Community Transformation

Making Change ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 135-147
Author(s):  
Tina P. Kruse

This chapter provides a foundational overview of community development theory as fodder for connecting community change to youth social entrepreneurship. The chapter includes special attention to elements of community development such as community asset-mapping and community social capital. To round out the argument that youth social entrepreneurs effect community change, the reader will consider research on youth organizing and activism, with an eye to meaningful community engagement. Finally, the chapter attends to the tricky but imperative issue of how community members (e.g., adults) can reciprocally support youth in their social change efforts. This dynamic form of engagement is referred to here as “youth–adult partnerships.”

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-94
Author(s):  
W. A. Amir Zal

Background and Purpose: Disturbances that hinder community development affect social capital. I refer to such disturbances as social cancer. This article aims at explaining the existence of social cancers, their typologies, and implications for Sea Indigenous People’s community development through economic activities.   Methodology: This exploratory case study involved 12 Sea Indigenous People in Johor, Malaysia. Data obtained through interviews were analysed using a thematic approach.   Findings: The findings revealed four types of social cancer in the community’s economic activities: 1) jealousy, 2) prejudice, 3) slander, and 4) defamation. Those social cancers had direct impacts on community development, specifically forming sabotage actions, negligence in using community capital, reducing community cohesiveness, causing a decline in the production of social innovation, and the existence of a hanging community and the death of the community.   Contributions: This study calls for a self-realisation mechanism to be introduced to community members so that their capacity for social capital can be developed to overcome the social cancer. Keywords: Community development, self-realisation mechanism, social cancer, social capital.   Cite as: Amir Zal, W. A. (2021). The presence and insinuation of social cancer among sea indigenous people in Malaysia.  Journal of Nusantara Studies, 6(1), 73-94. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol6iss1pp73-94


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 66-85
Author(s):  
Laura Ramaškienė ◽  
Eglė Šumskienė

There have been a lot of interest in social economics development in Europe, and social business has stood out for its social impact, having a potential approach to such societal problems as social exclusion, poverty, unemployment. The creation of social capital and social entrepreneurship are related by positive social change and economic benefits, which are achieved through personal and community bonding, innovation, and social initiatives. Social business has stood out for its social impact, having a potential approach to such societal problems as social exclusion, poverty, unemployment. The aim of the present article is to reveal social entrepreneurship impact on building social capital in Lithuanian communities. For this reason, a qualitative study was conducted based on social business activities related to community change, as well as identifying the interrelations between social business and social capital. This article introduces the theoretical approach of concepts social capital and community, followed by discussion of social business benefits and impact on the growth of community’s social capital. The results of the analysis of the research data were analytically coded based on grounded theory methodology and reveals the potential and perspective of social business in creating social change in the community following by building new relationships, trust and values, and new norms for community development. The positive changes initiated by social business are relevant to the goals of social work and reveal the need of further research in this field.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tara B. Mtuy ◽  
Jeremiah Mepukori ◽  
Joseph Lankoi ◽  
Shelley Lees

Abstract Background Photovoice is a method used to help engage community members to understand local realities and promote social change. Photovoice uses cameras in the hands of participants as a tool to visually document a specified topic. Photos taken by participants allow for reflection and stimulate dialog on an issue to ideally lead to social change. Trachoma, hyperendemic in Maasai communities in Northern Tanzania, is the commonest infectious cause of blindness worldwide, caused by chlamydia trachomatis. The bacterial infection commonly occurs in childhood and over many years repeated infections leads to inflammation and scarring of the eyelid. Often as adults this leads to the upper eyelid turning inward and eyelashes scratching the eye, resulting in pain and eventually blindness. We used photovoice as a tool for Maasai women to share their lived experiences of educating peers on trachoma and ultimately empowering women in this society. Methods This public engagement intervention was conducted September thru October 2017. We held a workshop on trachoma control for 20 Maasai women including use of photovoice method. Women were asked to disseminate information from the trachoma control workshop to their community and to capture their experiences using disposable cameras. Five weeks post-workshop we facilitated a discussion and women displayed photos of the successes and challenges they encountered as advocates for trachoma control in their community. Intervention Outcomes It was observed throughout the process and at the photo discussion meeting, that women articulated empowerment by this experience; as educators, agents of change and a source of valued information. Conclusion Photovoice should be considered for future interventions as a communication tool on health issues and to empower women to be ambassadors for health promotion.


2010 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey L. Jordan ◽  
Bulent Anil ◽  
Abdul Munasib

While a substantial amount of research has been devoted to showing what social capital does, research explaining social capital itself lags behind. The literature has a long tradition of examining the effect of social capital on local economic growth and development. In this paper we examine whether local economic development can explain the variation in social capital across various geographical clusters in the state of Georgia. We begin by devising a measurement tool, a Human Development Index (HDI), to measure community development. Our social capital measure includes associational memberships, voluntary activities, and philanthropy obtained from the Georgia Social Capital Survey. The findings show that even after accounting for various demographic and economic characteristics, the HDI explains the variation in a number of social capital levels (especially those measured by associational involvement) across various geographical clusters in the state of Georgia.


2021 ◽  
pp. 089331892110003
Author(s):  
Katherine R. Cooper

Prior research suggests that tensions are particularly salient in nonprofit and interorganizational contexts but rarely considers the impacts of managing these tensions. This manuscript applies a constitutive view of tensions to a community collaboration. Applied tensional analysis suggests interrelated membership tensions identified by organizational partners (grassroots/grasstops and inclusion/exclusion). Partners respond in conscious and latent ways (branding/blaming) as they seek to include organizational and community members and ultimately rely on contradictory messages (affirmation/admonition) to retain members. Findings present theoretical and practical implications for tension management, as well as constitutive implications for nonprofits dependent on organizational and community involvement to enact social change.


Author(s):  
Chuanyu Peng ◽  
Guoping Yuan ◽  
Yanhui Mao ◽  
Xin Wang ◽  
Jianhong Ma ◽  
...  

Attention on, and interest in, life satisfaction has increased worldwide. However, research on life satisfaction focused toward the urban dwellers’ residential community is mainly from western countries, and the limited research from China is solely focused on the geriatric population via a narrowly constrained research perspective. This study, therefore, aimed to investigate urbanites’ life satisfaction toward their community, combining the psychological (behavioral community engagement, mental state of flow, and cognitive community identity), physical (PREQIs-perceived residential environment quality indicators: e.g., green area), and social perspectives (social capital). The proposed conceptual model was tested on a regionally representative sample of 508 urban community residents in the city of Chengdu, Sichuan province, China. Data were analyzed via a structure equation modelling approach in AMOS software. Findings suggested that all of the psychological, physical and social factors contributed to a prediction of life satisfaction. Specifically, social capital mediated the path from community engagement and flow to life satisfaction, and community identity mediated the path from flow experience and green area to life satisfaction. Additionally, social capital contributed to predict life satisfaction through its influence on community identity. Findings provide suggestions for urban designers and policymakers to focus on creating an urban community equipped with green area, which helps to promote physical activities that are flow-productive, to enhance residents’ identification to their residential community and, therefore, increase life satisfaction.


2020 ◽  
pp. 146879412097888
Author(s):  
Rachel Creaney ◽  
Mags Currie ◽  
Paul Teedon ◽  
Karin Helwig

This project employed community researchers as a means of improving community engagement around their Private Water Supplies (PWS) in rural Scotland. In this paper, we reflect on working with community researchers in terms of the benefits and challenges of the approach for future rural research that seeks to improve community engagement. The paper (1) critiques the involvement of community researchers for rural community engagement, drawing on the experiences in this project and (2) provides suggestions for good practice for working with community researchers in rural communities’ research. We offer some context in terms of the role of community members in research, the importance of PWS, our approach to community researchers, followed by the methodological approach and findings and our conclusions to highlight that community researchers can be beneficial for enhancing community engagement, employability, and social capital. Future community researcher approaches need to be fully funded to ensure core researchers can fulfil their duty of care, which should not stop when data collection is finished. Community researchers need to be supported in two main ways: as continuing faces of the project after the official project end date and to transfer their newly acquired skills to future employment opportunities.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 102-102
Author(s):  
Alice Prendergast ◽  
Kristi Fuller

Abstract Efforts to include community voice in health policy and service planning are gaining recognition and support in the United States. Findings suggest community involvement can contribute to a better understanding of systems and factors that impact health, and, subsequently, more effective and sustainable policy and program design. Additionally, engagement can increase community buy-in, and community members can gain a greater awareness of services; increased confidence navigating systems; feelings of social connectedness; and capacity to advocate around issues through participation. Despite these findings, the extent to which community members are engaged in planning and decision-making varies considerably. Researchers from Georgia State University conducted a review of state plans on aging using the Person-Centered Outcomes Research Initiative (PCORI) Engagement Principles and the Health Research & Educational Trust’s Community and Patient Engagement Spectrum as frameworks to assess evidence of community engagement. The frameworks recognize engagement throughout the planning process, including design, data collection and interpretation, and dissemination. The review revealed that few planning processes described significant engagement, but rather met the minimal requirements established by federal policy. Federal guidance on community-informed planning practices is sparse, as are resources to support states in adopting these processes. To address this gap, the research team drew on the frameworks and other promising practices to design two community engagement projects, both in partnership with Georgia’s Division of Aging Services. Methods for participant engagement, data collection, interpretation and application of results, and lessons learned through both projects will be discussed, as well as potential implications.


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