Principles and Strategies for Building a Community from the Inside - Essay Example

Principles and strategies for building a Community from the inside TASK: Identifying the factors affecting the health care development through health – promotion models that may establish and maintain health for the largest number of individuals in need. Describes how a new community would be built considering all these factors, in order to provide health care benefits to individuals at large. Community organizing and community building must occupy a central place in health education, health promotion, and related fields in the twenty-first century. Contemporary public health is as much about facilitating a process whereby communities can use their voice to define and make their health concerns known as it is about providing prevention and treatment. As professional concerned with helping communities have their voices heard and their strengths realized and nurtured, health educators and their allies in fields such as health planning and social welfare have a critical role to play. Building community has always depended on mobilizing the capacities and assets of a people and a place. This essay identifies how to build a health care community from the inside, by applying the different principles and strategies required in community development. Creating the kind of community that nourishes care is, of course, complicated work, whether in the small area or in a professional development initiative. When people learn not just by being present but by actively undertaking some projects or task, they must take risks. Basically, community organizations stresses the principle of relevance, or starting where the people are; the principle of participation; and the importance of creating environments in which individuals and communications can become empowered as they increase their community problem- solving ability. A large number of principles – ecological principles, social justice and human rights principles, valuing the local, process principles and global and local principles are involved in developing any community. Here, we would be discussing how these principles would apply in the community development of a health care. ESSENTIAL PRINCIPLES : In order to create a long term health care community, it is highly essential to form it on the basis of certain ecological perspectives. Ecological principles affect the community in process oriented way and guarantees efficiency in the work. It is a fact that community centered and grounded intervention is holistic in nature. Holism requires the breaking down of the physical/social dualism which has characterized the “partitioning” of knowledge and understanding. It requires a broadening rather than a narrowing of the knowledge base. The specialization characteristic of many human services may serve to disempower families and communities by not working holistically. Thus, the primary task would be to identify and visualize the aim of the community and also provide an analytical solution to the different issues involved in obtaining the aim and vision of the community. It is required to identify the different health related issues being faced and the reasons behind these issues and the different approaches which we could take in order to eradicate these problems. The principle that the ultimate goal of sustainability is to create and maintain a certain quality of life now and for the future demonstrates how critical quality-of-life indicators are in applying sustainable development to the community which would be built. First, indicators within the community constitute a way to measure how well a community is meeting the needs and expectations of its residents. This represents a quantification of the local quality of life. Second, the element of time is exceedingly important, because sustainable development aims to leave a legacy for future generations. Consequently, measuring the quality of life and then monitoring it over time is the only way to determine the success of efforts to achieve sustainability. Thus, in order to attain sustainability an essential factor for us would be to maintain stability in our work of providing health care to individuals. An emphasis on enhancing the collective is common to community work. Community development work assists people in a community to identify their needs and obtain resources, and collectively empowers people to have more control over their lives. It is to be noted that interdependent social structures go hand in hand with cultural values that are highly context specific and ‘other’ focused. Thus the principle of diversity proves to create oneness among the community. Hence while building the community; we need to consider diversity as an important element and this could be achieved by including individuals irrespective of any differentiation. The development of the organism is the development of its life, and the development of community is the development of the life which exists in its members. It is relevant now that a community is not an organic, but is a spiritual unity. Balance development is another ecological factor which needs to be considered while building a community. It emphasizes on the fact that all factors such as social, economical, political, cultural, environmental and personal needs to be laid equal importance. A community development program which concentrates on only one of these factors leads to an uneven development. It is essential to consider all these factors while developing a health care community. The important thing for a community worker, therefore, is always to keep in mind all the ecological principles related to community development and ensure that they all are addressed by the community and seek ways in further developing them. An ecological approach to community development is necessary but not sufficient. It is also necessary to incorporate the ideas of social justice and human rights in order to lead a more practical approach and to gain long term benefits. These principles relate to the approach of addressing structural disadvantages, addressing discourses of disadvantages, empowerment, human rights and need definition. Alongside the growing recognition of the detrimental effects of social exclusion on health, there appears to have been a ‘revolution’ in the field of health promotion during the past decade. In particular, there has been a shift in emphasis from a focus upon individual behavior change to more radical approaches which emphasize the need to change political and social structures. Similarly, empowerment approaches aimed at facilitating individual and community choices have gained in acceptance. Community health development has evolved from the notion of community development, which has been defined as ‘a process whereby communities are empowered and enabled to express health needs’ and a ‘way of working, informed by certain principles, which encourages people to identify common concerns and which supports them in taking action related to them’ (George & Kent, 1996). It is required for us to provide structural as well as individual approaches to health promotion in our community in order to provide health services to meet health need. While developing a community, it is highly essential to avoid expulsions of any sect of individuals. These expulsions could be based on class, gender, age, sex and so on. A community worker must be aware of the expulsions and oppressions and must be knowledgeable to identify the root causes of such and solutions to eradicate them. Besides, the worker needs to identify and discourage the discourses of power being laid on individuals and communities at large. Community development is one approach to creating change and imparting new information, attitudes and skills that helps citizens of countries and territories to value leisure, play and recreation. Community development is basically a process of education and citizen participation that is designed to bring about changes in a certain climate or attitudes within a community, to gain access, to utilize resources, and to organize for effective action. Three processes that are efficacious in achieving the goals of community development are empowerment, advocacy and mobilization. The objective of empowerment is to shift the locus of power and resources so that no individuals are excluded from the community’s voices and vision. Specifically, empowerment is a process through which people gain the power and resources necessary to shape their own worlds and reach their full human potential. The ultimate outcome of empowerment is to foster feelings of efficacy and control so as to bring about change. The process calls for people to actively define their own problem (s) and create plans for change. (Keith, 2004). Thus, we would be aiming at achieving empowerment, advocacy and mobilization in our health care community. The right of development as a human right is the synthesis of all human rights. If the rights of individuals proclaimed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and further guaranteed and protected by regional treaties are not respected, if the right to self-determination of peoples is not real, if the right to peace is illusionary, if human life does not take place in a healthy and ecologically balanced environment, and if the human interaction does not occur in order and security, based on freedom and justice, community development is impossible and the right of every individual to it cannot be considered as truly existent. Thus, community structure and program would be incorporated in our health care community in such a way that all human rights could be safeguarded and practiced. Valuing the local is another essential principle which is to be levied while building a community. It is evident that valuing the knowledge, valuing the local culture, valuing resources, valuing skills, valuing processes and valuing participation while forming a community proved to generate efficiency in the working of a community both in short term and long-term. The knowledge and expertise of the individuals proves to be of utmost value in advancing community development and identifying the value of local culture boosts the morale of individuals. Thus, while building a community, one of our primary focus would be to address the local knowledge and the local culture and exploit the local resources and local skills. (Doreen, 1996). ESSENTIAL STRATEGIES : Community workers (WE) need to be involved in facilitating the process of community development. It is required to always in keep in mind that community development involves a process of strengthening individuals, groups and organizations to gain the knowledge and power to work towards changes in their communities. It is required to talk about vision rather than speaking about the outcome. Community development for health is clearly a political process as it involves raising people’s consciousness and helping them to voice their needs It is also a tool which potentially could be used as a weapon. Thus, two strategies which we would be following for involving participants in community development processes are consciousness rating and conscientisation. There is still concern about the community reaching its goal but great emphasis must be placed on the learning of those involved. The following strategies need to be adopted in building a health care community: Focus on community : Community health improvement is an opportunity for the community to assume ownership of its own health and well being. Community ownership is essential to improve the health of the community. Thus, we need to realize the ownership and take up the responsibility of providing health care to the masses. Local control and Participation : It is important that representatives in our health care community conduct the actual assessment of health assets and needs to facilitate ownership. Power sharing: There must be willingness to share power in a meaningful manner. Statewide initiatives must have a forum for expressions and local uniqueness must be considered in the newly formed community. Information and Problem solving : Community health assessment should be data driven and based on sound public health principles. This requires lots of field work, but once the data is gathered it would facilitate us in the further happenings. Follow-through : It is required through with in the community and adopt appropriate roles to support community health improvement. Newer conceptualizations of community building stress many of the same principles within an overall approach that focuses on community growth and change from the inside through increased group identification; discovery, nurture and mapping of community assets; and creation of critical consciousness. Both community organizing and community building also stress the role of the larger systems in which communities are embedded in enable them to grow and thrive by building relationships with external resource institutions and breaking down the social isolation of local communities. A community has the power to motivate its members to exceptional performance. It can set standards of expectations for the individual and provide the climate in which great things happen. Our vision would include the five key elements : purpose or reason for existence; goals or enduring intentions to act; core values or principles to measure the rightness and wrongness of behavior; stakeholders or those who care about the community, including what it will mean to them when the vision is achieved; and initiatives – immediate, short-term, and long-range – that guide and energize members of the community. ESSENTIAL SKILLS : A preliminary list of skills for building community includes management of interconnectedness, communication, process awareness, process commentary, creative planning and person hood. Management of interconnectedness involves systems thinking, direction, coordination, facilitation, appreciation and affirmation. Communication through the medium of speech, writing, music, art, film, or movement, coupled with the willingness and ability to listen, see, and understand serves to make human experience accessible and thus human community possible. Process awareness involves awareness of the dynamic quality of community and the availability to attend to the here and now on multiple levels and in multiple dimensions simultaneously. Process commentary involves the ability to articulate process and to bring the discussion of process into the here and now. Creative planning involves the reconciliation and unification of multiple visions, where possible, toward the design of programs and use of resources. Personhood involves clarity, strength, commitment, vision, integrity, flexibility, the willingness to take leadership, trust and respect, responsibility, follow-through, the ability to exchange positive energy and the willingness to change. These are skills that can be developed and employed by us all in every aspect of health care community practice. Besides these, a health care worker need to explore, assess, extend, reinforce and supplement the available resources. As active members, we need to seek, respect, consider, and affirm the parents’ caring, knowledge, skills, and choices. Initiating service that enhance connection and working in partnerships with the parents promote quality care for children. Holding the belief that the parents are the experts rather than mere receivers of ready made options affirms the ownership of their parenting experience. This could lead to restructuring health care and education so people have successful experiences as owners of their own health and learning. CONCLUSION: The increasing emphasis being placed by founders, health departments, and policy makers on health promotion and on strategies such as community participation, partnerships, and coalition building offers unique opportunities to help broaden still further the scope of our professional contributions to improving the public’s health. The continued pivotal role of community organization in health education and related disciplines reflects not only its time – tested efficacy but also its high degree of philosophical fit with the most fundamental principles of effective community health education and other social change approaches. Using community organizing and community building skills and approaches, heath educators and other social change professionals can help communities identify and build on their strengths, select the issue they feel are of greatest relevance, and work together in mobilizing their resources and in other ways addressing the goals they collectively have set. Of at least equal importance, however, we can challenge ourselves to examine our own dynamic of power, with our professional colleagues and members of the community, to understand the complexities of working in partnership toward the goals of community ownership of the projects undertaken and increased empowerment and community competence. REFERENCES :  Cunningham Keith, 2004: Community Development.  Ledwith Margaret, 2005 : Community Development – A Critical Approach  Manning George & Curtis Kent, 1996 : Building Community – The Human Side of Work.  Midura Dan, 2005: Essentials of Community Building.  Minkler Meredith, 1997 : Community Organizing and Community Building for Health  Stabinsky Doreen & Brush Stephen, 1996: Valuing Local Knowledge. Read More