Understanding Communities and Approaches to Working with Communities - Coursework Example

Journal Report Name Institution Introduction/Executive Summary In introduction to community work, I have been able to be a part of the wonderful experiencing in grasping diverse concepts on the community and community work. In this journal report, I will be able to outline my developmental journey regarding this course. In the development of the journal report, I will focus on three critical modules. Firstly, I will highlight my growth and development regarding understanding of the communities. This is through illustration of the definition of community and community work, as well as principles guiding such activities. In the second section, the focus will be on exploration of the approaches to working with communities. Categorically, the focus will be on the assessment of four approaches to working with communities in accordance with the conditions and expectations of the community members. The third section of the journal report will explore the necessary skills for working with the communities. These aspects with provide a platform for the documentation of the three critical concepts or issues I have been able to learn in this course. Understanding Communities The objective of this unit was to enable me, as a student, to grasp valuable concepts to facilitate understanding of the community work while enabling recognition of the skills to conceptualize diverse communities. In this unit, I was able to learn about what community is about. Additionally, I was able to learn on the ways to think about, as well as recognize diverse expressions within the community. Moreover, the unit has been critical in enabling me to identify and develop valuable skills to work with a wide range of communities effectively and efficiently. Evidently, I was able to learn about the fact that community incorporates people that know each other, as well as feel certain active relationship. From a sociological perspective, it is vital to conceptualize community from geographical or relational approaches. Taylor et al (2008) sought to identify diverse elements of the community with reference to locality, local society, and locally oriented social interactions. This understanding was critical in conceptualizing the essence of community work (Taylor, 2015). Categorically, community work relates to the activity or work aiming at ensuring that people have substantive ‘networks of relationship’ to achieve their needs, as well as aspirations. Community work relates to the ability and potentiality of the society members to work collaboratively in pursuit of the common goal or target. Community work is critical in facilitating the growth of the capacity of the communities for empowerment or achievement of their personal needs (Clarke, 2000). In the course of understanding the concept of working with communities, I was able to grasp diverse knowledge on the principles for working with the communities. For instance, Taylor, et al (2008) sought to identify to critical principles in the course of working with communities in pursuit of the goals and targets. Firstly, there is need for the practitioners to understand communities they are working with in pursuit of the collective goal or gain. Secondly, there is need for the establishment and maintenance of effective relationships, as well as ideal working partnerships with the targets or society members affected by the work (Kimmel & Aronson, 2009). Furthermore, I was able to learn about the community capacity, which associates with the resources inherent in the community, as well as the capability of the community in question to use them effectively and efficiently in pursuit of the common goal or target. In this context, I did learn about the community strength while focusing on the exploration of the factors influencing or affecting the strength of the community. Some of these factors include extent of engagement of the social relations, structures, and interactions with the social infrastructure, human resources at the disposal of the community members, and engagement of the physical, financial, human, and social resources (Edgar, 2001). Reflectively, the information from this module has been critical in improving my awareness and understanding of working with the communities. For instance, I now have the expertise to define and conceptualize community and the community work. Additionally, the information is helpful in enabling integration or implementation of the principles whenever the opportunity arises to work with the communities (Weeks, Hoatson, & Dixon, 2003). Moreover, the information from the module has been ideal in improving my understanding of different concepts of the society such as communities of place, communities of interest, and communities as social systems. Categorically, I have been able to acquire the information from the module to prepare effectively and efficiently for my profession in working with different societies or communities in the highly technical society. On the other hand, I believe that I will be able to use the information from this module to improve my expertise in working with the community members, thus, the platform to overcome issues such as resistance. I will be able to incorporate and exploit my understanding of the social structures operating the communities, as well as patterns of networking, community capacity, and power structures in pursuit of efficiency in working with communities. Approaches to Working with Communities In the second module, which sought to examine approaches to working with communities, I was able to grasp substantive knowledge on the models or frameworks regarding the growth and development of the communities. Firstly, in this module, I was able to differentiate conceptual approaches from the practice frameworks. For instance, conceptual approaches are critical in the provision of the theoretical underpinning to the practice of the practitioner as a community worker. On the other hand, practice frameworks are vital in the provision of the specific structures to the actions the community worker will utilize in the execution of the community work. In this module, I was able to learn about four valuable conceptual approaches to the community work. Firstly, there is the contributions approach. In this approach, the role of the community is to execute voluntary contributions to the project. Evidently, it is the obligation of the professionals or practitioners to make crucial decisions while leading the participation of the community. I was able to learn the essence that this is a top-down approach in terms of power, as well as decision-making by the community (Taylor et al., 2008). Secondly, I was able to enhance my understanding of the instrumental approach, which focuses on the importance of realization of the specific goal or target rather than the participation of the community. This approach aims at enabling the planners or practitioners to make decisions on the objectives of the program or community work through strategic plan before trying to convince the community members to engage in the acceptance of the identified objectives (Taylor et al., 2008). The approach utilizes top-down process regarding decision-making and implementation of the strategy to achieve the goals. Thirdly, there is the community empowerment approach, which is a bottom-up model focusing on empowering the disadvantaged or marginalized groups as targets of the specific programs or community work. The objective of this approach is to exploit personal development while raising consciousness with the intention of ensuring that communities, individuals, and groups have access to information and resources (Mawson, 2008). The approach advocates for more control by the society members on issues influencing their lives within the society. Finally, I have been able to enhance my understanding of the developmental approach, which is a bottom-up model or process concentrating on the improvement or development of the capacity of the community rather than achievement of the specific goals and targets. The approach proves to be evolutionary, as well as interactive while utilizing social justice principles to accord power to the communities in pursuit of the growth and development of such institutions (Taylor et al., 2008). Evidently, the approach aims at prioritizing and solving problems to increase the knowledge and skills of the society members in gaining the sense of control regarding their environment. From the above illustration, I believe that acquisition of the information on approaches to working with communities will be valuable in enhancing flexibility depending on the needs and complexities of the society. Additionally, the information will play a critical in the provision of the right balance in the selection of the most appropriate approach in addressing the demands and expectations of the target audiences. Moreover, I will be able to use the approaches to facilitate elimination of the potential resistance while promoting the desired participation of the society members in pursuit of the goals and targets. Skills in Working with Communities In the course of working with communities, it is valuable to engage in understanding and conceptualizing diverse skills, as well as competencies in the achievement of the desired goals and targets. In this module, the focus was on exploration of the community decision-making, building and maintaining community partnerships, developing community leadership, community planning, and building knowledge on the community, as well as its needs or expectations. In the first instance, working with communities demand effective and efficient decision-making in the achievement of the specific goals and targets (Muirhead, 2002). This skill requires the community workers or practitioners to demonstrate awareness to the social structures and attributes, community values, and nature of the topic constituting contextual factors. Secondly, it is appropriate for the community workers to have adequate understanding or prediction of the decisions, which communities might make regarding a project in question. Thirdly, it is ideal for the community workers to avoid top-down talk while dealing with the community members. This is because the community worker is engaging with the community members who are the specific targets of the programs, thus, the need to have substantive decisions or control on issues affecting their lives. Community workers also need to possess the skills of incorporating the community members during the framing and naming of the program, which will affect or influence their lives in pursuit of the collective goal or target. Community workers have the obligation to utilize their skills to facilitate creation of a safe public space for the people to contribute or generate their views and perceptions concerning the project or the community work (Eversole, 2015). The skills will also be appropriate in the provision of quality information, resources, and valuable components to facilitate completion of the project in handling the demands and expectations of the community members. It is also critical to facilitate exploration of the effective partnerships working towards the achievement of the goals and targets. This requires the community workers to integrate diverse skills such as clarity in the reasoning for the partnership (Kenny, 2006). Additionally, the practitioners have the obligation to facilitate construction or building of the trusting relationships, which are able to present the mutual benefits. These skills are valuable in ensuring that community members accept the objectives of the plan or program while minimizing potential or resistance to the project or program in question. I will be able to use the acquired knowledge or information on the skills to interact effectively and efficiently with the communities in pursuing completion of diverse projects and activities constituting the community work. Conclusion During this module, I have been able to learn diverse issues and concepts regarding community work, as well as working with various communities. In the first instance, I have been able to gain substantive knowledge and information on the approaches or techniques in working the communities. In this context, I had the opportunity to learn on two top-down and bottom-up models with specific objectives. These approaches concentrates on the illustration of the voluntary participation of the community members, empowerment of the members, developmental technique, and strategic planning in improving the conditions of the community or working with the community members. Secondly, I have been able to acquire quality information and resources relating to the skills of working with the communities. These skills will be critical in improving my effectiveness and efficiency in dealing or interacting with the community members in decision-making, generation of ideas, creation of the environment for effective and efficient partnerships. Thirdly, I have been able to grasp diverse principles, which aid or facilitate interaction with or working with the communities. This is through understanding the needs of the communities while establishing the mutual interaction in pursuit of the collective goals and targets of the community. I believe that the information will be valuable in working with communities, which prove to be complex in the modern context. References Clarke, S. (2000), Social work as community development: A management model for social change (2nd ed.). Aldershot, Hampshire, England ; Burlington, Vt.: Ashgate. Edgar, D. (2001), The patchwork nation, Rethinking government - re-building community Sydney: Harper Collins Publishers. Eversole, R (2015) Knowledge Partnering For Community Development. London: Routledge. Kenny, S. (2006), Developing communities for the future. South Melbourne, Vic.: Thomson. Kimmel, M. & Aronson, A. (2009), Sociology now. The essentials. Boston: Pearson Allyn & Bacon. Mawson, A. (2008), The social entrepreneur: Making communities work. London: Atlantic. Muirhead, T. (2002), Weaving tapestries: A handbook for building communities. Perth: Local Government Community Services Association of WA. Taylor, J., Wilkinson, D., Cheers, B. (2008), Working with communities in Health and Human Services. Sydney: Oxford University Press. Taylor, Judy (2015) Working With Communities, Oxford University Press. Weeks, W., Hoatson, L., & Dixon, J. (2003). Community practices in Australia. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education. Read More