Community & Social Change

Chapter 13

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Community & Social Change: 7 Approaches

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1. Consciousness Raising2. Social Action3. Community Development4. Community Coalitions5. Organizational Consultation6. Creating Alternative Settings7. Policy Research & Advocacy

(1) Consciousness Raising

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Increasing citizens’ awareness of social conditions

Requires community readiness--index of how much locality recognizes problem as residing in environmental conditions/ policies

Power derived from shaping definition of problem/ conflict

Examples: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(2) Social Action

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Identifies specific obstacles to empowerment of disadvantaged groups by: _______________________________________ _______________________________________

Confronts power of those with resources

(3) Community Development

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Development for future of community

Gradual strengthening of local institutions/ conditions _______________________________________ _______________________________________

Usually top down coordination of existing community sectors

(4) Community Coalitions

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Bring together a broad representation of citizens & community organizations within a locality to address a specific community problem

____________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________

(5) Organizational Consultation

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Working with workplaces (for profit or nonprofit), to make changes in the organization’s policies, structures, or practices.

____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________

(5) Organizational Consultation

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Policies ____________________________________________________________________________________________

Structures____________________________________

Practices____________________________________

(6) Creating Alternative Settings

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creating settings to counteract dissatisfaction with existing settings

_______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________

(6) Creating Alternative Settings

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Settings created as alternative options to existing settings because of dissatisfaction with existing settings

_______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________

(7) Policy Research & Advocacy

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Conducting research & seeking to influence public decisions, policies, or laws

testifying in lawsuits writing “state of the art” research pieces

supporting particular legislative initiative (best practices)

conducting research on a social issues such as homelessness to provide framework for future policy action

Policy Research: Its Logic

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(1) Look at claims that policy is intends to accomplish

(2) Look at assumptions underlying claims

(3) Conduct empirical research which assesses both claims & assumptions

Policy Research: A Small Example

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Should single sex girls’ schools stay single sex?

Policy claims/assumptions

_______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________

Research Methods

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Surveyed Young women currently in single sex & coed

schools Graduates of both types of schools in 1st year of

college

Classroom Environment Scales

Assessed leadership positions through yearbooks

Findings

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More academically challenging classroom environments (task orientation, involvement) in single-sex schools

More leadership positions in single-sex schools

Slightly more “free at last” dating behavior in 1st college semester, no 2nd semester differences

No difference in grades or college leadership roles freshman year

What Would You Conclude?

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What factors go into your decision?

What would you want to know before deciding whether or not to maintain single-sex schools?

Betterment or Empowerment?

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Top down or Bottom Up?

Community betterment is ___________________

works within system usually initiated by professionals issue may not affect them directly community needs/deficits the usual targets useful at gaining outside resources

Community Empowerment—Bottom up

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Citizen initiated/controlled

Decisions made by those affected by them

Useful to engage community resources & retaining local control

More likely to be confrontational

7 Core Elements of Successful Community Change

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1. Target more than 1 area of action 2. Local design of initiatives3. External linkages & resources4. Plausible theory of community change 5. Effective intensity6. Strengthening sense of community7. Long term perspective

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