Facilitate Community Participation Research Articles

Research Agenda to Facilitate Community Participation In HIV Vaccine Research: A Participatory Approach

This article reports on a participatory process to generating a research agenda to guide research on community participation in HIV vaccine research. Community members representing stakeholder parties involved in the HIV vaccine research enterprise were invited to participate in the process. Fourty-five participants participated in the process and we used interactive techniques to stimulate discussion and interaction between community members at different levels of the HIV vaccine research enterprise. Through the process we generated a locally grounded research agenda to guide research on community participation in HIV vaccine research that originates out of the experiences, challenges and concerns of community members.

Community development workers (CDWs): a case study of the Bitou Local Municipality

Local government in South Africa is no longer simply an extension of the national and provincial spheres of government; it has become an independent sphere in its own right. Steady progress has been made in the delivery of services since the advent of a democratic and developmental state in 1994. The 1996 South African Constitution positions local government as an independent sphere of the government, interrelated to and interdependent with the national and provincial governments. To give it a collective voice, local government speaks from a position of strength through organised local government, as embodied in the South African Local Government Association (hereafter referred to as SALGA). The government is aware of the challenges facing local government service delivery, particularly in the rural areas, where progress in service delivery has been slow. During the former Presidential Izimbizo’s, the gap between the government’s delivery efforts and communities’ ability to benefit from that delivery was repeatedly highlighted. The introduction of community development workers (CDWs) is to assist the three spheres of government to ensure that service delivery reaches the intended recipients effectively and efficiently (IDASA, 2006: On- Line).It was against this background that community development workers (CDWs) were introduced as a link between the government and communities. CDWs are defined as participatory change agents who work in the community in which the live, and to whom they have to answer for their activities. They are required to help members of the community to improve their living standards and change circumstances. To do this, CDWs are expected to make the poor aware of their constitutional rights such as their right to basic service delivery including social grants and assist community members to understand how they can participate in the development plans for their communities. CDWs are expected to facilitate community participation in policy-making, implementation and in service delivery (Republic of South Africa. Grassroots Innovation, 2007). In this article, the role of community development workers in enhancing service delivery within the Bitou Local Municipality is discussed. The article concludes with recommendations based on an empirical survey to establish the extent to which CDWs play a role in improving service delivery and enhancing the accessibility of government services to communities.Keywords: Bitou Local Municipality, local governance, community development workers, participation, ward committeesDisciplines: Public Management and Administration, social science research methodology, development studies

CITRIS Report: The San Francisco Community Safety Camera Program - An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of San Francisco's Community Safety Cameras

This study evaluates the effectiveness of the City of San Francisco’s Community Safety Camera (CSC) program. Chapter 1 describes the origins of the CSC program and the City of San Francisco’s primary and secondary policy objectives for it, as expressed in the statements, technical choices, policies, and practices made by the Mayor’s Office, the City’s Board of Supervisors, the Police Commission, the San Francisco Police Department, and other entities and individuals that have played key roles in shaping the program as it exists today. Chapter 2 provides an empirical analysis of the CSC program’s effectiveness in deterring crime, particularly violent crime. Chapter 3 analyzes the effectiveness of the CSC program as a investigatory and evidentiary tool, and considers the program’s effectiveness in supporting the secondary objectives of facilitating community participation, oversight and accountability, and the protection of privacy and related interests. Chapter 4 considers the managerial and technical aspects of the system that span all objectives, based on our findings. Chapter 5 provides guidance and recommendations to the City for the CSC program based on its current objectives, and offers preliminary thoughts on possible alternatives the City may consider for the program.This report was sponsored by Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society at UC Berkeley.

Methods and approaches to support Indigenous water planning: An example from the Tiwi Islands, Northern Territory, Australia

Summary Indigenous land owners of the Tiwi Islands, Northern Territory Australia have begun the first formal freshwater allocation planning process in Australia entirely within Indigenous lands and waterways. The process is managed by the Northern Territory government agency responsible for water planning, the Department of Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sport, in partnership with the Tiwi Land Council, the principal representative body for Tiwi Islanders on matters of land and water management and governance. Participatory planning methods (‘tools’) were developed to facilitate community participation in Tiwi water planning. The tools, selected for their potential to generate involvement in the planning process needed both to incorporate Indigenous knowledge of water use and management and raise awareness in the Indigenous community of Western science and water resources management. In consultation with the water planner and Tiwi Land Council officers, the researchers selected four main tools to develop, trial and evaluate. Results demonstrate that the tools provided mechanisms which acknowledge traditional management systems, improve community engagement, and build confidence in the water planning process. The researchers found that participatory planning approaches supported Tiwi natural resource management institutions both in determining appropriate institutional arrangements and clarifying roles and responsibilities in the Islands’ Water Management Strategy.

Strengthening community participation at health centers in rural Cambodia: role of local non-governmental organizations (NGOs)

Cambodia's health policy emphasizes community participation to improve health services. This study identifies factors facilitating community participation in health center management in rural Cambodia, focusing on roles of local NGOs. We conducted a questionnaire survey of 50 local NGOs regarding their understanding of new health systems and policies and NGO collaboration with health centers. Eight local NGOs and their partner health centers were selected for further field survey. Using an assessment tool developed by the authors, structured interviews were conducted with 35 stakeholders to measure the level of community participation in the management of health centers through health committees mandated for each health center by the new health policy. Roles and approaches of the eight NGOs were examined. Levels of community participation at the health centers varied and were associated with roles of the partner NGOs. Critical roles of NGOs in facilitating community participation were found to include: nurturing a base through community organizing and capacity building, and encouraging the community to apply community experiences in health; regularly communicating with, monitoring and providing management support to health centers; and linking local actors for health. To take such roles effectively, long-term commitments to specific localities and small financial inputs were found to be advantageous characteristics for NGOs. Local NGOs, even those without health expertise and with limited resources, can effectively promote and facilitate community participation in health center management. Such roles of local NGOs are critically important for sustainable health development, and therefore, should be further recognized and supported.

Long-term stroke survivors' needs and perceptions of an exercise maintenance model of care

Aims Stroke is a leading cause of disability in Australia, having an associated decline in functional activities and socialization over time. This article discusses an exploration of stroke survivors' views on a stroke maintenance exercise group, and aims to provide insight into the long-term needs of this clinical group. Methods A qualitative study using open-ended, in-depth interviews was completed with a purposive sample of 10 long-term stroke survivors from two stroke maintenance exercise groups. Findings Thematic analysis of survivor's responses identified three common themes: further insight into difficulties post-stroke; group provision of exercise opportunity, information and social support; and outcomes of increased confidence, motivation and participation. Conclusions This study highlights the challenges faced by long-term stroke survivors and the value of programmes, such as this stroke maintenance exercise group, in facilitating community participation.

Evaluation findings on community participation in the California Healthy Cities and Communities program

As part of an evaluation of the California Healthy Cities and Communities (CHCC) program, we evaluated resident involvement, broad representation and civic engagement beyond the local CHCC initiative. The evaluation design was a case study of 20 participating communities with cross-case analysis. Data collection methods included: coalition member surveys at two points in time, semi-structured interviews with key informants, focus groups with coalition members and document review. Participating communities were diverse in terms of population density, geography and socio-demographic characteristics. Over a 3-year period, grantees developed a broad-based coalition of residents and community sectors, produced a shared vision, conducted an asset-based community assessment, identified a priority community improvement focus, developed an action plan, implemented the plan and evaluated their efforts. Local residents were engaged through coalition membership, assessment activities and implementation activities. Ten of the 20 coalitions had memberships comprised of mainly local residents in the planning phase, with 5 maintaining a high level of resident involvement in governance during the implementation phase. Ninety percent of the coalitions had six or more community sectors represented (e.g. education, faith). The majority of coalitions described at least one example of increased input into local government decision-making and at least one instance in which a resident became more actively involved in the life of their community. Findings suggest that the Healthy Cities and Communities model can be successful in facilitating community participation.

Letter

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article LetterFull AccessLetterIgnacio David Acevedo-Polakovich Ph.D.Linda M. Callejas M.A.Mario Hernandez Ph.D.Ignacio David Acevedo-Polakovich Ph.D.Search for more papers by this authorLinda M. Callejas M.A.Search for more papers by this authorMario Hernandez Ph.D.Search for more papers by this authorPublished Online:1 Nov 2009https://doi.org/10.1176/ps.2009.60.11.1557aAboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail An Early Example of Culturally Competent Services: ReplyIn Reply: We thank Dr. Lefley for her letter. Between 1979 and 1991 she and her colleagues ( 1 , 2 , 3 ) developed and documented an exemplary mental health services approach reflecting the organizational cultural competence features that we identified in the literature published between 1994 and 2004—both in our August article and elsewhere ( 4 ). The first two of these features involve accounting for community context and cultural characteristics of service populations, which Lefley and colleagues accomplished by deliberately and clearly grounding services in the ecological contexts of their community (including cultural perspectives on mental health and its treatment). We identified a third broad cultural competence feature, organizational infrastructure, which includes organizational functions such as communication, governance and planning, evaluation, human resources, and service array. Employing communication practices that stressed learning and direct exchanges of information both within the organization and between the organization and the community, Lefley and colleagues facilitated community participation in evaluation, planning, and governance. These efforts, along with a human resources infrastructure that procured culturally competent staff, facilitated a service array responsive to the needs of the population served.Lefley and colleagues' approach reflected three important characteristics that make up the final organizational cultural competence factor we identified—direct service support. First, the range and capacity of available services reflected the needs of the service population (service availability). Second, policies and procedures facilitated individuals' ability to successfully enter, navigate, and exit needed services and supports (service accessibility). Finally, organizational practices directly promoted service use in the community and facilitated organizational accountability by tracking service use patterns (service utilization).Lefley and colleagues' approach reflected nearly all of the cultural competence features identified in our literature review and summarized in our organizational cultural competence model. Consistent with the tenets of our model, this culturally competent approach led to service parity in their community.In her comments on our model, Dr. Lefley underscored that "programs rich in cultural competence cannot persist without adequate funding and zeitgeist support." We wholeheartedly agree. In presenting our model, we argued that its focus on the ability of mental health service organizations to understand and respond to local communities' culturally influenced values, needs, and attitudes toward service emphasizes that cultural competence is an aspect inherent to all mental health services and not only those serving racial and ethnic minority groups. We believe that the dissemination of this important perspective is an integral part of ensuring the zeitgeist that Dr. Lefley highlights as integral to the sustainability of culturally competent services that—like the model she developed with her colleagues—reflect the factors identified in our review.In the context of mental health services, culture is a dynamic set of factors that have a pervasive influence on the experience of all individuals. As such, recognizing culture and incorporating it into organizational functioning are essential to the development of approaches that lead to service parity. We hope the findings summarized in our model help foster the day when service approaches such as that developed by Lefley and colleagues are the norm rather than the exception.

Beyond Diagnosis: Understanding the healthcare challenges of injured veterans through the application of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)

Psychiatric and neurological disorders brought about by exposure to combat can create serious obstacles to community reintegration. Effective therapeutic and rehabilitative methods designed to address disorders that arise from combat are available. Yet there continues to be a need to develop both a deeper understanding of veterans’ needs and best-practice methods to alleviate distress and facilitate community participation. Awareness of these needs served as the catalyst for the International Conference on Behavioral Health and Traumatic Brain Injury and is the basis for developing numerous new programs and service refinements across government and non-government organizations. Despite advances, community reintegration remains a complicated endeavor for many veterans returning home who are experiencing traumatic brain- and stress-related disorders. Accurately conceptualizing and codifying symptoms and barriers to community participation, beyond impairment analysis and diagnostic inclusion, is necessary to guide treatment planning and inform programmatic refinements. The International Classification of Function, Disability and Health (ICF) offers a useful taxonomic tool that can assist in refining an understanding of the challenges confronting our returning veterans. In turn, resources can be appropriately allocated, and neuropsychological therapies and other rehabilitation interventions, which assist veterans to resume productive and satisfying lives, will more likely be developed and implemented.

Virtual context based services for multiplayer online games to facilitate community participation

In the future of Massively Multiuser Online Gaming new improvements and innovations are needed. With demands of gamers for support and involvement, increasing new approaches are required in order to enhance community participation and increase the gaming experience. Using the concept of Virtual Context Based Services we have developed a novel approach to solve these challenges. Our concept enables information exchange game and genre independent by using the VCBS middleware. With the eXtensible game description language (xgdl) we propose a standardized way to describe the virtual context of a gamer. VCBS is an interface between games and other internet applications, which involves game communities and supports gamers.

Using Community Radio in Ghana to Facilitate Community Participation in Natural Resource Management

Using Community Radio in Ghana to Facilitate Community Participation in Natural Resource Management

Using Community Radio in Ghana to Facilitate Community Participation in Natural Resource Management

In West Africa, finding ways for rural people to improve their livelihoods and lives by participating in the management of natural resources is a pressing issue. The majority of the population, in particular the poor, live in rural areas and rely on natural resources but often lack control of these resources. This article focuses on a workshop in Ghana, combining elements of appreciative inquiry (AI) and a rights-based approach (RBA). Its aims were to develop a community radio program series in Ghana that could increase community participation in natural resource management (NRM). A description of the workshop and subsequent 13-week radio program series demonstrates the process, contribution, and challenges of a participatory communication approach where community radio is used to encourage dialogue among different stakeholders within and externally to a community regarding forest resource management in Ghana's Brong Ahafo region.

A COMUNIDADE E O MERCADO: OS DESAFIOS NA COMERCIALIZAÇÃO DE PIRARUCU MANEJADO DAS RESERVAS MAMIRAUÁ E AMANÃ, AMAZONAS - BRASIL.

The community management of pirarucu fish (Arapaima gigas) is carried out by riverine communities of the Mamirauá and Amanã Reserves since 1999. Since the beginning of management, the population has showed positive signs of recovery of stocks. The commercialization of production, on the other hand, has been one of the main bottlenecks of the process. Thus, this study aimed to identify, from technical and local viewpoints, the main problems faced in the commercialization of managed pirarucu, besides supporting strategies to mitigate these problems. The methods employed were documental research, discussions with communities in meetings, as well as technical assistance during the 2004 and 2005 fish harvests. It was observed that the main challenges were low prices, difficulty to reach favorable markets, as well as a low level of community involvement in the negotiations and sales processes. After new commercial strategies developed by technicians and communities, there was a decrease of problems in the area, development of new market strategies, and more community participation in the process. This study, thus suggests that the best way to deal with the challenges of the market, and consequently, with conservation of the species is to promote mechanisms to facilitate community participation in the commercial process.

Moving up and down the ladder: community-based participation in public dialogue and deliberation in Bolivia and Guatemala

This article analyses how communities and its representatives have been involved in public dialogue and deliberation processes in Bolivia and Guatemala. It draws on my own experience and personal reflection in supporting and facilitating community participation in public dialogue initiatives in these countries. First, I comment briefly on the origin and current role of dialogue and deliberation in Latin America. Then, I reflect upon my own experience to illustrate two cases where communities and their organizations have been involved in these processes, both at local and national level. On the basis of these cases, I conclude with some key lessons and challenges to consider when supporting multi-stakeholder dialogic processes wherein communities are involved.

La descentralización de los servicios de salud: de la teoría a la práctica

The current promoters of the decentralization of health services affirm that its implementation will improve the quality, equity and efficiency of health systems and at the same time will increase users' satisfaction. Additionally, those who advocate decentralization believe that it will facilitate community participation in health decisionmaking, and as a result it will strengthen the democratic process. In this study we discuss first the lack of consensus regarding the meaning of decentralization and the difficulties of measuring the degree of decentralization of a health system. We also identify the actors who have formulated the above hypotheses, examine the reasons behind its formulation, and analyze if the outcome of the decentralization of the Latin American health services confirm the hypotheses.

Improving Municipal Urban Design Decision-Making by Using Digital Tools

Since joining the CRP Department in 2005, assistant professor, Umut Toker has been boosting the department’s capabilities in computer applications for planning, particularly 3-D digital modeling. He recently developed a 3-D model of downtown San Luis Obispo–which will eventually include the whole town–and is working on models for Arroyo Grande and Atascadero. These models, funded by the City of San Luis Obispo and SLOCOG, are powerful tools for development control, and will facilitate community participation.

He Soweto care givers network: Facilitating community participation in palliative care in South Africa

he Soweto care givers network: Facilitating community participation in palliative care in South Africa

The development of a Health Promotion Community Participation Framework

This paper reports on research conducted through Monash University located in the state of Victoria, Australia. The outcome of the research was the development of a Health Promotion Community Participation Framework, providing guidelines for health professionals in community health centres and services to assist them with facilitating community participation in health promotion. A literature review was conducted and information collected from health professionals working in metropolitan and rural community health centres and services across the state of Victoria, Australia. The Framework does not emphasise levels of community participation as a hierarchy, but instead proposes using the levels or types of participation across a continuum. This has been done to encourage the use of appropriate transparent strategies that will enable both individual community members and different sections of communities to participate in health promotion activities. This is particularly important where government policies dictate the direction of health promotion, as this "top down" approach can lead to the community being excluded for health promotion processes. The use of a continuum promotes the concept that participation can be effective at different levels, even when the issue to be addressed has already been identified. The Framework also proposes that in order for community participation strategies to take place, there needs to be capacity building at both the organisational level and the community level.

Parent Participation in Disadvantaged Schools: Moving beyond Attributions of Blame

Although facilitating community participation in disadvantaged schools can be difficult, this article argues that, given the structuring of schooling in contemporary western democracies, it is even more difficult than we might imagine. Drawing on Bourdieu, we attempt to elucidate the complex relations between schooling and socio-cultural contexts which can lead to inequalities of opportunity for parent participation in schooling and which work to maintain disadvantage for marginalised students. Recognitive justice, with its positive regard for social difference and centrality of social democratic processes, offers us another way of advancing this discussion beyond simplistic attributions of blame. In particular, a politics of recognition is concerned with opening up the processes of schooling to groups who often have been excluded. This article uses interview data from a small Australian secondary school located in a regional community with high welfare dependency and a large indigenous population.

Mapping the Radio KC community

South African community radio was established as one means of addressing the need for local participation in the public sphere. The model of community radio outlined in legislation does not, however, offer enough guidance for how such participation will be achieved on a day-to-day basis, and many geographically-based stations face serious problems in addressing their communities as cohesive entities. They need assistance in developing strategies that allow them to facilitate community participation through programme design, production techniques, and management style. This article deals with one such area: the steps staff need to take to better understand the communities they serve, in order to identify programming content that includes a wide range of stories and voices from within the community. This article focuses on the introduction of a set of specific community research tools to programming staff at Radio KC in Paarl in the Western Cape.