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

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Date
2000-04
Authors
Du Plessis, Margaretha Jacoba Magdalena
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Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
English: Although at present community development enjoys high priority in South Africa for the purpose of developing especially disadvantaged communities, upliftrnent of communities has occurred since the early years of origin of the present South African communities. In an important policy document the ANC, which has formed the majority government since 1994, drafted the RDP, a programme that amounts to all sectors, but especially the welfare sector, having to give high priority to the development of disadvantaged communities Various welfare and government organisations joined the action actively and several community development actions were launched. Gradually the sustainability of the programme came to be doubted increasingly. The need for a scientifically well-founded community development model came tot the fore increasingly. Against the background of the constructivist and constructionist epistemolgy, this study attempted 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) communities efficiently and involving them in the process of community development. By proceeding from a position of not knowing, one can approach culturally divers communities as experts on their own particular circumstances. This creates a milieu in which the members of communities are increasingly empowered to accept responsibility for their own sustainable development. By means of the narrative method, the members of a community are afforded an opportunity to expression to their narratives and then externalise the problem-dominated themes, thus obtaining greater control over them. Gradually unique outcomes are identified in the stories of community members, which serve as a basis for the development of new narratives. The new stories usually imply specific actions that promote the solution of the problem. By means of definitional ceremonies, new narratives are confirmed by witnesses. This should lead to community members increasingly living according to the new narratives, thus rewriting and gradually enriching the stories of their lives. In addition community members are also afforded an opportunity, by means of remembering conversations, to rearrange persons, organisations or even events in order to bestow greater prominence in their lives on those persons and events that support the rounding out of the new narratives. In the process of community development, the social worker also develops new narratives; her life is affected by the circumstances and actions of the community. By means of repossession actions (taking-it-back practices), the contribution made by the community to the life of the social worker is acknowledged and appreciated. The result is that the life of the social worker is also defined in a richer manner. By means of participatory action research members of the community are increasingly recruited as participants and thus they become involved in the total process of community development. Participatory action research becomes a useful method for involving members of the community as participants in research concerning their own circumstances. The process of participatory action research becomes so entwined with the process of community development that this form of research becomes, as it were, a method of sustainable development. It appears that the narrative method offers a usable working method for the implementation of participatory action research. In order to use participatory action research efficiently, the researcher should be able to apply the narrative method. The initiation of community development in a culturally divers community demands special sensitivity to the dynamics of the community and should be implemented with great care. It also appears that if researchers and/or community developers, as team, are representative of the culture and language groupings, this facilitates efficient access to the community. The result is the successful launching and implementation of sustainable community development.
Afrikaans: Alhoewel gemeenskapsontwikkeling tans hoë voorkeur geniet in Suid-Afrika met die doel om veral die sogenaamde agtergeblewe gemeenskappe te ontwikkel, het die opheffing van gemeenskappe reeds sedert die vroeë ontstaansjare van die huidige Suid-Afrikaanse gemeenskappe plaasgevind. Die ANC wat sedert 1994 die meerderheidsregering vorm, het in 'n belangrike beleidsdokument die Heropbou- en Ontwikkelingsprogram uiteengesit wat daarop neerkom dat alle sektore, maar veral die welsynsektor hoë voorkeur aan die ontwikkeling van agtergeblewe gemeenskappe moet gee. Verskillende welsyn- en staatsinstansies het aktief tot dié aksie toegetree en verskeie gemeenskapsontwikkelingsaksies is van stapel gestuur. Geleidelik is die volhoubaarheid van dié programme toenemend bevraagteken. Die behoefte aan 'n wetenskaplik-gefundeerde gemeenskapsontwikkelingsmodel, het al sterker na vore getree. Teen die agtergrond van die konstruktivistiese en konstruksionistiese epistemolgie is daar met die studie gepoog om 'n strategie te vind wat as basis kan dien vir 'n gemeenskapsontwikkelingsmodel. Die narratiewe werkswyse blyk 'n nuttige strategie te wees waarvolgens gemeenskappe doeltreffend betree kan word en by die proses van gemeenskapsontwikkeling betrek kan word. Deur vanuit 'n nie-kundige posisie te werk te gaan, word kultuur-diverse gemeenskappe as die kundiges omtrent hulle besondere omstandighede benader. Dit skep 'n milieu waarbinne gemeenskapslede toenemend bemagtig word tot die aanvaarding van verantwoordelikheid vir hulle eie volhoubare ontwikkeling. By wyse van die narratiewe metode kry gemeenskapslede die geleentheid om aan hulle narratiewe uitdrukking te gee en dan die probleemgedomineerde temas te eksternaliseer en verkry sodoende groter beheer daaroor. Geleidelik word unieke uitkomste in die verhale van gemeenskapslede geïdentifiseer wat as basis dien vir die ontwikkeling van nuwe narratiewe. Die nuwe verhale impliseer gewoonlik bepaalde aksies wat die oplossing van die probleem in die hand werk. Deur middel van bevestigingseremonies word nuwe verhale deur getuies bevestig. Dit behoort daartoe te lei dat gemeenskapslede toenemend volgens die nuwe narratiewe lewe en hulle lewensverhale algaande ryker omskryf Verder kry gemeenskapslede ook deur middel van herinneringsgesprekke die geleentheid om persone, instansies of selfs gebeure te herrangskik ten einde diegene en gebeure wat die uitbouing van die nuwe narratiewe steun, meer prominent in hulle lewens te maak. In die proses van gemeenskapsontwikkeling ontwikkel die maatskaplike werker ook nuwe narratiewe; haar lewe word geraak deur die omstandighede en aksies van die gemeenskap. Deur middel van terugneem-aksies word die bydrae wat die gemeenskap tot die maatskaplike werker se lewe maak, erken en waardering voor getoon. Die gevolg is dat die lewe van die maatskaplike werker ook ryker omskryf word. Deur middel van deelnemende-aksienavorsing word gemeenskapslede toenemend as deelnemers gewerf en sodoende raak hulle betrokke by die totale proses van gemeenskapsontwikkeling. Deelnemende-aksienavorsing word 'n nuttige werkswyse om gemeenskapslede aan navorsing ten opsigte van hulle eie omstandighede te laat deelneem. Die proses van deelnemende-aksienavorsing raak so vervleg met die proses van gemeenskapsontwikkeling dat dié vorm van navorsing as't ware 'n werkswyse van volhoubare ontwikkeling word. Dit blyk dat die narratiewe metode 'n bruikbare werkswyse vir die implementering van deelnemende-aksienavorsing bied. Ten einde deelnemende-aksienavorsing doeltreffend te gebruik, behoort die navorser in staat te wees om die narratiewe metode toe te pas. Die insiëring van gemeenskapsontwikkeling in 'n kultuur-diverse gemeenskap verg besondere sensitiwiteit vir die dinamika van die gemeenskap en behoort met groot omsigtigheid gedoen te word. Dit blyk ook dat indien die span navorsers en/of gemeenskapsontwikkeIaars verteenwoordigend is van die kultuur- en taalgroepering wat in die gemeenskap aangetref word, die doeltreffende betreding van die gemeenskap vergemaklik word. Die gevolg is die suksesvolle loodsing en implementering van volhoubare gemeenskapsontwikkeling.
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Keywords
Community, Community development, Community dynamics, Constructivism, Constructionism, Cultural diversity, Narrative method, Sustainable development, Social sciences, Community development -- South Africa -- Philippolis, Thesis (Ph.D. (Social Work))--University of the Free State, 2000
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