WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY AND NOT FOR THE COMMUNITY

A community in this context can be defined as a group of people who have a common sense of
belonging, it can also be defined as a group of people connected by a visible or invisible link.

Working for a community means coming up with ideas and then launching them in a
community that did not ask for it or was not involved in the process of developing the idea,
while working with a community means learning how to work with community members,
researching on their needs and desires, developing and testing ideas with the community
members to find the one that works best or coming up with indigenous solutions to the issues
identified.

Working with the community encourages community engagement, and community

engagement can transform communities. Encouraging community participation in projects
facilitates fair, equitable, and sustainable outcomes. Designing community programs with
community members takes into account the histories, priorities, and hopes that are deeply
valued and co-owned by the community. Community engagement also offers an approach that
can lead to more robust and sustainable results by developing programs that are culturally
responsive, respectful, and inclusive.

BENEFITS OF WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY AND NOT FOR THE COMMUNITY

 Engaging in a community-led conversation, helps to understand what people like or

dislike about their community and the initiatives that could impact the community
instead of just spreading information and telling people about what is being done in
their community.
 It gives individuals in the community the opportunity to understand how a perspective
or need which was different from their own had to be catered for and give them a
better understanding and acceptance of a final decision or outcome.
 Community engagement can help to identify roadblocks, which might otherwise blow
out the timeframes and costs of a project.
 By establishing communicative relationships with the community, it can improve the
uptake of services and members of the community feel like they have played their part
in the positive outcomes.

REFERENCES

https://www.informalscience.org/sites/default/files/BP-11-Working-With-Communities.pdf
6 Reasons Why Public Participation and Community Engagement are Important - Social Pinpoint - A
Place to Engage Your Community