Building and Measuring Community Capacity Glenn Laverack

Community Capacity is... ‘The increase in community groups' abilities to define, assess, analyse and act on health (or any other) concerns of importance to their members’. Labonte and Laverack, 2001

Community Capacity is... Social: The cultivation and use of transferable skills, knowledge systems, and resources that affect community level changes. Organisational: Communities can affect their ability to identify, mobilise, and address social and public (health) problems. Goodman et al, 1998.

The Characteristics of Community The concept of ‘community’ may be interpreted as heterogeneous individuals and groups who share common interests and needs and who are able to mobilise and organise themselves toward change.

The characteristics of community capacity A dynamic process that increases the assets and attributes that a community is able to draw upon to improve their lives. It is both a means and an end. The process is influenced by organisational areas of influence or ‘domains’ that allow individuals and groups to organise and mobilise themselves towards change.

Nine domains of community capacity Improve stakeholder participation. Increase problem assessment capacities. Develop local leadership. Improve resource mobilisation. Build organisational structures. Strengthen links to organisations and people. Enhance stakeholder ability to ‘ask why’. Increase control over programme management. Create an equitable relationship with the outside agents.

Unpacking Community Capacity

Improve stakeholder participation Participation is basic to community capacity. Only by participating, for example in small groups or organisations, can individuals better define, analyse and act on issues of general concern to the broader community. The involvement of all groups in the ‘community’ or their representatives. Gender, ethnic, clan, tribe, socio-economic. The marginalised and dis-empowered are often the least involved or purposefully excluded groups. Experiences in Fiji, India (caste), Africa (tribal) of marginalised groups.

Increase problem assessment capacities Capacity building presumes that the identification of problems, solutions to the problems and actions to resolve the problems are carried out by the community. This process assists communities to develop a sense of self-determination and the skills necessary for greater capacity. From small acorns grow large oak trees. From small ideas can grow meaningful projects. Who defines the problem will determine the nature of the programme. Top-down or bottom-up? This can create conflict or distance between stakeholders. Example of experience in Sri Lanka-cemetery. Don’t ask the questions if you are not prepared to listen to the answers?

Develop local leadership Participation and leadership are closely connected. Leadership requires a strong participant base just as participation requires the direction and structure of strong leadership. Both play an important role in the development of small groups and community organisations. Fiji- clan leader conflict. Resolution through funds for Kava drinking at request of the community. Fiji- poor quality of traditional leaders and allegations of corruption. Leadership training workshops from outside agent at request of the community. The development of ‘organic leaders’. Leadership sometimes not challenged in cultural/political contexts.

Improve resource mobilisation The ability of the community to mobilise resources both from within and the ability to negotiate resources from beyond itself is an important factor to achieve successes in its efforts towards capacity building. Fund-raising fetes, fun-runs, raffles in England. Fiji and the use of resorts and hotels. The H’mong in Vietnam and use of forest products.

Build organisational structures Organisational structures include small groups such as committees and associations. These represent the ways in which people come together in order to socialise and to address their concerns and problems. The existence of and the level at which these organisations function is crucial to building capacity. Youth unions, womens unions, peasants associations, war veterans associations in Vietnam. Church groups, meetings and functions in West Africa. Committees, youth clubs, parish and community councils in the West. Formal and informal structures.

Strengthen links to organisations and people Links with people and organisations, including partnerships, coalitions and alliances between the community and others, can assist in addressing its issues and in mobilising resources. ‘Cluster’ concept by Korsching and Borich (1997) in Mid-West USA agricultural communities to better organise and mobilise resources. Tikinas in Fiji- administrative and traditional. Internet access for remote aboriginal communities in NT of Australia.

Enhance stakeholder ability to ‘ask why’ The ability of the community to critically assess the social, political, economic and other causes of inequalities is a crucial stage towards developing appropriate personal and social change strategies. Paulo Freire. Photo novella. Contrary to cultural custom- Fiji- where traditional chiefs are not challenged- or to political context- Vietnam/Kyrgyz- communist countries.

Increase control over programme management In a programme context community involvement should extend to decisions over planning, implementation, evaluation and finances. The first step is to have clearly defined roles and responsibilities of all the programme stakeholders. Power-over Power-with Transformative role of the outside agents and projects. Community must gain power. Power cannot be given.

Create an equitable relationship with the outside agents In a programme context the outside agents are often an important link between communities and external resources. Their role includes enabling others to build their capacity in the community and facilitating the development of skills, knowledge and competencies. Outside agent can be Governmental, Non-Governmental, host nation or non-host nation agency. Can especially offer a ‘kick start’ to community activities or technical guidance at the beginning of a project. Involvement should be at the invitation of the community. Outside agent can strengthen the other domains such as ‘resource mobilisation’ and ‘links to others’.

Building and Measuring Community Capacity

The process A participatory self-evaluation Assess each domain Develop a strategic plan for improvement Visually represent the assessment Interpret the visual representation

The Methodology Participatory workshop approach Preparation (the development of a working definition & pre-testing the domains). Assessment of each capacity domain. Strategic planning for each domain. The follow-up (re-assessment and comparison of progress).

The Matrix

The Assessment of each Domain Five Qualitative statements. Least to most capacity building. Separate sheet and not numbered. Participants select/adapt one statement.

The Capacity Matrix Domain Assessment and rank Reasons why How to Improve Strategy Resources LOCAL LEADERSHIP Functioning well under leadership. Do not have the support of leaders outside the Health Action Team. (2) Do not have support by the local school, police and community services

Strategic Planning How to broadly improve the present situation. A detailed strategic plan (who is responsible, what, how, when and within which timeframe). The resources required to implement the strategic plan.

The Capacity Matrix Domain Assessment and rank Reasons why How to Improve Strategy Resources LOCAL LEADERSHIP Functioning well under leadership. Do not have the support of leaders outside the Health Action Team. (2) Do not have the support by local school, police and community services. Promoting HAT; Showcasing what HAT does in community; Visiting School/Police; Explaining HAT roles; Build new partnerships. WHAT: HAT to approach local orgs: school, police, council etc WHO: HAT to organize school / police visits; Chair to organize time, dates, venues WHEN: By September 2007 WHERE: Community PURPOSE: To raise awareness of HATs HAT to distribute flyers and arrange a broader public meeting WHO: Chair to delegate - identify (3) HAT members to organize articles, talking on radio etc. Commitment; Time; Present an outline / flyer / agenda what are the Roles & responsibilities of HAT Newsletter: Time Article Person Access to computers / stationary Meeting Venue, Date to be set by HAT Delegate to talk. Scribe (Qs & Ans)

Ranking the Assessment Selected statements ranked 1 to 5. Numerical value placed into spider-graph. Graph provides visual representation. Comparison between domains. Comparison overtime. Comparison between communities.

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURES Organisational structures have been established by the HAT but are not active. (1) Because some roles have not been clearly defined Eg. Secretary, Vice chair, Treasurer Elect vice chair, secretary, treasurer FUNDED: (Secretary) WHAT: This will be reviewed after September 2007 NOT FUNDED: (Vice Chair, Treasurer) WHAT: Elected via Secret Ballot WHO: Chair WHEN: 6/7 June 2007 @ next HAT meeting WHERE: Training Centre Time Commitment to meet (6/7 June) Venue (Training centre)

Cross checking findings

International Experiences Australia. Canada and USA Fiji. Nepal & Bangladesh. Thailand & Malaysia. Kenya & Tanzania & Malawi.

grlavera@hotmail.com

Your task You are a newly formed committee/group. Identify a basic structure (chair, note taker). Identify a priority for the issue that you are addressing (Youth, the elderly, migrants etc). Ask facilitator for the ‘domains’ approach to develop an assessment and strategic plan to build capacity when you are ready to begin.