Getting Started
Often times, communities & individuals find themselves feeling as though their town or village has fallen behind the rest of the world in economic development or that the quality of life they desire or used to enjoy is lacking. This is especially true in more rural areas which may not have enjoyed as much of the economic prosperity over the last few years that other areas of the country experienced.

You, as an individual, have taken an important first step. Asking what can be done to improve the quality of life for myself, my family, my community. You are probably very similar to most people who will come to this site - interested in learning more about community development, willing to work toward improving your community, but perhaps desiring knowledge about issues relating to community development or looking to enhance skills necessary to make a difference. This toolbox is designed for local CED practitioners, such as local officials, community leaders, newly elected officials, extension educators, community technical assistance providers, and just interested citizens looking to make a difference. Citizens who are more knowledgeable about basic CED issues are better equipped to assist in decision making and determining the future of their communities.

Basic building blocks of Community Development

It is important to have an understanding about what community development means in a larger sense, what steps are taken, and why they should be taken.

The goal of a community development program is three fold:

to improve decision making in local communities
to empower communities to guide their own decisions
to improve the social and economic well being of citizens

The purpose of community and economic decision making is to improve the capacity of citizens, community leaders and policy makers to understand and respond to external and internal forces for change. These include the problems and opportunities that arise from social and demographic change and the dynamics of local economies in a global context.

Community Development Principles

The Community Development Society has adopted the following "principles" to guide community development:

A. Promote active and representative participation toward enabling all community members to meaningfully influence the decisions that affect their lives.

B. Engage community members in learning about and understanding community issues, and the economic, social, environmental, political, psychological, and other impacts associated with alternative courses of action.

C. Incorporate the diverse interests and cultures of the community in the community development process; and disengage from support of any effort that is likely to adversely affect the disadvantaged members of a community.

D. Work actively to enhance the leadership capacity of community members, leaders, and groups within the community.

E. Be open to using the full range of action strategies to work toward the long term sustainability and well being of the community.

Building organizations

One the major obstacles facing a community is often the organizing required to accomplish things. Many times, local planning departments or government agencies do not have enough resources or staff to devote to community capacity building.

Many communities have organized citizen groups to initiate the strategic planning process, often times teaming with local planning departments, government officials, and county Cooperative Extension offices for assistance and guidance.

Some groups incorporate as a separate not-for-profit in order to pursue funding opportunities not always available to government agencies. These options are discussed further as one of the "Tools".

Visioning

In order to achieve some goal or objective, it is important that ideas and a "vision" that represents the community be developed. It is critical for citizens to participate in the process and that the process be inclusive and include a diverse mix of the citizenry. Without this, the process just becomes another "plan" - a document that fails to represent the true needs and wishes of the community.

The visioning process offers an opportunity for people to come together, meet, discuss issues and concerns, and work together to find solutions that benefit everyone. It can build leadership within the community and enhances assets and capacity that already exist in every community.

From a visioning effort, communities or organizations can be positioned to move forward and achieve the goals and objectives they have identified. By having a clearer understanding of what they are and what they hope to be, they will have a better "road map" on how to arrive at that point.

There are variations of the visioning process that can be used and tailored to your specific needs. These are discussed further in the "Visioning" Tool.

Step 2: How do I use the Toolbox?