Community Learning Development Resource Category 03
UNDERSTANDING COMMUNITY AND NEIGHBOURHOOD
SUMMARY
In order to effectively engage people in learning within community development work, we should seek to be learner-centred – using approaches that connect with and respond to local people and their needs, wants and circumstances, and our work requires us to gain a good practical understanding of the lives of these learners in the context of their neighbourhoods and communities. To find starting points and engage with them in experiential learning, we need to be able to understand and work with their prior experiences and learning, in their own environment.
The ‘Understanding Community and Neighbourhood’ (03) category of resources explores the nature of neighbourhoods and communities; practical ways of engaging local people in thinking about their lives and where they live. Within Category (03) we also explore ways of working collectively with other workers and agencies in neighbourhood and community settings.