Introduction to Community Empowerment/Mobilizing community/Getting Prepared

{|cellpadding="5" cellspacing="6" style="width:100%;background:#FFFFDF; border-style:solid; border-width:1px; border-color:#888855;"
 * width="100%" valign="top" style="padding: 0; margin:0px;" |


 * know your goals
 * know your target community
 * know the required skills
 * know the fundamental concepts

Overview of this module
Before you can successfully stimulate self help development in a community, you must prepare yourself.

You must be clear and knowledgeable about:


 * your goals;
 * you must know about your target community;
 * you must have the required skills;
 * you must understand the fundamental concepts of mobilization.

This module informs you of the things that you need to get prepared. Do not assume, however, that you can get prepared "once and for all."

We mobilizers are continually learning more and more about all the things mentioned in this chapter. It is a never ending process, and we will be doomed to failure if we ever think we know it all.

Keeping a journal
In this course we make extensive use of a personal journal. This will help you in keeping notes for your own community empowerment project and help you keep track of your progress in the course.

The first thing to do now is to start a journal. You can use an inexpensive school notebook or keep your notes in a file. We recommend using four note books and title them:


 * 1) Goals and Concepts;
 * 2) The Target Community;
 * 3) Mobilizing skills; and
 * 4) A Day-to-Day Journal record.

If you prefer to use a file, create four divider pages for the sections above.

However you choose to organize yourself, it is important to start making notes and records now. We have included a number of "Journal activities" throughout the course materials to signify appropriate points for reflection and note taking in your journal. Write with your replacement in mind as your reader.

Draft content added by Val
Content coming soon ....

Getting Prepared (PRE)


 * Know (or Learn) Your Goals and Objectives - what is it that mobilizers wish to achieve
 * Know (or Learn) About Your Beneficiaries - Target Community, social research; how the community functions
 * Know (or Learn) the Required Skills
 * Know (or Learn) the Community Empowerment Concepts - what principles and reasoning need to be understood