Same Community-Two Perspectives

One of our most powerful training sessions involves looking at the same community through two different lenses. The possibilities are astonishing when you build from a positive perspective. Read on and you will be pleasantly surprised…

During this exercise, we divide community members into two groups and assign each group a snapshot of the same community. The participants actually do not realize that the two perspectives are of the same community so this makes for a big surprise at the end! The objective of the session is to demonstrate how focusing on ‘needs-only’ limits our ability to see opportunities for investment in community-driven development. Instead of asking ‘what does a community need?’ it is so much more powerful to ask ‘what does a community have’?

Perspective 1: 

This is a community that was forcibly removed from its land to make room for the growing industries of the nearby city. Despite being located only three km from the city, the community has been largely ignored. On top of losing their ancestral land, this neglect has left deep psychological scars. There are no large employers (95% unemployment) so the population is in decline as more and more people have moved away to find work. This has left few formally educated people residing in the community and full economic dependency on the government. Fiscally, there is a large deficit and a limited operating budget, which is at a near-crisis point. There is no school, library, youth recreation program or community centre in the area and illiteracy rates are high. Health problems are also rampant and adequate housing is not being provided. 

Perspective 2: 

This is a community that is considered poor because unemployment rates are high. There are employment opportunities in farming and fisheries, but most families are economically dependent on the government. Although a number of people who were educated in the adjacent city universities have left the community to find work elsewhere (law, financial institutions, construction etc.), they still consider this community their home and come back often. Indigenous forms of knowledge, inclusive governance, and principles of consensus, fairness and sustainability are widespread and very much promoted by the local Chief. There are many people in the community who are trying to maintain and revive their culture. They have started drumming and basket-weaving associations and have engaged in activities to preserve the traditional language. The chief is viewed as a credible and visionary leader from both those within the community and those who have left. The proximity of the nearby city means that this community is becoming a popular tourist attraction and meeting place, and has a potential market for business enterprise. 

The Assignment: You are a team of community members that have been asked to make recommendations to local funders that want to support your work. Use the facts given in your community summaries. What would make a difference in your community? Where and what should funders invest in to improve family and community life in your community? Please discuss. As a team, identify your top three recommendations and be specific in your recommendations.

It is hard to believe that the two summaries above represent the same community. One can now understand how tapping into a community’s strengths, assets, and discovering the gifts God has already given them can set them on a self-driven pathway to sustainable community development. This is at the heart of what we do: ‘TRANSFORMING VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES FROM THE INSIDE OUT’.