October 1998 Strong Communities Are Rooted in Relationships
D esigned for community organizers and others seeking to build active, involved communities, the Building Partnerships Workbook examines community development from conception to ultimate success. "People who have an idea for renewal and development often do not know how to organize themselves or their neighbors into social and political networks," notes author Dr. Diane Dorfman. "This workbook talks about how you can conceptualize networks and the practices that will help to bring them about."
The first in a series of publications that evolved as part of the Laboratory’s Rural Education
Program’s School-Community Development Project, the Building Partnerships Workbook is packed with ideas and practices for organizing community groups, discovering who wants to commit to the process, and practicing the art of social relations. The ideas and activities in the workbook are intended to help users bring out the power of relationships in the community-building process.
Communities consist of myriad connections, interrelationships, webs of affiliation, and collaborative networks involving different social positions and groups. But often these connections do not go beyond traditional roles and norms. "Teachers don’t regularly talk to members of the business community. Parents do not usually have conversations with members of the town council. Individuals in different roles, as defined by our community and society, do not really have a chance to come together and share ideas," says Dorfman. "This means social networks are weaker and the community is not as strong as it could be."
The prescription, says the author, is to foster a sense of ownership and empowerment by developing a network of relationships that cross traditional role boundaries and encouraging participation from all facets of the community.
The workbook explores the premises under which people engage in community action, discusses some of the issues that arise in the first stages of community development, and examines several models of collaborative networks to illustrate the various bases on which partnerships can form. By examining different kinds of partnerships and exploring what they should be able to do, the author offers insight into the types of relationships that create the networks that sustain healthy communities.
Because schools are vital to community survival, much of the workbook focuses on the school’s role in community development. Particularly in rural areas, the school is often the strongest—and in some cases the only remaining—community institution. The school can be a gathering point as well as a resource that can unite the community.
"Community involvement with teachers, teachers’ involvement with students, and all groups’ involvement with each other creates an integrated system uniting school, teachers, parents, and local residents," explains Dorfman. "Expanding your resources strengthens your position and creates a chain of new contacts and enhanced opportunities for involvement."
To order the Building Partnerships Workbook, please turn to the Document Order Form in this newsletter.
| Next Article | Contents | NW Report Index |
This document's URL is:
Home | Up & Coming | Programs & Projects: NW Report | People | Products & Publications | Topics
© 2001 Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
Date of Last Update: 9/28/01
Email Webmaster
Tel. 503.275.9500
