Community Development values and principles.
A foundational set of principles and basic values underpin community development. Therefore, CDPs are accountable for a set of linked practice standards that correspond to each core value. Values can be viewed as moral precepts, goals, or acknowledged norms held by an individual or by a particular organization, like the Community Development Practitioners (CDPs). An occupation's values are thought of as the cornerstone upon which its essential competencies—knowledge, abilities, and qualities—are derived.
Values.
Equity and anti-discrimination- Community Development practice challenges structural inequalities and discriminatory practices. Community Development recognizes that people are not the same, but are of equal worth and importance. People are therefore entitled to the same degree of respect and acknowledgement.
Social Justice - An essential element of Community Development practice is to increase social justice. This involves identifying and seeking to alleviate structural disadvantages and advocating for strategies to overcome exclusion, discrimination, and inequality.
Collective Action- Community Development practice is in essence about working with and supporting groups of people (active citizenry) to increase their knowledge, skills, and confidence, so that they can develop a well-being analysis (status) from which they then identify issues that can bead dressed through collective and integrative action towards well-being status enhancement.
Community Empowerment- Community Development practice seeks the empowerment of communities through using the strengths of the community to bring about desired changes. It involves supporting people to be critical, creative, liberated, and active participants (citizenry), enabling them to take more control over their lives, their communities, and their environment. The process is based on mutual respect and equal and genuine partnerships between all of those involved.
Working and Learning Together- Community development promotes a collective process that enables participants to learn from reflecting on their experiences while progressing to an improved quality of life (well-being). It is impossible to separate community development practice (working) from community development learning. It requires the involvement of all groups who experience social exclusion, marginalization, and discrimination in reflecting on their experiences while making decisions, planning, and taking action at different levels when the process toward improved well-being is initiated. It can be viewed as a continuum of activity that can start from information sharing through capacity building and empowerment to active citizenry in democratic processes. It is therefore vital a address the power imbalances. Ultimately participation in working and learning together should contribute to bringing about social change through appropriately informed policies and processes to the benefit of all.
Sustainable Communities- Community development practice aims to achieve sustainable communities. The development of sustainable communities includes the practice of community development activities that utilize resources and build capacity in a way that ensures that the activities can be maintained over time well-being factors. Sustainable community status is therefore dependent and integrative and balanced processes toward the achievement of well-being indicating that the community is environmentally sound, economically productive, socially just, educationally advanced, infrastructurally accommodated, health promoted, food secured and safety assured.
Ethical Principles.
Human Orientation- People in a deprivation trap have physical/ concrete needs as well as abstract, (e.g. happiness, self-reliance, and dignity) needs.
Participation- Involvement in all aspects ( decision-making, implementation, and evaluation) of a project is only meaningful when it is done with an empowerment purpose.
Empowerment- To have decision-making powers ( community members require skills to make decisions that relate to the capacity-building purpose of community development).
Ownership- To take up responsibilities of ownership and manage your future.
Release- Focusing on the entire person for him/her to transform the situation as a whole, it should not be seen as 'relief' as that relates to welfare.
Practical Principles.
Learning- a releasing approach that must also carry transforming releasing actions whereby CDPs enter communities with an open agenda to create as many learning opportunities as possible.
Adaptiveness- Requiring a change of mindset that demands a willingness to learn along the way, i.e. trial and error that must be managed by the CDP being flexible and adaptable during the community development process with the community.
Simplicity- Contrasts with " bigger is best" which implies that the learning/ releasing approach is not always suited for complex community development techniques, as adaptiveness is much more difficult to attain when complex community development programs are being undertaken.
Compassion- Demands the absence of aloofness, both by people in the communities as well as those from outside the communities.
How I and the Organization demonstrated values and principles in the Workplace.
Values.
Collection Action- coming together in groups and participating in the organization's work so that I can strengthen my voice. The organization comes up with its staff members to present the information of their organization. This value was present in all organizations we visited.
Working and Learning together- I collaborate and share experiences that I learn and participate in group activities, and also learn about the role and responsibilities of a community development practitioner. The organizations work together and give all their staff members a chance to present information about their roles in the organization. This value was present in all organizations we visited.
Community Empowerment- When we were doing the transect walk, I learned about the community challenges they faced in that community I empowered them by telling them they must have control of their life, be willing to learn, have team spirits to fight the challenges, and self-confident that individual can be the change in the community. As the organizations aim to enhance the communities they play a big role in educating people and try to give them skills for example providing skills or leadership training and job networks to youth, this can contribute to lifting individuals out of poverty by improving access to work. This value was present in all organizations we visited.
Equity and anti-discrimination- I was able to show respect to everyone equally without judging on skin color and also understand that people are not the same we not gonna think or do things the same. The organization treated us equally and with respect, giving us the same opportunity to participate and share ideas. This value was present in all organizations we visited.
Social Justice- The organizations aim to ensure that communities receive the same services and the same attention to their problems. This value was visible to all organizations we visited.
Sustainable Communities- The organizations working on improving the needs of everyone in the communities and ensuring people feel safe, living in a healthy and clean environment, and ultimately happy. This was visible to the government organizations for example the Department of Social Development and Local Government.
Ethical principles.
Human Orientation- The organization made us feel welcome and loved. We were treated with respect and dignity. This principle was visible to every organization.
Participation- The organizations show us every detail of their organization for example in Khayelitsha Iliso organization they showed us their files and how they manage their funding. These organizations involve community members when they plan to implement the project and take ideas from community members on how they can do this project.
Empowerment- The organizations aim to enhance the skills of people in the communities and they have programs that help youth group to improve their lives.
Ownership- The organization's teaches people of communities to have control of their lives, be willing to learn, and have team spirit to fight the challenges. And also to take full control of the project in their communities.
Release- This was visible in the NGOs where they aim to build individuals self- confidence to make changes in their communities.
Practical Principles
Learning- I was willing to learn every aspect of the community development roles and responsibilities as I will be working with communities. These organizations teach us to be prepared and know the field of work.
Adaptiveness- I was willing to learn along the way in my profession and flexible to adapt to every type of environment. The organizations teach us to prepared about the types of communities we will be working with in the future. One of the presenters made a statement you must be the person of the people you understand at their ground levels.
Simplicity- The organizations teach us that when we enter the communities we must use the language they understand and also try to use as simple words as possible so that we can get the full attention of the people. The organization uses the language we will understand and provide pictures during their presentations.
Compassion- These organizations teach us that we must understand every situation of communities and help them
Reference
Cavaye, J. n.d. Understanding community development. Cavaye Community Development.
CLD Standards Council for Scotland. n.d. A code of ethics for community learning and development.