Community Interventions Chapter 11 Overview Isidro Maya-Jariego and Daniel Holgado r VOLUNTEER EnChapter 11 Learning Objectives . Differentiate professionally-led versus grassroots interventions . Understand what it means for a community intervention to be effective . Know why a community needs to be ready for an intervention . Be aware of the steps to implementing community interventionsWhat is a Community Intervention? + Community interventions refer to actions that address social problems or unmet human needs within a community mAim to better understand and address social problems mimprove individual and group well-being uPrevention- and promotion-based programs * What is considered a community? mA group of people who all share interests or characteristics mit also may involve a geographic location, but not alwaysWhat is a Community Intervention? Cont. * Community coalition is a set of organizations, institutions and community agents that cooperate to improve the living conditions ofa communityTypes of Community Interventions © Types of Interventions mTraditional mParticipatoryTraditional Community Interventions * Traditional Approach mReferred to as a professionally-led intervention oTypically planned and implemented by professionals without input from the community members cActions are based on psychology principles that had been acquired during professional training mExample: Teaching a group of students positive social skills, so they can say ‘‘no” to their peers when encouraged to consume alcohol or other substancesParticipatory Community Interventions * Participatory Approach mReferred to as a grassroots intervention and are closely aligned with Community Psychology Community psychologists are not the experts mThe intervention emerges as community members establish objectives and decide what actions they can carry out togetherParticipatory Community Interventions, cont. + Participatory Approach, cont. wActive citizen participation oEverything is decided in collaboration with the community oExamples of decision points: i, Identifying issue or problem, gathering information and resources, analysis of issue, setting goals and objectives uExample: A psychologist collaborates with a school to prevent youth abuse of alcohol by creating a training program about social skillsImportant Factors to Consider + Evidence-based refers to an approach to interventions that is based on prior research that systematically demonstrates the program’s effectiveness + It is best when the interventions include the stakeholders’ (ie., community members’) thoughts and experiences, while also being based in strong theoretical models that help guide the design and implementation of the programTwo Sides of Community Interventions There are two key dimensions in any intervention: wEffectiveness almplementationImplementation + Implementation is the sequence of actions that goes from the planned on paper to actions in natural community contexts mGood implementation depends on the intervention design and effectiveness * Influenced also by community readiness, or degree to which the community is prepared for the behavioral and social changes expected by the interventionImplementation, cont. + Important factors in the implementation process include: Community dynamics: Help shape whether the intervention should use a traditional or participatory approach Community readiness mTheory mSkill level and knowledge of professionalsImplementation, cont. *It is not enough to design effective programs, it is also necessary to attend to the factors that make the desired social change possible mExample: Communities may vary in the degree of awareness to a specific social problem, as in the 1940s and 1950s when few people thought that tobacco use ptt was harmful ‘is mSmoking Commercial fe hhttps://www. youtube.com/watch?v=0-2000IXKurSumming Up * Community intervention is a planned action aimed at changing behavior in relation to a social problem * Action research consists of a learning cycle based on experience, through which interventions are based on previous theoretical models and in turn generate new knowledge through the application of programs * The logic of effectiveness is aimed at obtaining results with the application of evidence-based practices «Implementation should take into consideration the level of community readiness and focus on promoting participation, community organization, raising awareness of social problems and changing social norms Ss S = = SISTANCE ISSION 2B syaneness Ssenvices 22% pS HELPING 2'seitcmess CHARITY Vy ne INTEER2 COMMUNITY 3E= DONATIONS cOMTUTONE = waTEAM PASIDgS Sex Ss: 2