Die ontwerp van 'n gemeenskapsontwikkelingsmodel: 'n maatskaplikewerk-perspektief

[摘要] English: Although at present community development enjoys high priority in South Africa for thepurpose of developing especially disadvantaged communities, upliftrnent of communitieshas occurred since the early years of origin of the present South African communities. Inan important policy document the ANC, which has formed the majority government since1994, drafted the RDP, a programme that amounts to all sectors, but especially the welfaresector, having to give high priority to the development of disadvantaged communitiesVarious welfare and government organisations joined the action actively and severalcommunity development actions were launched. Gradually the sustainability of theprogramme came to be doubted increasingly. The need for a scientifically well-foundedcommunity development model came tot the fore increasingly.Against the background of the constructivist and constructionist epistemolgy, this studyattempted to find a strategy that can serve as a basis for a community development model.The narrative method proved to be a useful strategy for entering (accessing) communitiesefficiently and involving them in the process of community development. By proceedingfrom a position of not knowing, one can approach culturally divers communities as expertson their own particular circumstances. This creates a milieu in which the members ofcommunities are increasingly empowered to accept responsibility for their own sustainabledevelopment.By means of the narrative method, the members of a community are afforded anopportunity to expression to their narratives and then externalise the problem-dominatedthemes, thus obtaining greater control over them. Gradually unique outcomes are identifiedin the stories of community members, which serve as a basis for the development of newnarratives. The new stories usually imply specific actions that promote the solution of theproblem. By means of definitional ceremonies, new narratives are confirmed by witnesses.This should lead to community members increasingly living according to the newnarratives, thus rewriting and gradually enriching the stories of their lives. In additioncommunity members are also afforded an opportunity, by means of rememberingconversations, to rearrange persons, organisations or even events in order to bestow greaterprominence in their lives on those persons and events that support the rounding out of thenew narratives. In the process of community development, the social worker also developsnew narratives; her life is affected by the circumstances and actions of the community. Bymeans of repossession actions (taking-it-back practices), the contribution made by thecommunity to the life of the social worker is acknowledged and appreciated. The result isthat the life of the social worker is also defined in a richer manner.By means of participatory action research members of the community are increasinglyrecruited as participants and thus they become involved in the total process of communitydevelopment. Participatory action research becomes a useful method for involvingmembers of the community as participants in research concerning their own circumstances.The process of participatory action research becomes so entwined with the process ofcommunity development that this form of research becomes, as it were, a method ofsustainable development.It appears that the narrative method offers a usable working method for the implementationof participatory action research. In order to use participatory action research efficiently, theresearcher should be able to apply the narrative method.The initiation of community development in a culturally divers community demandsspecial sensitivity to the dynamics of the community and should be implemented withgreat care. It also appears that if researchers and/or community developers, as team, arerepresentative of the culture and language groupings, this facilitates efficient access to thecommunity. The result is the successful launching and implementation of sustainablecommunity development.

[发布机构] University of the Free State