Community Growth Program: Communiskill - Research Paper Example

Community Growth Program: Communiskill Abstract The well-being of a community is in the hands of its citizens. Together, individuals can make a difference to their existing situation and future development. As a librarian at ABC Public Library, it is important to realize the different dimensions of the community one serves. One aspect which I have felt lacking in XYZ community is the development of the local children, in particular teenagers. The following report has been developed with the view to communicate the potential of an outreach program, Communiskill, for improving the occupational growth of the future generation. The plans, implementation, and promotion of the program have been outlined with the view to resolve the problems of the local community. Introduction Community growth is an important aspect of human growth and development. It is a long-term investment which requires the participation of both the people of the community and the stakeholders such as the government administrator at large. While there are many activities, programs and social schemes which can be developed to contribute towards community growth (Kelly, 2004), none has a longer impact than the development of intellectual growth. Intellectual development as scholars believe can have a great influence over the current community growth as well as in the future (Vobora, 2008; Hage, 2004). That is why developed countries of the world emphasize on investing in community development, growth programs and advancement initiatives. In the United States of America, though the government has developed numerous national programs to improve the intellectual pool, these initiatives have to be carried out at the local community level. In this, the researcher believes, the role of a library is crucial in dissemination of information as well as community growth (Stoney, Mitchell & Warner, 2006). It is within this context that the following community growth program which has been determined, planned and recommended for implementation. The aim of the following report is to outline the Communiskill program which has been designed to help introduce the culture of learning among the youths, and encourage them to pass on to future generations. Rationale Congruent with the American Library Association's objective (At Your Library, 2009) the purpose of this growth program is to enrich the young minds and to encourage them to seek knowledge without wondering the resource for it. The ABC Library would act as the inspiration for them to make the connection between the past and the present, and improve the future through their knowledge pool. The aim is to harbor a culture of learning among the young through this special program which requires the participation of their parents, community members and other stakeholders. Program Determination Process Determining a program for a community is perhaps the hardest part for a librarian. Nevertheless, this task needs to be achieved. According to Stephens (1996. p.136), the goals and objectives of a library must be clear for the librarian to develop programs congruent to its mission statement. Any program at a library must follow its mission statement less it digress from its objectives of existence. Once this is achieved a plan must be put in place for researching, developing, and preparing the program to be launched. Such itinerary like human resources, staff responsibilities, librarians, volunteers, funding, and promotion strategy must be included. However, before planning, plans for research about requirements for community growth, services required by the locals, taxes and state support must be evaluated to encourage the public's input whether the project is worthy of consideration or not in the first place (Stephens, 1996). McCabe (2000) is of the view that today's "public libraries serve a broader constituency - in a word, everyone" (p.58). Any offering must be defined based largely on the criteria for community service, attraction for knowledge sought, and center for relationship building with the community. With these points in mind the researcher has established the following processes for determining the community growth program at ABC Library: i. Involve the community in project suggestions and planning ii. Narrowing down the requirements with the urgent needs of the community ii. Physical requirements for setting up such a project such as a location and space required iii. Technological requirements such as machines, cables or lighting etc. iv. Promotions and marketing v. Funding and sponsorship vi. Meeting and instructional spaces for staffs and visitors vii. Review and evaluation of feasibility Other aspects specifically to youth requirements for a library program may include determination of the following: a. Determining the needs of the users such as the kinds of services they need from the library and how they could work from there. Such information may be generated from interviewing or surveying young adults. b. Establishing the location designated for the youth program and some space must be designed into the location for socialization and communication with each other away from the "quiet area". c. Planning the area to be used with limited space and determining whether it is available or not are critical. d. Designing operational, information and interaction area is crucial but these needs to be focused on the needs of the young individuals too where they can utilize the facility with maximum advantage without compromising the library's core component (McCabe, 2000. p.64). After all, these processes are imperative for determining the needs of the young community specifically for a population which is vulnerable and require guidance from all directions. A library program such as Communiskill is ideal in providing the services desperately needed at XYZ, a community which is very much dependent on the state for its well-being. The Communiskill Program Based on the above processes and by using Kotler and Andreasen’s (1995) marketing framework, the Communiskill program has been formulated and described in the following sections: a. Target Marketing Through research and communal discussion it has been suggested that teens in XYZ community is the target population for which this new program shall be facilitated. Teens and young adults between the age group of 12 and 20 enter their senior level education while struggling to adjust to new social norms attached with being a teenager. They need to socialize, fit in their social group, and learn to become responsible adults. At the same time they also need to cope with the high expectations that schools and future work life demand by harnessing skills through extracurricular. While well-off families have the financial capacity to encourage their teenage children to engage in development programs, those in public schools rely on community centers for their growth (Weingand, 2001; Smart Growth Online, 2009). b. Product Design A program titled "Communiskill" has been conceptualized for this purpose. It is a skill development center designed for young adults who do not have the facility to avail from private institutions. Communiskill shall offer teen specific services training them and preparing them for their chosen occupational requirements. The Communiskill center shall be the kiosk for detailed information on various local occupation as well as national occupations in the US. Details such as employment percentage of particular industry, job description, job requirements and training skills required to enter the job will be provided. From time to time workshops on specific occupation shall be designed and disseminated with the view to provide hands-on training by experts in the field. This way they will be able to glean information they need for their specific jobs as well as tips for getting to high paid jobs. These workshops serve as a relational development between the community with the young adults as well as inspiration for them to set foot in the right direction with proper guidance (Mehra, 2005). c. Place/Distribution Ideally the place for the Communiskill would be within the library's premises first as a small kiosk and perhaps in the future expand to have its own building. Adequate space for 50 people have been scoped and accounted for within the budget sponsored by the government and local companies. Some mentors and volunteers have also been identified and agreed to offer lectures at workshops for the first six months. Once the project takes flight, plans can be made for expanding it to include neighboring communities to participate. d. Promotion/Communication One of the most important aspects of a product or project is to ensure that it is exposed to the target audience and acquire desired action. Promotional activities for Communiskill shall be target audience specific. It shall include the use of word-of-mouth by counselors at schools who are in constant contact with the students especially those who need career guidance. They can guide the aspiring teenager to the Communiskill for valuable information which the counselors perhaps merely have general information. Since the majority of the time teenagers spend on-campus, they get their news from fellow students or whatever printed or communicated at their school notice board, radio station or announcements. For this purpose the on-campus advertisements and brochure distribution is a feasible and effective channel of communication to those who are interested as well as those who might develop an interest in the project. At the same time, the library staffs can play an important role in spreading the words to daily customers whether parents, grandparents, guardians or teenagers themselves of project Communiskill. Likewise the community center can also be a source for promoting this program to individuals who go to the community center for socialization or other meetings. Billboards and posters can be put up to facilitate these centers. For the larger masses newspapers shall be used so that the presence of the Communiskill may become public to the local community as well as those in neighboring towns. The choice of these promotional tools has been identified with the view to minimize cost of marketing yet achieve effective results. e. Evaluation The Communiskill program has great potential in achieving the objective of developing teen for their future work environment. Unlike at public schools where these aspects are taken lightly due to lack of staff and motivation, the Communiskill project shall be voluntary efforts of parents, employers, and industry leaders. This helps in ensuring that the project takes flight and enrolls more students to maximize future human resources. However, some hurdles like administrative staff requirements, cost for operation and technological requirements may hinder the project from being a success. For this purpose, the researcher recommends developing a budget in advance to accommodate and account for staffs and tools for the project. Planning and Implementation To launch this project the following plans for implementation shall be adopted: a. Survey for information needs among young adults; results tabulated and analyzed. b. Brainstorming of idea of a community skill development center within the library center. c. Research for requirements. Staffs, financial support, sponsors, volunteers, lecturers/workshop facilitators, industry information providers, training facility, computers and technicians have been identified. d. Gather resources and setting up of the Communiskill within 2 months. e. Initiate launch through promotional communication to desired target audience through various channels of distribution. f. Enroll students for specific job workshops. Provide information on employment opportunities and occupation. g. Start the workshops. h. Evaluate the outcome after 3, 6 and 9 months. i. Revise plans for improvement. The above plans have been made with the aim to launch within 2 months of its formulation. After 3 months (5 months of launch), the performance of the Communiskill shall be evaluated for improvement in terms of quality of service, lecturers, information value and development among youths. They shall be evaluated on their knowledge and skills acquired at the Communiskill to determine the value of the lessons learned during their time at the center. Conclusion Despite planning authorities and programs, the US communities are not equipped to deal with environmental change and rapid global development. Especially in the public sphere, the majority of the communities depend on the government to lead them towards the 21st century. On the other hand civic agencies are struggling to maintain the needs of the hour. Finer yet important details like employability, exposure to opportunities, and skill development have been superseded by community service for the old, free meals and tax holidays etc. As a result the younger generations living below or at poverty level do not avail opportunities that exist in their society. The Communiskill program is one such effort towards the reduction of skill shortage at the employers end, and the development of skills at the future employees’ spectrum. The program which shall start with information dissemination has great potential to expand and incorporate productive skill development programs in the future. The purpose of this project is to initiate a program in the public sphere to encourage the masses to join productive activities for growth and development. The choice of teenagers has been made with the view that they are the future of our community. With the poor quality of education they receive at public school chances of a bright future in a competitive industry are slim. Through Communiskill they would be able to participate in a project which they would be able to appreciate as they grow old and need to enter their practical lives. The lessons learned at Communiskill would enhance their ability and improve their intellectual capacity as a workforce. Furthermore, they will not only be exposed to various occupations but different aspects of its working. With clear future objectives and ideas in mind, they would be able to make productive choices and enter life as positive individuals with high ambitions and motivation. A happy citizen, the researcher beliefs is a much better and responsible citizen, elements necessary for building a progressive nation. References Hage, C.L. (2004). The public library start-up guide. ALA Editions. Kelly, E.D. (2004). Managing community growth. Greenwood Publishing Group. Kotler, P., & Andreasen, A.R. (1995). Strategic Marketing for NonProfit Organizations. 5th Prentice Hall. McCabe, G.B. (2000). Planning for a new generation of public library buildings. Greenwood Publishing Group. Mehra, B. (2005). Library and Information Science (LIS) and Community Development: The Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) towards a Social Equity Agenda. Journal of the Community Development Society, 36(1), 28 Official Website at Your Library of American Library Association, retrieved from: http://www.atyourlibrary.org/why/enrichment Official Website Smart Growth Online retrieved from: http://www.smartgrowth.org/about/default.asp Stephens, A. (1996). Assessing the public library planning process. Greenwood Publishing. Stoney, L., Mitchell, A., & Warner, M.E. (2006). Smarter Reform: Moving beyond Single-Program Solutions to an Early Care and Education System. Community Development: Journal of the Community Development Society. 37(2), 101 Vobora, A. (2008). Children's Reading Program an Investment in Our Future. The Register-Guard, B13. Weingand, D.E. (2001). Administration of the small public library. ALA Editions. Read More