Knowledge and Skills of Change Agents in Rural Community Development in Sukabumi Regency Indonesia

Abstract

The study was motivated by the importance of an agent of change’s presence in the success of community development. The study aimed to obtain an in-depth overview of the Change Agents competencies in the implementation of community development programs. The aspects of competency studied are knowledge and skills possessed by Change Agents. The study was conducted in rural areas of Sukabumi Regency Indonesia which became the implementation area of the Mandiri Prosperous Village (Desa Sejahtera Mandiri) model from the Ministry of Social Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia. The study used descriptive methods with a qualitative approach. The informants consisted of District Social Welfare Workers (TKSK), Community Leaders, and Community Cadres. The results of the study show that from the knowledge aspect the change agents know the character of the community, how to approach the community and knowledge of the scope of human needs. The skills aspect shows that change agents have skills such as personal communication, facilitating groups, motivating, increasing anthusiasm and activating the community, providing resources for the community, overcoming conflicts and conducting negotiations and mediations. Keywords : Knowledge, Skills, Change Agent,Rural Community Development