POOK SE BOS COMMUNITY

Factors I considered as a community development practitioner when I entered a community. 

• Cultural and Social Factors: Community development professionals need to be aware of the social and cultural dynamics that exist within the community. This entails respecting the traditions, customs, morals, and beliefs of the community. To guarantee that development projects meet the requirements and goals of the community, it is essential to respect and value these factors during the planning and execution stages. 

• Examine a collection of research on the community to learn more about its socioeconomic characteristics, past, demography, and any previous development projects. 

• Observation and field visits: Conduct a personal visit to the community to learn about its social dynamics, physical attributes, and surrounding circumstances. Talk to people in the community informally to learn about their desires, issues, and points of view. 

• Surveys and Questionnaires: Use questionnaires and surveys to get statistical data on community characteristics like health indicators, income and education levels, and the need for infrastructure. This facilitates the development of a more thorough and methodical awareness of the community.  

• Local Capacity and Resources: Encouraging self-reliance and sustainability requires an awareness of the abilities, assets, and abilities that exist within the community. The success and ownership of development projects can be increased by leveraging community-led initiatives and building on existing local assets. 

By considering these factors, community development practitioners can tailor their interventions to the specific needs and circumstances of the community, fostering a more sustainable, inclusive, and empowering development process. 

Community Profile.

Community profile of Pook Se Bos in Athlone. A community profile is a summary of the fundamental circumstances and patterns within a community and an area of research that is used to evaluate possible consequences and decide on project options. It entails recognizing local problems, recognizing distinctive elements, and evaluating social and economic circumstances. An iterative method is used to create a community profile, utilizing both primary (such as field surveys and interviews) and secondary (such as comprehensive plans or newspaper articles) sources (Council, M., 2013). 

Community profiles are helpful tools for learning about the individuals within a certain community of interest or a given geographic area. This knowledge can impact the identification of important stakeholder groups and the course of a project, as well as aid in the creation of a plan for community engagement. A community's composition can be shown through profiles, which can also contain details on the community's historical events, socioeconomic traits, level of variety, level of activity (i.e., use of groups and networks), and available infrastructural and social services. A community profile can also reveal details on the degree of enthusiasm and desired mode of engagement that members of the community may have in taking an active part in a project.

 Strength of community Profile.

• An efficient method of recording details that could not otherwise be known about a community's diversity and possible stakeholders is through the creation of a profile.

• Profiles can direct future study by drawing attention to the gaps in our knowledge about a community or various stakeholders.

• The "who," "who," and "how" of a community and project can be better understood through the use of profiles.

• Profiles can be used to ascertain who is most likely to be impacted by a project or change.

• As knowledge is gathered and developed collaboratively, creating a profile can be utilized as a tool to foster relationships within a community or stakeholder group.

• The act of profiling itself has the power to increase people's awareness, pique their curiosity, and strengthen their sense of community.

• Through profiles, community intelligence can be gathered over time as projects progress and shared with ease.

Weakness of Community profile.

•  In and of itself, community profiling is an interactive exercise. Individuals who engage in profiling should be transparent about the purpose of the practice and what will happen to the information gathered (i.e. privacy legislation).

• Communities are frequently complicated, and as time goes on, a rich and varied picture may emerge. It is imperative to consider the methods for gathering, organizing, and presenting this data to avoid "information overload."

• Researching some of the most intriguing questions about a community can also be the most costly and time-consuming

The method I use to gather information about the community.

 We visited Pook Se Bos in Athlone. We collected data by doing a transect walk, interviews, unstructured observations, questionnaires, community dialogues, community leader engagement, and community assets mapping. Also did community profiling, conducting information via desktop research. 

Different methods one can use to gather information about communities.

• Wazimaps(census data). 

• Development plans- for example integrated development plans (IDPs) of local government. 

• Wealth data from the household surveys (Stats SA). 

• SA Data Archives of National Research Foundation's secondary data.

References.

Baer, D.M. and Wolf, M.M., 1967. The entry into natural communities of reinforcement. 

Council, M., 2013. Community profile. City, 32(32.786), pp.33-011.

Wölck, W., 1976. Community Profiles: An Alternative Approach to Linguistic Informat Selection.