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Defining community capacity building
In the past, community capacity building has been criticised as being based on a deficit model of the skills and confidence of communities, and as leading at times to prescriptive, 'top-down' interventions. We believe capacity building should be based on an understanding of the assets that communities have, and that interventions need to be participative and grounded in community needs and aspirations. Community capacity building should be complemented by parallel work to enhance the skills of public bodies in their partnerships and programmes with communities.
The most widely used short definition of community capacity building is:
'Activities, resources and support that strengthen the skills, abilities and confidence of people and community groups to take effective action and leading roles in the development of communities.' (Skinner Strengthening Communities 2006 )
A more detailed definition:
'development work that strengthens the ability of community organisations and groups to build their structures, systems, people and skills so they are better able to define and achieve their objectives and engage in consultation and planning, manage community projects and take part in partnerships and community enterprises. It includes aspects of training, organisational and personal development and resource building, organised and planned in a self-conscious manner, reflecting the principles of empowerment and equality (Skinner Community Strengths 1997 )
The five areas of community learning and development work that support community capacity building are identified in LEAP (2002) as follows:
- Working with communities to assess their needs and plan for change
- Supporting the development of skills and confidence of activists and organisations
- Promoting broad based participation in community affairs
- Assisting communities to exercise power and influence
- Assisting communities to provide or manage services
Within all the above areas, effective capacity building work involves the ability to:
- Focus on the community perspective, its needs and issues
- Commission or undertake community based action-research
- Support community representatives / volunteers
- Strengthen community groups, organisations and networks
- Encourage participation, engagement and involvement
- Establish or advise on effective forums, systems, or structures
- Improve quality and impact through networking, exchanging, and communicating
- Commission or provide training, consultancy, review, and planning advice
- Provide project development and support, including accessing advice and support on ICT, organisational, financial and personnel management, and funding and resource attraction.
To have the capacity to act, a community organisation needs three things:
- the motivation and commitment to take action
- the resources required to enable the action to be taken, and
- the skills, confidence and understanding needed to take the action.
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