Education is a crucial part of community development plans, with academic achievement rates used as an economic indicator. Community development and education are strongly interrelated, with education being the basic building block of community development. The community development paradigm is used both locally and internationally, with some components differing depending on the location.
Education is often a key component of a community development plan. The academic achievement rate is generally used as an economic indicator to judge the effectiveness of retraining efforts. Most theorists think that community development and education proceed at a walking pace, and are strongly interrelated.
Community development is a process designed to empower people in a targeted geographic area with the knowledge, skills and motivation to improve their immediate environment and economic circumstances. It’s a transformative approach to change that focuses on building integrated skills, rather than just handing people a flyer. The underlying philosophy that drives community development efforts spans many disciples, including areas such as education, vocational training, housing and childcare.
The basic building block of community development, however, is education. Community development and education have perhaps the closest correlation of the other possible areas of change. When international development agencies go to poor areas, the first thing they do to start the community development process is to open a school. The average level of academic achievement typically determines a community’s income potential and directly influences quality of life.
Governments, non-profit organizations, and international development agencies invest community development money and other resources in targeted areas according to a plan that can be implemented over the course of several years. The plan is often structured to bring area residents into the planning process. Ultimately, the plan is considered a success if area residents are able to self-manage the community change process. This idea of a sustainable approach to development where the community itself takes ownership of the process is a major reason why community development and education are so intertwined.
Education as part of a community development plan will often take two forms. Program managers work to improve the education system for children and youth, so the economic statistics that track academic performance will see some improvements. So money and resources are directed towards academic areas, such as literacy programs, mentoring, and after-school tutoring. Then, resources will also be allocated to teach people how to stand up for themselves. Workshops and seminars on social activism are made available, and the community is educated on the scope and consequences of issues affecting their community.
The community development paradigm is used locally in developed countries and during international relief operations in underdeveloped countries. Some of the typical components may be different in the two settings. For example, international community development often has a component that works to ensure that the community has a stable source of clean water, but this is rarely a problem in developing countries. The correlation between community development and education holds true, however, despite the differences in locales.
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