SELECTED CASES OF
COMMUNITY-ACTION
INITIATIVES
Group 7
 

COMMUNITY-ACTION
INITIATIVES
• created to support community-led projects that promote
mental health, prevent substance use problems and
promote
promo te effective treatment and support for individuals and
families experiencing mental health and/or substance use
challenges.
•
generally a network of individuals and partner
generally par tner organizations
dedicated to improving the health and welfare of a
community. It seeks to deal with and reduce the effect of

social problems, in order to improve peoples' quality of life.

 

CORE VALUES AND PR INCIPL

COMMUNITY-ACTION ES OF
INITIATIVES

Human rights
• Social justice
•

Empowerment and advocacy

• Participator
Participatoryy de
develop
velopment
ment
•

Gender equality

HUMAN RIGHTS
rights inherent to all human beings,
regardless of race, sex, nationality,
ethnicity, language, religion, or any
other status. Human rights include
the right to life and liberty, freedom
from slavery and torture,
tor ture, freedom of
opinion and expression, the right to
 work and education, and many more.
In essence, the human rights-
based approach is the way in
 which human rights
rights can be
protected in clinical and
organizational practice by
adherence to the underlying core
values of fairness, respect, equality,
dignity and autonomy
 

SOCIAL JUSTICE

Social justice principles refer to

is based on the concepts of human
values “that favors measures that
rights and equality, and can be
aim at decreasing or eliminating
defined as "the way in which
human rights are manifested in inequity; promoting
of diversity; inclusiveness
and establishing
the everyday lives of people at
environments that are supportive
every level of society
society".
". A number
of all people. "The social justice
of movements are working to
principles include: equity, diversity
achieve social justice in society.
and supportive environments.
 

are social democratic practices that

enable people to overcome
overcome barriers and
contribute to practice a focus on social
 justice. They enable social workers
workers to
help give people changes to better

EMPOWERM understand and change their lives.

ENT AND
ADVOCACY both concerned with a shift of power or
emphasis towards meeting the needs
and rights of people who otherwise
 would be marginalized or oppressed.
 

a process through which stakeholders can

influence and share control over
development initiatives, and over the
decisions and resources that affect
themselves.

It seeks to engage local populations in

PARTICIPATORY development projects. Participatory

development has taken a variety of forms
DEVELOPMENT since it emerged in the 1970s, when it was
introduced
introdu ced as an important part of the "basic
needs approach" to development. Two
perspectives that can define PD are the
"Social Movement Perspective" and the
"Institutional Perspective“.
 

SOCIAL MO
MOVEMENT
VEMENT
PERSPECTIVE INSTITUTIONAL PERSPECTIVE
• The "Social
"S ocial Movement • The "Institutional Perspective"
Perspective" defines defines participation as the
participation as the reach and inclusion of inputs by
mobilization of people to relevant groups in the design
eliminate unjust hierarchies of and implementation of a
knowledge
knowl edge,, power
power,, and development project. The
economic
econom ic distribu
distribution.
tion. This "Institutional Perspective" uses
perspective identifies the goal the inputs and opinions of
of participation as an relevant groups,
groups , or
empowering
empow ering process for people stakeholders in a community, as
to handle challenges and a tool to achieve a pre-
influence the direction of their established goal defined by
own lives someone external to the
community involved.
 

GENDER EQUALITY

also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of
access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic
participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing different behaviors,
aspirations and n
needs
eeds eq
equally,
ually, regardless of gend
gender
er..

Gender equality is achieved when women and men enjoy the same
rights and opportunities across all sectors of society, including
economic participation and decision-making, and when the different
behaviors, aspirations and needs of women and men are equally valued
and favored.
 

METHODOLOGIES AND
APPROACHES OF COMMUNITY
ACTION
ACTIONSS ANDDISCIPLINES
ACROSS INVOLVEME
INVOL VEMENTS
NTS

1.P
1.Partners
artnership
hip build
building
ing with
with local gr
groups
2.Community
2. Community profiling
3.Needs
3.Needs assessment
4. Working
 Working with a core group/leadership
group/leadership
development/participatory
development/participatory action
planning
 

• Partnership building with local groups

A community meeting on future perspectives in local

development planning is a way to create a shared vision for
partnership building. It enrols those stakeholders,
stakeholders, who have
have
the power of information on the topics at hand and those
 who are affected
affected by the outcomes.
• Community Profiling
a social research method which involves building up a

picture of thewith
community, nature, needs participation
the active and resourcesofof
itsa members,
locality or the
aim being to create and implement an action plan to address
the issues unearthed
 

• Needs assessment
a systematic process for determining and addressing needs, or
"gaps" between current conditions and desired conditions or
"wants".The discrepancy betwe
b etween
en the
th e current condition and
 wanted condition must be measured
measured to appropriately
appropriately identify the
need.
•

 W
 Working
orking with a core group action
development/participatory
development/participatory of leaders/leadership
pl anning
planning
one in which everyone who has a stake in the intervention
inter vention has
a voice, either in person or by representation. Staff of the
organizationofficials,
community that willinterested
run it, members
citizens,ofand
thepeople
target from
population,
involved
agencies, schools, and other institutions all should
s hould be invited to the
table. Everyone's participation
par ticipation should be welcomed and respected,
and the process shouldn't be dominated by any individual
in dividual or group,
or by a single point of view
view..