Community Development
The Practice of Community Development
Community development work is not new. It is a humble method of work that has its origins in principles that have come from the poor of the world – from hundreds of different cultures, from hundreds of thousands of different villages and communities, in all points of the globe.
Community development is a way of working that has been practiced for centuries. Each society, culture and time provides a different set of opportunities and constraints for its application.
The challenge for the community development method of work within this context of opportunities and constraints is to provide ‘bottom up’ processes, which strengthen community structuring and pursue social justice outcomes. An ongoing process of action-reflection has created a constantly evolving method of work, which emphasises the public dimension of social change.