Interviews may include enlisting as sources of information others who've spent time learning about the community. You can comment about what has changed in the community over time, what has stayed the same, and where you think the community might be going. You might also include an analysis of how the various categories interact, and how that all comes together to form the community that exists. <> Understanding Needs vs. Communities reinvent themselves constantly, as new buildings and developments are put up and old ones torn down, as businesses move in and out, as populations shift -- both within the community and as people and groups move in and out -- and as economic, social, and political conditions change. Community is a buzzword, but it’s easier said than done. Now let's consider what you might examine to understand and describe the community. The health of a community depends on many different factors – ranging from individual health behaviors, education and jobs, to quality of health care, to the environment, therefore we all have a stake in creating a healthier community. It entails becoming part of another culture, both to keep people in it from being influenced by your presence and to understand it from the inside. <>/ExtGState<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 595.44 841.92] /Contents 19 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 1>> In this section, we'll discuss how you might approach examining the community in some detail and setting down your findings in a community description. For even more detail, you might compose a portrait in words of the community, using quotes from interviews and stories of community history to bring the description to life. Your needs assessment work is not meant to replace quantitative surveys and other traditional methods for data gathering; rather it complements these professional methods with practical and useful information on the perceptions of a community to inform Project Managers and policy Most have a geographic area or areas they are either defined by or attached to. Are there corporate headquarters in the community? Examples of positive ways to meet and the companies they support. In the category of natural features, we can include both areas that have been largely left to nature, and "natural" spaces created by human intervention. Is there new development, and is the community attracting new business? Conducting Public Forums and Listening Sessions, Section 4. <> Marketing involves research to find out what customers need or want and promotions to convey to them how your products best meet those needs. It will not only have stories about how the community operates, but will give you a sense of what's important to its readers, what kinds of activities the community engages in and views as significant, what the police do -- a picture of a large part of community life. It's important to know the community's size and the look and feel of its buildings, its topography (the lay of the land -- the hills, valleys, rivers, roads, and other features you'd find on a map), and each of its neighborhoods. This may refer to smaller geographic areas -- a neighborhood, a housing project or development, a rural area -- or to a number of other possible communities within a larger, geographically-defined community. The less comfortable parts of that history, especially recent history -- discrimination, conflict, economic and/or political domination by a small group -- are may not be included, and are more likely to be found by talking to activists, journalists, and others who are concerned with those issues. There may be neighborhoods where staff members or participants should be accompanied by others in order to be safe, at least at night. These may also encompass community theater and music companies run and staffed by community volunteer boards and performers. Whether or not the community is defined geographically, it still has a geographic context -- a setting that it exists in. Once you've explored the relevant areas of the community, you'll have the information to create a community description. The first step is to get a clear sense of the community, before more specifically assessing the area(s) you're interested in. Demographics are the facts about the population that you can find from census data and other similar statistical information. Ensuring the security of your organization's staff and participants. 5 0 obj You may at this point be thinking, "Can't I work effectively within this community without gathering all this information?" If you're new to the community, or an outsider, however, it's a different story. Observation can take many forms. Creating and Using Community Report Cards, Section 19. Finding them should be easy: as mentioned above, the Chamber of Commerce will probably have a list of them, the library will probably have one as well, the local newspaper will often list them, and they'll be in the phone book. ِ{�� Basic Needs and Wants: Grade 7 EMS 1. Some researchers believe it addresses the problem of changing the culture by studying it, and others believe that it makes the problem worse. An extremely important part of any community assessment, therefore, is to start by finding out as much about the community as you can -- its physical and geographical characteristics, its culture, its government, and its assumptions. You might also gain information by reading between the lines of old newspaper articles and tracking down people who were part of past conflicts or events. Organizations have to remain dynamic in order to keep moving forward. And often it’s more talked about than it is practiced. There are a number of questions you might ask yourself and others to help you understand the community's economic base and situation: What is the anchor of the community's tax base? When you're about to launch a community assessment. The question of who wields the real power in the community is another that may rarely be answered, or at least not answered in the same way by a majority of community members. Talk to community activists for a view of how the government actually operates, as opposed to how it's supposed to operate. When you're new to a community and want to be well informed before beginning your work. 16 0 obj Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, pp.167-196. of Agriculture, Office of Immigration, etc.). <>>> magnitude of the need or problem in your community, and it is written within the context of those who experience the problem directly or indirectly. Also important are how various areas of the community differ from one another, and whether your impression is one of clean, well-maintained houses and streets, or one of shabbiness, dirt, and neglect. Failing to understand it will deny you credibility and make it difficult for you both to connect with community members and to negotiate the twists and turns of starting and implementing a community initiative or intervention. The gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community. See more ideas about social studies, … <>/ExtGState<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 595.44 841.92] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> endobj endobj With this communities. <> The description could  add in or take the form of a video that includes a tour of the community, statements from and/or interviews with various community members (with their permission, of course), an audio voice-over, maps, etc. Are there clear social divisions that mirror the landscape -- all the fancy houses in the hills, all the low-income housing in the flats, for instance? This may be the most difficult aspect of the community to understand, since it incorporates most of the others we've discussed, and is usually unspoken. With this feedback, you can then create a final version to use and to show to anyone interested. While researching and writing a community description can take time, your work can almost always benefit from the information you gather. Recording your findings and your analysis of them in a community description that you can refer to and update as needed will keep your understanding fresh and help others in your organization or with whom you collaborate. (If the community isn't defined by geography, note and observe the areas where its members live, work, and gather.) Is any of this on the government's or anyone else's radar as a situation that needs to be addressed? People without titles, but identified by others as "community leaders", Owners or CEO's of large businesses (these may be local or may be large corporations with local branches), Age. An individual needs are limited while his wants are unlimited. Capturing unspoken, influential rules and norms. endobj That will give you and anyone else interested a reasonably clear and objective description of the community, as well as a sense of how you see it. Chicago, IL: Center for Neighborhood Technology, pp. endobj The Catholic community (or faith community, a term used to refer to one or more congregations of a specific faith). If the community is one defined by its population, then its physical properties are also defined by the population: where they live, where they gather, the places that are important to them. When you're considering introducing a new initiative or program and want to assess its possible success.Aside from when you first come to a community, this is probably the most vital time to do a community description. 3 0 obj Community Needs Assessment Questionnaire By completing this survey, you will help towards research of understanding families' resources and needs. Need vs. The Community Tool Box is a service of the. Every community has a physical presence of some sort, even if only one building. Numbers and percentages of the population in various age groups, Employment - Both the numbers of people employed full and part-time, and the numbers of people in various types of work, Location - Knowing which groups live in which neighborhoods or areas can help to recruit participants in a potential effort or to decide where to target activities. <> Marketers often talk about functional needs and emotional needs, as opposed to wants. Knowing the character of various areas and the invisible borders that exist among various groups and neighborhoods can be extremely important for the physical safety of those working and living in the community. Jones, B. Sustainable Measures provides a searchable database of indicators by broad topics (health, housing) and keywords (AIDS, access to care, birth weight, etc.) Basic needs of individuals 2. You will be asked to answer survey questions that include education, employment, housing, healthcare and other basic needs. You have to keep up with those changes, and that means updating your community description regularly. Meeting children’s needs is your obligation; satisfying some of their wants is a matter of choice and based on your values. In addition, however, there are some specific people that it might be important to talk to. The Neighborhood Works. In all, it covers 99 percent — 312 million — of Americans. Learn more. endobj 15 0 obj Needs ≠ Wants ≠ Expectations Two guys walk into your corner shop and you overhear one of them speaking to the other: “God, I’m hungry! Physical aspects. Communicating needs & wants. To some extent, you can find them in the same ways that you can find institutions, but the less formal ones you may be more likely to learn about through interviews and conversations. I’m gonna get a Mars.” Clearly, that customer has a need, to fill the void in his belly. In other communities, politics takes a back seat to economics, and politicians listen largely to those with economic power -- the CEO's, owners, and directors of large businesses and institutions. 14 0 obj endobj The more interesting the description is, the more people are likely to actually read it. Whichever community defines your work, you will want to get to know it well. Given the availability of technology, you don't have to limit yourself to any specific format. (1977). 10 0 obj Your needs as a grown-up should differ greatly from your NEEDS! Depending on what issues and countries you're concerned with, some sources of information might be the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, similar websites in other countries, and the various agencies of the United Nations. Every person is capable and has the desire to move up the hierarchy toward a level of self-actualization. For example, if people are divided and angry about a particular issue, your information might show you an event in the community's history that explains their strong emotions on that subject. 45-52. endobj Section 2. Examples of Discovering Community Needs See this chart at Re-engaging the Neighborhood , and read about how a church launched a daycare as an out growth from a block party. ̩���~��x�KG9�tq��&D�H ���'��H�^�*{+CI��Ã^�K0�60�9���U�Y~n�A� 1. People's answers to questions about it may ignore important points, either because they seem obvious to those who've lived with them for all or most of their lives, or because those things "just aren't talked about." PART 1: Needs Needs are … 16-17. Apr 2, 2013 - Explore Effie T's board "Social Studies - Needs and Wants / Local Community" on Pinterest. The political climate, culture, and assumptions in a particular community often depend more on who elected and appointed officials are than on the limits or duties of their offices. Locating a social situation. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, pp. � �! Sixteen training modules Getting a clear sense of this setting may be key to a full understanding of it. Using Public Records and Archival Data, Section 20. Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in psychology comprising a five-tier model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid. The most obvious is simply to organize, record, and comment on your information by category:  physical description, government, institutions, etc. Community institutions, unless they are dysfunctional, can generally be viewed as assets. ’ s more talked about than it is practiced or service clubs -- Chamber of Commerce, veterans ',..., healthcare and other basic needs developing and Using Criteria and needs and wants of your community to Set Priorities, Section 18 requirement. Your needs as a grown-up should differ greatly from your needs as a part of needs today become! 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