practice." uch considerations and courses to update oneself and necessary, and every nurse ought to do this in addition to the steps. It is, of course, very hard sometimes, as workload pressures add up, but it is necessary as well. Conclusion The case study referenced throughout this….

Sources Utilized/Referenced in the Text: PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE CITATIONS WERE NOT UTILIZED IN THE TEXT BUT WERE RATHER UTILIZED AS RESEARCH TO FAMILIZARIZE MYSELF WITH THE TOPIC. I HAVE NOT QUOTED DIRECTLY FROM ANY OF THEM AND THUS HAVE NOT PLACED THEM IN THE TEXT. PLEASE FURTHER NOTE THEY ARE ALL IN APA STYLE AS PROVIDED BY THE APA MANUAL OF STYLE.

1. Case study provided.

2. Minto, R. (2006). "The future of practice nursing." Primary Care Nursing. Retrieved June 14, .

3. "Evolving Models of Primary Health Care Nursing Practice." (2005). New Zealand Ministry of Health. Retrieved June 14,

4. "Models of primary health care nursing." (2006). University of Auckland. Retrieved June 14, .

Proposed Community Development Economic Interventions

Intervention Strategies Myrtle Beach, South Carolina faces the economic challenge of attracting high impact investment. Currently, the community is experiencing a critical shortage of developers needed to stimulate economic activity. The developers seem to lack confidence in the community’s ability to re-energize the long-stagnant markets thereby discouraging investments. This essay recommends potential interventions that could usher a new regime of investment at Myrtle Beach. Two Community Economic Development Interventions Explored In module Five, we discussed some of the key economic development interventions, which could help address the problems facing Myrtle Beach community. The two most important interventions include export promotion and import substitution. Export promotion means that the community must start creating industries which serve external consumers or which bring in external money (Muro et al. 2007). Attracting external dollars will grow the economy of the community. Some of these industries or companies include mining, manufacturing, agriculture, and services like tourism, software, and….

Sustainable Tourism and Community Development

Biodiversity Conservation and Tourism Tourism Can Help Alleviate Poverty and Conserve Biodiversity Despite there being a negative outcome from current biodiversity conservation efforts, it is possible for tourism to alleviate poverty. To reduce poverty through tourism, models such transfer of tourism benefits through the donation of part income earned from tourism for development purposes (Nyaupane & Poudel, 2011). The marginalized community can be afforded meaningful and sustainable employment in the biodiversity conservations. To support the economic way of life of the poverty stricken population, it also ideal to provide an avenue for the locals to sell some of their good and services to the tourists. edistribution of the tax revenues from the tourism activities to development of infrastructures surrounding area of the conservation will also serve to reduce poverty Area That Exhibits the Highest Level of Linkages Community empowerment comes out as the one with the highest level of linkages comparatively. Community empowerment does….

Nyaupane, G.P., & Poudel, S. (2011). Linkages among biodiversity, livelihood, and tourism. Annals of Tourism Research (2011), doi:10.1016/j.annals.2011.03.006.

Teresa M., Sara D., & Friedrich L. (2010). The sustainability profitability trade-off in tourism. Can it be overcome? . Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 19(2), 155-169.

The City of Askatoon Community Development

Community Development Community DevelopmentExecutive SummaryAskatoon is a fantastically vibrant city struggling with and fighting against many social and economic issues; homelessness, family violence, drug addiction, and mental health (O\\\'eilly & Gray, 2014). As a result, I have been hired by a local school district to be the new community outreach coordinator through my agency called Self-Care. In response to these inequalities, Self-Care will offer support services for the whole family by providing education on health and wellness. The goal will be to promote well-being where people are experiencing pain or illness in their lives by fostering healthy food systems, physical activity; restful practices like yoga; volunteering opportunities for their kids and families to give back to the community.In addition, Self-Care is a community-based organization that will work in Askatoon. The self-Care initiative has developed a vision and mission to create programs, services, and activities that promote health and well-being for….

ReferencesO\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'Reilly, R. L., & Gray, J. E. (2014). Canada\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s mental health legislation. International Psychiatry, 11(3), 65–67.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6735142/ Patten, S. B. (2017). Homelessness and Mental Health. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 62(7), 440–441. https://doi.org/10.1177/0706743717711423TEOH ED., A. (2018). Self-care for project managers. Project Manager.  https://projectmanager.com.au/self-care-for-project-managers/ WHO. (2014). Self-care for health. In apps.who.int. WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia.  https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/205887#:~:text=The%20World%20Health%20Organization%20defines%20self%20care%20as

Community Participation

Community participation is a key ingredient of any powerful community. The life blood (citizens) of the community is pumped by the heart, called as participation. Community participation is a requirement as well as a condition. It is a condition for raising resources and achieving more results. It engages the citizens deeply in work of the development of community. Community participation is about performing activities for the benefits of any community. The partners of the community follow certain rules and posses unique elements. They have a goal to achieve. This topic has various aspects; the purpose of writing this case study is to explore the minor and major aspects of community participation among kids and adults, both. This case study begins with the background of use of community participation as a tool, its strengths and weaknesses, the role of government in expanding this tool and the ways of communication used for….

10. Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth, "The Wellbeing of Young Australians: Technical Report," Journal of Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth, no.7 (2008):117.

11. Chen, S, "The transition from juvenile to adult criminal careers," Crime and Justice Bulletin, New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, no. 86 (2005): 9-11.

12. Arnstein, S. "A ladder of citizen participation," Journal of the American Institute of Planners, no. 4 (1969): 216 -- 24.

Community Sports Development What Did

The "Sport for All" program was initiated by the reformist Labour Government during the 1970s. Its aims and objectives included the increased community involvement of underrepresented groups (such as the unemployed) and the breaking down some of the exiting barriers to participation in sports. To a large extent, those initiatives consisted of financial and other resource investment in large-scale sports facilities. Unfortunately, the comparative absence of sports development structures within those facilities has greatly reduced their ability to provide the benefits envisioned for their communities, notwithstanding the dedication and professional experience of facility managers. Explain difference in the roles of the Community Sports Development Officer and the traditional Sports Development Officer. In keeping with the fundamental purpose of community sports development in general, the role of the community sports development officer relates substantially to the use of sport as a means to achieve other (i.e. non-sport-related) objectives. Conversely, the role of the….

Community Partnership the Notion That

, 1996): To train those college students who aim to join the teaching profession; To provide the teachers with a wide spectrum and grounds for exploration so that they can apply their knowledge and ability in a way that boosts the overall educational standards of the institution and the students; To design a schedule and academic profile that aims to purely heighten the academic and social growth of the students; and to support and carry out studies that will in eventuality help escalate and improve the educational standards at not only the school level but also the college and university levels. Harkavy (1998) believes that the partnership between the school, community and the university is far more complex and inter-dependent that believed by the masses. In his study he brings forth new theories and explanation of his statement with the help of annals and current studies and examples. He feels that the academic improvements….

Bibliography

Anderson, B.D., & Stetler, E.G., & Midle, T. (2006). A case for expanded school-community partnerships in support of positive youth development. National Association of Social Workers, 28(3), 155-163.

Beaumont, J.J. & Hallmark, D.L. (1998). Introduction: School-university partnerships in urban settings. Urban Education, 32(5), 557-560.

Beaumont, J.J. (1998). Administrator and researcher: Conflicting dual roles in directing a school-university partnership. Urban Education, 32(5), 645-660.

Becker, J. (1999). Partnerships with families promote TRIO student achievement. (ERIC Document 432197)

Community Research and Action Organizations for Participatory

Community esearch and Action Organizations for Participatory esearch: Society for Community esearch and Action (SCA) and WK Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) In this comparative analysis of two organizations that are involved in participatory research, a field I am particularly interested in, the Society for Community esearch and Action (SCA) and W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) can be considered at the forefront in promoting this kind of research in the academic and social communities they work with, respectively. The question-and-answer type of discussion below discusses the organizations' respective Code of Conduct or documents available in their websites that discusses how their members are expected to behave within the organization: How extensive are the codes from the two organizations/associations? SCA has published in its website a page dedicated to its Vision-Mission, Goals, and Guiding Concepts, while WKKF has a Code of Ethics that briefly states specific codes of conduct for its members and partners. Both SCA and WKKF….

Society for Community Research and Action Official Website:  http://www.scra27.org/about 

WK Kellogg Foundation Official Website:  http://www.wkkf.org/who-we-are/code-of-ethics.aspx 

Kellogg Company Official Website: http://www.kelloggs.com/en_US/home.html

In Zambia what are the five health care providers?

In Zambia, there a number of different ways to access healthcare.  However, we are struggling to answer what the five health care providers are in the country.  There are more than five main hospitals or clinics in Zambia that provide healthcare , only two healthcare ministries, and various types of health workers including doctors, nurses, midwives, clinical officers, technicians, medical teaching staff, medical consulates, and medical licentiates.  If we had to choose the five types of healthcare providers in Zambia, we would probably break them down into those five broad categories: health technicians, nurses, midwives, doctors, and clinical....

Can you help me with my conclusion for an essay on community development and it\'s history?

Community development refers to a process of building stronger communities through a variety of different approaches.  It is specifically tailored to different areas, because community needs are not universal.  Community development is sometimes referred to as a journey rather than a destination because of the fact that it is never really complete.  As communities grow and change, so do their development needs. In addition, other factors can impact community development as well, such as available natural resources and the surrounding geography.

We are not sure what you mean by the conclusion of community development and its....

I\'m looking for a unique and fresh essay topic on community relations v\'s public relations. Any ideas that stand out?

Certainly! Here's a unique and fresh essay topic that explores the relationship between community relations and public relations: "Exploring the Shift Towards Community-Centric Public Relations: Empowering Communities as Catalysts for Change" This topic delves into the evolving dynamics between community relations and public relations, with a focus on the growing importance of community-centric strategies in the field. You can discuss how traditional public relations approaches often focused on maintaining positive corporate images, while community relations primarily dealt with strengthening ties at a local level. However, in recent years, there has been a significant shift towards integrating community empowerment and engagement within broader....

**Community Relations vs. Public Relations: An Exploration of the Synergies and Distinctions** **Introduction:** Community relations and public relations, often intertwined concepts, play crucial roles in shaping an organization's reputation and fostering its relationships with external stakeholders. However, these disciplines exhibit distinct approaches, motivations, and target audiences, warranting further exploration and comparison. **Community Relations: Nurturing Local Connections** Community relations focuses on building strong, mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the communities in which it operates. It emphasizes local engagement, participation, and collaboration, aiming to address community concerns, support local initiatives, and foster a sense of belonging. * **Key Goals:** Strengthen community engagement, foster local support,....

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Essay Samples on Community Development

What is community development: exploring the essence.

At the heart of every thriving society lies the concept of community development. It's a term often mentioned, but its true depth and significance go beyond mere surface definitions. Community development is a multifaceted approach that encompasses empowerment, inclusivity, collaboration, and sustainable progress. This essay...

• Community Development

The Importance of Community Development

The importance of community development cannot be overstated in the ever-changing landscape of our interconnected world. Community development goes beyond physical infrastructure; it encompasses the cultivation of thriving neighborhoods, empowered individuals, and resilient societies. This essay explores the multifaceted importance of community development, shedding light...

How Education Contributes to Community Development

How does education contribute to community development? This question lies at the heart of understanding the intricate relationship between education and the progress of societies. Education is not only a means to personal growth but also a powerful catalyst for collective advancement. This essay explores...

The Essence of Community Development: Fostering Growth and Empowerment

About community development, it's a transformative process that empowers individuals, strengthens connections, and creates a foundation for sustainable progress. Community development is more than just infrastructure projects; it's about nurturing social cohesion, enhancing quality of life, and fostering a sense of ownership and pride among...

Why Community And Giving Back To The Community Important

Entering college as a freshman is an experience you’d cherish, or so you hope. As exciting as it can be, colleges entail mounts of pressure and the assignments keep on piling up. To make things worse, it becomes almost natural to feel demotivated and glum,...

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Finding Motivation To Giving Back To The Community

Giving is related to the way we act philanthropically since is not a spontaneous action, it is the end of a process that is motivated by feelings of social responsibility, equity or reciprocity. The benefits of putting our hearts in what we give and what...

The Benefits Of Community Service: Giving Back To The Community

Different people have different reasons for taking up community service programs. Irrespective of one’s circumstances and motives, community service activities have and should help accomplish several goals in an area. However, giving back to the community should not only be about meeting particular personal and...

• Community Service

Improvement Of Life Quality Of The Hamilton Road Community

The Hamilton Road community appears to have a diverse physical environment with two-thirds of the community older in appearance while the other third located on the outskirts of London seems to be expanding with many new homes being built. The majority of buildings and homes...

• Quality of Life

Recommendations For Niagara Falls Community Development

Niagara Falls, being one of the Seven Natural Wonder of the World, is a tourist destination for people from all walks of life. With it being between two densely populated areas, it can be hard to imagine that this destination is not bringing any amount...

• Niagara Falls

Community Development Project Around The Town Of Kinnegad

I have decided to base my Community Project around something is very close to home for me as I was born and raised in this town, which is the Further Development of the town Kinnegad, County Westmeath. This project will be based around the campaigning...

Key Elements Of Community-based Organization For Community Development

Some people are born with a passion of helping other people or better yet addressing their concerns and they would go out of their way to offer help and/ or starting an organization its ones choice and right, and looking at the current frame work...

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Village Community Development Field Trip Report

This a short report on my own observations from the three field trips outside Madang town in one of my units I study which is the Community Development Practice PG 303. During the field visit the two programs that we went out was on positive...

• Early Childhood Education

Movements of Community Development in Ireland

Jackson & O Doherty (2012) state ‘community development is the process in which people join together to improve conditions and create change at the community level.’ Traditionally, Ireland has a long history of community development, beginning with the co-operative movement over a century ago. The...

• Civil Disobedience

Social Policies in Community Development

What you mean by Social Policy in Community Development programs? And Describe its various Benefits to the people. This essay defines Social Policies in Community Development Programs and its benefits to the communities in the context of developing countries as Papua New Guinea is also...

• Public Service

Community Governance: A Measure to Ensure Participatory Development

Bhutan, a small kingdom in south Asia has introduced democratic constitutional monarchy since 2008. Today, country’s democracy is just about 11 years old where the developmental activities are full swing because of the equal participatory made by central government as well as by the local...

• Role of Government

Best topics on Community Development

1. What is Community Development: Exploring the Essence

2. The Importance of Community Development

3. How Education Contributes to Community Development

4. The Essence of Community Development: Fostering Growth and Empowerment

5. Why Community And Giving Back To The Community Important

6. Finding Motivation To Giving Back To The Community

7. The Benefits Of Community Service: Giving Back To The Community

8. Improvement Of Life Quality Of The Hamilton Road Community

9. Recommendations For Niagara Falls Community Development

10. Community Development Project Around The Town Of Kinnegad

11. Key Elements Of Community-based Organization For Community Development

12. Village Community Development Field Trip Report

13. Movements of Community Development in Ireland

14. Social Policies in Community Development

15. Community Governance: A Measure to Ensure Participatory Development

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Community Development Worker

Community development refers to the process of providing support and empowerment to members of a community. According to Chambers (2004), community development also entails giving self-confidence to a marginalized and disadvantaged person in the community. In my view, community development involves encouraging people to actively participate in activities that would help them change their lives or situations, for example, through engagement in economic activities that would earn them some income, hence improving their living standards. Thus, a community worker must work very closely with members of that society as well as other professionals such as social workers, police officers, political leaders, rights activists, and non-governmental organizations. Through community development, the worker is mandated to address the various challenges that a community faces and formulate possible solutions to undertake. Discuss below are some of the major roles that a person may undertake as a community development worker.

Recognition of Talents.  As a community development worker, an individual should be able to identify, encourage and call upon various gifts and talents that members of the community have and are able to use in contributing positively towards the development of the community. For example, as a community development worker, a person should be able to support persons with disabilities that have specific talents that may help in developing the community.

Creation of Networks within the Community.  As a community development worker, a person should be able to create and build mutual relationships and strong networks amongst members of the community (Waring & Waring 1999). In my view, this would help in uniting the community as a single body. The community development worker should also create, identify and support various opportunities that may exist within the society for the benefit of its members, for example, the community development worker may liaise with potential employers to encourage the recruitment of youths in their organization. In this regards, the increasing rates of unemployment amongst youths may be reduced. Consequently, various social vices and crimes such as drug abuse, robberies and prostitution amongst the youth will be greatly reduced.

In addition, the community worker should also liaise with national and federal governments as well as other government agencies to ensure that various needs of the community such as adequate access to healthcare services, good infrastructure networks and adequate provision of educational services are met. This implies that the community development worker would act as a mediator that bridges the gap between the national government and the community.

Through creation of adequate social networks within the society, a community development worker should secure strong independent relationships between members of the society, thus discouraging over dependency amongst them.

In addition to acting as an interface between the government and the community, community development workers should also facilitate the coordination and implementation of various government programs or projects in the community. Community development workers may also advice the government on which projects to implement in particular societies.

Helping People with Disability. A community development worker should be able to promote and support as well as positively contribute towards the well-being of persons with disability. The community worker should also recognize and cheer the various contributions that such persons with disabilities often bring to their communities.

Increasing Productivity of the Community.  As a community development worker, an individual is charged with the role of ensuring that the overall productivity of the community is increased. In my opinion, this would entail empowering all members of the community to contribute positively towards attaining various goals and objectives of the community, for example, increasing food production, ensuring high levels of security within the society as well as providing socio-economic and financial support to members of the community. Increasing the productivity of the community would also ensure the ultimate success of society as a whole. The community development worker should also act as a facilitator who is responsible for encouraging and sponsoring self-help within the community.

Responding to Enquiries from the Community.  As a community development worker, an individual is responsible for responding to various enquiries or questions raised by members of the community in relation to community development and other aspects of the community (Bourdieu 1998). The community development worker would also disseminate and circulate information that he or she deems important for communal development. a community development worker should also be able to transfer skills to people through appropriate communication channels or training so as to enable them to effectively change their own lives.

Active Participation in Activities of the Community.  In my opinion, as a community development worker, a person must ensure that he or she actively participates in various activities organized by the community, for example, development projects, cultural activities, and peace-building initiatives. Accordingly, the members of the community would thus view the community development workers as one of their own. This would also help in building strong relationships and ties with members of that particular community.

Watchdog for Human Rights.  Community development workers may also act as activists who right to human rights. In my view, community development workers should ensure that the government or any other party does not violate the rights of the citizens. At the same time, they should also promote public awareness on various issues and policies adopted by the federal government and local authorities that may have adverse implications on the well-being of members of the society, for example, the adoption of new laws governing public health, drug use or gun control strategies of the government.

In conclusion, I would urge that it is important for community development workers to have adequate knowledge about the communities they intend to serve. For example, he or she must have comprehensive knowledge of the cultural activities, traditional values, beliefs, and practices of that particular society. Moreover, he or she must have adequate knowledge about the socio-economic situation of the community.

Finally, yet importantly, community work should be to learn from the community and have unquestionable levels of integrity, discipline, and accountability. He or she must also possess various leadership and interpersonal skills that would enable him or her to work harmoniously with members of the community. Working as a community developer poses many challenges that a person must know how to effectively handle or deal with.

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1 Introduction to Community Development Practice

Dr. Mahbub Hasan MSW, Ph.D.

Topics:                                 

• Introduction-Context for Writing this Resource Book
• Community Development as a Social Work Practice
• What or Who is Community?
• How should we understand ‘Community Development’?
• Community Resilience
• Sustainable Development
• Why SDGs important for Community Practitioners
• Community development practice: At a Glace

Introduction

Community development practice is an important area of social work. This discipline equips community members and leaders to work together to care for their community in good and challenging times. The role of a Community Development Worker is to facilitate a process where people come together for mutual interests and benefits. The word community comes from the ancient Greek word for fellowship (Brown & Hannis, 2012, p.1). People belong to various communities due to location, age, gender, ethnicity, shared experience, and interest. Over 2300 years ago, the Greek philosopher Aristotle described people coming together for different reasons. Recent writers have identified that those reasons include “enjoying mutual association, fulfilling basic needs, and finding meaning in life” (Brown & Hannis, 2012, p.1).

1. History and Context for Writing this Resource Book

After World War II, many countries became independent from colonial powers such as England and France. International agencies such as UNDP , World Food Program , UNHCR , and hundreds of international NGOs such as Save the Children , Oxfam , ActionAid International founded this time to support communities to fight poverty, inequality, and climate change, and to promote education and the rights of women and children. There is debate about these agencies’ functional approach and ultimate mission; however, until today, international organizations are working with national governments, local agencies, and communities through partnership.

Meanwhile, in developed countries like Canada, community-based organizations, charities, and government institutions work with local communities for their well-being and quality of living. They have adapted the community development approach because “communities make important contributions to individual and family well-being” (Brown & Hannis, 2012, p.1). Therefore, Community Development Practice: From Canadian and Global Perspectives is an Open Education resource (OER) for students, learners, and community leaders. This book will define and explain the concepts used in community development, as well as discuss community development principles, theories and frameworks. This book will share tools and processes for community asset mapping, needs assessment, community engagement, planning, and grant writing. In addition, we will share international community development stories and practices from Asia, Africa, and Australia.

The world is full of possibilities. Whether in the global south or north, I have worked with diverse countries across the globe and seen how passionately people are coming together and working collaboratively for their well-being. I started my community development practice with an urban slum dwellers community in 1998 through ActionAid International. This project organized 2200 women through microfinance and adult literacy programs. When I started my work, there were widespread stereotypes about these slum dwellers being the cause of  violence, crime, and creating an unhealthy environment. However, while working with these marginalized people, I saw their resiliency, collaboration, hard work, and leadership for their community welfare. I saw their strengths. Women not only became entrepreneurs and made decisions for their family affairs, but demonstrated leadership by challenging agency policies through dialogue and resistance. Through my work at ActionAid International and Canadian International Development Agencies during 1998-2010, I worked with various communities in Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Vietnam and witnessed the power of communities in challenging oppression, fighting for climate change, human rights and social justice. While working in Toronto since 2011, I was amazed to see the diversity of communities living here. I am inspired to see people from countries all over the world  living in harmony and cohesion. Living in Regent Park in downtown Toronto, I have witnessed residents sharing their talents and collectively working together for the well-being of their community. Across neighborhoods all over the world. people are coming together to revitalize their neighborhood and make it greener, safer, and more accessible. People are  coming together in community to fight against racism, Islamophobia, and anti-Semitism and collectively striving for a safer community, city, and country in Canada. This resource book will share stories of community development practitioners and community leaders and connect you with some models of community development practice and principles in Canada and across the world.

Video: Meet Waleid, A Community Leader.  Learn  community development process and principles

Created by: Mahbub Hasan, Year: 2022. Source: YouTube, https://youtu.be/k_uoNJJXe7E

2. Community Development as a Social Work Practice

Social Work is a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that “promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people” (International Federation of Social work-IFSW). The IFSW states that “principles of social justice, human rights, collective responsibility and respect for diversities are central to social work.” This definition of IFSW refers to the role social workers play beyond supporting individuals and families. Social workers engage in community-based practice and work towards changing collective social, economic, and political conditions for communities (Ives et al., 2020, p.141).

2.1 Why Social Workers engage in Community Practice/Community Trends:

Communities across the world today are facing challenges due to socio-economic and environmental issues. There are growing inequalities, as the rich get richer and marginalized communities are becoming more vulnerable. The farmers are not getting a fair price for their products, and frontline workers and daily laborers are involved in precarious jobs and earning minimum wage. Immigrants, newcomers, and racialized community members face systemic barriers in securing good and relevant jobs. Indigenous and remote communities experience clean water advisories and do not have access to safe water, shelter, and healthcare. Low-income families struggle with current inflation, and it has become difficult for them to pay their bills or  buy food for their families. COVID-19 makes life more challenging, whether it is youth who face challenges with mental health due to prolonged isolation and online learning, or women who are the victim of family violence. . The regional conflicts make women and children very vulnerable, and their human rights are violated by the aggressors. In developing countries, quality education is a challenge due to the socio-economic condition of the country. Children face racism and discrimination at school in large cities. There is a rise in gun violence in major cities in North America, and often racialized youth are the victim of this violence. There is a housing crisis in Toronto, where affordable housing is decreasing while,  neighborhoods are gentrifying  in the name of revitalization. Most importantly, our mother earth is facing a climate crisis. More and more communities are experiencing excessive rainfalls, floods, cyclones, tornados, drought, heat waves, and wildfire.

In the context of all of these challenges, community development as a practice provides hope for a way out. We need to work collectively to face these socio-economic, environmental, cultural, and systemic barriers. We require to work with our communities to address these issues through a community development approach. Community Development Workers are critical to tackle these challenges, with the  understanding, capacities, and tools to achieve the socio-economic well-being of their communities.

3. What do we mean by ‘Community’?

There are a variety of definitions for Community. According to Ives et al. (2020), “Community can be defined by geography, identity, interest, or any integration of the three (p.141). Ives further stated that communities could be physically  constructed as members of neighbourhood, municipality, or other geographic region and collection of people connected through shared identities,  interests , and  experiences  (e.g., ethnicity, religion, ideology, gender, sexual orientation, educational or professional background, common experiences of particular events). The definition of Community further expanded and Ives et al. (2020) opine that the recent conceptualizations of Community include those that build Community in virtual settings or “e-communities” such as for online learning or support.

The diagram shows some examples of communities based on various characteristics. Let me define my community using some characteristics. Geographically I live in the Regent Park Neighbourhood of Toronto. Ethnicity wise I am a Bengali; by profession, I am an Educator and Community Development Practitioner. I have a great interest in sports. I am experiencing uneven weather-sometimes extreme cold and sometimes heat due to climate change. Considering interests and characteristics, I am engaged with various community initiatives, agencies, and professional groups and work together for my communities’ welfare. I join in meetings and planning sessions, participate in organizing events, and advocate for my community’s socio-economic development. As a community member, I work both as a facilitator and participant.

3.1 Types of Community

There can be four types of communities, as defined by Brown & Hannis (2012):

• A geographic community is a group of people living in the same physical area
• A group of people “who share or possess a common and essential factor such as gender, race, religion, or socioeconomic status” (Brown & Hannis, 2012, p.5)
• A group of people “who come together to address a common interest or concern”. This category would include professional associations, trade unions, and social action groups, for example (Brown & Hannis, 2012, p.5).
• A virtual community that comes together to learn about work and “share their passion and hobbies” (Brown & Hannis, 2012, p.5).

3.2 Functions of Communities:

According to Warren (1987), there are five functions of a community. I am going to quote these five functions from Brown and Hannis (2012)

“ The production, distribution, and consumptions function of community ensures some measures od meeting supply and demand for certain basic necessities, such as food, shelter, and clothing, by locally owned and run business or by local governance. A socialization function is met through the process of transmitting to members prevailing knowledge, social values, and behavior patterns. A social control function is met by communities that ensure conformity to group norms. The social participation function of communities is met by providing opportunities for members to interact with each other and to participate in co-operative activities. A mutual support function means that the community acts as a bridge between families and bureaucratized services by providing informal opportunities for mutual support, including care for sick, child care, and help in times of crisis” (p.5-6).

Video: What does Community mean to you?

Source: YouTube, https://youtu.be/wv7T23P9oS8

4. How Should We Understand ‘Community Development’?

The academics, social workers and practitioners have defined community development from various perspectives. From a geographic perspective, community development is “a group of people in a locality initiating a social action process (i.e., planned intervention) to change their economic, social, cultural, and environmental situation” (Tamarack Institute). In general terms, community development is a process of bringing people together to achieve a common goal related to changing the quality of life. There are a few elements in this definition: a) it is a process, b) collective actions/people act together, c) common goal, d) quality of life. People from common identity, interests, experiences and geographic location may come together and work for their community’s social-economic, cultural, spiritual and environmental development. For example: Scarborough Arts EAST Youth program ;   Grameen Bank’ Microcredit for Women in Bangladesh; Fighting Misogyny and Achieve Gender Equality in Toronto , Saving the Farmer, Protecting the Earth in India ,   Community Revitalization Project in Regent Park ,  Grandmothers treat depression in Zimbabwe .

We often see both top-down and bottom-up approaches in community development practice. A top-down approach imposes goals and processes on a community (Brown & Hannis, 2012, p.9). For example: in a community revitalization project, we often see that residents are consulted, but developers/builders’ purposes are served. Another example would be that local and international agencies want to implement their agenda and priorities in community development projects, and community members are treated just as recipients. From my experience, unfortunately, these types of community initiatives dominate local and international community development discourse. Although these agencies show that they use various participatory tools to engage the local community in issue identification, problem analysis, project implementation, and evaluation, in reality, these processes are shown to show their sponsors, funders, and taxpayers. I will share such a story in chapter 10 and how a community practitioner and community can challenge this undemocratic practice.

As community workers , it is our responsibility to take a bottom-up approach  in which the community actively participates in assessing their needs and setting goals and priorities. Brown and Hannis (2012) suggest that bottom-up development may start in response to a local issue, such as a food insecurity issue, or as a resistance to an externally imposed condition, for example, a community revitalization project. Regarding this externally imposed project, the goals of bottom-up community development initiative could be “to restore quality of life, diminish inequalities, reinstate democratic functioning, enhance members’ potential, and restore a sense of community among members” ( Brown & Hannis, 2012, p. 9).

Community development is a process based on democratic principles. Brown and Hannis defined community development from democratic perspectives (2012, 9): According to the authors:

“Community development is, fundamentally, a democratic and social process (Minkler (1990). It is “a process that increases the assets and attributes which a community is able to draw upon in order to improve their lives” (Ibid, Gobbon, Labonte, & Laverack, 2002, p.485). As well, community development “people acting collectively with others who share some common concern”. (Checkoway, 1997, p.13). It is “the capacity of local populations to respond collectively to events and issues that affect them (Gilchrist, 2003, p. 16). Finally, community development is “working with people at a local level to promote active participation in identifying local needs, and organizing those needs (Wright 2004, p.386). The success of community development work depends on “collective problem-solving, self-help, and empowerment” (Schiele, Jackson, & Fairfax, 2005, p.22).

5.  Community Resilience 

Resilience is the ability of a system (like a community) to absorb disturbance and retain primary function and structure. The term resilience has been applied to communities to describe a method of dealing with crisis and adapting to change (Roleland, 2012, p 11). The efforts to build community resilience often focus on growing the capacity to “bounce back” from disruptions, like those caused by climate change or COVID19. Transformative community development practices aim to help communities build resilience to poverty, natural disasters, gun violence, and socio-economic crises.

6. Sustainable Development

According to the Government of Canada (2021), “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. Roleland (2012) argues that “Sustainable development requires a fundamental economic and social change to improve human well-being while reducing the need for environmental protection” (2012, p.7). The key intentions of sustainable development are: a) desire to secure the means of survival, b) improve the quality of community life, c) protect the environment, and d) make inclusive and participatory decisions (Roleland, 2012, p.3).

The challenges of sustainability in the environment are urgent, as climate change is a massive crisis that already requires fast action. Population growth, overconsumption and wasting resources, carbon emotion, and government and private infrastructure projects adversely impact our communities worldwide. As a result, our communities are experiencing poverty, global warming, floods, cyclone, and many forms of disasters. The current COVID-19 pandemic shows that social sustainability can also become fragile due to the global health crisis, lack of health services and its impact on mental health and job losses.

7. Sustainable Development Goals for Community Practitioners 

In recent times, community initiatives across the world guided by United Nations Sustainable Development goals. On 1 January 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the  2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development  — adopted by world leaders in September 2015 at a  historic UN Summit  — officially came into force ( United Nations ). The  Sustainable Development Goals  are a call for action by all countries – poor, rich, and middle-income – to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. They recognize that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and address a range of social needs, including education, health, social protection, and job opportunities while tackling climate change and environmental protection ( United Nations ). The SDGs are vital for a recovery that leads to a greener, more inclusive economies and more robust and resilient societies. COVID-19 is spreading human suffering, destabilizing the global economy, and upending the lives of billions of people around the globe and the SDGs provide a critical framework for COVID-19 recovery. To achieve sustainable development, it is crucial to harmonize three basic  elements: economic growth, social  inclusion and environmental protection. These factors  are  interconnected  and  vital to  the well-being of individuals and  society  ( United Nations ).

8. Community development practice: At a Glance

Community development practice: From Canadian and Global Perspectives is a resource book written to promote participatory, local asset-based, equitable, and sustainable community work practice.

Community Development Practice and Process: At a glance. Photo: Mahbub Hasan

Read, Watch, Listen: 

• What is community development?  By Government of Australia.
• Community Development Work at Centennial College. This video will provide you with an overview of community development in various settings and community development workers’ roles.  Click here  to watch.

Do you know all 17 SDGs ?

Key Takeaways and Feedback 

We want to learn your key takeaways and feedback on this chapter.

Your participation is highly appreciated. It will help us to enhance the quality of Community Development Practice and connect with you to offer support. To write your feedback, please click on Your Feedback Matters .

Brown, J. D. & Hannis, D. (2012). Community development in Canada . Pearson.

Government of Canada, (2021). Sustainable Development . https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/corporate/mandate/about-agency/sustainable-development.html

Hick, S. & Stokes, J. (2017). Social work in Canada (4th ed.). Thompson Educational Publishing.

International Federation of Social Workers (2022). Global Definition of Social Work.   https://www.ifsw.org/what-is-social-work/global-definition-of-social-work/

Ives, N., Denov, M., & Sussman, T. (2020). Introduction to social work in Canada: Histories, Contexts, and Practices (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.

Parada, H., Barnoff, L., Moffatt, K., & Homan, M. S. (2011). Promoting community change: Making it happen in the real world (1st ed.). Nelson.

Resilience (n.d.). Six foundations for community resilience .   Retrieved on August 13, 2022 from https://www.resilience.org/six-foundations-for-community-resilience/

Roseland, M. (2012). Toward sustainable communities: Solution for citizens and their governments (4th ed). New Society Publisher.

Sustainable Helsinki (2022). Why is sustainable development important and why is it monitored?  Retrieved on August 13, 2022 from https://sustainable.helsinki/why-is-sustainable-development-important-and-why-is-it-monitored/

United Nations (n.d.) The sustainable development agenda. Retrieved on August 13, 2022 from https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/development-agenda-retired/#:~:text=On%201%20January%202016%2C%20the,Summit%20%E2%80%94%20officially%20came%20into%20force .

Community Development Practice: From Canadian and Global Perspectives Copyright © 2022 by Dr. Mahbub Hasan MSW, Ph.D. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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What are the roles of community development workers

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The role of community development is to support people and community groups to identify and articulate their needs, and to take practical, collective action to address them.Those who practice community development come from a range of backgrounds and gain their skills and knowledge both from formal qualifications and through practice. Community development can – and should – be practiced in all sectors, whether public, private or voluntary.

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A Discussion About Community Development

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5 Reasons a Community Development Career is Perfect for You

In this post, why study community development, principles of community development.

• 1. You’ll make a lasting difference
• 2. You’ll be more fulfilled at work

3. The skills you learn will open doors

Industry-specific knowledge, soft skills, 4. getting qualified is an investment in your future, 5. you can walk your own path, community development courses, browse 5 reasons a community development career is perfect for you results.

In this post Show

Looking for a job where you can live your values? Believe in empowering people? Find out how to start a rewarding, stable career in community development.

The community sector is broad, and roles for community workers are quite diverse, but they all aspire to create social change and improve the world we live in. As one of the most fascinating parts of the community services sector, community development is two things: an approach, and a profession . You can feel confident that working in this area is a proven way to create deep, long-lasting, sustainable change from the ground up.

Community development is an effective approach that’s all about working alongside people in vulnerable communities, and empowering them to improve their own lives and help themselves. Building resilient communities enables us to support each other, to band together in hard times, and to grow into a better society.

Here are five reasons why you should get into this brilliant, fulfilling field.

When it comes to communities, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. For that reason, there’s no one set of steps to follow when working in community development. Instead, you’ll take a community-led approach, with these principles as your guiding star:

Human rights

Social justice

Self-determination

Collective action

Sources: International Association for Community Development &  What is community development? Child Family Community Australia

1. You’ll make a lasting difference

Do you feel a calling to make the world a better place?  We all need to work to survive, but what if you want more from life than the typical nine to five? Finding a job that makes a difference and fulfils you can be tough.

Especially if you dread being stuck in an office, chained to a desk,  and you’d rather be out there, actually talking to people and making things happen — and you want something you can get stuck into now, rather than after years of rigorous study.

What is community development?

Community development is a sensitive and supportive approach to working with communities.  It aims to create a fairer, more inclusive society by getting to the root causes of unfair disadvantages and thinking long-term.

Community development aims to enable people to create positive social changes in their communities through education, resourcing, and relationship building.

Community development lies at the overlap of two fields that aim to make a better world: community services and sustainable development.

It’s based on the idea that the best way to make a difference is to  empower people to help themselves.  Research has shown that, across the world, the most effective development projects heavily involve the community in all stages.

So, you get the best of both worlds:  directly helping real people in local communities, while also driving deep, long-lasting change.

When we talk about communities, it can refer to:

People that live in particular places, such as towns or cities.

Groups of people with a shared identity or interest

Such as cultural/ethnic/religious groups, at-risk young people, or LGBTQIA+ people.

How does it work?

Community development is a ‘bottom-up approach , which means that projects are designed and carried out by people in the community, rather than outside ‘experts’. This means more than just consulting with community members: it means that a project is initiated, led and carried out by the community members themselves.

In community development, you must approach each situation differently, and  work with  community members  to find out what matters to them, and then support them to make it happen  — rather than deciding what people need, and then delivering it to them.

Community development seeks to:

• Identify common problems
• Connect private and public issues
• Enable people to find solutions together
• Support community development programs

What it isn’t:

• Charity programs
• Outside experts or agencies designing solutions
• Consulting with community members – consulting does not go far enough
• A rigid process that’s the same each time

“Community development considers community members to be experts in their lives and communities, and values community knowledge and wisdom.”

- Australian Institute of Family Studies, CFCA Resource Sheet

2. You’ll be more fulfilled at work

Community development  is more than just a job: it’s a calling , and it takes someone with an abundance of warmth and empathy. If you’re a people person with a passion for justice and helping others, you will thrive in this role.

The role of a community development worker

As a community development professional, your aim is to  empower  the community to come together and create the change they want to see . Each community will be different — with different strengths, needs, and problems. Your job is to be a facilitator, helping to identify needs and removing obstacles. During your work with the community, you’ll be there to:

• Facilitate meetings
• Provide trusted resources and data
• Help to build relationships between people with common concerns
• Run skill-sharing workshops

Meet Kerry Grace

Founder and director.

Evolve Group Network  and the Community Practitioners Academy

“With enhanced access to education and skill-sharing, anything is possible.”

How Kerry found her path

While my career started in a more corporate environment (advertising and media) I always found I needed more from work to be satisfied.

I started working in community development quite accidentally when I moved to a new community and while looking for work was offered a marketing role – provided I supervised a group of Work for the Dole participants. I loved the work and found contributing to the community provided the career satisfaction I’d been looking for.

Why Kerry loves her work

Over the years I learned there is a stark difference between being a ‘do-gooder’ and ‘doing good’ – ‘do-gooder syndrome’ (of which I’m now in recovery for) can create a lot of damage in communities as it really reinforces poverty, welfare and disadvantage.

Capacity development is at the core of all of my work now as I believe that with enhanced access to education and skill-sharing anything is possible.

Editor’s note:  If you’re not familiar with the term ‘do-gooder’, it’s often used to refer to an optimistic, yet person who tries to do good deeds without understanding the full consequences of their actions. For instance, charity programs that actually case harm in the long-term by creating dependencies on outside help.

Want to use your career to make a difference, but unsure of what to study?  Community development is an excellent place to start. Studying community development can open doors into the community and public sector. It can also lead you to a wide variety of roles you may not have considered – or known existed – before.

In community development, you’ll empower your own career, too, building a versatile skill set that  will enable you to follow your interests and take your career anywhere . Study options are flexible and stackable, so you can start off with a low-cost Certificate and upskill once you’ve got a job. And once you’re in this growing sector, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to build a career that truly reflects your values.

• Community development theory & practice
• Service delivery
• Strategic planning
• Community engagement
• Report writing
• Health promotion
• Local government
• Social work
• Working with people from diverse backgrounds
• Written and verbal communication skills
• Collaboration
• Stakeholder management
• Customer service
• Time management
• Presentation skills
• Project management

Where do community development professionals work?

A community development approach can apply across many areas of the community and public sectors, including:

• Community health
• Community arts and culture
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community development
• Urban planning
• Sustainable development
• Welfare and human services
• Social policy
• Overseas aid work
• Mental health care

Community development workers usually work in:

• Government departments
• Government-funded community organisations
• Nonprofit organisations

Types of community development jobs:

• Community Development Officer
• Community Development Support Officer
• Community Centre Coordinator
• Community Arts Officer
• Community Engagement Officer
• Program Officer

As a community development worker, you’ll get a deep understanding of how to organise people, facilitate group conversations, and make things happen.  The soft skills you develop while training in community development are worth their weight in gold. 

For instance,  the ability to connect with people from different backgrounds is highly sought after  across the community sector. But it’s also valued in other sectors too — an ability to communicate and collaborate with many different types of people is crucial to many roles in the business sector, in nonprofits, and in governments.

Employers love seeing community service experience on resumes  because it translates so well into many areas of work. This means there are plenty of jobs to choose from where you can apply your skills and experience.

So if you don’t like one job, or you just need a change of pace, you can apply for a different job without having to do another course or going back to university.

Course Finder Questionnaire

Step 1 of 5

What is your motivation to study?

Healthcare and social assistance: Australia’s largest, fastest-growing industry

Researchers predict that in the aftermath of the pandemic  this industry will come out looking stable . So you don’t need to worry about your job security or wasting your time getting a qualification in this area. Considering that the industry is growing so strongly,  you’ll have plenty of job opportunities to choose from.

Community services  has been a rapidly expanding industry and the demand for talented workers is only getting higher, which means good job security. The Health Care and Social Assistance industry, prior to the coronavirus pandemic, was  the biggest and fastest-growing sector in  Australia  and was set to add another 250,000 jobs by 2023.

Working in the public sector: great pay, job security, and benefits

Over a third of community development workers are in the public sector, working for local councils or government departments. This is a great place to be, with high job security, excellent salary, and benefits –  and the knowledge that you’re working for people, not profit.

Starting out in community development

A qualification isn’t strictly required to get your first job, but it will make you a more attractive candidate. Especially as you move past entry-level roles, you will find that  a qualification will pay off, giving you access to better opportunities.

Meet Sarah Liberty

JustSociale ,  an ACNC-accredited NGO committed to promoting and protecting online human rights.

“Every individual has the power to create change in the world for good.”

How sarah found her way into community development.

“As someone who can’t remember a time when I haven’t believed in fairness,  I have always been passionate about contributing to my community.  I found my way into my current career path after working in the private media sector for several years, before realising that I wanted to do something that aligned more with my values and dedication to promoting inclusion, diversity, equality, respect, social justice and service to others.

My first role was as a humanitarian volunteer  working for AusAid in Jogjakarta (Indonesia) with an NGO supporting survivors of a major earthquake. I then moved on to  senior communications roles at the Climate Council & ActionAid,  before moving to Paris to complete my Master of International Relations in Human Rights. There, I was fortunate enough to join the  UN Women #GenerationEquality campaign  and become one of their Ambassadors.

After finishing my postgraduate studies,  I decided to combine my passion for human rights with my love of the digital realm  and its potential for connecting communities worldwide, and  founded JustSociale  – where I now work as the Founder and CEO.”

What she finds most rewarding

“My career rewards me in so many ways. As someone who is genuine and who believes in treating everyone with kindness and respect,  it brings me joy to bring joy to others . And it’s been scientifically proven that being kind to others does boost our own mood. I also believe that  every individual has the power to create change in the world for good , and I am extremely passionate about promoting this so that all human beings feel self-empowered to create change and use their voice in their own way.”

Who she thinks this job suits

“I think that people who work in the community development sector are  motivated by their values, their compassion for others and a sense of  social justice , rather than selecting a job for purely economic reasons. That doesn’t mean that you can’t make a decent living, but it often means that you prioritise other things – like connecting with individuals and bringing joy and justice to the world – rather than making money.”

Want to get out from behind the desk?  While there’s some administration work involved, you’ll be anything but stuck to your chair. Community development involves travelling to communities and talking to lots of different people. Building relationships face-to-face and facilitating meetings are the most crucial parts of the job.

If you want something flexible that can accommodate your future plans , such as starting a family, or making a tree change, community development and community services more broadly could be the perfect fit. Part-time work in this sector is common, with  63% of workers part-time .

Study options are flexible, with many people choosing  cost-effective TAFE or VET courses.  You can also use these qualifications as a pathway into university.

Example study scenario

Amy is working  full-time  but wants to shift into the  community services  sector, with an aim to work in  community development . She gets started with an  online Certificate III , which she completes on nights or weekends over a few months. This allows her to hit the ground running in her first role, in which she gets further on-the-job training.

Then, she finds that she is enjoying the work. She sees that there’s an  opportunity to progress into more senior roles , but she’ll need more advanced knowledge and training. She uses her qualification as a springboard into a bachelor’s degree.

She talks to the course advisor and gets  RPL (recognition of prior learning) .  This means that her degree is shorter and more affordable, and she continues to study  part-time  whilst working in the industry.

Some relevant TAFE qualifications for this role include:

• Certificate II in Community Services
• Certificate III in Community Services
• Certificate III in Home and Community
• Certificate IV in Community Services
• Certificate IV in Community Development
• Diploma of Community Services
• Diploma of Community Development
• Diploma of Community Services Case Management
• Advanced Diploma of Community Sector Management
• Graduate Certificate in Client Assessment and Case Management

As a profession that seeks to help people help themselves, community development is a rewarding, meaningful career. Studying community development opens up myriad opportunities and broadens your horizons. If you’ve been wanting to make a change and make a difference, this could be the path you’ve been looking for.

Take the first, small step towards a bright new future by browsing community services courses today.

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How to Write the Community Essay – Guide with Examples (2023-24)

September 6, 2023

Students applying to college this year will inevitably confront the community essay. In fact, most students will end up responding to several community essay prompts for different schools. For this reason, you should know more than simply how to approach the community essay as a genre. Rather, you will want to learn how to decipher the nuances of each particular prompt, in order to adapt your response appropriately. In this article, we’ll show you how to do just that, through several community essay examples. These examples will also demonstrate how to avoid cliché and make the community essay authentically and convincingly your own.

Emphasis on Community

Do keep in mind that inherent in the word “community” is the idea of multiple people. The personal statement already provides you with a chance to tell the college admissions committee about yourself as an individual. The community essay, however, suggests that you depict yourself among others. You can use this opportunity to your advantage by showing off interpersonal skills, for example. Or, perhaps you wish to relate a moment that forged important relationships. This in turn will indicate what kind of connections you’ll make in the classroom with college peers and professors.

Apart from comprising numerous people, a community can appear in many shapes and sizes. It could be as small as a volleyball team, or as large as a diaspora. It could fill a town soup kitchen, or spread across five boroughs. In fact, due to the internet, certain communities today don’t even require a physical place to congregate. Communities can form around a shared identity, shared place, shared hobby, shared ideology, or shared call to action. They can even arise due to a shared yet unforeseen circumstance.

What is the Community Essay All About?             

In a nutshell, the community essay should exhibit three things:

• An aspect of yourself, 2. in the context of a community you belonged to, and 3. how this experience may shape your contribution to the community you’ll join in college.

It may look like a fairly simple equation: 1 + 2 = 3. However, each college will word their community essay prompt differently, so it’s important to look out for additional variables. One college may use the community essay as a way to glimpse your core values. Another may use the essay to understand how you would add to diversity on campus. Some may let you decide in which direction to take it—and there are many ways to go!

To get a better idea of how the prompts differ, let’s take a look at some real community essay prompts from the current admission cycle.

Sample 2023-2024 Community Essay Prompts

1) brown university.

“Students entering Brown often find that making their home on College Hill naturally invites reflection on where they came from. Share how an aspect of your growing up has inspired or challenged you, and what unique contributions this might allow you to make to the Brown community. (200-250 words)”

A close reading of this prompt shows that Brown puts particular emphasis on place. They do this by using the words “home,” “College Hill,” and “where they came from.” Thus, Brown invites writers to think about community through the prism of place. They also emphasize the idea of personal growth or change, through the words “inspired or challenged you.” Therefore, Brown wishes to see how the place you grew up in has affected you. And, they want to know how you in turn will affect their college community.

“NYU was founded on the belief that a student’s identity should not dictate the ability for them to access higher education. That sense of opportunity for all students, of all backgrounds, remains a part of who we are today and a critical part of what makes us a world-class university. Our community embraces diversity, in all its forms, as a cornerstone of the NYU experience.

We would like to better understand how your experiences would help us to shape and grow our diverse community. Please respond in 250 words or less.”

Here, NYU places an emphasis on students’ “identity,” “backgrounds,” and “diversity,” rather than any physical place. (For some students, place may be tied up in those ideas.) Furthermore, while NYU doesn’t ask specifically how identity has changed the essay writer, they do ask about your “experience.” Take this to mean that you can still recount a specific moment, or several moments, that work to portray your particular background. You should also try to link your story with NYU’s values of inclusivity and opportunity.

3) University of Washington

“Our families and communities often define us and our individual worlds. Community might refer to your cultural group, extended family, religious group, neighborhood or school, sports team or club, co-workers, etc. Describe the world you come from and how you, as a product of it, might add to the diversity of the UW. (300 words max) Tip: Keep in mind that the UW strives to create a community of students richly diverse in cultural backgrounds, experiences, values and viewpoints.”

UW ’s community essay prompt may look the most approachable, for they help define the idea of community. You’ll notice that most of their examples (“families,” “cultural group, extended family, religious group, neighborhood”…) place an emphasis on people. This may clue you in on their desire to see the relationships you’ve made. At the same time, UW uses the words “individual” and “richly diverse.” They, like NYU, wish to see how you fit in and stand out, in order to boost campus diversity.

Writing Your First Community Essay

Begin by picking which community essay you’ll write first. (For practical reasons, you’ll probably want to go with whichever one is due earliest.) Spend time doing a close reading of the prompt, as we’ve done above. Underline key words. Try to interpret exactly what the prompt is asking through these keywords.

Next, brainstorm. I recommend doing this on a blank piece of paper with a pencil. Across the top, make a row of headings. These might be the communities you’re a part of, or the components that make up your identity. Then, jot down descriptive words underneath in each column—whatever comes to you. These words may invoke people and experiences you had with them, feelings, moments of growth, lessons learned, values developed, etc. Now, narrow in on the idea that offers the richest material and that corresponds fully with the prompt.

Lastly, write! You’ll definitely want to describe real moments, in vivid detail. This will keep your essay original, and help you avoid cliché. However, you’ll need to summarize the experience and answer the prompt succinctly, so don’t stray too far into storytelling mode.

How To Adapt Your Community Essay

Once your first essay is complete, you’ll need to adapt it to the other colleges involving community essays on your list. Again, you’ll want to turn to the prompt for a close reading, and recognize what makes this prompt different from the last. For example, let’s say you’ve written your essay for UW about belonging to your swim team, and how the sports dynamics shaped you. Adapting that essay to Brown’s prompt could involve more of a focus on place. You may ask yourself, how was my swim team in Alaska different than the swim teams we competed against in other states?

Once you’ve adapted the content, you’ll also want to adapt the wording to mimic the prompt. For example, let’s say your UW essay states, “Thinking back to my years in the pool…” As you adapt this essay to Brown’s prompt, you may notice that Brown uses the word “reflection.” Therefore, you might change this sentence to “Reflecting back on my years in the pool…” While this change is minute, it cleverly signals to the reader that you’ve paid attention to the prompt, and are giving that school your full attention.

What to Avoid When Writing the Community Essay  

• Avoid cliché. Some students worry that their idea is cliché, or worse, that their background or identity is cliché. However, what makes an essay cliché is not the content, but the way the content is conveyed. This is where your voice and your descriptions become essential.
• Avoid giving too many examples. Stick to one community, and one or two anecdotes arising from that community that allow you to answer the prompt fully.
• Don’t exaggerate or twist facts. Sometimes students feel they must make themselves sound more “diverse” than they feel they are. Luckily, diversity is not a feeling. Likewise, diversity does not simply refer to one’s heritage. If the prompt is asking about your identity or background, you can show the originality of your experiences through your actions and your thinking.

Community Essay Examples and Analysis

Brown university community essay example.

I used to hate the NYC subway. I’ve taken it since I was six, going up and down Manhattan, to and from school. By high school, it was a daily nightmare. Spending so much time underground, underneath fluorescent lighting, squashed inside a rickety, rocking train car among strangers, some of whom wanted to talk about conspiracy theories, others who had bedbugs or B.O., or who manspread across two seats, or bickered—it wore me out. The challenge of going anywhere seemed absurd. I dreaded the claustrophobia and disgruntlement.

Yet the subway also inspired my understanding of community. I will never forget the morning I saw a man, several seats away, slide out of his seat and hit the floor. The thump shocked everyone to attention. What we noticed: he appeared drunk, possibly homeless. I was digesting this when a second man got up and, through a sort of awkward embrace, heaved the first man back into his seat. The rest of us had stuck to subway social codes: don’t step out of line. Yet this second man’s silent actions spoke loudly. They said, “I care.”

That day I realized I belong to a group of strangers. What holds us together is our transience, our vulnerabilities, and a willingness to assist. This community is not perfect but one in motion, a perpetual work-in-progress. Now I make it my aim to hold others up. I plan to contribute to the Brown community by helping fellow students and strangers in moments of precariousness.    

Brown University Community Essay Example Analysis

Here the student finds an original way to write about where they come from. The subway is not their home, yet it remains integral to ideas of belonging. The student shows how a community can be built between strangers, in their responsibility toward each other. The student succeeds at incorporating key words from the prompt (“challenge,” “inspired” “Brown community,” “contribute”) into their community essay.

UW Community Essay Example

I grew up in Hawaii, a world bound by water and rich in diversity. In school we learned that this sacred land was invaded, first by Captain Cook, then by missionaries, whalers, traders, plantation owners, and the U.S. government. My parents became part of this problematic takeover when they moved here in the 90s. The first community we knew was our church congregation. At the beginning of mass, we shook hands with our neighbors. We held hands again when we sang the Lord’s Prayer. I didn’t realize our church wasn’t “normal” until our diocese was informed that we had to stop dancing hula and singing Hawaiian hymns. The order came from the Pope himself.

Eventually, I lost faith in God and organized institutions. I thought the banning of hula—an ancient and pure form of expression—seemed medieval, ignorant, and unfair, given that the Hawaiian religion had already been stamped out. I felt a lack of community and a distrust for any place in which I might find one. As a postcolonial inhabitant, I could never belong to the Hawaiian culture, no matter how much I valued it. Then, I was shocked to learn that Queen Ka’ahumanu herself had eliminated the Kapu system, a strict code of conduct in which women were inferior to men. Next went the Hawaiian religion. Queen Ka’ahumanu burned all the temples before turning to Christianity, hoping this religion would offer better opportunities for her people.

Community Essay (Continued)

I’m not sure what to make of this history. Should I view Queen Ka’ahumanu as a feminist hero, or another failure in her islands’ tragedy? Nothing is black and white about her story, but she did what she thought was beneficial to her people, regardless of tradition. From her story, I’ve learned to accept complexity. I can disagree with institutionalized religion while still believing in my neighbors. I am a product of this place and their presence. At UW, I plan to add to campus diversity through my experience, knowing that diversity comes with contradictions and complications, all of which should be approached with an open and informed mind.

UW Community Essay Example Analysis

This student also manages to weave in words from the prompt (“family,” “community,” “world,” “product of it,” “add to the diversity,” etc.). Moreover, the student picks one of the examples of community mentioned in the prompt, (namely, a religious group,) and deepens their answer by addressing the complexity inherent in the community they’ve been involved in. While the student displays an inner turmoil about their identity and participation, they find a way to show how they’d contribute to an open-minded campus through their values and intellectual rigor.

What’s Next

For more on supplemental essays and essay writing guides, check out the following articles:

• How to Write the Why This Major Essay + Example
• How to Write the Overcoming Challenges Essay + Example
• How to Start a College Essay – 12 Techniques and Tips
• College Essay

Kaylen Baker

With a BA in Literary Studies from Middlebury College, an MFA in Fiction from Columbia University, and a Master’s in Translation from Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis, Kaylen has been working with students on their writing for over five years. Previously, Kaylen taught a fiction course for high school students as part of Columbia Artists/Teachers, and served as an English Language Assistant for the French National Department of Education. Kaylen is an experienced writer/translator whose work has been featured in Los Angeles Review, Hybrid, San Francisco Bay Guardian, France Today, and Honolulu Weekly, among others.

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, how to write a great community service essay.

College Admissions , Extracurriculars

Are you applying to a college or a scholarship that requires a community service essay? Do you know how to write an essay that will impress readers and clearly show the impact your work had on yourself and others?

Read on to learn step-by-step instructions for writing a great community service essay that will help you stand out and be memorable.

What Is a Community Service Essay? Why Do You Need One?

A community service essay is an essay that describes the volunteer work you did and the impact it had on you and your community. Community service essays can vary widely depending on specific requirements listed in the application, but, in general, they describe the work you did, why you found the work important, and how it benefited people around you.

Community service essays are typically needed for two reasons:

#1: To Apply to College

• Some colleges require students to write community service essays as part of their application or to be eligible for certain scholarships.
• You may also choose to highlight your community service work in your personal statement.

#2: To Apply for Scholarships

• Some scholarships are specifically awarded to students with exceptional community service experiences, and many use community service essays to help choose scholarship recipients.
• Green Mountain College offers one of the most famous of these scholarships. Their "Make a Difference Scholarship" offers full tuition, room, and board to students who have demonstrated a significant, positive impact through their community service

Getting Started With Your Essay

In the following sections, I'll go over each step of how to plan and write your essay. I'll also include sample excerpts for you to look through so you can get a better idea of what readers are looking for when they review your essay.

Step 1: Know the Essay Requirements

Before your start writing a single word, you should be familiar with the essay prompt. Each college or scholarship will have different requirements for their essay, so make sure you read these carefully and understand them.

Specific things to pay attention to include:

• Length requirement
• Application deadline
• The main purpose or focus of the essay
• If the essay should follow a specific structure

Below are three real community service essay prompts. Read through them and notice how much they vary in terms of length, detail, and what information the writer should include.

From the Equitable Excellence Scholarship:

"Describe your outstanding achievement in depth and provide the specific planning, training, goals, and steps taken to make the accomplishment successful. Include details about your role and highlight leadership you provided. Your essay must be a minimum of 350 words but not more than 600 words."

From the Laura W. Bush Traveling Scholarship:

"Essay (up to 500 words, double spaced) explaining your interest in being considered for the award and how your proposed project reflects or is related to both UNESCO's mandate and U.S. interests in promoting peace by sharing advances in education, science, culture, and communications."

From the LULAC National Scholarship Fund:

"Please type or print an essay of 300 words (maximum) on how your academic studies will contribute to your personal & professional goals. In addition, please discuss any community service or extracurricular activities you have been involved in that relate to your goals."

Step 2: Brainstorm Ideas

Even after you understand what the essay should be about, it can still be difficult to begin writing. Answer the following questions to help brainstorm essay ideas. You may be able to incorporate your answers into your essay.

• What community service activity that you've participated in has meant the most to you?
• What is your favorite memory from performing community service?
• Why did you decide to begin community service?
• What made you decide to volunteer where you did?
• How has your community service changed you?
• How has your community service helped others?
• How has your community service affected your plans for the future?

You don't need to answer all the questions, but if you find you have a lot of ideas for one of two of them, those may be things you want to include in your essay.

Writing Your Essay

How you structure your essay will depend on the requirements of the scholarship or school you are applying to. You may give an overview of all the work you did as a volunteer, or highlight a particularly memorable experience. You may focus on your personal growth or how your community benefited.

Regardless of the specific structure requested, follow the guidelines below to make sure your community service essay is memorable and clearly shows the impact of your work.

Samples of mediocre and excellent essays are included below to give you a better idea of how you should draft your own essay.

Step 1: Hook Your Reader In

You want the person reading your essay to be interested, so your first sentence should hook them in and entice them to read more. A good way to do this is to start in the middle of the action. Your first sentence could describe you helping build a house, releasing a rescued animal back to the wild, watching a student you tutored read a book on their own, or something else that quickly gets the reader interested. This will help set your essay apart and make it more memorable.

Compare these two opening sentences:

"I have volunteered at the Wishbone Pet Shelter for three years."

"The moment I saw the starving, mud-splattered puppy brought into the shelter with its tail between its legs, I knew I'd do whatever I could to save it."

The first sentence is a very general, bland statement. The majority of community service essays probably begin a lot like it, but it gives the reader little information and does nothing to draw them in. On the other hand, the second sentence begins immediately with action and helps persuade the reader to keep reading so they can learn what happened to the dog.

Step 2: Discuss the Work You Did

Once you've hooked your reader in with your first sentence, tell them about your community service experiences. State where you work, when you began working, how much time you've spent there, and what your main duties include. This will help the reader quickly put the rest of the essay in context and understand the basics of your community service work.

Not including basic details about your community service could leave your reader confused.

Step 3: Include Specific Details

It's the details of your community service that make your experience unique and memorable, so go into the specifics of what you did.

For example, don't just say you volunteered at a nursing home; talk about reading Mrs. Johnson her favorite book, watching Mr. Scott win at bingo, and seeing the residents play games with their grandchildren at the family day you organized. Try to include specific activities, moments, and people in your essay. Having details like these let the readers really understand what work you did and how it differs from other volunteer experiences.

Compare these two passages:

"For my volunteer work, I tutored children at a local elementary school. I helped them improve their math skills and become more confident students."

"As a volunteer at York Elementary School, I worked one-on-one with second and third graders who struggled with their math skills, particularly addition, subtraction, and fractions. As part of my work, I would create practice problems and quizzes and try to connect math to the students' interests. One of my favorite memories was when Sara, a student I had been working with for several weeks, told me that she enjoyed the math problems I had created about a girl buying and selling horses so much that she asked to help me create math problems for other students."

The first passage only gives basic information about the work done by the volunteer; there is very little detail included, and no evidence is given to support her claims. How did she help students improve their math skills? How did she know they were becoming more confident?

The second passage is much more detailed. It recounts a specific story and explains more fully what kind of work the volunteer did, as well as a specific instance of a student becoming more confident with her math skills. Providing more detail in your essay helps support your claims as well as make your essay more memorable and unique.

Step 4: Show Your Personality

It would be very hard to get a scholarship or place at a school if none of your readers felt like they knew much about you after finishing your essay, so make sure that your essay shows your personality. The way to do this is to state your personal strengths, then provide examples to support your claims. Take some time to think about which parts of your personality you would like your essay to highlight, then write about specific examples to show this.

• If you want to show that you're a motivated leader, describe a time when you organized an event or supervised other volunteers.
• If you want to show your teamwork skills, write about a time you helped a group of people work together better.
• If you want to show that you're a compassionate animal lover, write about taking care of neglected shelter animals and helping each of them find homes.

Step 5: State What You Accomplished

After you have described your community service and given specific examples of your work, you want to begin to wrap your essay up by stating your accomplishments. What was the impact of your community service? Did you build a house for a family to move into? Help students improve their reading skills? Clean up a local park? Make sure the impact of your work is clear; don't be worried about bragging here.

If you can include specific numbers, that will also strengthen your essay. Saying "I delivered meals to 24 home-bound senior citizens" is a stronger example than just saying "I delivered meals to lots of senior citizens."

Also be sure to explain why your work matters. Why is what you did important? Did it provide more parks for kids to play in? Help students get better grades? Give people medical care who would otherwise not have gotten it? This is an important part of your essay, so make sure to go into enough detail that your readers will know exactly what you accomplished and how it helped your community.

"My biggest accomplishment during my community service was helping to organize a family event at the retirement home. The children and grandchildren of many residents attended, and they all enjoyed playing games and watching movies together."

"The community service accomplishment that I'm most proud of is the work I did to help organize the First Annual Family Fun Day at the retirement home. My job was to design and organize fun activities that senior citizens and their younger relatives could enjoy. The event lasted eight hours and included ten different games, two performances, and a movie screening with popcorn. Almost 200 residents and family members attended throughout the day. This event was important because it provided an opportunity for senior citizens to connect with their family members in a way they aren't often able to. It also made the retirement home seem more fun and enjoyable to children, and we have seen an increase in the number of kids coming to visit their grandparents since the event."

The second passage is stronger for a variety of reasons. First, it goes into much more detail about the work the volunteer did. The first passage only states that she helped "organize a family event." That really doesn't tell readers much about her work or what her responsibilities were. The second passage is much clearer; her job was to "design and organize fun activities."

The second passage also explains the event in more depth. A family day can be many things; remember that your readers are likely not familiar with what you're talking about, so details help them get a clearer picture.

Lastly, the second passage makes the importance of the event clear: it helped residents connect with younger family members, and it helped retirement homes seem less intimidating to children, so now some residents see their grand kids more often.

Step 6: Discuss What You Learned

One of the final things to include in your essay should be the impact that your community service had on you. You can discuss skills you learned, such as carpentry, public speaking, animal care, or another skill.

You can also talk about how you changed personally. Are you more patient now? More understanding of others? Do you have a better idea of the type of career you want? Go into depth about this, but be honest. Don't say your community service changed your life if it didn't because trite statements won't impress readers.

In order to support your statements, provide more examples. If you say you're more patient now, how do you know this? Do you get less frustrated while playing with your younger siblings? Are you more willing to help group partners who are struggling with their part of the work? You've probably noticed by now that including specific examples and details is one of the best ways to create a strong and believable essay .

"As a result of my community service, I learned a lot about building houses and became a more mature person."

"As a result of my community service, I gained hands-on experience in construction. I learned how to read blueprints, use a hammer and nails, and begin constructing the foundation of a two-bedroom house. Working on the house could be challenging at times, but it taught me to appreciate the value of hard work and be more willing to pitch in when I see someone needs help. My dad has just started building a shed in our backyard, and I offered to help him with it because I know from my community service how much work it is. I also appreciate my own house more, and I know how lucky I am to have a roof over my head."

The second passage is more impressive and memorable because it describes the skills the writer learned in more detail and recounts a specific story that supports her claim that her community service changed her and made her more helpful.

Step 7: Finish Strong

Just as you started your essay in a way that would grab readers' attention, you want to finish your essay on a strong note as well. A good way to end your essay is to state again the impact your work had on you, your community, or both. Reiterate how you changed as a result of your community service, why you found the work important, or how it helped others.

Compare these two concluding statements:

"In conclusion, I learned a lot from my community service at my local museum, and I hope to keep volunteering and learning more about history."

"To conclude, volunteering at my city's American History Museum has been a great experience. By leading tours and participating in special events, I became better at public speaking and am now more comfortable starting conversations with people. In return, I was able to get more community members interested in history and our local museum. My interest in history has deepened, and I look forward to studying the subject in college and hopefully continuing my volunteer work at my university's own museum."

The second passage takes each point made in the first passage and expands upon it. In a few sentences, the second passage is able to clearly convey what work the volunteer did, how she changed, and how her volunteer work benefited her community.

The author of the second passage also ends her essay discussing her future and how she'd like to continue her community service, which is a good way to wrap things up because it shows your readers that you are committed to community service for the long-term.

What's Next?

Are you applying to a community service scholarship or thinking about it? We have a complete list of all the community service scholarships available to help get your search started!

Do you need a community service letter as well? We have a step-by-step guide that will tell you how to get a great reference letter from your community service supervisor.

Thinking about doing community service abroad? Before you sign up, read our guide on some of the hazards of international volunteer trips and how to know if it's the right choice for you.

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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How to Write the Community Essay: Complete Guide + Examples

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Step 1: Decide What Community to Write About
• Step 2: The BEABIES Exercise
• Step 3: Pick a Structure (Narrative or Montage)
• Step 4: Write a Draft!

Introduction

On the Common Application, a number of colleges have begun to require that students respond to a supplemental essay question that sounds something like this:

Tell us a bit more about a community you are a part of.

Here is the exact wording from a few schools:

University of Michigan: “Everyone belongs to many different communities and/or groups defined by (among other things) shared geography, religion, ethnicity, income, cuisine, interest, race, ideology, or intellectual heritage. Choose one of the communities to which you belong, and describe that community and your place within it. (250 words)”

Duke University: “We seek a talented, engaged student body that embodies the wide range of human experience; we believe that the diversity of our students makes our community stronger. If you'd like to share a perspective you bring or experiences you've had to help us understand you better—perhaps related to a community you belong to, your sexual orientation or gender identity, or your family or cultural background—we encourage you to do so. Real people are reading your application, and we want to do our best to understand and appreciate the real people applying. (250 words)

(Old) Brown University: “Tell us about a place or community you call home. How has it shaped your perspective? (250 words)

I love this essay question. 

Why? Because, while this essay is largely asking about your place within that community, it is a great opportunity to share more about you, and how you will most likely engage with that community (or other communities) on your future college campus.

It’s a chance to say: “Here’s how I connect with folks in this community. And if accepted to your college, I’ll probably be active in getting involved with that same community and others on your college campus.”

And colleges want students who are going to be active in engaging with their community.

How to Write The Community Essay

Step 1: decide what community you want to write about.

How? This may seem obvious, but it can be really helpful to first brainstorm the communities you’re already a part of. 

Here’s how:

Create a “communities” chart by listing all the communities you’re a part of. Keep in mind that communities can be defined by...

Place: groups of people who live/work/play near one another

Action: groups of people who create change in the world by building, doing, or solving something together (Examples: Black Lives Matter, Girls Who Code, March for Our Lives)

Interest: groups of people coming together based on shared interest, experience, or expertise

Circumstance: groups of people brought together either by chance or external events/situations

Use four columns in your chart, like this. 

Your turn. 

What communities are you a part of? 

Spend 5-10 minutes making a list of as many as you can think of. 

In fact, here’s a simple GoogleDoc you can download and fill in right now.

Once you’ve completed that exercise for several of the communities you are a part of, you might start to see one community seems to be the most obvious one to write about. 

Go with the one that you feel gives the best chance to help you share more about yourself.

Step 2: Use the BEABIES exercise to generate your essay content

Once you’ve chosen a community or two, map out your content using the BEABIES Exercise . That exercise asks:

What did you actually do in that community? (Tip: use active verbs like “organized” and “managed” to clarify your responsibilities).

What kinds of problems did you solve (personally, locally, or globally)?

What specific impact did you have?

What did you learn (skills, qualities, values)? 

How did you apply the lessons you learned in and outside of that community?

Don’t skip that step. It’s important.

Step 3: Pick a structure (Narrative or Montage)

The Narrative Structure . This structure works well for students who have faced a challenge in this community. Otherwise, the Montage Structure works well.

Consider answering these three questions in your essay if you choose the Narrative Structure: 

What challenge did you face?

What did you do about it? 

What did you learn?

Here’s an example of a narrative “community” essay based on a challenge that tackles those three questions, roughly in order:

Community Essay Example: East Meets West

I look around my room, dimly lit by an orange light. On my desk, a framed picture of an Asian family beaming their smiles, buried among US history textbooks and The Great Gatsby. A Korean ballad streams from two tiny computer speakers. Pamphlets of American colleges scattered on the floor. A cold December wind wafts a strange infusion of ramen and leftover pizza. On the wall in the far back, a Korean flag hangs besides a Led Zeppelin poster. Do I consider myself Korean or American? A few years back, I would have replied: “Neither.” The frustrating moments of miscommunication, the stifling homesickness, and the impossible dilemma of deciding between the Korean or American table in the dining hall, all fueled my identity crisis. Standing in the “Foreign Passports” section at JFK, I have always felt out of place. Sure, I held a Korean passport in my hands, and I loved kimchi and Yuna Kim and knew the Korean Anthem by heart. But I also loved macaroni and cheese and LeBron. Deep inside, I feared I’d labeled by my airport customs category: a foreigner everywhere. This ambiguity, however, has granted me the opportunity to absorb the best of both worlds. Look at my dorm room. This mélange of cultures in my East-meets-West room embodies the diversity that characterizes my international student life. I’ve learned to accept my “ambiguity” as “diversity,” as a third-culture student embracing both identities. Do I consider myself Korean or American? Now, I can proudly answer: “Both.” — — —

(250 words)

While this author doesn’t go into too much depth on the “What did you do about it?” question named above, we do get a sense of the challenge he faced and what he learned.

For more on how to use the narrative structure, check out the free guide to writing the personal statement.

The Montage Structure. This is another potential structure, often times great for essays that don’t necessarily focus on a particular challenge. 

Here’s a great example:

Community Essay Example: Storytellers

Storytellers (Montage Structure)

I belong to a community of storytellers. Throughout my childhood, my mother and I spent countless hours immersed in the magical land of bedtime stories. We took daring adventures and explored far away lands. Imagination ran wild, characters came to life, and I became acquainted with heroes and lessons that continue to inspire me today. It was a ritual that I will never forget. In school I met many other storytellers­­­­—teachers, coaches, and fellow students whose stories taught me valuable lessons and enabled me to share stories of my own. My stories took shape through my involvement with theatre. I have learned that telling stories can be just as powerful as hearing them. When I tell a story, I can shape the world I live in and share my deepest emotions with the audience. This is exactly why I love theatre so much. The audience can relate to the story in many of the same powerful ways that I do. I love to perform with my theatre class to entertain and educate young audiences throughout my community. To tell our stories, we travel to elementary and middle schools performing plays that help educate younger students of the dangers of drugs, alcohol, and bullying. As storytellers, we aim to touch lives and better the world around us through our stories. — — —

(219 words)

To write this essay, I recommend the “uncommon connections” exercise.

The Uncommon Connections Exercise

First: Use the Values Exercise at this link to brainstorm predictable values that other students might describe in their essay and then vow not to use those values. 

Second : Identify 3-4 uncommon connections (values other students would be unlikely to think of) and give an example of each.

Third : Describe one example per paragraph, perhaps in chronological order. 

Another idea: It’s also possible to combine the narrative and montage structures by describing a challenge WHILE also describing a range of values and lessons. 

Here’s an example that does this:

Community Essay Example: The Pumpkin House (plus Ethan's analysis)

The Pumpkin House (Narrative + Montage Combo Structure)

I was raised in “The Pumpkin House.” Every Autumn, on the lawn between the sidewalk and the road, grows our pumpkin. Every summer, we procure seeds from giant pumpkins and plant them in this strip of land. Every fall, the pumpkin grows to be giant. This annual ritual became well known in the community and became the defining feature of our already quirky house. The pumpkin was not just a pumpkin, but a catalyst to creating interactions and community. Conversations often start with “aren’t you the girl in the pumpkin house?” My English teacher knew about our pumpkin and our chickens. His curiosity and weekly updates about the pumpkin helped us connect.

The author touches on the values of family and ritual in the first few sentences. She then mentions the word “community” explicitly, which clearly connects the essay to the  prompt. In the second paragraph she mentions the value of connection.

One year, we found our pumpkin splattered across the street. We were devastated; the pumpkin was part of our identity. Word spread, and people came to our house to share in our dismay. Clearly, that pumpkin enriched our life and the entire neighborhoods’.

Here she introduces the problem. Then she raises the stakes: the pumpkin was part of her family’s identity as well as that of the community. 

The next morning, our patch contained twelve new pumpkins. Anonymous neighbors left these, plus, a truly gigantic 200 lb. pumpkin on our doorstep.

Describing the neighborhood’s response offers a vivid example of what makes for a great community.

Growing up, the pumpkin challenged me as I wasn’t always comfortable being the center of attention. But in retrospect, I realize that there’s a bit of magic in growing something from a seed and tending it in public. I witnessed how this act of sharing creates authentic community spirit. I wouldn’t be surprised if some day I started my own form of quirky pumpkin growing and reap the benefit of true community.

The author makes another uncommon connection in her conclusion with the unexpected idea that  “the pumpkin challenged [her].” She then uses beautiful language to reflect on the lessons she learned: “there’s a bit of magic in growing something from a seed and tending it in public.” 

Step 4: Write a first draft!

It sometimes helps to outline and draft one or two different essays on different activities, just to see which community might end up being a better topic for your essay. 

Not sure? Share your drafts with a friend or teacher and ask this question:

Which of these essays tells you more about me/my core values, helps me stand out, and shows that I’ll engage actively with other communities in college.

Happy writing.

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Community development worker

Community development workers help communities bring about social change and improve the quality of life in their local area

As a community development worker, you'll work with individuals, families or whole communities, empowering them to:

• identify their assets, needs, opportunities, rights and responsibilities
• plan what they want to achieve and take appropriate action
• develop activities and services to generate aspiration and confidence.

You'll do this by acting as a link between communities and a range of other local authority and voluntary sector providers, such as the police, social workers and teachers.

Your role will frequently involve addressing inequality and the projects you work on will often be in communities perceived to be culturally, economically or geographically disadvantaged.

Responsibilities

As a community development worker, you'll need to:

• work on projects tackling specific issues (e.g. mental health, public transport and drug abuse) - with groups such as the homeless, the long-term unemployed, families with young children or ethnic minorities.
• seek to actively engage communities in making sense of the issues which affect their lives
• set goals for improvement and respond to problems and needs through empowerment and active participation
• identify community skills, assets, issues and needs
• ensure that local people have their say
• develop new resources in dialogue with the community and evaluate existing programmes
• build links with other groups and agencies
• help to raise public awareness on issues relevant to the community
• prepare reports and policies
• raise and manage funds
• develop and implement strategies
• liaise with interested groups and individuals to set up new services
• mediate in matters of conflict
• recruit and train paid and voluntary staff
• plan, attend and coordinate meetings and events
• oversee the management of a limited budget
• encourage participation in activities
• challenge inappropriate behaviour
• carry out general administrative duties.

Starting salaries are usually between £16,000 an £26,000.

Community development worker salaries for those with two or more years' experience can rise to £36,000.

For public sector posts, there are national pay scales and sometimes an allowance is awarded as compensation for unsocial hours.

In the voluntary sector, pay varies considerably and often depends on experience and location.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

You need to be accessible to the communities you serve. This means the work will often include unsocial hours, such as evenings and weekends, so considerable flexibility is required.

Part-time or temporary work and career breaks are possible. Short-term contracts are common, due to the nature of funding within the sector.

What to expect

• You may have an office base but will spend much of your time out and about in the community, visiting local people and groups and attending meetings.
• Self-employment or freelance work is sometimes possible, working as a trainer or consultant.
• Large towns and inner-city areas with recognised social deprivation are more likely to receive sustained funding, however, recognition of social issues affecting rural communities, means that the number of rural community development workers is increasing.
• Coping with socially disadvantaged and disaffected members of the community can be stressful. Results are long term rather than immediate, so patience and perseverance are essential.
• You'll have frequent contact with individuals, agencies and groups in the community. Therefore, travel within a working day is to be expected. Absence from home overnight is unlikely but may be required on occasion. Overseas work may be possible with a development charity.

Qualifications

Although this area of work is open to all graduates and those with an HND in any subject, a qualification in a social sciences subject may improve your chances.

Entry without a degree or HND is possible, although career development is more restricted. A degree in any subject will be an advantage in seeking higher-level posts but relevant experience is far more important than the subject area studied.

A variety of vocational college or work-based training courses and undergraduate and postgraduate university courses are available throughout the UK.

Before being allowed to work directly with children or vulnerable adults, employees in England and Wales will be required to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Community development workers in Scotland will need to join the Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme (PVG) . In Northern Ireland, you'll need to be checked by AccessNI .

Depending on your role, you may find postgraduate qualifications are essential for progression to more senior-level positions. A variety of full-time and part-time courses are available, with some open to those with an HND. One or two years' relevant experience is usually required.

Search postgraduate courses in community development .

Community development is often linked to youth work and many training courses will reflect this. Youth work is more specialised and often involves a different agenda than community development work. For further information on courses in youth work, see the National Youth Agency (NYA) .

For information on youth work and youth work training in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, contact:

• Standards Council for Community Learning and Development (CLD) for Scotland
• Youth Council for Northern Ireland (YCNI)

Scottish courses (and a few in other locations) often refer to community development as community education.

You'll need to show:

• advocacy and networking skills
• excellent communication, interpersonal and team-building skills
• good listening skills
• research and report-writing skills, and the ability to interpret or present data
• knowledge and understanding of community and social issues
• a non-judgemental and positive attitude
• creative thinking and problem-solving ability
• political, social and negotiating skills
• an understanding of how public sector bodies work
• compassion and the ability to empathise with people's life experiences
• fundraising - at management level there is an increasing need to identify and pursue sources of funding
• life experience and language skills can be an aid to this role and help you make important connections with those you are helping.

Work experience

Pre-entry paid or voluntary work experience is crucial. People often become community development workers after working in teaching, youth work, the health sector or other roles within the community. Development work overseas may also be relevant.

It's important to have a proven interest in community and social issues and at least a year's involvement in a relevant area, including:

• community work
• pressure groups
• women's projects
• youth work.

Try to get involved in voluntary work as a student, in local community projects, youth groups, tenants' associations or women's groups. Contact your local volunteer centre to get community-project experience. You can search for your nearest branch or your region's equivalent via Do-it .

Competition for jobs is keen, especially for the limited number of local authority posts, which often offer greater job security. The level of job opportunities can vary according to changes in the political climate. For example, rises or falls in unemployment and immigration.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

The most common employers of community development workers are:

• community education organisations
• housing associations
• local authorities
• organisations set up with a specific aim, e.g. to help asylum seekers or to advise about drugs
• rural community councils
• social services
• voluntary sector organisations.

Due to the nature of funding for this sector, many positions are fixed-term contracts.

Some roles are managed by voluntary organisations due to funding restrictions, but these may not be paid positions. These include:

• children's charities
• churches and other faith groups
• community associations
• environmental groups
• health and mental health organisations
• homeless projects
• women's groups.

Look for vacancies at:

• The Big Issue
• jobsgopublic
• Local Government Jobs
• Third Sector Jobs

You can also check local authority vacancy bulletins for opportunities.

Professional development

Ongoing training is essential in community work and usually occurs on the job or as part-time study to gain a recognised qualification.

Since projects and communities vary so much, community development workers must constantly develop new skills, update old ones and acquire specific knowledge. Training provision varies depending on the employer, but there are likely to be opportunities to develop relevant skills.

The voluntary sector is especially rich in interesting and relevant training opportunities, including accredited training programmes available at colleges and other learning centres.

It's possible to take National Open College Network (NOCN) Awards and Certificates or Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) in community development.

Social services and other organisations employing community development workers often offer programmes of in-house training. These are usually focused on issues such as child protection and equal opportunities.

It's also quite common for community development workers to pursue their own continuing professional development (CPD) by undertaking a Masters degree or other postgraduate qualifications. Relevant subjects include:

• business and community studies
• housing practice
• legal studies
• public health or community health
• social services management
• voluntary sector studies.

Career prospects

Opportunities for promotion can be limited in both the public and voluntary sectors and you may have to move to another geographical area to progress to a more senior role. Senior posts usually involve managing more staff, a larger budget or a wider geographical area.

Sideways movement into projects with a different focus or switching between generic and specific work, however, is common.

Postgraduate study is an option and will probably be necessary if you want to move into a policy-making position or progress to the role of director with responsibility for implementing large-scale and complex projects.

With substantial experience and expertise in a specific field, there is the possibility of freelance work in the role of a trainer, consultant or adviser. Due to the broad nature of community work, workers can develop their careers by moving into other fields such as:

• environment
• health sector
• social work

Opportunities also exist for overseas development work - for more information check out the websites of international charities and see International Association for Community Development (IACD) .

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17 Community Development Specialist Interview Questions and Answers

Learn what skills and qualities interviewers are looking for from a community development specialist, what questions you can expect, and how you should go about answering them.

Community development specialists work to improve the quality of life in their community. They may work for a city, county, or state government, or for a non-profit organization. Their work may include developing and implementing programs to address poverty, unemployment, and illiteracy. They may also work to improve the quality of life for seniors, children, and people with disabilities.

The work of a community development specialist is important, and the interview process for this job is just as important. You will likely be asked a range of questions about your experience, your education, and your skills. You will also be asked questions about your ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds and your understanding of community development principles.

To help you prepare for your interview, we have gathered some common questions and provided sample answers.

Are you familiar with the Community Development Block Grant program?

What are some of the most important skills for a community development specialist to have, how would you go about planning an event to attract new businesses to a particular area, what is your experience with working with local government agencies, provide an example of a time when you had to help someone who was facing financial difficulties., if you had to choose one of your projects and describe how you made it successful, what would you say, what would you do if you noticed that a particular area of your community was experiencing a lot of tension between residents, how well do you think you can work with people from all different backgrounds, do you have any experience working with community organizations or nonprofits, when planning initiatives to improve a community, how do you determine what areas need the most attention, we want to make it easier for people to find information about local businesses and community resources. what would you do to improve the accessibility of our community directory, describe your process for conducting research on a particular topic., what makes you the best candidate for this position, which industries do you think our community could benefit from attracting more of, what do you think are the most important qualities that a community development specialist should have, how often would you update our community directory if you were selected for this position, there is a disagreement between two business owners about how to address a problem in the community. how would you handle this situation.

This question is a great way to test your knowledge of the field. The Community Development Block Grant program, or CDBG, is a federal program that provides funding for community development projects in low-income areas. It’s important to show you have experience with this program and can explain how it works.

Example: “Yes, I am familiar with the CDBG program. In my last position, I worked on several projects funded by the CDBG. One project was an urban renewal plan where we used CDBG funds to demolish abandoned buildings and create new housing developments. Another project was a public transportation initiative where we used CDBG funds to build bus stops and train stations.”

This question can help the interviewer determine if you have the skills and abilities to succeed in this role. When answering, it can be helpful to mention a few of your strongest skills and how they relate to community development.

Example: “Communication, problem-solving and conflict resolution are some of the most important skills for a community development specialist. These skills allow me to work with residents and other professionals to find solutions to problems that arise within communities. I also think creativity is an important skill because it allows me to come up with new ideas and strategies for improving a community.”

Interviewers may ask this question to assess your organizational skills and how you plan events. In your answer, describe the steps you would take to organize an event that attracts businesses to a particular area.

Example: “I would first research what types of businesses are looking for locations in the area. I would then reach out to these businesses and offer them free advertising if they agree to open up shop in our target location. For example, when I was working with my previous employer, we were trying to attract new restaurants to a specific neighborhood. We reached out to local food bloggers and offered them free meals at any restaurant within the community if they agreed to write about their experience on their blog.”

This question can help the interviewer understand your experience with working in a team environment and collaborating with other professionals. Use examples from your past to highlight your teamwork skills, communication abilities and ability to work under pressure.

Example: “In my last role as a community development specialist, I worked closely with local government agencies to develop affordable housing projects for low-income families. In this role, I had to collaborate with city planners, architects and engineers to ensure that all of our construction plans met building codes and regulations. This helped me learn how to navigate through different processes and procedures to get things done efficiently.”

This question can help employers learn more about your interpersonal skills and how you might interact with the community members you serve. When answering this question, it can be helpful to mention a specific situation or person that you helped and what actions you took to support them.

Example: “When I was working as a community development specialist for my previous employer, I met a single mother who had recently lost her job. She told me she was struggling to pay rent and buy groceries for herself and her children. I asked her if there were any family members or friends she could stay with temporarily while looking for another job. She said no, so I offered to give her some money to cover her expenses until she found a new job.”

This question is a great way to show your interviewer that you can take initiative and make decisions. When answering this question, it’s important to choose a project that was successful and highlight the steps you took to achieve success.

Example: “I would say my most successful project was when I worked with a community development organization in Florida. We were working on creating affordable housing for low-income families. The company had already purchased land for the new homes but needed help designing them so they could be built as efficiently as possible. I met with the construction team and helped design the houses based on their needs. This allowed us to build more than 100 homes within budget.”

Community development specialists often work with residents of their communities to resolve issues and improve the quality of life for everyone. Employers ask this question to make sure you have experience working in a community that is experiencing conflict and how you would handle it. In your answer, explain what steps you would take to help ease tensions between residents.

Example: “I’ve worked in several areas where there was tension between residents. I always try to meet with both sides of the issue to understand each person’s perspective. Then, I find out if there are any underlying causes of the tension. For example, maybe one resident has been parking in another resident’s spot every day after work. If so, I can talk to the second resident about finding a different place to park until the first resident finds a new parking space.”

Community development specialists often work with people from all different backgrounds, so employers ask this question to make sure you can collaborate well. Show them that you have experience working with a variety of people and that you enjoy doing it.

Example: “I think I can work with anyone because I am very empathetic. In my last role, I worked on a project where we had to find affordable housing for low-income families. We were able to find some units in an apartment complex that was willing to lower their rent prices. However, the complex only allowed tenants who were white. The property manager said they would consider allowing other races if we could find enough qualified applicants.

We ended up finding several black families who wanted to move into the complex. They just needed to pass a credit check and background check. It took us a few weeks, but we found enough families to fill the complex. I really enjoyed working with those families and helping them find safe housing.”

Employers ask this question to see if you have any experience working with community organizations or nonprofits. They want to know that you are familiar with the types of projects these groups typically work on and how they operate. In your answer, share what type of experience you have working with community organizations or nonprofits and explain why it was valuable for you.

Example: “I worked as a community development specialist at my previous job, but I also had some experience working with local nonprofits in my free time. I volunteered regularly at a food bank where I helped sort donations and prepared them for distribution. This experience taught me how important it is to be organized when working with large amounts of data. It also showed me how rewarding it can be to help others.”

This question can help an interviewer understand how you prioritize your work and assess the needs of a community. Your answer should show that you have experience with this process, but it can also be helpful to mention what steps you would take if you were just starting out in this role.

Example: “When I first started working as a community development specialist, my supervisor helped me create a list of factors that indicate which areas of a community need improvement. These include things like poverty rates, crime statistics and education levels. We then used these factors to determine where we could best use our resources to improve the quality of life for residents. Now, I use these same factors when assessing new communities to see where improvements are needed.”

An interviewer may ask this question to assess your knowledge of web accessibility and how you would apply it to a specific project. In your answer, explain what steps you would take to ensure the directory is accessible for all users, including those with disabilities.

Example: “I would start by making sure that all links are coded correctly so they’re easy to navigate. I’d also make sure that all content is written in plain language so people can understand it without having to use special software or tools. Finally, I would include alternative text on images so screen readers can describe them.”

Interviewers may ask this question to learn more about your research skills and how you apply them in the workplace. When answering, it can be helpful to describe a specific project or situation where you used your research skills to help solve a problem or achieve a goal.

Example: “When conducting research on a particular topic, I first look for reliable sources of information that provide statistics and other data related to my subject. After finding these resources, I read through each one carefully to understand what they’re saying and if there are any important details I might have missed. From here, I try to find additional sources that support or refute the information from the original sources. This helps me get a better understanding of the topic and provides me with multiple perspectives.”

Employers ask this question to learn more about your qualifications and how you feel you are a good fit for the role. Before your interview, make sure to review the job description thoroughly so that you can refer to specific requirements when answering this question. In your answer, try to highlight skills or experiences that match what they’re looking for in an ideal candidate.

Example: “I am passionate about community development because I believe everyone deserves access to resources that help them thrive. Throughout my career, I have worked with many different populations of people who all need support in their own unique ways. For this reason, I am committed to learning as much as possible about each individual’s needs and providing personalized care.

In addition to being empathetic, I also bring creativity and innovation to every project I work on. When I first started working in this field, I noticed there were no online resources available for low-income families to find affordable housing options. So, I created a database where families could search by location and budget to find homes that would meet their needs. This resource has been used by thousands of families since its creation.”

This question can help the interviewer get a better idea of your knowledge of the local economy and how you might use that information to benefit the community. Use examples from your research or personal experience to show how you would apply this information to your work as a CD specialist.

Example: “I think our community could benefit from attracting more businesses in the tech sector, especially since we have several colleges with computer science programs. I also think we need to attract more small businesses because they are an important part of any thriving economy. In my last position, I worked with a nonprofit organization that helped small business owners learn about marketing and other skills needed to be successful.”

This question is your opportunity to show the interviewer that you possess the skills and abilities necessary for this role. You can answer this question by listing the most important qualities of a community development specialist, such as communication skills, problem-solving skills and interpersonal skills.

Example: “I think one of the most important qualities a community development specialist should have is empathy. This allows them to understand the needs of their clients and find solutions that help them overcome challenges. Another quality I believe is essential is creativity. Community development specialists need to be able to come up with new ideas and approaches to problems. Finally, I think it’s important for a community development specialist to have strong leadership skills. They need to be able to motivate others and inspire confidence in themselves.”

This question can help the interviewer understand how you would use your skills to benefit their organization. Use examples from your experience to show that you are organized and detail-oriented.

Example: “I am a very organized person, so I would update our community directory at least once per month. This way, I could ensure that all of the information is up-to-date and accurate. In my last position, I updated our online directory every week. I also made sure to add new members to our email newsletter list each time I added someone to the directory.”

An interviewer may ask you a question like this to assess your conflict resolution skills. This is an important skill for community development specialists because they often work with multiple stakeholders who have different opinions about how to address issues in the community. In your answer, try to show that you can be empathetic and use problem-solving techniques to help both parties come to a mutually beneficial solution.

Example: “I would first make sure I understood each party’s perspective on the issue. Then, I would explain my understanding of their concerns and offer to mediate a discussion between them. If one or both parties are open to it, I would facilitate a conversation where they could discuss their ideas and find common ground. If neither party wants to talk, I would encourage them to at least communicate through me so I can relay messages back and forth.”

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