ASAAH

The various strategies outlined below helps community development worker to ensure that communities become more capable of controlling their own circumstances and that the community sector is better able to play a constructive role in society.

Community Engagement Community Cohesion Creating Strong Communities Community Participation Community Mobilisation

Community engagement is define as developing and sustaining a working relationship between public bodies and community groups so that both understand and act on the needs or issues that the community experiences.

Engaging communities in the development process leads to: better decision-making reaching excluded communities mobilising community-based expertise and resources sustainable solutions to difficult problems encouraging ownership by communities empowering communities to address issues that affect them

 What

makes engagement effective; Involving communities at local level, particularly those that are deprived or marginalised.
We know from experience and research that current methods of community engagement do not properly involve people from a broad range of backgrounds.

Too often, engagement is interpreted as little more than consultation. Community Development workers role is therefore helping communities and public bodies engage better with one another.

Another strategy for community networking is to boost community cohesion. Community cohesion is all about people building relationships across perceived boundaries and encouraging integration on the basis of mutual respect and social justice. Community cohesion helps to improve the capacity and capability of communities to manage diversity and resolve conflicts.

Community development worker therefore have a role in helping people to work together to achieve change
Often this involves identifying what people have in common, and so what might help bind them together, for example problems with employment or housing

 Community

cohesion comprises three main components: A shared ability to manage diversity and resolve conflicts within and between communities An approach that recognises that divisions and differences within communities are not just about 'race' and 'religion', but include other aspects of peoples lives A concern to tackle the inequalities of opportunity and outcome that generate grievances and inter-communal tensions

A strong community is one which people feel part of, where they feel they have influence over decisions that affect it and in which there is a thriving community sector. A strong community is one that is able to identify its own strengths and vulnerabilities and to take appropriate action on issues that affect and ensure resilience in the face of economic, social and environmental change.

What makes a strong community?

Strong communities require strong and independent community organisations and networks which are effectively managed and run in ways that make a positive contribution to the economic, social and environmental sustainability of the community.