How can we build community capacity to engage in decision making?
What do we mean by community capacity building?
Community capacity building can mean different things to different people. Here, we are focusing on how to develop the skills and experiences of individuals and groups. In the regeneration context, the aim is to make sure that people have more influence over the decisions that affect them.
It is closely linked to community development. Find out more…
How can we do it?
Use action research to support local people to take the lead in assessing the needs and experiences of their own community. Who has done this? In the East End of Glasgow, an adult literacy project trained its service users as ‘peer educators’. This approach was used to explore issues surrounding HIV/AIDS with young people in Ethiopia. Find out more… Our Scottish Community Action Research Fund (SCARF) can help you to run this kind of approach in your area. |
Use participatory evaluation to build skills through local people evaluating organisations, projects or activities themselves. Who has done this? West Lothian Council uses ‘Tenant Led Inspections’ to assess its services. Find out more… Public scrutiny is one way to involve people in evaluating services. Get useful guidance on how to run this approach with young people. |
Design your programme of community development activity based on the needs of local people. The community should be fully involved in discussing and agreeing a programme of activity, so that it is tailored to their needs. Who has done this? Petersburn Development Trust started as a small group discussing a local park, and over time - based on community views – evolved into a more formal organisation. Community Links in South Lanarkshire also focuses on planning support and development activity based on local needs. Find out more… See our Learning Point on how organisations in the North East of Scotland have worked to strengthen communities. |
Commit to involving people in a way which gives them real decision making influence and power, so that they can put their skills to good use! Who has done this? Harrow City Council gave local people power to set local budgets. East Lothian Council has produced short and snappy case study examples of its activity in practice. Find out more… Get more advice online from Communities Taking Control. Girls Best Friend has produced very practical advice about strengthening the capacity of young girls to engage in decision making. |
Is there any more help available?
Yes! We have three funds which can help to develop community capacity.
• Our Seeing is Believing Fund can help community and voluntary organisations to visit others, to see how they have built community capacity.
• Our New Ideas Fund supports community and voluntary organisations wanting to try out new approaches in regeneration.
• Our Scottish Community Action Research Fund helps communities to carry out their own research.
Learning Connections, within the Scottish Executive, is a dedicated team supporting community learning and development across Scotland.
And finally… how does all of this help to regenerate communities?
• It aims to enable people to become more involved in the decisions that affect them. This should mean that decisions are tailored to local needs, experiences and views. So, capacity building should benefit the whole community.
• It should also benefit the individual personally. People should develop their skills, confidence and experience in some way – which could lead to other improvements in their life circumstances.
And, while building capacity it is important not to ignore the wider problems that can disadvantage communities – like employment, discrimination, poverty and so on.
You should also remember that everyone needs to build their skills to involve communities in decision making, not just the communities themselves. This is emphasised in the National Standards for Community Engagement.
Next month…
We will continue to focus on capacity building by thinking about how staff can work to improve their community engagement skills.
