Comparative Analysis of Community Action Plans
In a world which has different regions divided by social, economic and political aspects, attempt to alleviate the plight of those in the lower level is always a noble thing. Several organization has come up with community action plans and development, which is aimed at changing the lives of people for the better, improving communities, embodying the spirit of hope and making a world a better place to live. It is in this regard that there are organizations which have taken the role of being dedicated to helping others and making people self-reliant in the future. It is usually an attempt to bridge the gap between accessibility and availability of the necessary living amenities and providing the necessary mechanisms for the betterment of all those who are less advantaged. This paper will consider various community action projects which have been undertaken to leverage the plight of people living in community parks, with an interest in the Riviera Community Park. This is as documented by Array (2000) in her video A place of our own.
One of the ways in which the community development initiatives have it to ensure that they have a purpose which will put the people together and make them work as one towards achieving a common goal. In this regard, community development initiatives usually have the purpose where everyone in the community has a role, in a manner where each has a contribution to make at whatever level they are (Von Kotze, 2007). Community participation and connectedness as the model of community action for the people of Riviera Caravan Park. In this case, ensures that all individuals have involved in decision making, provision, and evaluation of all levels of the organization.
An efficient way of attaining community development initiatives is to ensure that there is the sense of communal ownership of the projects. This will ensure there is the feeling of oneness and belong which is essential in cases where the society is needed. In this regard, people are more obliged to take into social action when called upon, have legitimate and trusted advocacy groups, and have extensive networking. This assists in having a collective responsibility when the community is threatened by both external and internal factors which can be networked with ease and a collective communal action are put in place (Taylor, & Gilliam, 2011). These principles and initiatives ensure that there are efficient and competent mechanisms which are integral for the harmonious existence of the community. The idea is to have the community have the attitude of inclusivity and make them aware of the issues which affect them.
There are several models, practices, and processes which various communities undertake to achieve their intended goal, some of them are similar while others are different, depending on the context of the situation at hand. One of the issues which are paramount in the development of a community is setting up of the necessary infrastructure which will necessitate the ease in the access of the programs and the initiatives which are being offered. (Von Kotze, 2007). A community action plan would require for example to set up health clinics near the target community, within proximity so that the people can easily access the facility. This can be in the context of the Riviera community in the context of their development of their access to health facility which was unavailable before the advent of the community action.
The process which a community action plan should undertake is secure funding for the smooth running of the project. It takes the initiative financial support for it to be successful having a background knowledge of the situation which one will handle makes it easy for the development of the community effective (Von Kotze, 2007). This can be informed of applying for funding from the government or no-govern mental organizations, and even individuals to carry out an activity for the people to develop themselves and uplift their standards of living.
One way of securing funding is by identifying a need in the community. For example, the community action plan in Riviera caravan park had the idea of providing care for the little children, with a mission of providing better access to the health facilities and medical care of the children and providing the necessary support for the overall growth of the children. The scope can even widen and cover the overall community by engaging them in manners in which they can support themselves in bringing up their children without the help of community action. The key objective this project is to make people or rather the community to be self- sustaining on matters to do with their health and education. In this regard, this is a community action which is aimed at having a community action. In this regard, According to Emery, Wall, & Macke, (2004), the process applied here is that the social workers were aware of the need for health care, identified what the people wanted which was infrastructure, planned for it by getting funding and acted by bringing the service closer to the people.
In Riviera caravan park, for the community action workers to be able to blend with the people and build a relationship of trust, there were several projects which were undertaken, and they included pottery making, artworks, cooking sessions and the inclusion of gardening. For the children, it was a matter of taking the theme to field trips by buses and building of trust along with the adults by having fishing sessions. This was primarily supported by the total commitment of the social workers who were therein. Making the right step in the right direction by the inclusion of the people in the decision making of what they deem to be of necessity to them. This is a proactive approach which is aimed at strengthening the connectedness of the community (Taylor, & Gilliam, 2011).
This is a strategy which is aimed at strengthening the bonds of the community. Decision making and participation in community projects is one way of making people to own up the community and feel that it is their own. The main aim of the community action plan is to facilitate the impetus in that the community targeted will be able to solve problems which engulf them in a more amicable and effective manner. The process applied here is different from the one of community action on health care because the resource which was needed here was social capital (Matarasso, 2007). The process was to have connectedness in the community and develop the identity of the Riviera Caravan Park.
For efficiency in executing the projects, the social workers should bet in touch with the community and blend with them. They must move with the pace of the residents and go with the rhythm of the life of the residents. The projects undertaken should not necessarily have the corporate or business organizations structure. According to Emery, Wall, & Macke, (2004) supervision of the projects should be done in a manner which the people will not feel intimidated and as if they are being supervised. Having a general overview in the supervision is likely to be influenced by teamwork and accommodate a wide array of issues which affect the community. Ensuring that nothing happens by accident is an indication that the whole project is under control and that the activities which are undertaken reflect the need of the community receiving community action. In this case supervision need to be done in the subsection in that there will be an overall analysis of the project, it can be done at the peer level, internal and external level (Matarasso, 2007).
Despite the indication that the projects undertaken in Riviera Park were successful, there are a few things which needed to be upgraded. For example, even though they facilitated health care to the children, the closure of the project would mean that the group might disintegrate. Therefore, there should have been the installation of leadership which would set the background for the development and continuity of the health care in a communal manner. There should have been the impetus for the community to use the skills they were gaining for growing economically. Having a strong economic program which is supported by the community is very essential in creating a dynamic and perpetual community development plans (Taylor, & Gilliam, 2011). The projects should ensure that there is capacity building in the community to ensure that they develop socially, economically and form a culture which will make it a better place.
In conclusion, community action and development are one of the fundamental programs which elevate the plight of societies which need help. For projects undertaken by the community to be effective, there is the need for the social workers to get in touch with the target community and setting achievable goals. Therefore, building community capacity is essential for the community to have greater control over their social environment.
References
Array. (2000). A place of our own L-space production.
Emery, M., Wall, M., & Macke, D. (2004). From Theory to Action: Energizing Entrepreneurship (E2), Strategies to Aid Distressed Communities Grow Their Own. Community Development Society. Journal, 35(1), 82-96. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15575330409490123
Matarasso, F. (2007). Common ground: cultural action as a route to community development. Community Development Journal, 42(4), 449-458. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bsm046
Taylor, C., & Gilliam, L. (2011). Community Partnership Strategies: Let’s Work from the Same Playbook. Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, And Action, 5(3), 213-214. http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/cpr.2011.0037
Von Kotze, A. (2007). Teaching Defiance: Stories and Strategies for Activist Educators. Community Development Journal, 42(4), 530-533. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bsm044
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