Community Development

Definition
Community Development is collaborative, collective action taken by
local people to enhance the long term social, economic, and
environmental conditions of their community.

The primary goal of community development is to create a better

overall quality of life for everyone in the community
Community Development
• A “bottom-up” approach and a range of practices dedicated to:
• Increasing the strength and effectiveness of community life and
building social capital
• Improving local conditions, especially for people in disadvantaged
situations, and overcoming social exclusion
• Enabling people to participate in public decision-making and to
achieve greater long-term control over their circumstances
Features of Community Development
• Community Development is a learning process
• Learning by doing
• Participation
• Taking the initiative
• Evaluation by the people
Features of Community Development
Community Development is collective action
A group of people share mutual interest, sentiment, concern, act
together work as a team

Community Development is need oriented

Addresses specific and concrete needs
Bottom-up approach
Features of Community Development
Community Development is objective oriented
Objectives address the specific need
Take initiative in setting objectives

Community Development is action at the local level

Not applied by the experts
Ordinary people to play a leading part with all other actors
Outsider actors play roles as facilitators
Features of Community Development
Community Development leads to community building
Organizations and institutions
Linkages with facilitators
Leadership and skills
Community Development Process
Steps in Community Development
• Perceive a need: where are we now? (Needs Assessment)
• Organize an aim: Where do we want to go (Aims)
• Plan: How do we get there (Community Development Plan)
• Agitate and Animate: Go ahead with plan (Implementation,
Monitoring, Reporting)
• Learn from the past for a better future: How did we do and what did
we learn (Evaluation)