Mindset and practice in community development
Over the last few decades working in local government and non-profit sectors, I’ve learnt that as much as there is diversity within and between communities, there is just as much diversity in the ‘how to’ of community development work. Whilst those of us who practice community development ascribe to a common purpose and some consistent principles that guide our practice, the nature of the work requires us to become adept at playing a range of different roles. In this article I’ll unpack some of these different roles and the practice skills we need to develop to perform them well.
First though, I want to talk about mindset. The mindset we bring to our work is where I believe the journey towards achieving positive outcomes with communities begins. Community development work requires us to navigate complex landscapes that are characterised by diversity, ambiguity and fluidity. The contexts of community are often at odds with the process driven, rules-based, hierarchical and predictable organisational environments that many of us work in.
Navigating this complexity effectively, straddling the worlds of community and organisation, and working within these contexts to facilitate social change requires us to cultivate what I refer to below as a ‘community development mindset’.
Achieving this mindset calls for a number of shifts in how we think about ourselves and the communities that we work with.
How we think about ourselves….
How we think about what we do ….
How we think about community ….
How we think about issues in community…
This change in thinking may seem like common sense however as we try to shake off the 20th century ‘welfare approaches’ to community work there are forces at play that make this shift a challenge:
funding models and service systems that define individuals and communities by their ‘problems’ and perceived vulnerability;
well-meaning efforts to manage risk and maintain quality, that limit the ability of communities to self-organize and play leading roles in driving social change;
challenges aligning evidence-based practice with strategies that create space for community led solutions that take the nuances of place and culture into account.
In the context of these trends, applying a community development mindset allows us to refocus our thinking on communities as sites of knowledge, skills, resources and networks that can be leveraged to solve complex problems. Programs, services and funding come and go. Communities will be there when we are not and building their capacity is an investment in longer term impacts and our collective future.
Like any mind shift, achieving the above takes time, dedication and involves a process of continual reflection. The benefits, however, include a higher degree of success in development initiatives and, importantly, positive co-created outcomes that stick.
Practice skills
In my experience there are some important practice skills, aligned with roles, that flow from this shift in mindset. Effective community development work involves being able to switch seamlessly between these different roles (outlined below) to help communities achieve positive outcomes.
The Listener – creates safe and inclusive spaces where communities feel listened to and can learn from each other
The Reflector – reflects back what they have heard to build clarity on community priorities and a shared vision of the path forward
The Connector - builds and nurtures relationships to deepen understanding and build strong connections with and within communities
The Facilitator – plays an active role in helping others achieve an outcome, providing access to information, support and resources
The Enabler – builds capacity in others, identifies and removes barriers that prevent them from achieving their goals
The Mobiliser – leverages connections and networks, mobilising people and resources towards a common goal
The Amplifier – works with communities to amplify their voices and their efforts, creating platforms that enable them to have influence over issues and decisions that matter to them
Central to community development work is the ability to determine the most effective role for us to be playing in a particular place, at a particular time in relation to a particular issue. Community development work involves lots of particulars, and being able to pick up on the nuances of where a community is at in their journey, their capacity and the support they need from you is the key.
An effective community development practitioner works from solid principles, wears many hats, is comfortable in many different contexts and is adept at shifting their perspective. None of these skills are easy, but they do offer pathways for better outcomes, and helping communities co-create lasting impacts that will bolster them well into the future is certainly one of the most rewarding careers I can imagine.
If you work in the field of community development, or want to know more about what we do, please reach out. You can reach me via the form here.
