Why Empower a Community?

Key points

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Why Empower a Community?

• The Community is the Most Effective Medium
• Power, Capacity, Ability
• Choosing Which Communities
• Wealth and Poverty, A Social Approach
• Participation (Necessary but not Necessarily Sufficient)

Reading

Empowerment Principles Module Hub (Introduction) The Community is the Most Effective Medium Why Empower a Community? Discussion Handout Power, Capacity, Ability Ability Key Words Entry Strengthen Key Words Entry Capacity Development Discussion Handout Choosing Which Communities Read about Choosing in Managing an Empowerment Programme Read Choosing a Community in Empowerment Principles Read Why Empower a Community in Empowerment Principles Wealth and Poverty, A Social Approach Poverty Key Words Entry Wealth Key Words Entry Wealth Discussion Handout Value Key Words Entry Participation (Necessary but not Necessarily Sufficient) Participation Key Words Entry Community Participation Key Words Entry Consult Key Words Entry Participation Discussion Handout by Ben Flemming

Outcomes

The student will be able to explain the arguments for helping communities to become empowered The student will be able to see that the community is the most effective institution to change for fighting the war on poverty The student will be able to distinguish between communities that should or should not be empowered. Similarly: could and could not The student will be able to see that power, capacity and ability all describe strength of a community The student will have tools for choosing which communities to empower The student will be able to distinguish between wealth and money The student will recognize poverty as a social problem which needs a social solution The student will see that participation means participating in decision making, not only contributing or being consulted The student will recognize that community participation is essential for success and sustaining a community project