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Chapter 1. Our Model for Community Change and Improvement >
Section 6. Some Core Principles, Assumptions, and Values to ... >
Some Core Principles, Assumptions, and Values to Guide the Work |
Tools & Checklists | Contributed by Phil Rabinowitz Edited by Bill Berkowitz |
Checklist
Here you will find a checklist summarizing the important points of the section.
What do we mean by values, principles, and assumptions?
__ Values are the deeply held beliefs about how the world should be that provide our guidelines for living and behavior.
__ Principles are the fundamental scientific, logical, or moral/ethical “truths,” arising from experience, knowledge, and (often) values, on which we base our actions and thinking.
__ Assumptions are the next level of truths, the ones we feel we can take for granted, given the principles we have accepted.
Core values of the Community Tool Box
__ Everyone in a community has a right to a decent quality of life.
__ Everyone is worthy of respect and equal consideration.
__ Any community work or research should have the ultimate aim of being useful in improving people’s lives, particularly the lives of those most in need and/or least powerful.
__ Racism and bias – because of religion, class, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic background, disability, etc. – have no place in a civil society.
__ Fairness demands that everyone affected by research or by an issue – all stakeholders – should have the opportunity for either direct participation or representation in planning, implementing, and analyzing the resulting research or intervention.
__ This work isn’t about power or turf, but about the public good.
Core principles of the Community Tool Box
__ “Fair” doesn’t mean that everyone gets the same thing; it means that everyone gets what she needs.
__ Community work is far more likely to be successful if it involves all stakeholders from the very beginning.
__ Leadership from within the community should be encouraged and nurtured.
__ Community work takes careful planning at every stage of the process.
__ Evaluation is absolutely necessary, and useful in many ways, although probably most useful as a tool for improving your effort.
__ Outcomes matter.
__ Time is of the essence.
__ Don’t bite off more than you can chew.
__ Make sure that your funding and other resources are adequate for what you’re trying to do.
__ Community action should take place at the level and time to make it most effective.
__ Community intervention should be replicable and sustainable.
__ Community work is never done.
__ Don’t lose sight of your vision, your principles, and your values in the struggle to get things done.
__ The real goal of community work is positive social change.
Assumptions of the Community Tool Box
__ Just about everyone wants what’s best for the community.
__ Once people understand others’ circumstances, they’re usually willing to help.
__ If people are treated with respect, they usually respond the same way.
__ Coalitions, partnerships, and collaborations are built one relationship at a time.
__ People have to believe something is possible before they’ll work to make it happen.
__ People working together are better off and more successful than people working alone.
__ The world isn’t perfect; this work is necessary to create positive social change and make it a better place for everyone.