Communities have often been active in the social life of the country (Chaskin, 2003). However, this activeness has a somewhat chaotic nature. I agree with such a viewpoint as I have already witnessed attempts of people in communities to take their stand. I also agree that community initiatives lack clear goals and aims. Therefore, it is rather difficult to evaluate these projects though the evaluation of the effectiveness of community initiatives could make the government as well as people aware of the great potential of such initiatives. One question persists, though. How to set clear goals? What strategies can be used to set goals?
Notably, there are several examples of effective community initiatives (Kagotho & Gunn, 2005). A coalition of stakeholders was formed, and there are signs that the coalition can have a positive impact on the development of the community. However, I have concerns that the initiative will have insignificant success as it covers a lot of issues. There are odds that some groups will still try to gain profits at the expense of people’s wellbeing. One of the questions here: How to make any abuse impossible? It is essential to have deeper connections and effective tools to be able to affect the process of decision-making. One of these tools is the extensive use of media. Dorfman and Gonzalez (2012) claim that this is an effective approach that can make community initiatives effective. Admittedly, the use of social networks, creating the news, telling stories can raise people’s awareness of an issue. Thus, the issue of a single neighborhood can acquire the attention of the entire nation. Though there is still a question as there is an abundance of information online, and lots of stories can be unnoticed. Which are the most effective strategies which can ensure the support of all stakeholders?
Reference List
Chaskin, R.J. (2003). The challenge of two-tiered evaluation in community initiatives. Journal of Community Practice, 11(1), 61-83.
Dorfman, L., & Gonzalez, P. (2012). Media advocacy: A strategy for helping communities change policy. In M. Minkler (Ed.), Community organizing and community building for health and welfare (pp. 407-423). New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Kagotho, K.N., & Gunn, G. (2005). The Missouri-Kansas asset-building coalition and policy project: An initiative in cross-state policy making for wealth building. Web.