McNeal, L. R. (2009). The re-segregation of public education now and after the end of brown v. board of education. Education and Urban Society, 41(5), 562-574. Retrieved from www.scopus.com
While searching for articles on community public school enrollment and segregation I found this really interesting piece on how impactful Brown v. The Board of Education really has been over a period of 50 years, and asks us to view these sorts of monumental changes to our society as substantive or symbolic in their influence. The symbolic function of the law is meant to reaffirm cherished values and show that something positive is being done and that the problem is being acknowledged. It is meant to satisfy the community, regardless of its effectiveness in actually fixing the problem. Substantive function of law is meant to promote actual changes that have practical utility and directly help solve the issue. The article is suggesting that perhaps in the current state of our public and private schools and neighborhoods (I am in the University City group and we are focusing on lack of enrollment within the public high school) Brown v. Board of Education was a critical symbolic move, but we have yet to substantiate its purpose with real and effective integration change within communities and schools. Substandard academic achievement outcomes, low graduation rates and poor teacher quality are all unfortunate characteristics of public schools that are separate and unequal; according to this article re-segregation continues to fester perhaps due to the limited role of courts in ensuring that desegregation mandates are followed. Missouri v. Jenkins (1995) hits close to home for us as it significantly impacted school integration efforts by further defining the point in which a school district may be released from a court desegregation order. Basically, if you can prove to the court that you as a school have (temporarily) met all your ‘required’ elements to show your school is no longer segregated, you may be released from your mandate. This ruling also established that district courts cannot require state government to fund educational improvement programs such as magnet schools for the purposes of remedying “de facto” racial inequality in schools. Essentially this case according to scholars is one of many just within this article that are seemingly responsible for re-segregation of schools by ending the mandate. This article is full of great examples of various states fighting for de-segregation well after Brown v. Board of Education and different posed ideas to remedy the issue. I think it is important to understand that just because something has been established in the Supreme Court does not mean the issue is ‘over’; symbolic progress is important in that it sets a ‘standard’ that we are “supposed” to be following, but we have to substantiate it, just like racism, sexism and other social ills that on paper we have established are not ok, but in reality we fight with it everyday. Applying these theories to how we interpret and evaluate social progression, policy and law can be a really powerful tool for us as social workers. Regardless of the group you are in this semester give this article a read!
Friday, April 18, 2014
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Week 13: Lit Review - Valerie
Flachs, A. (2010). Food for Thought: The Social Impact of Community Gardens in the Greater Cleveland Area. Electronic Green Journal, 1(30), 1-9. Retried from EBSCOhost.
I am doing some research to support the expansion of the community garden in University City. During my search for literature reviews, I found this one that shows the importance of having community gardens and how it impacts the residents in their respective towns.
The article spoke of how beneficial it is to have a community garden due to the environmental, social and nutritional factors. Community gardens that grow food allow healthier food choices and at the same time, reduce grocery expenses. This type of gardening also increases environmental sustainability through eschewing chemical and maintaining the organic food status. Other community gardens focus on growing flowers for beautification purposes and that allows a space for socialization and boosts the community appearance.
In the article, the various gardens in Cleveland, Ohio were the main focus when studying community gardening benefits. The study aimed to determine the motivation behind community gardening and general perceptions of the space. The interviews were conducted at four different community gardens in Cleveland, which were Kentucky Garden, City Fresh CSA, George Jones Memorial Farm, and the garden with no official name at 2100 Lakeside Men's Shelter. While each garden has their own structure and operations, the overall conclusion of the study is "they can be functional money-savers and food producers, spaces for exercise and fresh air, centers for socializing or networking, and the physical embodiment of one's food politics." In addition to environmental and nourishment values, the residents around the community garden also "foster personal and communal growth by providing a framework within which a community can participate in a shared experience, interact in an atypical environment, and contribute to a body of shared knowledge." The two main findings as a result of the research done in Cleveland that I'd like to share about community gardens are:
1. Both affluent and low-income gardeners have similar agreements that community gardens provide the benefit of food production and additional green space in their respective community. This shows that regardless of what socioeconomic status one is in, community gardens are appreciated in one way or another and everyone is willing to invest time and energy to work on the garden for nutritional and/or beautification purposes.
2. Garden is similar to an artist's artwork. The artist's work is based on his/her identity and creativity. The garden reflects the community's identity through teamwork, growth, and creativity. One example is the Kentucky Garden merges art and garden designs, which exhibit the community's personality and creativity. Another example is the George Jones Memorial Farm's characteristics shines through sustainable living, group values, and social and environmental outreach. Every garden, just like the artist's work, is different and all exhibit some sort of identity in each community, which is form through teamwork and relationship with each other.
After reading this article, I really do think there are a lot of benefits about community gardens. Where I live, there is no community garden. There are professional gardeners that do maintenance around the town. With that being said, I do not feel very connected to the community as a whole or as a resident. I feel like it is just a place to live in. If I want to develop relationships with residents in my community, I would definitely consider a community garden because of few reasons:
This acts as a physical and social activity. It allows us to get a work out in and at the same time, develop lasting relationships with other people in the community.
Community garden will allow the residents feel proud for personally making the community beautiful.
Is there a community garden where you live? Does it grow food for nutrition or flowers for beautification? If there is no community garden in your area, would you consider setting it up? Why or why not?
I am doing some research to support the expansion of the community garden in University City. During my search for literature reviews, I found this one that shows the importance of having community gardens and how it impacts the residents in their respective towns.
The article spoke of how beneficial it is to have a community garden due to the environmental, social and nutritional factors. Community gardens that grow food allow healthier food choices and at the same time, reduce grocery expenses. This type of gardening also increases environmental sustainability through eschewing chemical and maintaining the organic food status. Other community gardens focus on growing flowers for beautification purposes and that allows a space for socialization and boosts the community appearance.
In the article, the various gardens in Cleveland, Ohio were the main focus when studying community gardening benefits. The study aimed to determine the motivation behind community gardening and general perceptions of the space. The interviews were conducted at four different community gardens in Cleveland, which were Kentucky Garden, City Fresh CSA, George Jones Memorial Farm, and the garden with no official name at 2100 Lakeside Men's Shelter. While each garden has their own structure and operations, the overall conclusion of the study is "they can be functional money-savers and food producers, spaces for exercise and fresh air, centers for socializing or networking, and the physical embodiment of one's food politics." In addition to environmental and nourishment values, the residents around the community garden also "foster personal and communal growth by providing a framework within which a community can participate in a shared experience, interact in an atypical environment, and contribute to a body of shared knowledge." The two main findings as a result of the research done in Cleveland that I'd like to share about community gardens are:
1. Both affluent and low-income gardeners have similar agreements that community gardens provide the benefit of food production and additional green space in their respective community. This shows that regardless of what socioeconomic status one is in, community gardens are appreciated in one way or another and everyone is willing to invest time and energy to work on the garden for nutritional and/or beautification purposes.
2. Garden is similar to an artist's artwork. The artist's work is based on his/her identity and creativity. The garden reflects the community's identity through teamwork, growth, and creativity. One example is the Kentucky Garden merges art and garden designs, which exhibit the community's personality and creativity. Another example is the George Jones Memorial Farm's characteristics shines through sustainable living, group values, and social and environmental outreach. Every garden, just like the artist's work, is different and all exhibit some sort of identity in each community, which is form through teamwork and relationship with each other.
After reading this article, I really do think there are a lot of benefits about community gardens. Where I live, there is no community garden. There are professional gardeners that do maintenance around the town. With that being said, I do not feel very connected to the community as a whole or as a resident. I feel like it is just a place to live in. If I want to develop relationships with residents in my community, I would definitely consider a community garden because of few reasons:
This acts as a physical and social activity. It allows us to get a work out in and at the same time, develop lasting relationships with other people in the community.
Community garden will allow the residents feel proud for personally making the community beautiful.
Is there a community garden where you live? Does it grow food for nutrition or flowers for beautification? If there is no community garden in your area, would you consider setting it up? Why or why not?
Week 13: News Article - Ella
Political Eye. (2014 April 10-16). Ferg-Flor incumbents prevail on school board. St. Louis American.
I was excited to find this article in the St. Louis American because it’s talking about an educational issue in my assigned community, Ferguson Missouri. In that community there has been controversy and rallies against, and in favor of Superintendent Art McCoy Jr.’s resignation. Prior to being assigned to this community I was unaware of this educational issue. The article talks about Tuesday’s election, regarding the Ferguson-Florissant school board. Despite the angry protests and rallies of support for Ferguson-Florissant Superintendent Art McCoy Jr. voters were not able to oust the two incumbents who voted to place McCoy on suspended leave in November.
In November the two incumbents voted to place McCoy on Administrative leave. McCoy had been on paid suspension since November and subsequently resigned in March. The Citizens’ Taskforce on Excellence in Education highly criticized the board’s November action and organized the three Grade A candidates in response. However, article explained that poll workers from both sides were engaged in friendly conversation showing that all care for the same issue. Working together is a powerful tool especially in the field of social work.
Although little information was given to the public about McCoy’s suspension, it is my understanding that he and the school board have had unresolved issues/differences for several months. It is my understanding that Mr. McCoy gave his credentials to a long time friend and previous board member who left in 2011. However, the records have been sealed as a part of the separation and I may never know what really happened. However, he resigned on March 13, 2014. There was concern about Mr. McCoy’s, (an African American), removal by an all white board because the students in that district are predominately black. Mr. McCoy was supported by parents, students, and others in the community. His contract was to end in June 2016.
Questions: How do you feel about a school district that has an all white school board and predominately black students? Why?
I was excited to find this article in the St. Louis American because it’s talking about an educational issue in my assigned community, Ferguson Missouri. In that community there has been controversy and rallies against, and in favor of Superintendent Art McCoy Jr.’s resignation. Prior to being assigned to this community I was unaware of this educational issue. The article talks about Tuesday’s election, regarding the Ferguson-Florissant school board. Despite the angry protests and rallies of support for Ferguson-Florissant Superintendent Art McCoy Jr. voters were not able to oust the two incumbents who voted to place McCoy on suspended leave in November.
In November the two incumbents voted to place McCoy on Administrative leave. McCoy had been on paid suspension since November and subsequently resigned in March. The Citizens’ Taskforce on Excellence in Education highly criticized the board’s November action and organized the three Grade A candidates in response. However, article explained that poll workers from both sides were engaged in friendly conversation showing that all care for the same issue. Working together is a powerful tool especially in the field of social work.
Although little information was given to the public about McCoy’s suspension, it is my understanding that he and the school board have had unresolved issues/differences for several months. It is my understanding that Mr. McCoy gave his credentials to a long time friend and previous board member who left in 2011. However, the records have been sealed as a part of the separation and I may never know what really happened. However, he resigned on March 13, 2014. There was concern about Mr. McCoy’s, (an African American), removal by an all white board because the students in that district are predominately black. Mr. McCoy was supported by parents, students, and others in the community. His contract was to end in June 2016.
Questions: How do you feel about a school district that has an all white school board and predominately black students? Why?
Week 13: News Article - Danielle C.
New state plan could be a roadmap for Normandy Schools
Article found online from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/new-state-plan-could-be-a-roadmap-for-normandy-schools/article_c80ea124-6bc3-5a0a-af98-cb4c041eac32.html
This article discusses the Missouri Board of Education’s plan for the Normandy school system following the transfer of 2,200 students from unaccredited schools. This transfer has caused many issues for the school system. The most straining being a $15 million bankruptcy because of inability to pay the increased tuition and transportation costs for these students. The new plan focuses on helping identify schools at risk for slipping into being unaccredited, providing interventions, and support before it gets to that point. The focus is to look at schools and make individuals plans not one plan for all schools. The key part of the plan is that once a school scores below 70% in its annual report a contract will be created linking the district to specific goals and targets. Also the plan hopes to look closer at the quality of teachers and make literacy plans.
I found this article interesting especially because I have been learning about similar issues in my community of University City. It seems like in the past, the plans put in place to help schools from becoming unaccredited have been too general and not specific to the needs of the particular district or more specifically the particular school. I think to combat the issues of why schools get to the point of accreditation many factors must be looked at. In this article it mentioned teacher quality, but what does that really mean? Educators can look perfect on paper but maybe more time should be spent making sure their personality, lesson plans, student expectations etc. are an even match to the population of students they work with.
What do you think is the most important factor that effects schools being at risk for losing accreditation? What types of interventions are out there? What strategies have schools in your community used that have or have not been successful?
Article found online from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/new-state-plan-could-be-a-roadmap-for-normandy-schools/article_c80ea124-6bc3-5a0a-af98-cb4c041eac32.html
This article discusses the Missouri Board of Education’s plan for the Normandy school system following the transfer of 2,200 students from unaccredited schools. This transfer has caused many issues for the school system. The most straining being a $15 million bankruptcy because of inability to pay the increased tuition and transportation costs for these students. The new plan focuses on helping identify schools at risk for slipping into being unaccredited, providing interventions, and support before it gets to that point. The focus is to look at schools and make individuals plans not one plan for all schools. The key part of the plan is that once a school scores below 70% in its annual report a contract will be created linking the district to specific goals and targets. Also the plan hopes to look closer at the quality of teachers and make literacy plans.
I found this article interesting especially because I have been learning about similar issues in my community of University City. It seems like in the past, the plans put in place to help schools from becoming unaccredited have been too general and not specific to the needs of the particular district or more specifically the particular school. I think to combat the issues of why schools get to the point of accreditation many factors must be looked at. In this article it mentioned teacher quality, but what does that really mean? Educators can look perfect on paper but maybe more time should be spent making sure their personality, lesson plans, student expectations etc. are an even match to the population of students they work with.
What do you think is the most important factor that effects schools being at risk for losing accreditation? What types of interventions are out there? What strategies have schools in your community used that have or have not been successful?
Week 13: Reading Blog - Katherine
The article “Local Economic Development Policies” by Timothy Bartik considers both the logic and the success of a variety of local economic development programs found throughout the United States in order to better inform future endeavors to build local economies. The author categorized economic development programs to include those that focused on specific businesses to generate development as well as macro level initiatives based on policy changes.
One major point that I got from this reading was how complicated local economic development is, making the formulation and implementation of policies incredibly difficult. While the article begins with some discussion about what prevents programs from starting in the first place, the vast majority is a discussion on the many aspects that must be considered to have success, including an understanding of who benefits from development and unintended consequences, a shift in the balance of imports and exports, greater productivity of the labor, utilization of local resources, a comprehensive strategy, targeting of businesses with the greatest potential, job training, and involvement of a variety of groups. Each of these aspects is discussed in detail to explain how different local areas may see different levels of success, making results highly dependent on the specific factors of the area. Additionally, research must be conducted before programs are implemented to gain a better understanding of the conditions as well as after implementation to understanding whether they have been effective.
I found this article to be useful in thinking about community because of the critical dependence on knowing the area. The type of land, the groups interested in being involved in development, and so many other factors completely change the intervention approach, and success with an intervention in one area does not mean the same program would be successful in another. It is critical for us as community-level social workers to have a full understanding of the areas we work with in order to help bring greater prosperity. Additionally, an understanding of how anything from a small, independent business to government policy will impact the economic stability of the area. Without some understanding of how each of these involved actors plays a role in development, we could completely overlook major flaws in the design for our community. What local government policies has your community group run into that have impacted the area’s economic development? Is economic development an aspect of community social work that you have thought about in your work so far this semester? What obstacles might exist in your community that prevent further development? Does it seem that there is a significant disparity in who benefits from development?
One major point that I got from this reading was how complicated local economic development is, making the formulation and implementation of policies incredibly difficult. While the article begins with some discussion about what prevents programs from starting in the first place, the vast majority is a discussion on the many aspects that must be considered to have success, including an understanding of who benefits from development and unintended consequences, a shift in the balance of imports and exports, greater productivity of the labor, utilization of local resources, a comprehensive strategy, targeting of businesses with the greatest potential, job training, and involvement of a variety of groups. Each of these aspects is discussed in detail to explain how different local areas may see different levels of success, making results highly dependent on the specific factors of the area. Additionally, research must be conducted before programs are implemented to gain a better understanding of the conditions as well as after implementation to understanding whether they have been effective.
I found this article to be useful in thinking about community because of the critical dependence on knowing the area. The type of land, the groups interested in being involved in development, and so many other factors completely change the intervention approach, and success with an intervention in one area does not mean the same program would be successful in another. It is critical for us as community-level social workers to have a full understanding of the areas we work with in order to help bring greater prosperity. Additionally, an understanding of how anything from a small, independent business to government policy will impact the economic stability of the area. Without some understanding of how each of these involved actors plays a role in development, we could completely overlook major flaws in the design for our community. What local government policies has your community group run into that have impacted the area’s economic development? Is economic development an aspect of community social work that you have thought about in your work so far this semester? What obstacles might exist in your community that prevent further development? Does it seem that there is a significant disparity in who benefits from development?
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Week 13: Lit Review - Abby
Duke, N. N., Borowsky, I. W., Pettingell, S. L. (2011). Adult perceptions of
neighborhood: Links to youth engagement. Youth & Society. 44(3), 408-430.
http://yas.sagepub.com.ezproxy.umsl.edu/content/44/3/408.full.pdf+html
Adult Perceptions of Neighborhood: Links to Youth Engagement is a study comparing adult perceptions of their own neighborhood to the amount of youth involvement in their community. I found the comparison of the two to be incredibly interesting, because it is not something that I would immediately look towards comparing. However, their findings appear to be very significant. They found that higher adult perceptions were linked to higher youth involvement and lower adult perceptions were linked to low youth involvement. Neighborhoods with high youth involvement were thought to be safer, have better physical condition, and more resources than neighborhoods that had low youth involvement.
I believe this study gives great insight to how important youth can be in an overall community. As we have discussed in class, perceptions are a large part of a community’s identity and their ability to succeed. This study shows how important youth involvement is and encourages those looking to change a community to begin with the neighborhood youth.
Did you find this article interesting or surprising in any way? Can you see how youth involvement can impact a neighborhood’s perception? Would this information help guide you in a community intervention?
neighborhood: Links to youth engagement. Youth & Society. 44(3), 408-430.
http://yas.sagepub.com.ezproxy.umsl.edu/content/44/3/408.full.pdf+html
Adult Perceptions of Neighborhood: Links to Youth Engagement is a study comparing adult perceptions of their own neighborhood to the amount of youth involvement in their community. I found the comparison of the two to be incredibly interesting, because it is not something that I would immediately look towards comparing. However, their findings appear to be very significant. They found that higher adult perceptions were linked to higher youth involvement and lower adult perceptions were linked to low youth involvement. Neighborhoods with high youth involvement were thought to be safer, have better physical condition, and more resources than neighborhoods that had low youth involvement.
I believe this study gives great insight to how important youth can be in an overall community. As we have discussed in class, perceptions are a large part of a community’s identity and their ability to succeed. This study shows how important youth involvement is and encourages those looking to change a community to begin with the neighborhood youth.
Did you find this article interesting or surprising in any way? Can you see how youth involvement can impact a neighborhood’s perception? Would this information help guide you in a community intervention?
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Week 12: Reading Blog - Erin
Green, G.P. & Haines, A. (2008). The community development process, pp. 41 – 66. In Asset building & community development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
This week’s reading shares with us the ultimate goal of the Community Development Process, which is to enhance community assets, a key piece of a community assessment. The Community Development Process is discussed in this chapter, and it is broken down into four main components: Public Participation, Community Organizing, Community Visioning and Planning, and Evaluation and Monitoring. I will break down the text within these four topics of community development, and then present the class with a few questions.
Public Participation:
Who should determine a community’s future other than its residents? As we have learned in class, residents must claim control so they feel as if they have a voice in their own community. This all begins with Public Participation, which the reading breaks down into four types; public action, public involvement, electoral participation, and obligatory participation. It is important to understand these types in order to understand the factors involved when reaching out to residents. There are barriers to participation we should consider when reaching out to the public: lack of childcare, transportation, accessibility, lack of advanced information, and communication (how do we reach people?). The reading presents us with techniques to battle this, including mediation planning, community surveys, drop-in centers, advisory boards and planning council/committees, public hearings, and task forces.
Community Organizing:
The focus of community organization is all about mobilization. We can do this by tackling community problems head-on. Problem Solving approaches presented in the text include; Mobilizing (involve people in direct action of the problem), service (focus on the individual, such as unemployment and poverty – does not challenge root cause), and advocacy (speak on behalf of the group or individual). It is also important to know the difference between CDC’s (community development corporations) vs. CBO’s (community based organization). These both use development models, but CBO’s use social action campaigns and focus on public participation, which may be more relevant to us as social workers.
Community Visioning and Planning:
A community vision is all about how a community should move into the future, mainly by promoting broad public participation. A formal vision and plan allows for expansion, pro-action, and innovation. Models include: comprehensive-rational planning, advocacy planning, and strategic planning. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. While a strategic planning model may be good for local nonprofits, it is actually do-able when attempting to work with members of the community? Also, with advocacy planning, you may be able to focus on a certain issue, but does it prepare the community in a comprehensive way? Visioning is an alternative to formal planning models. A visioning perspective focuses on assets rather than needs. This approach is similar to the video we watched in class. Plan and vision for the community with a “cup is half full” approach, once again reiterating that vision methods are the way to go. The reading also provides steps for the visioning method, which can be found on page 53, Table 3.2.
Evaluation and Monitoring:
It is essential that communities monitor their progress during and after development. The reading highlights why it is important, and strategies to consider in evaluation. Mainly, it is important to monitor and evaluate your efforts to keep people motivated, focused, and to show other communities and organizations around you that you are having an impact. Evaluations should focus on the progress, actions and successes. This is similar to the scientific method. In order to show results you must quantify what you have. Take the positive work you have done and show how it is bettering the community you are working in. This can also be done through research, including participatory action research (community-based) and survey research. The more personal you get with residents, the better!
Further questions to consider:
Discuss the different models of community development. What are the similarities, differences, strengths, or weaknesses?
What can we do to battle barriers to public participation within the community development process and increase our reach in the community?
Which type of organizing is best for your assigned community (Service, mobilizing, advocacy, or a combination of both)?
This week’s reading shares with us the ultimate goal of the Community Development Process, which is to enhance community assets, a key piece of a community assessment. The Community Development Process is discussed in this chapter, and it is broken down into four main components: Public Participation, Community Organizing, Community Visioning and Planning, and Evaluation and Monitoring. I will break down the text within these four topics of community development, and then present the class with a few questions.
Public Participation:
Who should determine a community’s future other than its residents? As we have learned in class, residents must claim control so they feel as if they have a voice in their own community. This all begins with Public Participation, which the reading breaks down into four types; public action, public involvement, electoral participation, and obligatory participation. It is important to understand these types in order to understand the factors involved when reaching out to residents. There are barriers to participation we should consider when reaching out to the public: lack of childcare, transportation, accessibility, lack of advanced information, and communication (how do we reach people?). The reading presents us with techniques to battle this, including mediation planning, community surveys, drop-in centers, advisory boards and planning council/committees, public hearings, and task forces.
Community Organizing:
The focus of community organization is all about mobilization. We can do this by tackling community problems head-on. Problem Solving approaches presented in the text include; Mobilizing (involve people in direct action of the problem), service (focus on the individual, such as unemployment and poverty – does not challenge root cause), and advocacy (speak on behalf of the group or individual). It is also important to know the difference between CDC’s (community development corporations) vs. CBO’s (community based organization). These both use development models, but CBO’s use social action campaigns and focus on public participation, which may be more relevant to us as social workers.
Community Visioning and Planning:
A community vision is all about how a community should move into the future, mainly by promoting broad public participation. A formal vision and plan allows for expansion, pro-action, and innovation. Models include: comprehensive-rational planning, advocacy planning, and strategic planning. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. While a strategic planning model may be good for local nonprofits, it is actually do-able when attempting to work with members of the community? Also, with advocacy planning, you may be able to focus on a certain issue, but does it prepare the community in a comprehensive way? Visioning is an alternative to formal planning models. A visioning perspective focuses on assets rather than needs. This approach is similar to the video we watched in class. Plan and vision for the community with a “cup is half full” approach, once again reiterating that vision methods are the way to go. The reading also provides steps for the visioning method, which can be found on page 53, Table 3.2.
Evaluation and Monitoring:
It is essential that communities monitor their progress during and after development. The reading highlights why it is important, and strategies to consider in evaluation. Mainly, it is important to monitor and evaluate your efforts to keep people motivated, focused, and to show other communities and organizations around you that you are having an impact. Evaluations should focus on the progress, actions and successes. This is similar to the scientific method. In order to show results you must quantify what you have. Take the positive work you have done and show how it is bettering the community you are working in. This can also be done through research, including participatory action research (community-based) and survey research. The more personal you get with residents, the better!
Further questions to consider:
Discuss the different models of community development. What are the similarities, differences, strengths, or weaknesses?
What can we do to battle barriers to public participation within the community development process and increase our reach in the community?
Which type of organizing is best for your assigned community (Service, mobilizing, advocacy, or a combination of both)?
Week 12: Lit Review - Crystal
Change can be a good thing and it can be a bad thing. The most important thing about change is that to be aware that there may be resistance and arguments, but if you have the backing of the community with change, you will have an easier process. According to (Dean-Coffey and Farkouh, 2012) The Dimensions of Change Model has five discrete dimensions that are imperative to change. They are structure, parameters, intention, approach, and most importantly participants.
The structure portion is important because it gives you an idea of what the change may be as well as the funding for the change. Next you have the parameters portion. This is important because this will focus on the size of the population you will be working with, the length of how long the plan will take, and implications that it may have. Then you have the intention portion. This is important because you need to know what your expected outcomes are regardless if they change along the way or not. It is important to have some sort of expectations and be able to effectively document the on going change. Once of these things have been established you move forward with the approach portion. Approach is important because you need to know who, what, and how this change is going to be initiated. The final portion of the model would be the participants. According to (Dean- Coffey and Farkouh, 2012) you need to know the role of the residents, the skills needed to empower the change that has been initiated, and if there are outsiders needed for this change. It is apparent that change is a step by step process that takes effective planning, research, and communication. When change is needed in a particular community there tends to be a consistent amount of movement within the community of people coming and going. With a constant turn-over of community members initiating chance can be a difficult task if you cannot get enough people on board with the change initiative. Being able to identify and move forward and develop a plan based on this model would be imperative for effective change.
I felt this article was relevant to our class because we are currently in the communities trying to find an effective intervention. This is a model I think we can all follow within our community work to help develop effective and efficient change.
Do you feel this model would be effective within the community you are working in? What model are you using for your community? What do you like and dislike about this model and if you have never used it would you consider using it to initiate change?
Friday, April 4, 2014
Week 12: Reading Blog - Danielle C.
The Community Development Process
Green & Haines Article
I found this article very interesting to how to map out the process of beginning community development. The article outlines four kinds of public participation; public action, public involvement, electoral participation, and obligatory participation. It suggests there is a ladder of participation and as you step up on each rung participation and power increase. The idea here is to learn what motivates individuals to participate and develop strategies based on this information to get them involved and excited. The article discusses different models of community organizing. Picking the right model is key and should be based on factors such as context, resources, and circumstances specific to the project. The main point of this article is that planning takes constant monitoring, evaluate, and revision until project completion. This is something many people do not want to put the time in to doing, but is the only way to keep the project on track for the desired end result. The article acknowledges the debate between whether the process is the most important versus the outcome.
Personally, I thought this debate was the most interesting part of the article. I think when working with communities there is never really an end in sight. There are always aspects that need help and can be improved at all times in a community. As far as I am concerned this makes the process so much more important.
What information will you use from this article to help plan your community intervention? What aspect of promoting community involvement would have the biggest impact on you in your own community?
Green & Haines Article
I found this article very interesting to how to map out the process of beginning community development. The article outlines four kinds of public participation; public action, public involvement, electoral participation, and obligatory participation. It suggests there is a ladder of participation and as you step up on each rung participation and power increase. The idea here is to learn what motivates individuals to participate and develop strategies based on this information to get them involved and excited. The article discusses different models of community organizing. Picking the right model is key and should be based on factors such as context, resources, and circumstances specific to the project. The main point of this article is that planning takes constant monitoring, evaluate, and revision until project completion. This is something many people do not want to put the time in to doing, but is the only way to keep the project on track for the desired end result. The article acknowledges the debate between whether the process is the most important versus the outcome.
Personally, I thought this debate was the most interesting part of the article. I think when working with communities there is never really an end in sight. There are always aspects that need help and can be improved at all times in a community. As far as I am concerned this makes the process so much more important.
What information will you use from this article to help plan your community intervention? What aspect of promoting community involvement would have the biggest impact on you in your own community?
Week 12: Lit Review - Ella
What influences perceptions of procedural justice among people with mental illness regarding their interactions with the police?
Community mental health journal vol. 50, issue 3, p281-287
The article discusses Perceived Procedural Justice Theory (PPJ); a central factor shaping perceptions about authority figures and dispute resolution processes is whether an individual believes they were treated justly and fairly during personal encounters with agents of authority. It talks about how the role of police officers and other agents in authority are perceived by people with mental illness. Although the article is a community-based research study examining perceptions of people with mental illness, I believe this theory could be applied to the general public, and in particular to my assigned community, Ferguson Missouri. It points out the cornerstone of policing is front line patrol officers, whose ability to carry out their duties effectively are impacted by how they are perceived by the community.
According to this theory, a central factor shaping perceptions about authority figures and dispute resolutions processes is whether an individual believes they were treated justly and fairly during personal encounters with agents of authority. Unjust and unfair treatment by agents of authority is likely to produce negative evaluations. The theory stipulates that PPJ regarding agents of the law (e.g., police officers, judges, correctional officers) is important for shaping beliefs regarding whether legal authorities can be entrusted with the responsibilities of performing their duties, which in turn determines levels of compliance, cooperation, and law-abiding behavior. The article states that numerous studies have found that members of the general public who feel treated in a procedurally just manner by the police are more likely to: (a) evaluate the encounter positively, (b) view the police as legitimate agents of social intervention, and (c) cooperate with the police. I agree with the study in that the degree to which community members are willing to engage proactively and cooperate voluntarily with the police is also integral to the efficacy.
Procedural justice theory provides a framework for understanding how perceptions about authorities, such as the police, are created, maintained and transformed. The article examined the influence of selected factors on how people with mental illness perceive their interactions with the police. The semi structured interview guide contained detailed questions regarding participants’ lifetime and most recent police encounters, and included several scales from the “Police Contact Experience Scale” (PCES). The PCES is a measure for assessing situational, procedural, and interpersonal aspects of interactions between people with mental illness and the police. Residents in Ferguson Missouri almost sixty three percent black, have a negative perception about authority there. The judicial structure in Ferguson is predominately white.
Findings indicate that participants’ evaluations of police interactions were greatly influenced by how they perceived police officers’ behavior on aspects of fairness, respectfulness, and kindness. Overall participants’ interactions with police were viewed as positive. They reported the police acted, for the most part, in a procedurally just manner.
Would a sample of your assigned community agree that their interactions/outcomes with police would be based on quality of treatment by police, quality of police decision-making, and police performance?
Could communities lower their crime rate if they had greater cooperation and acceptance of agent’s authority?
Community mental health journal vol. 50, issue 3, p281-287
The article discusses Perceived Procedural Justice Theory (PPJ); a central factor shaping perceptions about authority figures and dispute resolution processes is whether an individual believes they were treated justly and fairly during personal encounters with agents of authority. It talks about how the role of police officers and other agents in authority are perceived by people with mental illness. Although the article is a community-based research study examining perceptions of people with mental illness, I believe this theory could be applied to the general public, and in particular to my assigned community, Ferguson Missouri. It points out the cornerstone of policing is front line patrol officers, whose ability to carry out their duties effectively are impacted by how they are perceived by the community.
According to this theory, a central factor shaping perceptions about authority figures and dispute resolutions processes is whether an individual believes they were treated justly and fairly during personal encounters with agents of authority. Unjust and unfair treatment by agents of authority is likely to produce negative evaluations. The theory stipulates that PPJ regarding agents of the law (e.g., police officers, judges, correctional officers) is important for shaping beliefs regarding whether legal authorities can be entrusted with the responsibilities of performing their duties, which in turn determines levels of compliance, cooperation, and law-abiding behavior. The article states that numerous studies have found that members of the general public who feel treated in a procedurally just manner by the police are more likely to: (a) evaluate the encounter positively, (b) view the police as legitimate agents of social intervention, and (c) cooperate with the police. I agree with the study in that the degree to which community members are willing to engage proactively and cooperate voluntarily with the police is also integral to the efficacy.
Procedural justice theory provides a framework for understanding how perceptions about authorities, such as the police, are created, maintained and transformed. The article examined the influence of selected factors on how people with mental illness perceive their interactions with the police. The semi structured interview guide contained detailed questions regarding participants’ lifetime and most recent police encounters, and included several scales from the “Police Contact Experience Scale” (PCES). The PCES is a measure for assessing situational, procedural, and interpersonal aspects of interactions between people with mental illness and the police. Residents in Ferguson Missouri almost sixty three percent black, have a negative perception about authority there. The judicial structure in Ferguson is predominately white.
Findings indicate that participants’ evaluations of police interactions were greatly influenced by how they perceived police officers’ behavior on aspects of fairness, respectfulness, and kindness. Overall participants’ interactions with police were viewed as positive. They reported the police acted, for the most part, in a procedurally just manner.
Would a sample of your assigned community agree that their interactions/outcomes with police would be based on quality of treatment by police, quality of police decision-making, and police performance?
Could communities lower their crime rate if they had greater cooperation and acceptance of agent’s authority?
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Week 12: News Article - Barissa
St. Louis turns to data to guide development
January
29, 2014 12:00 pm
- By Tim Logan tlogan@post-dispatch.com
This
article discusses the use of data to supplement the way development spending
has been determined and be used as a tool for redevelopment in the city of St.
Louis. The idea is to use this method to make better use out of federal money
and hope to get private money to redevelop projects. It is hoped and can possibly be a way to recognize
the city’s resources by supplementing the previous way of analyzing the city
with the use of wards or neighborhoods. Instead of break the city up into wards
and neighborhood, breaking the city into 360 sections and sorted into 9 areas
will be used. Within these areas 10 data points will be collected such as home
prices and amount of vacant land to provide information on the city’s housing
market.
Aldermen and those involved
with neighborhood development met at a conference to put this method to use to
break down the data in St. Louis. The
results found that “neighborhoods south of I-44 and west of Kingshighway
reflect mid-market home prices and high homeownership. St. Louis city
neighborhoods surrounding Martin Luther King Drive and Natural Bridge Avenue
reflects low home prices and high vacancy. Far north city neighborhoods reflect
high homeownership, but also a high foreclosure rate. The final areas of Lafayette
Square and the Central West End reflected pricey home prices and ownership.”
These results reflect that in many parts of the city specifically north city
the housing market is struggling. It also reflects that in some areas a street
can separate high market to low market value.
I found this article
interesting because with my research in the JVL neighborhood I can see some of
the issues this article is bringing up and the benefits of the use of data. Our
first step in planning our community initiatives was to find out the data in
our communities. Without data it is difficult to truly understand and compare
neighborhoods. The JVL neighborhood is low in the housing market, along with
other north city areas. Initiatives have been put in place to help revitalize
the JVL neighborhood, and hopefully more money will get put in place in these
areas with the use of this data analysis method.
What are the strengths and
what are the weaknesses of the use of data?
Can the use of data
analysis be effective in any areas of your community?
Do you think this data
analysis method will be used and benefit St. Louis city neighborhoods?
Friday, March 28, 2014
Week 11: News Article - Cheri
Article: 2013 a Banner Year For STL Startups
March 22, 2014
by Maria Altman
A community
requires tax revenue to provide services such as emergency response, schools,
and personnel who attend to the needs within the community such as well maintained
roads, housing, and infrastructure
support (gas, electric, water, sewage, & trash). All of these things are dependent upon an area's wealth,
which is driven by the area's economy.
After attending a recent community meeting in Ferguson, I realized Mayor
James Knowles and the city council understood the importance of attracting
businesses to Ferguson to stimulate their city's economy. Mayor Knowles shared that people move
away from their community when it no longer contains businesses that meet the
everyday needs. Thus, this prompted me to read a business and economic article
written by Maria Altman, 2013 A Banner
Year For STL Startups." From
this article I learned about organizations whose focus is to strengthen and grow businesses within a region such
as St. Louis city and county areas.
Joy
De Long is the St. Louis Chamber's Vice President of the "New Ventures
& Capital Formation." He
shared with Maria Altman the successes of the St. Louis Regional Chamber during
the past eight years, which resulted this year in a total of 52 new companies
with 37 of those companies focusing on technology-based services. Additional research on www.Forbes.com
revealed that technology-based companies are highly profitable due to their
ability to provide services to a large number of consumers, often anywhere in
the United States and even overseas. At www.stlregionalchamber.com, I learned that the goals of
the Chamber are to unite very successful business leaders in the community who
will help stimulate the local economy through the creation of:
· New public policies to
create a friendly business climate
· Higher educational
attainment in areas of need
· Opportunities for
entrepreneurship
· Opportunities for businesses
to move to St. Louis
· Encouraging innovation and
economic inclusion
· Networks to financially
sustain and begin new businesses
As I reflected
upon the support offered by a city's chamber of commerce, I began to more fully
understand the significance of its impact upon a community and how important it
is for a social worker to become knowledgeable about their city's chamber of
commerce. For example, through the
Chamber's website, I learned about a non-profit organization that has the
potential to become a community resource.
According to De Long, St. Louis has a
unique non-profit nationally recognized organization called the Arch Angels
Investment Group, which is comprised of members committed to buying stock in
new companies and mentoring potential new business owners. This has resulted in an investment of
approximately 40 million dollars in the St. Louis area since 2006. According to De Long, out of the 235
companies started since 2006, 200 are still successfully operating today. Addition reading at
www.fundingpost.com/angelgroup revealed that Arch Angels' investors help
individuals with business planning, team building, fund raising (venture
capital), and training on how to generate business contracts. The support of Arch Angels Investment
Group has the potential to help start successful community programs such as
Angel Baked Cookies.
Our
Code of Ethics states that we should empower individuals and connect them to
resources. Using a strengths
perspective, I believe one of the most empowering services social workers can provide
is to show individuals different ways they can become financially
independent. Have you ever thought
about how an individual and/or community can become more financially
secure? How would you
connect an individual or community to resources to help facilitate financial
security?
Week 11: News Article - Danielle I.
This article discusses how
the Westside Branch NAACP and the Westside Health Authority in Austin, IL are
planning to spend $500,000 they were appropriated, but did not ask for.
State representative, LaShawn Ford applied for the money unbeknownst to the two
groups.
The director of the branch of the NAACP in question said that the money will be
allocated towards the ACT-SO program that helps high-school students. The
aim of this program is to recruit adult and student mentors for students in the
community to help foster knowledge. One of the activities yearly is a
competition similar to a Quizbowl in which students get the opportunity to
demonstrate the knowledge they have gained.
This type of program seems like it would be useful in Lemay as it allows
students to learn in a constructive, while slightly competitive, environment
and allows adults and other students in the community to help foster knowledge
in others. Furthermore, it helps the students in the community learn by
example.
Ford was quoted as saying, "Some individuals believe we should stop spending
and pay down our bills, but our communities are hurting. We should spend money
where it's needed," Ford said. "We have to empower the West Side,
especially our kids. We need to broaden the net and bring in more youth, and
strengthen those programs that already exist.”
This article
was relevant to our classwork as it depicts a struggling community.
However, it was particularly relevant to my work in Lemay as it shows groups
getting an influx of money and the process of determining how to appropriately
spend it. This is somewhat comparable to Lemay’s influx of dollars after
the casino was built.
Ford also
said, "Austin is struggling with the schools closing. There's a lack
of a YMCA and a lack of programs for kids to go to college and better
themselves. In Austin, the kids are at-risk and we have to do something to keep
them from becoming at-risk." Again, this is relevant to much of our
work in the community as there are many at-risk youth in all of the communities
involved. Ford aspires to provide resources for these youth.
Week 11: Reading Blog - Alisha
Communities Revisited: The Best Ideas of the
Last Hundred Years. by Suzanne Morse
Two important terms discussed in this article
are prevention and sustainability. When working with communities, it is
important to begin with initiatives that prevent problems versus making
solutions for problems once they occur. Sustainability refers to programs that
continue to address the issue over the course of time versus for a short period
of time.
This article focuses on three ideas that have
made a difference and stood the test of time. Those three ideas include the
following:
·
creation and expansion of community
development corporations (and their intermediaries)
·
the practice of asset-based community
development
·
vehicles to provide affordable capital
These three ideas include the essential
elements of any change strategy, which are a structure for change, a vision for
change, and a strategy for change.
According to this article, in order to
continue improving communities we must do the following steps:
·
Continue to invest in understanding what
works and what actions are needed.
·
Engage the public at a deeper level in
deliberating about the choices and possibilities before us
·
Match policy and funding to the outcomes of
the first two.
In the future, a successful community will be
one that can pull together and utilize the tools and resources to improve its
own situation.
It is my opinion that this article provides
the guidelines for any community leaders trying to improve their community.
After reading this article, I wonder what other ideas are important to consider
when working with communities. Considering how important capital is, I also
wonder what is being done to make obtaining home loans and rehab loans
accessible for low income residents. As a community leader, do you think these
ideas are the most important to consider when working with communities? If so
why? If not why?
Week 11: Lit Review - Danielle I.
Ghiso, M.,
Campano, G., & Simon, R. (2013). Grassroots Inquiry: Reconsidering the
Location of Innovation. Language Arts,
91(2), 105-112.
In the article, Grassroots
Inquiry: Reconsidering the Location of Innovation, Maria Ghiso, Gerald Campano,
Rob Simon, discuss restructuring the concept of literacy and how to make a
community competent in literacy. The article analyzes the following
questions: Where do new ideas come from? How can people change
communities? What roles can teachers and family members play? The
writers feel that all of these questions can be answered by using a grassroots
approach to innovation in the classroom.
The article states, “In the
field of literacy, the evolving nature of texts and practices to include
multiple modes, media, and forms of interaction, coupled with the increasing
diversity of student populations, has challenged educators and researchers to
rethink school practices in ways that are more attuned to this multiplicity.”
This is particularly relevant to the communities we are studying in class as
most of them have varied socioeconomic statuses and cultural difference.
The article emphasizes the importance of the idea that there are various forms
of literary competency and schools as institutions need to uses these
variations to their advantage. It says, “Literacy itself is not an autonomous
technology that invariably leads to progress. Rather, there are multiple
literacies related to issues of power, identity, and ideology that must be
investigated in their local contexts.”
The article then goes on to
define grassroots problem solving as such, “Problem posing and problem solving—processes
that seek to make visible power dynamics and address inequitable conditions. In
this sense, grassroots innovations are not discrete “fixes” but ongoing
commitments to a broader vision of educational justice.” They also say that the
fundamental belief of grassroots problem solving is that teaching and learning
is best achieved through community input and needs to be relevant to the
context of the community.
The article also emphasizes that integration is not as important as acceptance.
The authors argue that it is less important for immigrants to be integrated
into white culture and more important for those in the community to accept the
unique qualities these immigrants have to offer.
This article was particularly relevant to my studies in Lemay. Lemay has
a large Bosnian population and the two people I interviewed within the district
(one the ELL director and one, the college counselor) said that fostering the
inherently good qualities that cultural differences bring is imperative to the
success of the Lemay community. The ELL director also said that it is
important to recognize that academic language is not the same for all cultures
and it is important to recognize that different cultural competencies can
impact the abilities of students to perform.
Week 11: Lit Review - Stephanie
Kubisch, A. C., Auspos, P., Taylor, S., & Dewar, T. (2013). Resident‐centered community building: what makes it different?. National Civic Review, 102(3), 61-71.
This article is very interesting as the content applies directly to what we are doing this semester. The article identified a set of ingredients that are needed for effective resident-centered community building. However, the article only provides the ingredients, not the recipe for the work as each community has its own unique history, conditions, capacities and potential.
The article stresses the importance of including residents in the community-building approach, which is an aspect of community work that is often left out. The authors of the article go on to explain that when residents are genuinely at the center of community building, a different process unfolds; relationships become the center of the work.
The article outlines that there are three types of relationships that must be built and maintained in resident-centered community building. Those relationships are:
1) Relationships among residents
2) Relationships between residents and neighborhood institutions
3) Relationships between residents and community change agents.
The article explains that relationship building is so important because the core of resident-centered community change work is about building personal relationships among people who live in the neighborhood. But why is relationships building so important? The truth is that relationships are the core of a vibrant community. As relationships are built, neighbors develop friendships, share information that useful and help each other out. Neighborhoods that are with a lot of trusting social relationships are high in “social capital” which is correlated with a pleasant, safe and nurturing community.
So, my question to the class is, how has your experience with building relationships in your community been this semester thus far? Difficult? Easy? Uncomfortable? Has it unfolded at all? Has it been a simple task to include residents in the process of exploring your assigned community?
This article is very interesting as the content applies directly to what we are doing this semester. The article identified a set of ingredients that are needed for effective resident-centered community building. However, the article only provides the ingredients, not the recipe for the work as each community has its own unique history, conditions, capacities and potential.
The article stresses the importance of including residents in the community-building approach, which is an aspect of community work that is often left out. The authors of the article go on to explain that when residents are genuinely at the center of community building, a different process unfolds; relationships become the center of the work.
The article outlines that there are three types of relationships that must be built and maintained in resident-centered community building. Those relationships are:
1) Relationships among residents
2) Relationships between residents and neighborhood institutions
3) Relationships between residents and community change agents.
The article explains that relationship building is so important because the core of resident-centered community change work is about building personal relationships among people who live in the neighborhood. But why is relationships building so important? The truth is that relationships are the core of a vibrant community. As relationships are built, neighbors develop friendships, share information that useful and help each other out. Neighborhoods that are with a lot of trusting social relationships are high in “social capital” which is correlated with a pleasant, safe and nurturing community.
So, my question to the class is, how has your experience with building relationships in your community been this semester thus far? Difficult? Easy? Uncomfortable? Has it unfolded at all? Has it been a simple task to include residents in the process of exploring your assigned community?
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Week 11: Reading Blog - Ella
Communities Revisited: The Best Ideas of the Last Hundred Years. by Suzanne Morse
In “The Best Ideas,” Suzanne Morse, a Professor at the University of Virginia explains that when exploring ideas on community development it can be hard to know which strategy to use. She pointed out that legislative strategies and policies are usually our initial thought, as well as specific examples of places and projects that have changed the future for communities. Even within the best examples are things that could have gone better or didn’t work out quite as they should. An example given was the housing and financial policies of the early Federal Housing Administration (FHA). With this policy in place there was still redlining and a lack of support for home ownership for minorities which contributed to the decline of urban neighborhoods.
Professor Morse believes that as we look toward the next hundred years of work in and with communities we must use strategies that prevent problems rather than react to them. She also wants us to include the “gold standard” of best practices when creating program initiatives. Best practices include ideas that have stayed with the issue for the long run, not being deluded by the positive and negative ebbs and flows that all social issues encounter.
According to the reading Professor Morse strongly believes that our lack of progress as a nation has rested less on political infighting over values and philosophy and more on our lack of consensus that the systemic issues of day-poverty, education attainment, and environmental quality-require by definition strategies for prevention and long term action.
She gave three ideas that she believes incorporate prevention and the ‘gold standard.” They encompass necessary elements of any change strategy: a structure for change, a vision for change, and a strategy for change.
1. Creation and expansion of community development corporations, CDC (and their intermediaries) – they understand community involvement, shared power, systemic issues, and holistic development from an individual and local perspective to a national reality. A critical piece of the CDC process is when residents see their neighbors as problem solvers, not just problems.
2. The practice of asset-based community development – this practice disassociates place and circumstance from individual capacities. It thinks of new creative ways to incorporate the capacities of people, the culture of the community, and the existing building and space. This concept challenges communities to think about and build on what they have, not what they don’t have; it helps people have “new eyes” about themselves and their surrounding; and it shifts the conversation from thinking of citizens as objects to fix to assets to tap.
3. Vehicles to provide affordable capital – is critical to: all phases to self sufficiency and that our financial support system be affordable, fair, and accessible, (particularly for women and minorities). One vehicle is micro lending, the notion that small loans can lead to big results has been a paradigm shift in the development world.
Professor Morse says that these three elements move us closer to Margery Austin Turner’s concept of place-conscious development. This approach thinks about how to revitalize the places in which people live, how to enable people to take advantage of opportunities that are located in different places around the region, and how to make connections between where they live and regional opportunities.
I was enlightened after this reading. I agree with the critical piece of the CDC process in that this approach/attitude will unite communities and increase positive outcomes for residents and their neighborhoods. I didn’t ask residents in the Ferguson community how they can see their neighbors as problem solvers, not just problems. Their answers may have redirected my ideas on community development. Social workers can use these ideas to strengthen their clients who can then strengthen their communities.
Questions: What strategy can you use in your assigned community to help your residents see their neighbors as problem solvers, not just problems? Do you believe that by providing vehicles to affordable capital people and communities will become self-sufficient? Why/Why not?
In “The Best Ideas,” Suzanne Morse, a Professor at the University of Virginia explains that when exploring ideas on community development it can be hard to know which strategy to use. She pointed out that legislative strategies and policies are usually our initial thought, as well as specific examples of places and projects that have changed the future for communities. Even within the best examples are things that could have gone better or didn’t work out quite as they should. An example given was the housing and financial policies of the early Federal Housing Administration (FHA). With this policy in place there was still redlining and a lack of support for home ownership for minorities which contributed to the decline of urban neighborhoods.
Professor Morse believes that as we look toward the next hundred years of work in and with communities we must use strategies that prevent problems rather than react to them. She also wants us to include the “gold standard” of best practices when creating program initiatives. Best practices include ideas that have stayed with the issue for the long run, not being deluded by the positive and negative ebbs and flows that all social issues encounter.
According to the reading Professor Morse strongly believes that our lack of progress as a nation has rested less on political infighting over values and philosophy and more on our lack of consensus that the systemic issues of day-poverty, education attainment, and environmental quality-require by definition strategies for prevention and long term action.
She gave three ideas that she believes incorporate prevention and the ‘gold standard.” They encompass necessary elements of any change strategy: a structure for change, a vision for change, and a strategy for change.
1. Creation and expansion of community development corporations, CDC (and their intermediaries) – they understand community involvement, shared power, systemic issues, and holistic development from an individual and local perspective to a national reality. A critical piece of the CDC process is when residents see their neighbors as problem solvers, not just problems.
2. The practice of asset-based community development – this practice disassociates place and circumstance from individual capacities. It thinks of new creative ways to incorporate the capacities of people, the culture of the community, and the existing building and space. This concept challenges communities to think about and build on what they have, not what they don’t have; it helps people have “new eyes” about themselves and their surrounding; and it shifts the conversation from thinking of citizens as objects to fix to assets to tap.
3. Vehicles to provide affordable capital – is critical to: all phases to self sufficiency and that our financial support system be affordable, fair, and accessible, (particularly for women and minorities). One vehicle is micro lending, the notion that small loans can lead to big results has been a paradigm shift in the development world.
Professor Morse says that these three elements move us closer to Margery Austin Turner’s concept of place-conscious development. This approach thinks about how to revitalize the places in which people live, how to enable people to take advantage of opportunities that are located in different places around the region, and how to make connections between where they live and regional opportunities.
I was enlightened after this reading. I agree with the critical piece of the CDC process in that this approach/attitude will unite communities and increase positive outcomes for residents and their neighborhoods. I didn’t ask residents in the Ferguson community how they can see their neighbors as problem solvers, not just problems. Their answers may have redirected my ideas on community development. Social workers can use these ideas to strengthen their clients who can then strengthen their communities.
Questions: What strategy can you use in your assigned community to help your residents see their neighbors as problem solvers, not just problems? Do you believe that by providing vehicles to affordable capital people and communities will become self-sufficient? Why/Why not?
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Week 9: Lit Review - Jennifer
“Strategic
Geographic Targeting in Community Development: Examining the Congruence of
Political, Institutional, and Technical Factors” by Dale E. Thomson.
My assigned community this semester is
Ferguson, and one setback that I have heard fairly consistently from residents
concerns the vacant houses in Ferguson.
The article I chose deals with a project undertaken in Detroit Michigan,
in which Strategic Geographic Targeting (SGT) was attempted. SGT is basically the process of allocating
and targeting a large number of resources to a specific area. A selected area is chosen when the area is
believed to maximize multiplier, interaction, focus, and neighborhood spillover
effects. A multiplier effect occurs when
investment in the community triggers other private investments. An interaction effect occurs when investment
in the target community interacts with supplementary investments. A focus effect occurs when key members
working in the community realize the needs of the community. A neighborhood spillover effect essentially
facilities investments in other close neighborhoods due to the magnitude of
impact in the target community.
Efficiency-based SGT (EB-SGT) takes this a step further by factoring in
necessary demographic data that would maximize these aforementioned factors to
stimulate economic development in other communities around the city. This criteria often points to “middle
neighborhoods” — neighborhoods that are not ridden with poverty, dilapidated,
or rich and affluent.
Basically, the author of the current
study did what we are doing now — he conducted 40 interviews with key
government officials, staff from community development agencies, nonprofits,
and analyzed numerous documents to determine what factors were responsible for
the failed EB-SGT. The author surmises
that, although Detroit was a prime city to study, “political, institutional,
and technical factors” (Thomson, 2011) impeded the success of the project. Specifically, government officials did not
use the appropriate methods to find optimal EB-SGT communities, and the focus
of many agencies was on “high-need,” or impoverished communities.
When I began to read this article, I was
thinking of just Ferguson, but I now think that this EB-SGT approach might be
more applicable to all of St. Louis. It
is interesting to consider what neighborhoods/municipalities would be “targeted
communities” that would have multiplier, interaction, focus, and neighborhood
spillover effects that might lead to economic growth in nearby, lower-income
communities. The article also reports
that EB-SGT was attempted in other cities such as Baltimore, Dallas, Milwaukee,
Philadelphia, etc. I wonder what the
results were and if those cities saw success…
I guess that’s an area of future research!
Of the 10,074 housing units in Ferguson,
1,211 are vacant! Thus, this data
supports the concerns of Ferguson residents.
I would be interested to hear from those of you assigned to other
communities… Are vacancies also a problem?
How do your numbers specific to housing compare to the Ferguson
statistics?
Also, do you think that this approach is
in accordance with social work? Is the
middle-class under-prioritized due to a focus on lower-income populations?
Week 9: Lit Review - Erin
Reece,
C., Staudt, M., & Ogle, A. (2013). Lessons learned from a neighborhood-based
collaboration to increase parent engagement. School Community Journal, 23(2),
207-225.
In
St. Louis, we have seen a pattern in the development of youth initiatives,
particularly in city schools. During our visit to the JeffVanderLou
neighborhood, we heard about the success of Angel Baked Cookies
(http://angelbaked.org/). In an effort
to engage youth, lower crime, and prevent gang membership, this community has
provided a program for youth to actively participate in the welfare of the
neighborhood and prepare themselves for college. I have seen this similar
concern for youth engagement in my assigned community, University City. After
interviewing both the U. City Police Sergeant and the Director of Student
Services in the University City School District, it became apparent that
programs are needed to keep students out of trouble after school and during the
summers. Business owners claim that the
youth overcrowd “the Loop” district, thus inhibiting economic advancement. The
School district has also gone to a no tolerance policy on gang related
activities, and while it has shown success there are a number of students who
were permanently removed from the school who could have been helped with
prevention strategies. In this literature review, I will share an example of
program implementation in another community that has shown effectiveness with
urban youth utilizing an innovative family focused intervention.
Studies
have shown that increased parent engagement, within their children’s schooling
and in the community, has a significant impact on the academic success of
students. To address the issues of academic performance and parent involvement,
organizers in the community of Knoxville, Tennessee implemented the
"Neighboring Project Parent Empowerment
and Volunteer Readiness Program”, a collaborative project known as the
Neighboring Project. This program is supported by the local Project GRAD
(Graduation Really Achieves Dreams), a national education initiative, and the
local public housing authority. Residents who participate in public housing
services are required to engage in community service, and these participants
are typically low-income, urban parents. In the Neighboring Project, parents
can complete their service requirements by volunteering in their children’s
school communities, attending education programs to support local initiatives,
and developing an individualized family plan which supports academically
stimulating home environments. Additionally, within this program parents gain
an increase in confidence in talking to teachers and administrations, and in
turn can help to educate other members of the community. According to the authors,
“findings from focus groups and anecdotal information reveal the Neighboring
Project had lasting impact on participants and led to increased involvement in
school and neighborhood. “ (Reece, Staudt, Ogle, 2013).
Lastly,
I leave you with some questions to think about, and appreciate your comments:
-
What
other barriers (community factors, economic factors, etc.) do you believe
inhibit students’ abilities to thrive in an academic setting?
-
Should
we look at this issue from a family intervention model, such as the Neighboring
Project, or from a student intervention model, such as Angel Baked Cookies?
-
What
other programs have you found to be effective in your community (or assigned
community), and how can we use these other findings to improve our programs?
Friday, March 14, 2014
Week 9: Reading Blog - Cheri
Building Support for the Proposed Change
The social worker is challenged to decide what specific factors have revealed a current need by analyzing everything previously learned about a community through data, interviews, research, and assessment of assets. Students within this class are nearing the end of this phase. Careful analysis with others allows a hypothesis to be created correlating cause and effect for each specific factor that has led to the current identified need, revealing strengths and weaknesses. This hypothesis should be further developed with the help of a person or group from the community who first identified the problem (Initiator). This person/group may have attempted past resolutions and are already personally invested in the identified need. This will hopefully enable the social worker through education and research to lead them to a feeling of empowerment and willingness to invest their time and resources to help develop a steering committee, which will become the change agent system. The change agent system consists of individuals who may be willing to take a leadership position to:
• personally invest in the issue
• influence people in other systems to network with the committee
• identify resources within and outside the community
• research the issue to see if it has been successfully resolved elsewhere
• draft a letter seeking permission to address the issue
Knowledge gained will lead to the development of an intervention hypothesis and outcome for each target population, client system, identified as needing help due to a stated specific problem. The client system may consist of one or more individuals, a group, agency, institution, organization, etc. The steering committee will also:
• Identify the client system and who will benefit primarily and secondarily from the intervention.
• Identify the support system(s) consisting of
Individual volunteers, local groups, county, state, or national organizations.
• Identify the controlling system who have the authority to approve intervention proposal
elected official(s), agency or corporation board, delegated official(s)
• Identify the host system who will
sponsor by providing resources/services
• Identify implementation system who will provide intervention(s)
employees/volunteer
• Identify target system(s) where changes are needed to facilitate success, which is different than population group. This system identifies how the change will be approached, who needs to agree to changes, which may be outside or within the controlling system, host system, or implementation system. Examples of these target "how" changes are:
policy, program, project, personnel, practice approach,
individual, structure, legislation, education, philosophy, value, attitude
Now, long-term commitments from individuals in the steering committee, support system, controlling system, host system, and implementation system will facilitate the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the intervention hypothesize to affect a change. During this time it is most likely that the systems will overlap. All of these individuals will be referred to as the coordinating committee who will assess and plan for:
• Readiness of target population to receive intervention
• Commitment levels of committee members to accomplish goal
• Plan responses to positive and negative responses from outside the committee
• Evaluate resources and available skills
• Evaluate proposed Intervention and expected outcome
• Facilitate implementation of intervention
• Ongoing assessment of intervention
• Develop a plan for assessing outcome and follow-up
The information within this chapter gave me a better understanding about how a hypothetical intervention plan is created, which I believe is the community intervention proposal due at the end of this semester. What conclusions and insights did you gain from this chapter? May an intervention proposal be an extension of an existing service, a change within an agency to improve a current program, or a new service that does not exist within the community?
The social worker is challenged to decide what specific factors have revealed a current need by analyzing everything previously learned about a community through data, interviews, research, and assessment of assets. Students within this class are nearing the end of this phase. Careful analysis with others allows a hypothesis to be created correlating cause and effect for each specific factor that has led to the current identified need, revealing strengths and weaknesses. This hypothesis should be further developed with the help of a person or group from the community who first identified the problem (Initiator). This person/group may have attempted past resolutions and are already personally invested in the identified need. This will hopefully enable the social worker through education and research to lead them to a feeling of empowerment and willingness to invest their time and resources to help develop a steering committee, which will become the change agent system. The change agent system consists of individuals who may be willing to take a leadership position to:
• personally invest in the issue
• influence people in other systems to network with the committee
• identify resources within and outside the community
• research the issue to see if it has been successfully resolved elsewhere
• draft a letter seeking permission to address the issue
Knowledge gained will lead to the development of an intervention hypothesis and outcome for each target population, client system, identified as needing help due to a stated specific problem. The client system may consist of one or more individuals, a group, agency, institution, organization, etc. The steering committee will also:
• Identify the client system and who will benefit primarily and secondarily from the intervention.
• Identify the support system(s) consisting of
Individual volunteers, local groups, county, state, or national organizations.
• Identify the controlling system who have the authority to approve intervention proposal
elected official(s), agency or corporation board, delegated official(s)
• Identify the host system who will
sponsor by providing resources/services
• Identify implementation system who will provide intervention(s)
employees/volunteer
• Identify target system(s) where changes are needed to facilitate success, which is different than population group. This system identifies how the change will be approached, who needs to agree to changes, which may be outside or within the controlling system, host system, or implementation system. Examples of these target "how" changes are:
policy, program, project, personnel, practice approach,
individual, structure, legislation, education, philosophy, value, attitude
Now, long-term commitments from individuals in the steering committee, support system, controlling system, host system, and implementation system will facilitate the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the intervention hypothesize to affect a change. During this time it is most likely that the systems will overlap. All of these individuals will be referred to as the coordinating committee who will assess and plan for:
• Readiness of target population to receive intervention
• Commitment levels of committee members to accomplish goal
• Plan responses to positive and negative responses from outside the committee
• Evaluate resources and available skills
• Evaluate proposed Intervention and expected outcome
• Facilitate implementation of intervention
• Ongoing assessment of intervention
• Develop a plan for assessing outcome and follow-up
The information within this chapter gave me a better understanding about how a hypothetical intervention plan is created, which I believe is the community intervention proposal due at the end of this semester. What conclusions and insights did you gain from this chapter? May an intervention proposal be an extension of an existing service, a change within an agency to improve a current program, or a new service that does not exist within the community?
Week 9: Reading Blog - Barissa
Chapter 9: Building Support for the Proposed Change
The reading for this week included a lot of information and provided a framework for planning change on the macro level. The reading was broken into three key components including designing an intervention, building support and selecting an approach to change.
Important points from the reading and questions to think about when creating our own proposals will be highlighted in each section.
Designing an intervention
• Study and analyze the problem, population, and/ or arena – This is similar to what we have already done with our community profiles
• Define what is the cause of the intervention (reduce or eliminate the problem) in our communities?
• What results can be expected from the interventions we implement in our communities? Think of success stories and problems in our communities
This section is a good framework on how to begin figuring out what you want your focus to be in your community.
Building Support
• This section focuses on who is involved /participants- In our case right now involvement includes classmates & possibly anyone we have encountered in the community that is willing to help
• History- Who first recognized the problem and are they able to be involved in your intervention?
• Identify who is coordinating the intervention
• Identify who the intervention will benefit
• Who has control/ authority to approve the proposal?
• What organizations will be involved?
• What needs to be changed for this intervention to be successful?
• Who will be the leader in charge of moving the change toward implementation?
** Some of these questions and points will overlap**
Having support from the community is an important agent in implementing effective and positive change in the community. Without support it will be difficult to propose a change because the community may not be ready and or in agreement with the change.
Capacity & Approach to Change
• Evaluate the readiness to support the proposed change
- Availability of resources, openness, commitments, abilities, degree of outside residence
• Identify the approach to change
- Policy- format statement /course of action
- Program- structured activities
- Project- smaller, time-limited, flexible, & adapted into the need – This is the approach I think most of our proposals will be
- Personnel- change at the personal level (communities & organizations come together
- Practice- a way to carry out a basic function
What stage are you currently in with your intervention proposal? What information do you still need? Out of the three categories, which seems to be the most important and which seems to be the most difficult?
The reading for this week included a lot of information and provided a framework for planning change on the macro level. The reading was broken into three key components including designing an intervention, building support and selecting an approach to change.
Important points from the reading and questions to think about when creating our own proposals will be highlighted in each section.
Designing an intervention
• Study and analyze the problem, population, and/ or arena – This is similar to what we have already done with our community profiles
• Define what is the cause of the intervention (reduce or eliminate the problem) in our communities?
• What results can be expected from the interventions we implement in our communities? Think of success stories and problems in our communities
This section is a good framework on how to begin figuring out what you want your focus to be in your community.
Building Support
• This section focuses on who is involved /participants- In our case right now involvement includes classmates & possibly anyone we have encountered in the community that is willing to help
• History- Who first recognized the problem and are they able to be involved in your intervention?
• Identify who is coordinating the intervention
• Identify who the intervention will benefit
• Who has control/ authority to approve the proposal?
• What organizations will be involved?
• What needs to be changed for this intervention to be successful?
• Who will be the leader in charge of moving the change toward implementation?
** Some of these questions and points will overlap**
Having support from the community is an important agent in implementing effective and positive change in the community. Without support it will be difficult to propose a change because the community may not be ready and or in agreement with the change.
Capacity & Approach to Change
• Evaluate the readiness to support the proposed change
- Availability of resources, openness, commitments, abilities, degree of outside residence
• Identify the approach to change
- Policy- format statement /course of action
- Program- structured activities
- Project- smaller, time-limited, flexible, & adapted into the need – This is the approach I think most of our proposals will be
- Personnel- change at the personal level (communities & organizations come together
- Practice- a way to carry out a basic function
What stage are you currently in with your intervention proposal? What information do you still need? Out of the three categories, which seems to be the most important and which seems to be the most difficult?
Week 9: News Article - Rachel
Crouch, E. (2014, March 14). Normandy seventh-graders march in support of their district. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved from http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/normandy-seventh-graders-march-in-support-of-their-district/article_b2a78271-0872-5946-bd2a-c07b258f9853.html
When was the last time you heard, or were a part of a conversation about the current generation of youth? Were there exclamations of concern for the future? Accusations that students nowadays simply do not care as much as they used to or that they do not wish to make a positive impact on our world? Concerns that there is more callousness, cruelty, and apathy among children and teens than ever before? How do you feel about such powerful statements and concerns and have you ever found yourself thinking them?
To be honest, this topic is something that I have been concerned about before. I am guilty of worrying about the children and in particular, the teens, of today. Meeting the youth at Ferguson Corner Coffee House, however, and articles such as Elisa Crouch’s give me hope. In her piece, Crouch details a rally held by over 150 Normandy students on March 13, 2014. They came together holding signs such as “#NormandyStrong” or “Stand Up.”
The gathering took place during what would have normally been lunch hour for the students and involved an approximately mile-long march. The purpose? To raise awareness to their school district and the challenges it will face in the future. Due to a school transfer law, close to 2,200 students have been relocated to other school districts, ones that are believed to be higher performers. The Normandy school district had to pay for both tuition and transportation costs. Now, with a task force designed to decide its fate and a significant loss of funds, the Normandy school district’s future seems uncertain.
When I first sat down to write my news article blog, I had originally picked a different article. I had already completed a paragraph of my reflection on it when I decided to switch to this one. So why did this article in particular captivate me to the point of discarding my former work? For starters, the students were inspired by past civil rights campaigns and the power children and teens can have in sparking change. They showed a level of bravery, involvement, and dedication I did not have as a 7th grader. Furthermore, the events of this article take place within our own backyard. The students marched down Natural Bridge Road, a road that has great meaning and personal significance to me as it is one I have now driven on quite a few times.
One of the discussions I have heard held within our Community Practice and Social Change class is how it feels as though we are outsiders within some of the communities we have been exploring. In the case of Normandy, however, that is our academic community, our house so to speak. The Normandy school district is right nearby the University of Missouri – St. Louis (UMSL) and yet, when I spoke to a close friend in another department she mentioned she was surprised there had not been more projects in place linking the two. She has been volunteering for UMSL events for a while now but said she could not recall any programs where UMSL students tutored or mentored Normandy students and felt that was an oversight on the part of certain UMSL groups.
Why do you think we do not have more association with the Normandy school district? Would you be interested in getting involved if there were a project in place that linked Normandy students with UMSL students? Do you feel that as older students in the same area, we ought to lend our voices to the Normandy student’s cause or do you feel that would be intrusive or meddlesome? What sort of power do students have in inciting social change and how should it be used (or should it be used at all)?
When was the last time you heard, or were a part of a conversation about the current generation of youth? Were there exclamations of concern for the future? Accusations that students nowadays simply do not care as much as they used to or that they do not wish to make a positive impact on our world? Concerns that there is more callousness, cruelty, and apathy among children and teens than ever before? How do you feel about such powerful statements and concerns and have you ever found yourself thinking them?
To be honest, this topic is something that I have been concerned about before. I am guilty of worrying about the children and in particular, the teens, of today. Meeting the youth at Ferguson Corner Coffee House, however, and articles such as Elisa Crouch’s give me hope. In her piece, Crouch details a rally held by over 150 Normandy students on March 13, 2014. They came together holding signs such as “#NormandyStrong” or “Stand Up.”
The gathering took place during what would have normally been lunch hour for the students and involved an approximately mile-long march. The purpose? To raise awareness to their school district and the challenges it will face in the future. Due to a school transfer law, close to 2,200 students have been relocated to other school districts, ones that are believed to be higher performers. The Normandy school district had to pay for both tuition and transportation costs. Now, with a task force designed to decide its fate and a significant loss of funds, the Normandy school district’s future seems uncertain.
When I first sat down to write my news article blog, I had originally picked a different article. I had already completed a paragraph of my reflection on it when I decided to switch to this one. So why did this article in particular captivate me to the point of discarding my former work? For starters, the students were inspired by past civil rights campaigns and the power children and teens can have in sparking change. They showed a level of bravery, involvement, and dedication I did not have as a 7th grader. Furthermore, the events of this article take place within our own backyard. The students marched down Natural Bridge Road, a road that has great meaning and personal significance to me as it is one I have now driven on quite a few times.
One of the discussions I have heard held within our Community Practice and Social Change class is how it feels as though we are outsiders within some of the communities we have been exploring. In the case of Normandy, however, that is our academic community, our house so to speak. The Normandy school district is right nearby the University of Missouri – St. Louis (UMSL) and yet, when I spoke to a close friend in another department she mentioned she was surprised there had not been more projects in place linking the two. She has been volunteering for UMSL events for a while now but said she could not recall any programs where UMSL students tutored or mentored Normandy students and felt that was an oversight on the part of certain UMSL groups.
Why do you think we do not have more association with the Normandy school district? Would you be interested in getting involved if there were a project in place that linked Normandy students with UMSL students? Do you feel that as older students in the same area, we ought to lend our voices to the Normandy student’s cause or do you feel that would be intrusive or meddlesome? What sort of power do students have in inciting social change and how should it be used (or should it be used at all)?
Saturday, March 8, 2014
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