(discussed on Nov 4th 2012 by Prof. Hawkins/University of Pittsburgh)
Three modes of community outreach will be discussed within a social work perspective in this post. It remains necessary while considering these distinct modes, to recognize how often times these approaches can be employed simultaneously. Social work practice does not exist in a vacuum and dynamic interlinked practices can strengthen and build upon each other.
Locality Development
One of the primary goals within a locality development framework is to engage distinct members of a community within a common space. A vehicle for this is to create a physical place where people come together to share a sense of community. This mode of community practice attempts to approach a previously fragmented neighborhood and foster a space where shared experiences, resources and information can be exchanged. The settlement house movement beginning in the late 1800's is an early representation of effective locality development. Jane Adam's 'Hull House' settlement in Chicago is an example of this type of intervention, embodying the value that an individual should be considered and 'treated' within their environment. A person in the environment (PIE) perspective is a key social work value employed within locality development, urging social workers to reform the social and economic environment rather than individually diagnosing an alienated individual.
Cultural and recreational centers such as the YMCA also fit into this paradigm of community outreach. These centers along with settlement houses were aimed at addressing diverse immigrant populations, assisting with their transition into American society. Initiatives aimed at creating common ground in order to adress rootlessness, disengaged citizens and weak social networks, created social and cultural capital. Accesible and cooperative civic spaces attempted to create a more cohesive society while simultaneously providing essential social services such as child care, medical care, vocational training, cultural workshops and more. Within this locality development, the target population is often viewed as 'citizens', due to a historical attempt to increase people's ability to cooperate and contribute as productive citizens. Within a strengths based approach, a responsible intervention would include different cultural and personal insights.
Social Planning
Driving questions within a social planning perspective is: How can services be coordinated to better serve a community? What are the primarily gaps in services and resources in the community? Effectively addressing these questions implies a great deal of inter agency networking in order to both adress gaps and create a comprehensive continuum of care. It entails pulling together resources from different organizations to create a consistent intervention. This approach would view their target population either as clients or consumers because they would be generally coming for assistance or services on an individual or family basis. The Mon Valley Providers Council is a program of the Human Services Center Corporation in Turtle Creek, PA. The MVPC provides interagency links and formalizes an alliance between diverse service providers in the region. They discuss and strategize how to better serve the community by bridging gaps in services, creating a more cohesive network of servies, and establishing working groups on housing, health, employment and youth. A list of all their member organizations can be seen HERE. Connecting previously fragmented social service agencies into a cohesive and communicable alliance is a key goal within a social planning framework.
Social Action
Also known as 'community action', a social action paradigm frequently focuses on advocacy and thus it views its target population as constituents. A primary goal of social action is to call the pubic's attention to social problems that are otherwise out of sight. Education, lobbying and mobilization are all tools for social action. Social Action will be further discussed in an ensuing post.
And finally
Its worth remembering that each mode of community organizing will have distinct ways of interacting with its target population. Within a general social work practice, we refer to the people we are professionally interacting with as clients, constituents, consumers and citizens. Each label carries with it a set of expectations and implications that fall on a spectrum ranging from voluntary to involuntary relationships. There has been a general trend to adress clients as consumers since the title 'consumer' implies a voluntary and perhaps empowering transaction, or at the very least acknowledges a person's choice in services. Therefore we should remain attuned to how professionals label their target populations, as that provides valuable information on the nature of their professional interaction and frames their practice within the different modes of social work practice.
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