The Importance Of Community Development

Community development involves changing the relationships between ordinary people and people in positions of power, so that everyone can take part in the issues that affect their lives. It starts from the principle that within any community there is a wealth of knowledge and experience which, if used in creative ways, can be channeled into collective action to achieve the communities' desired goals.

What does community really mean? The definition of community is, “a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.” I believe community is more than just a definition. Community means sticking together and accepting those within the community

Crawford County, Kansas is very familiar to me; it is where I was born and raised and now, as an adult, it is where I work as a nurse. Barriers to healthcare exists in every community. There is a high amount of poverty in Crawford County that contributes to barriers to access to healthcare. Furthermore, Crawford County has several stakeholders that influence the health of the community and advanced practice registered nurse (ARNP) practice. In this assessment of my community, I will identify Crawford County, as well as prevalent health care barriers and important stakeholders in my community.

Lastly the author recommends community gardening as the best option because it will bring the community together. The author claims that the garden will be ‘a great way for children to learn,’ also that ‘kids spend far too much time inside’ and the garden will provide a healthy option for them to go outside and do some physical work in the fresh air. Referring to children as one of the main benefiters from the garden the author not only appeals to the council, because children are the future of their community but also appeals to parents as they want their community to be a healthy and sufficient place for their children. The author declares to the council

In this essay, I will be taking on the role of the head administrator, of the Northumberland Community Garden. I will be writing a proposal letter to the American Community Gardens Association, to try and receive funding for the Northumberland Community Gardens. In this letter, I will give a basic outline of the program development stages, evaluation process, and financial aspects of my organization. I will also include other information that would be considered relevant to understanding my purpose for creating this program.

This report will identify the different areas which make up health and how funding is a key element to improve health in the community. This report will also provide an evaluation on the contributing factors by which ill health can be developed. There are a number of element that contribute to the definition of Health these include physical, social and emotional health. Physical health can be defined as a state of well-being when all internal and external body parts, organs, tissues and cells are functioning efficiently.

Duerksen, C. & Snyder, C., (2005). Nature-friendly communities: habitat protection and land use. Case Study for Austin, TX; Washington, DC: Island Press Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com.ezproxy.apus.edu/lib/apus/Doc?id=10149942

Just imagine for a moment, strolling barefoot through silky sand, the warm sun beating down, and the sound of waves rhythmically rolling in. Picture dolphins dancing in the distance, seagulls whistling their blissful hymn above, and children laughing as they dance through the ocean spray. Sounds like the perfect escape, right? Tragically, the future of such a beautiful scene is in serious jeopardy! The quality of our waters is degrading at an alarming rate; the human race contributes to the problem daily, often without realizing it. Water pollution in Florida is reducing pure water sources at a drastic rate, destroying natural beauty, and severely impacting the survival of local wildlife. Human actions are a major contribution to this issue, therefore citizen awareness is the highest workable solution to diminish the threat and improve the degradation of our waterways. Florida cities near major waterways should establish annual community events to raise awareness and positively impact this problem.

Our human community is more than the town one is in, the state or a nation. From A Sand County Almanac (Leopold, 1948) the concept of land ethic was coined, “Enlarge the boundaries of community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals.” A moral and ethical government’s policies should view our communities in the multi-faceted spectrum that they truly are. We all need

Vital Connections of the Midlands (VCM) is a non-profit early child care and education program located in Columbia, South Carolina. The organization is currently certified through the United Way of the Midlands and is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. It provides family-centered services for at-risk families who are experiencing homelessness, poverty, substance abuse, and/or child abuse and neglect. VCM’s priority is given to families who are experiencing homelessness. This means that children who live with parents experiencing homelessness are automatically admitted into the program, free of charge, before families with a different crisis. Over the past decade, since 2007, the

A community garden helps the people involved connect on so many levels. Food is an item that can be connected to almost anything imaginable. This non profit garden allows members of the community to work together and to watch their efforts succeed as the garden prospers. The idea of the community garden is phenomenal. The main focus of the garden is for the volunteers to be able to give back and to share their connections as well as the beautiful produce that results from their efforts.

An effective way the nurse can utilize advocacy to increase awareness about a major issue can be accomplished by getting involved in the community board meeting to share the impacts the issue has on the community. According to NYC (2016), Community board plays an important role in providing quality of life for all the residents of New York City by utilizing a democratic approach to involve public participation, consensus building and create a positive local change. To further analyze the importance of community board meeting, this paper will identify the purpose of a community board meeting that I have attended, identify behavioral characteristics of the group leaders, describe a discussion, and analyze some alternative strategies for consensus building.

Community is established locally but community development is a process that includes actors from inside and outside of the community to achieve sustainability. My previous essays have addressed the progression of community development from place-based attachment, organizing and advocacy to addressing the need and effect of government involvement. The final stop on the continuum of the community development is to analyze market-based approaches to community development. This paper will look at how a market based approach to community development is an important component of community development because it is the appropriate response to the current socio-economic, and political context that our country is in. A market-based approach provides a mechanism to define relationships and allocate economic resources to create systemic change within communities. increasing opportunities for social inclusion and economic sustainability

My interest in community organizing and building began with the passion and knowledge for the well-being of others my father instilled in my life. My father was the late Chief Elmer Manatowa Jr of the Sac and Fox Nation, Native Tribe of Oklahoma. I have been an active Governing Council member (all adult members) of my Tribe for many years. I landed my first real job, Planning Department secretary, after taking a business course at the local technical .school. In that position, I had the opportunity to attend a Tribal Sovereignty Symposium organized by the Federal, State, and Tribal organizations. This was my first taste of community organizing and community building. It was the fourth symposium of its kind. The topics included Indian law, environmental issues, law enforcement, juvenile justice, arts, taxation, spirituality, preservation, state compacts, and Tribal immunity. There were two Senate Bills, 299 and 667. Bill 299 allowed certain protections for protecting land royalties and mineral rights. The protections included oil and mineral operator’s exclusion from drilling on individually owned Indian Country lands. Bill 667 referred to the health and human service regarding Indians.

The Department of Homeland Security released the 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review on June 18, 2014 as required by the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and its amendments. This review outlined the current state of preparedness, as well as the future areas of concentration. It also determined six strategic challenges facing the nation: terrorist threat; growing cyber threats; biological concerns as a whole; nuclear terrorism; transnational criminal organizations; and natural hazards. The basic building block of emergency management in the U.S. is the local community. Each step begins here. Threat assessments are completed on the local level. Planning, mitigation, and response are all responsibilities of the local community to support the state and Federal practice using the guidance provided by both.