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Community Practice Skills: Local to Global Perspectives resources

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COMMUNITIES AND COMMUNITY PRACTICE IN LOCAL TO GLOBAL CONTEXTS ■ 13 resources, inputs, outputs, activities, outcomes, and changes. Planning tools of this type can be useful with large groups because it allows each participant to better understand and envision the direction of the or ga ni za tion’s efforts. Using a planning tool also provides an opportunity to gather comments and feedback from the entire group, which can increase engagement and the likelihood of reaching the group’s intended goals. In our recent work with grassroots organizations in North Carolina engaged in sustainable development projects, we co- created a workbook with members of community organizations, which they used as they planned, carried out, and evaluated hoped- for social, economic, and environmental changes. Our work- book expands the logic model pro cess by incorporating the rationale behind the creation of the community- based or ga ni za tion. In addition, we integrated or gan i za tion al and developmental theories with planned change theory to cre- ate a continuous planning model (see fi gure 1.2) for use by and with grassroots groups (Gamble, Weil, Kiefer et al. 2005). We describe the model’s action plan in eight steps (represented by the eight boxes in the continuous circle), which were adapted from our experience and review of planning and evaluation litera- ture. This body of literature is important because it aims not only to help com- munity groups improve their collective effectiveness but also to improve the economic, social, environmental, and emotional aspects of community life (Arnold et al. 1991; Castelloe and Gamble 2005; Freire 1972; Kellogg Founda- tion 2004; Pretty et al. 1995; United Way of America 1996). The eight steps shown in fi gure 1.2 are intended to be iterative rather than sequential, which more accurately refl ects the way groups function in the real world. When elaborating the planning steps for any community project, whether local or global, it is important to ensure community participation at all points in the pro cess (Fals- Borda 1998). Although organizers might assign specifi c respon- sibilities to task forces, action groups, or committees, guidance from the whole group is required throughout all stages— planning, implementation, evaluation, and refl ection. This type of participatory planning takes time and requires the skills of a good facilitator, but it will yield big rewards in the number of people who actively support the plan and hope for its ultimate success. In addition, participatory pro cesses embody widely valued demo cratic principles (Castelloe and Gamble 2005; Chambers 1997; Couto and Guthrie 1999; VeneKlasen and Miller 2002). SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Interest in sustainable development emerged in part from the dialogue among those working to alleviate social and economic disparities across the globe and those concerned with environmental degradation (World Commission on

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