1. Community Practice for Community Change
SOWK 4007 Community/ Macro Social Work Theory & Practice
Session 6
Winter 2016

2. Educational Objectives and Learning Outcomes
2. Demonstrate knowledge of community change models and the applicability of those models to social work practice and the person and environment and generalist practice perspective.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of assessment and change strategies in macro practice systems.
6. Critically engage in self-reflection and examine one’s own practice skills with communities, including examining privilege and oppression in communities and organizations.
Educational Objectives and Learning Outcomes

3. -Announcements -Applying Models -Assessment: Entering Community Theory to Practice
AGENDA

4. Session Eight (No Class) Windshield Survey in the Field
Process:
How are you each feeling about community exploration in week 8?
What are your plans? Check in with Kathy and discuss your intentional entry into community.

5. Theory to Practice Learning Collective, share…
Learning Collective, share…
Your ideas about how theory links to models
Which models resonate with you?

6. Learning Collective
Tasks:.
Research a specific change model and apply to example.
Talk about issue and critically analyze model
Teach model to class, issue and ask questions of the class.
Presentation should include:
Sharing real life example
Theoretical lens
Practice Model
Application of practice model to the current issue
Critical analysis
Locality Community Development – La Maritosa Online neighborhood.
Social Planning – Marijuana task force
Social Action – 1 Billion Rising
Transformative – Idle No More

7. Getting your Ducks in a row Real life examples

8. Assessment: Entering Community
Create a map of the community to visually represent observed patterns
Complete community inventory: businesses, parks, churches, facilities, overall condition of infrastructure
Power analysis – Document Power & Influence
Map community assets
Talents & skills
Community volunteer groups & networks
Government & Non-government organizations
Physical assets
Economic assets
Stories

9. Applying Models
In your groups, discuss how the various models fit with your assessment
Each member should share information gained from the online work
Complete the “Models for Community Change” and give one to Kathy
Learning Groups

10. Appendix – Community Practice Models
Characteristics
Advantages/ Disadvantages
Requirements

11. Characteristics of Social Planning
Emphasizes a technical process of problem solving
Presupposes that change in a complex environment requires experts and people with power to guide a complex change process
Change is deliberate and planned
Main concern and outcome is developing programs and delivering services

12. Social Planning Advantages Disadvantages
Allows for in-depth analysis of complicated problems
Takes a systems view
Can help avoid duplication
Can involve a wide range of expertise and perspectives
Tends to privilege those in power
Can take a long time; can be used as a stalling technique by those in power
Can result in a lengthy “report”or set of recommendations that are not implemented – “on the shelf”

13. What does social planning require?
An action system- organizations and invested stakeholders coming together in a task force, committee, coalition
Access to data and research
Ability to conceptualize, assess needs and prioritize into strategic issues
Task group facilitation and knowledge
Relationship and political skills

14. Characteristics of Community/ Locality Development
Focus on geographic communities; local definition is important
Includes a broad range of people
All community groups welcome
“the more the merrier”
Also can focus on population groups
Promotes empowerment, cooperation and consensus
Leadership shared with citizens and those with appointed power
Relationship oriented

15. Community Development
Advantages
Disadvantages
Can lead to long term change, especially if new community values are embraced
Builds local leadership
Brings diverse groups and can foster alliances across groups
Funding for small innovative projects can be found
Change process is slow
May not address structural change
Relies on common purpose and values which may lead to watered down action
Dependent on long term and consistent leadership

16. What does Community Development require?
Creating a group that represents the community
Identifying natural leaders
Gaining entry and trust
Ability to teach others, train, facilitate
Good meeting skills

17. Social Action
Based on power and conflict theory and social movement theory
Mobilizing people to take action and gain power for those who are oppressed and lacking power
Includes local, national and international movements
Can focus on either geographic communities or communities of interest
Issues identified by self interest of those involved
Conflict and struggle often present

18. What does Social Action require?
Grassroots neighborhood/ city based organizing
Issue based mobilization
Advocacy based organizing: combines legislative policy work with community based constituencies
National social movements and advocacy

19. Social Action Exciting, empowers Involves people
Advantages
Disadvantages
Difficult to maintain momentum
Difficult to build an organization
Tends to polarize
Appeals to self-interest
Funding is difficult
Can limit the use of other approaches
Exciting, empowers
Involves people
Issues are concrete and real
Respects people’s dignity and self-determination
Can get quick results
Emotional, non intellectual

20. Characteristics of Transformative Model/ Requirements
Self awareness and critical consciousness promoted
Individuals come to understand how their life experiences are shaped by political, economic and social structures

21. Transformative Hopes for long term value and culture change
Advantages
Disadvantages
Hopes for long term value and culture change
Combines individual and community change
Promotes culturally appropriate interventions
Slow change process
Sometimes stalls at individual change
Has worked better in non U.S. counties