Change in Community Development

I'm currently participating in a MOOC entitled 'Managing and Surviving Change in CLD'

Change manifests itself in many different ways within community development:

• the change communities want to achieve
• the changes that are imposed upon communities
• personal development through experiential learning
• general changes in society
• change in the way learning and education services are delivered
• change in community development practice

All of these changes impact on us as practitioners but at the heart of our practice is a belief that community development can contribute to a change to a fairer and more equal society. The role of the community development worker is to facilitate change but not to direct it. This is why learning is key.  We know that formal education perpetuates divisions but we have seen community development methods bring changes for individuals and communities in terms of increased self determination, and collaborative action but the kind of real change we seek still eludes us.

Learning is the key to bigger changes. This means finding ways: to engage those failed by the formal system, giving access to knowledge  enabling peer to peer learning; create opportunities for experiential learning; and so on.

The MOOC is asking us to consider whether an "on-line learning environment is similar to learning in a CLD context".

My first thoughts are yes...

• poverty limits access
• it is difficult to engage people
• participants have to overcome the feelings of failure from their formal education experience
• there is a need for facilitation

But, there may be new opportunities. Once on-line and engaged the possibilities for self directed learning, networking and collaborative working are hugely enhanced and it follows the power of collective action can be magnified.

I'm looking forward to exploring these issues and others in the MOOC over the next few weeks.