Community Learning Development Resource 500 – 09
COMMUNITY GROUP DEVELOPMENT & THE WORKER ROLE
SUMMARY
The changing role of community development or neighbourhood regeneration workers where they are instrumental in the development of a community group, is explored and modelled with a concern for capacity building, empowerment and group independence.
Most community development worker are under continuous pressure to support development and change. The time and effort a worker can commit to any community group is limited by the need to manage and respond to competing work demands.
A worker needs to have a strategy for engaging with and supporting community groups, which includes how to disengage effectively, whilst enabling the group and its members to gain benefits from the experience. For a development worker there must be an exit strategy which endows the group and its members with the capacity and power to become self-sustaining and capable of self-direction and organisation.
Any ongoing or returning involvement by the worker must be needed, otherwise the worker may diminish their developmental role and become locked into a non-developmental provision model. The basis for any continuing worker engagement with a group must be that she/he enables ongoing opportunities for the support of individual and collective capacity building. A self-sustaining group with capacity. enables the worker to prioritise to supportively reduce or withdraw their inputs, and move-on.
The worker role and model of community group development is principally one of learning and capacity building for the group, its members and the worker, and much less one for continuing support and maintenance of the group’s existence.
Prompts for Reflection and Discussion
- How can a worker sensitively and supportively reduce their support for a developing community group?
- How might a worker organise to watch over a group sensitively so that the members feel supported whilst the worker is able to take on other developmental work?
- Review an experience of supporting a developing community group and review any strengths and weaknesses in your practice.