Tool For Community Development Research Articles

Toward a Beloved Community: Facilitated Group Listening as a Tool for Community Development and Civic Engagement

Toward a Beloved Community: Facilitated Group Listening as a Tool for Community Development and Civic Engagement

Assessing the Economic Viability of Nature-based Tourism in Bardiya National Park, Nepal: A Travel Cost Method Study

This report presents the findings of a comprehensive study conducted in Bardiya National Park (BNP), Nepal to evaluate the economic viability and sustainability of nature-based tourism. Using the travel cost method, we estimated tourism demand and quantified the economic benefits of various tourism activities within the Park. The results demonstrate that nature-based tourism in BNP is economically beneficial and has significant potential as a tool for conservation and community development. Tourism contributes substantially to the local economy and provides incentives for protecting the Park's natural resources. However, sustainable management is imperative to maximize benefits and minimize negative impacts. We recommend enhancing infrastructure, marketing, and visitor experiences to increase tourism revenue. Additionally, engaging and empowering local communities will foster sustainable practices. Achieving an optimal balance between visitation, revenue generation, and conservation is essential. This study provides valuable insights into developing BNP's tourism sector. The findings and strategies presented can inform policymakers and stakeholders in managing protected areas worldwide. Sustainable tourism development in BNP's unique natural environment can support biodiversity conservation and local livelihoods if adequately balanced with environmental protection.

Waqf for accelerating socioeconomic development: a proposed model with focus on Pakistan

Purpose The unique institution of waqf that was ignored during the colonization of the Muslim areas has to be revived to play its role in shared growth, social inclusion and cohesion in society. This research paper aims to explore the role of waqf as an instrument for a sustainable growth system and to suggest a model for socioeconomic development in an economy like that of Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative research is based on analytical methods to arrive at the frameworks and a model that could facilitate the revival of waqf for community development/social inclusion in economies like that of Pakistan. Findings As most of the OIC member states like Pakistan are facing serious financial problems due to debt servicing obligations, promoting Waqf for various socioeconomic and cultural functions is a vital requirement for such economies. The inability of the state institutions in providing necessary civic, health and education facilities to the public is causing serious harm to the balance of the society. It requires promoting a formal system of charity and using FinTech for waqf-based donations and financing the micro businesses. The perpetuity complimented by the profitability of the waqf properties makes the waqf institutions sustainable and effective when compared to individual charities. Research limitations/implications This is conceptual research discussing the potential of waqf in light of its historical role. Researchers may undertake empirical studies on awqaf operations in various jurisdictions and their role in the empowerment of the poor. Practical implications The research will provide the researchers with insight into the potential of waqf as a tool for community development. Besides, it will enable policymakers and implementation authorities to socialize charity for sustained benefits and welfare. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first major research that discusses the role of waqf in economies facing budgetary and trade deficits in the eradication of poverty and the promotion of social and economic entrepreneurship in realizing the community development targets for the economies like that of Pakistan.

Revaluation of the Artisanal Work of Wool Weaving and Cultural Tourism in the Municipality of Chiconcuac, as a Tool for Community Development

Revaluation of the Artisanal Work of Wool Weaving and Cultural Tourism in the Municipality of Chiconcuac, as a Tool for Community Development

Participant-oriented evaluation through participatory action research: a case study of a community engagement approach

PurposeThis article explores the applicability of participatory action research (PAR) on two levels: on the one hand, as a participatory evaluation method for community engagement and community development; on the other hand, as a tool to link ex ante and ex-post evaluation that situated at various stages of the policy cycle.Design/methodology/approachThrough a practice-based case study of the community engagement process of Valletta Design Cluster, this paper aims to illustrate how PAR can offer collaborative and continuous evaluation by facilitating social action through a practical, situative, context-bounded, responsive and transformative framework.FindingsThe study explores how PAR can contribute to cultural sustainability by linking community development with participatory evaluation, and it offers new perspectives on the applicability of PAR as a tool to link ex ante and ex-post evaluation, situated at various stages of the policy cycle.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough based on a single case, the paper demonstrates that the method has the potential to be applied in various contexts, as it helps to foster local ownership and to develop future cultural strategies, thus providing a base for cultural sustainability.Originality/valueThe novelty of this study is to link evaluation – a majorly top-down and ex ante approach – with participatory planning. PAR-E offers a continuous participatory framework for the whole European Capitals of Culture (ECoC) cycle, as well as serving as a tool for empowerment and community development.

Community-Based Tourism (CBT): A Community Development Tool

Community-Based Tourism (CBT): A Community Development Tool

Community-Based Ecotourism and Perceived Economic Impacts: A Study of Rural Settlements around Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal

Community-based ecotourism, as a subset of sustainable tourism, is advocated as a tool for community development in the mountain settlements. In this regard, this research adopted exploratory and descriptive approach to investigate the perceived economic impacts of community-based ecotourism in the local communities of Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA) in Nepal. The settlements of Dhampus, Landruk and Ghandruk along the Annapurna Sanctuary Trail (AST) are considered as a case to critically examine the economic impacts of community-based ecotourism development on local residents both residing along the major trail (MT) and off the trail (OT) in the ACA. Multiple methods of data collection such as questionnaire survey with households, key informants interview, participant observation, informal discussion with local entrepreneurs and residents, and archival research have been conducted. Research findings showed that community-based ecotourism has provided extensive economic benefits to local people, however in a varying degree. It has provided economic benefits to local communities and enhanced local economy, however not all residents receive benefits equitably. People living along the MT (i.e. mostly the tourism entrepreneurs) receive higher economic benefits than that of OT (i.e. mostly the farmers). The farmers, low-wage employees, and marginalized community receive lowest benefits but largely influenced by the inflation and tourism impacts. In addition, there seem economic leakages, weak integration of local products into tourism system and inflation. This study stresses on the inclusive participation of local people in the planning and decision making of tourism development as well as sharing of benefits while also reducing the economic leakages and strengthening its linkages.

Rural Tourism: A Tool for Local Community Development

The current era has witnessed a growing interest in exploring different facets of tourism due to evolving traveller preferences. Among these, rural tourism has consistently remained a prominent choice. This form of tourism not only enriches the travellers’ experience but also contributes to the economic well-being of the local community in a sustainable manner. The aim of the study is to explore the insights on how local community play an important role in rural tourism development. The secondary data has been collected from journal articles found through google scholar, Scopus databases. The articles have been refined on the basis of keywords and selected for the study. Results conclude that knowledge sharing, empowerment, trust, and commitment are the important factors which drives the local community development. Managerial implications have been provided for the rural tourism purposes.

Social Entrepreneurship as Panacea for Sustainable Community Development

This paper examines social entrepreneurship as a way of attaining sustainable community development. It specifically examines the practice of social entrepreneurship and how the idea gained popularity in recent discourse, as well as the focus of the idea as the use of business ventures in addressing social problems, promoting economic growth and enhancing community development. The paper adopted a conceptual review method to reveal that social entrepreneurship is a hybrid approach that emerge to transform communities with deliberate thoughts of social responsibility and has the potential of addressing social, economic and environmental challenges of communities including poverty, climate change, unemployment, education, healthcare, and security among others. Sustainable development requires a sustained social entrepreneurship that presents a holistic approach to community’s growth and development. Social entrepreneurship is therefore a veritable tool for sustainable community development which every nation must aspire to promote, encourage and establish policies capable of enhancing it. Keywords: Community Development, Social Change, Social Entrepreneurship, Sustainability

Corporate Social Responsibility: An Emerging Tool for Community Development in India

Corporate Social Responsibility: An Emerging Tool for Community Development in India

Appraisal of the National Youth Service Corps Involvement in Community Development in Selected Local Government Areas in Oyo State, Nigeria

Purpose: This study appraised the impact of the involvement of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in community development in three selected Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Oyo State, Nigeria. It also compared the corps members’ assessment of the impact of the NYSC community development services to that of the community members; and evaluated the level of involvement of the community in the planning and implementation of community development services of the NYSC.
 Methodology: This study was a cross-sectional survey and utilised both qualitative and quantitative methods to gather its primary data. The selected study area included Ogbomosho North, Ido and Akinyele Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Oyo State, Nigeria. A total of community members, 15 community leaders, and 150 serving NYSC corps members were interviewed through questionnaires and key informant interviewData analysis was done using IBM/SPSS software, version 25.0.
 Findings: Data obtained showed that 74.8% of the community members agreed that the development of their respective LGAs have been enhanced by the activities of the various NYSC Community Development Service (CDS) groups; 80% agreed that they could give clear instances where NYSC have contributed to community development in their various LGAs. The most impactful community development activity of the NYSC was Education (79.7%), whilst Environment [Clean water and sanitation] (73.4%) and Healthcare (68.5%) were the second and third, respectively. There was a very weak negative correlation between the community development service preference of the community members and that of the NYSC corps members (r = -.074, p>.05). In terms of community participation, 60.8% of the community members agreed that the NYSC involves the community in the planning of their community development activities, and 61.6% agreed that the NYSC involves the community in the implementation. The discovered challenges confronting the operation of the NYSC CDS as a tool for community development are inadequate finance; corps members’ prioritisation of infrastructure projects over service-based projects; and corps members lack of motivation or enthusiasm in CDS activities.
 Recommendations: The NYSC through its CDS activities has positive impacts in the development of the communities in Oyo state, Nigeria. The NYSC community development services should therefore be sustained nationwide by the Nigerian government. 

Impact of Social Responsibility in Today’s Youth

The study aims to determine the level of social responsibility among the youth and examine the impact of social responsibility on their well-being and societal development. It also looks at how social responsibility can be nurtured among the youth and how it can be used as a tool for personal growth and community development. In recent times, social responsibility has emerged as a primary concern for organizations and individuals alike. Social responsibility refers to the ethical obligations that individuals or organizations have towards society. Today’s youth is well aware of their social responsibility towards society, and they are taking up initiatives to make positive changes. This research paper aims to explore the impact of social responsibility in today’s youth. This research paper will also investigate the importance of social responsibility and why it is essential to inculcate it in today's youth.

Book review of Social entrepreneurship. A practical introduction by R. L. Weaver

Authored by Rasheda Weaver the book Social entrepreneurship. A practical introduction offers detailed information on designing, funding and launching a social enterprise. Weaver’s teaching, research, and professional experience centres on entrepreneurship, social enterprise, and social entrepreneurship as a tool for community development. She developed this book from her research on the social, legal, and economic attributes of a hundred and fifteen social enterprises in the United States and current research on social enterprise and social entrepreneurship worldwide. This book publicizes multiple aspects of social entrepreneurship unavailable in academic journals. It provides a realistic picture of launching, designing, and running a social enterprise. It is highly recommendable for aspiring social entrepreneurs as it shares information on resource acquisition, marketing techniques, and the sustenance of a social enterprise.

INTERMUNICIPAL COOPERATION AS A CATALYST FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF TERRITORIAL COMMUNITIES (ON THE EXAMPLE OF TILIGUL SUBREGION)

Topicality. Intermunicipal cooperation is a relevant tool for community development in any country with a decentralized territorial administrative system. The study is motivated by the need to reorganize and improve relations between the communities of the Tyligul subregion in order to solve the problems of financing large-scale projects of intermunicipal and interregional importance and ensure the sustainable development of the subregion.Aim and tasks. The purpose of this study is to develop a methodological toolkit for choosing the best form of organization of cooperation of communities belonging to an objectively formed integral subregion using the signs of sustainable development, that is, in terms of economic, social, and environmental components. Separate tasks of the research are the analysis of institutional support and the essence of various forms of cooperation of territorial communities, the identification of relevant features, which determine the common characteristics and prerequisites for the organization of cooperation of communities; determination of the best form of economic cooperation of communities and joint use of spatial and resource potential, on the example of the Tyligul subregion.Materials and Methods. Evaluation of various forms of intermunicipal cooperation with the aim of finding the best options for organizing economic cooperation of subregions was carried out using methods of systematic, logical analysis. Taking into account the experience of the best practices of the organization of economic cooperation of territorial economic systems in the EU countries was carried out using the means of benchmarking analysis. Generalization and comparison of data on the prospects of cooperation between communities of the Tyligul subregion, determination of the expected activity and effectiveness of such cooperation was carried out using methods of statistical analysis.Research results. The article examines the current state of inter-municipal cooperation in Ukraine and the Black Sea region. The main factors that create prerequisites for successful inter-municipal cooperation of territorial communities of the Tyligul subregion are also defined. Since the most important issues that will be faced by territorial communities during the implementation of inter-municipal partnership are the determination of the essence, the subject and the most successful form of cooperation, each of the five forms of inter-municipal cooperation was considered and their positive and negative sides were determined. On the basis of the conducted research, prospects for the further development of cooperation between territorial communities of the Tyligul subregion are proposed.Conclusion. The result of this study is the determination of the most promising option for the cooperation of territorial communities of the Tyligul subregion, based on the formation of a joint management body, namely the Department of Strategic Project Activities and Investments of Territorial Communities of the Tyligul Subregion. The implementation of the proposed scenario will solve the problem of financing large-scale projects of inter-municipal and inter-regional importance, and the possibilities of the proposed format of cooperation discussed in the article will, as a result, allow to ensure the sustainable development of the subregion.

Community perceptions on tourism development in South Africa: The case of developing a tourism route in the City of Mbombela Local Municipality, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa

Tourism is used as a community development tool. It has been incorporated into national development plans. In South Africa, it is incorporated into local economic development (LED) plans. The LED strategy for the City of Mbombela Local Municipality includes the development of a tourism route in the former Umjindi Local Municipality. Through the application of the descriptive research design, we use the Likert scale to investigate perceptions of the community around the area where the tourism route is proposed. A sampling frame was developed by listing all the 224 households who live in the section of the road covered by the tourism route. From the 224 households in the sampling frame, a simple random sample of 89 households was drawn using the SPSS random number generator. A structured questionnaire was used to solicit the perceptions of respondents concerning the economic, socio-cultural, environmental and infrastructural attributes of the tourism route. Although they need to be interpreted directionally, most of the economic, socio-cultural and environmental attributes were significant. Of the infrastructure attributes electricity and water supply were significant. Generally, respondents had positive perceptions of the tourism route. Therefore, we strongly recommend the development of the tourism route with the caveat that sustainability issues need to be paid attention to.

Community Engagement via Mural Art to Foster a Sustainable Urban Environment

Community is a key element in a sustainable urban environment and possesses a capacity to become a major contributor in the development of it. Therefore, it is essential for communities to be active and engaged. The concept of a community and its engagement via mural art is addressed in this article. The aim of the research is to investigate the impact of mural art on community engagement and the contribution of communities to a sustainable urban environment. The research was based on materials obtained during the implementation of the “Murals for Communities” project. The aim of the project was to address the issues of community engagement in three cities with social disconnection: Waterford (Ireland), Heerlen (the Netherlands), and Kaunas (Lithuania). The engagement of the communities through mural art creation was initiated through community engagement workshops where the communities were encouraged to participate in collaborative actions resulting in the improvement of the urban environment and the strengthening of the communities themselves. In total, 54 community engagement workshops were organized and 18 murals were created in the three partner cities. The entire process of community engagement was a well-coordinated and structured framework of actors and events, where each of them played a significant role. The results of the research revealed that community engagement workshops were used as a successful tool for community bonding and strengthening. Hence, mural art is a successful tool for sustainable community development, and the process of mural creation with its various stages enables community members to be active participants of social interaction and developers of both a sustainable community and a sustainable urban environment.

Self-Organizing Special Districts: A Tool for Community Change and Development

Can self-organizing special districts created from the bottom up be a tool for community change and development? Focusing on community services districts in California, this study introduces the context in which communities opt out of a county service system to reshape their governing structure for better representation. The empirical part measures their effectiveness, using single-family home sale prices as an impact metric. Leveraging multi-level difference-in-difference hedonic regression methods, the analysis shows that district formation increases the prices annually up to 16 percent, compared to both the surrounding and distant county service areas, indicating their efficacy as a tool for community change and development.

Social responsibility of universities as a tool for community development (analysis of domestic scientific publications)

The article is devoted to the problems of formation and popularization of social responsibility, which is considered as one of the ways to improve the welfare of society. Social responsibility of universities is seen as an important tool for building partnerships and community development. The paper analyses the domestic scientific publications on the social responsibility of universities and their interaction with the community. The main substantive dimensions of existing research are identified, which include the relationship between social responsibility of universities and their competitiveness, as well as the impact of social responsibility of universities on the quality of higher education. The need to strengthen the applied aspect in the study of social responsibility is emphasized. There is a lack of research aimed directly and comprehensively at the problem of interaction between universities and local communities. The relevance of the study of social responsibility of universities is due to trends in society as a whole (sustainable development) and the process of reforming higher education (competitiveness of institutions, expanding university autonomy and financial autonomy, in particular, strengthening the social mission of higher education). Domestic experts in the study of social responsibility of universities are more focused on theoretical aspects. The applied aspect of research on the implementation of social responsibility of higher education institutions in Ukraine needs to be strengthened. The main content vectors of the study of social responsibility of universities by domestic scientists include: the relationship between social responsibility of universities and their competitiveness; the impact of social responsibility of universities on improving the quality of higher education.

Images and Imaginings of Schooling: Missions, Visions, Emblems and Mottos of Schools in Qwaqwa

This article critically examines how selected schools in Qwaqwa (a remote town in the eastern Free State province of South Africa) imagine and “image” schooling through mission and vision statements, mottos, and emblems. We use the word “image” to refer to the way in which schools often use images to represent particular views about schooling and what it entails. Visual architecture of schools in the forms of vision and mission statements, mottos, and emblems communicate specific ways of thinking about schooling that resonate with the cultures and beliefs of the communities where the schools are located. Therefore, a critical analysis of such symbolic representations can reveal philosophies and views about schooling held and promoted not only by schools but also by the communities in which they are located. How do specific communities come to associate education with certain symbols, catchphrases, and idiomatic expressions? Is there a correlation between the ways of imagining and imaging schooling and the sociocultural and ecological landscape of the surrounding communities? The article is based on empirical data collected from 20 primary schools in Qwaqwa. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews administered to 10 principals and 10 members of school governing bodies of selected schools. We also took photographs of visions and missions, mottos, and emblems of selected schools, which we later coded and themed for content analysis. Findings of the study revealed that schools in Qwaqwa viewed education as a public good and as a tool for individual and community development.

Scale of community centre: Clarification of the relation between scale and multifunctionality of community buildings

Abstract Community architecture is becoming a contributing tool for community development. In recent years it has gained popularity for its potential to encourage interaction and strengthen community ties. Community architecture represents not only the final product of architectural design but also the design process. It covers many kinds of community interventions and efforts of different extent; from tiny public space interventions to a complex design of community centres or comprehensive urbanistic structures focused on community well-being. Irrespective of the scale, their goal is the same; to provide space for leisure activities, networking, and reinforcing a sense of community. The most apparent design concept representing community architecture is the community centre, which provides space for meetings and interaction, and its program derives from the needs of a specific community. Furthermore, the design considers urbanistic relationships, architectural appearance, materials, spatial and functional requirements, interior design, equipment, and furniture solutions. The community architecture theory is an under-explored phenomenon in Slovakia. Thus, there is a lack of methodical design recommendations or guidelines for designing community centres as individual typological forms. The article focuses on the examination of 100 selected community facilities, identifying their prevalent features and their interrelationships. Presented research aims to examine fundamental characteristics of community centres, particularly their multifunctionality related to the character of the space, and the scale related to size in square meters. In conclusion, research suggests new size categories considering the relationship between the two factors.