What is a community? ___A community can be any group sharing something in common What do we mean by understanding and describing the community? ___You must understand the community's physical and geographic contexts -- the setting in which the community exists ___You must understand the community's people, culture, and web of relationships ___Explore all dimensions of the community -- physical/geographical, demographic, social, cultural, political, and economic ___A community description puts together the information you've gathered in a form that creates a picture of the community that you can use to provide a context for your community assessment and to see the results of whatever actions you take to bring about change Why make the effort to understand and describe your community? ___It will give you a general idea, even before an assessment, of the community's strengths and the challenges it faces ___It will capture unspoken, influential rules and norms ___It will give you a feel for the attitudes and opinions of the community when you're starting work on an initiative ___It will help to ensure the security of your organization's staff and participants ___It will give you enough familiarity with the community to allow you to converse intelligently with residents about community issues, personalities and geography ___It will enable you to talk convincingly with the media about the community ___It will allow you to share information with other organizations or coalitions that work in the community so that you can collaborate or so that everyone's work can benefit ___It will provide background and justification for grant proposals ___It will give you insight into the context of the community so that you can tailor interventions and programs to its norms and culture, and increase your chances of success When should you make an effort to understand and describe the community? ___When you're new to a community and want to be well informed before beginning your work ___When you've been working in a community for any length of time and want to take stock ___When you're feeling like you're stuck in a rut and need a fresh perspective ___When you're considering introducing a new initiative or program and want to assess its possible success ___When a funder asks you to, often as part of a funding proposal Whom should you contact to gather information? ___Elected officials ___Community planners and development officers ___Chiefs of police ___School superintendents, principals, and teachers ___Directors or staff of health and human service organizations ___Health professionals ___Clergy ___Community activists ___Real estate agents, housing advocates, and others knowledgeable about the real estate situation in the community ___Presidents or chairs of civic or service clubs -- Chamber of Commerce, veterans' organizations, Lions, Rotary, etc. ___People without titles, but identified by others as "community leaders" or "natural helpers" ___Owners or CEO's of large businesses (these may be local or may be large corporations with local branches) How do you go about understanding and describing the community? ___Be prepared to learn from the community ___Be aware that people's speech, thoughts, and actions are not always rational ___Don't assume that the information people give you is necessarily accurate ___Beware of activities that may change people's behavior ___Take advantage of the information and facilities that help shape the world of those who have lived in the community for a long time ___Network, network, network ___Gather information using: Public and other records and archives Individual and group interviews and conversations Surveys Direct and participant observation ___Examine: The community's physical and geographical characteristics, including infrastructure Community demographics Community history Community government and politics Community institutions Community groups and organizations Economics and employment Social structure ___Create a community description that you can use as a reference. ___The description can take a number of forms, and can include, drawings, photos, maps, charts, video, audio, animation, or any other feature that you're capable of including and that helps paint an accurate and compelling picture of the community. ___Continue over time to gather information and update your community description as the community changes and develops. Contributor Chris Hampton Catie Heaven
