HCS 412 Health Promotion Planning & Evaluation WK4-A

Focus On Box 9.3 Understanding Diversity

Members of a group come from many different backgrounds. Some members may be much older or much younger than other members; some may represent different cultural, racial, or ethnic groups; some may represent different educational levels and abilities. Extra awareness and flexibility are required for the facilitator and other group members to remain sensitive to different backgrounds. Below we suggest a few ways to improve your awareness of differences. In general, new information is acquired so that different perspectives can be understood and appreciated.

Become aware of differences in the group by asking questions and getting involved in small group discussions.

Seek involvement and input and listen to persons of different backgrounds without bias, and avoid being defensive.

Learn the beliefs and feelings of specific groups about particular issues.

Read about current and emerging issues that concern different groups, and read literature that is popular among different groups.

Learn about the language, humor, gestures, norms, expectations, and values of different groups.

Attend events that appeal to members of specific groups.

Become attuned to cultural clichés, stereotypes, and distortions you may encounter in the media.

Use examples to which persons of different cultures and backgrounds can relate.

Learn the facts before you make statements or form opinions about different groups.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USDHHS, (no date), p. A2–15.

Over the last 50 years, in many communities the number of people interested in volunteering their time has decreased. Today, if you ask someone to volunteer, you may hear the reply, “I’m already too busy.” There are two primary reasons for this response. First, there are many families in which both husband and wife work outside the home. Second, there are more single-parent households. (See Box 9.4 for tips on working with volunteers.)

Sometimes these expanded community groups become task forces or coalitions. A task force has been defined as “a self-contained group of ‘doers’ that is not ongoing. It is convened for a narrow purpose over a defined timeframe at the request of another body or committee” (Butterfoss, 2013, p. 7). A coalition is “a formal alliance of organizations that come together to work for a common goal” (Butterfoss, 2007, p. 30)—often, to compensate for deficits in power, resources, and expertise. Coalitions “develop an internal decision-making and leadership structure that allows member organizations to speak with a united voice and engage in shared planning and implementation activities. Links to outside organizations and communication channels are formal. Member organizations are willing to pull resources from existing systems, as well as seek new resources to develop a joint budget. Agreements, benchmarks, roles, and assignments are often written” (Butterfoss, 2007, p. 30). The underlying concept behind coalitions is collaboration; for several individuals, groups, or organizations with their collective resources have a better chance of solving the problem than any single entity. “Building and maintaining effective coalitions have increasingly been recognized as vital components of much effective community organizing and community building” (Minkler, 2012, p. 20). Much has been written about the importance and use of coalitions. Aitaoto, Tsark, and Braun (2009) found that the key to sustaining coalitions include having a champion, a supportive organizational home, and access to technical assistance and resources. Woods and colleagues (2014) presented a case study on the importance of training and technical assistance on coalition functioning and sustainability. Butterfoss (2009) has created a longer list of characteristics of successful coalitions (see Box 9.5), while Kegler and Swan (2011) have tested the community coalition action theory (CCAT) for consistency of its constructs with working community coalitions. Brown, Feinberg, and Greenberg (2012) have created a Web-based, self-report questionnaire that can be used to provide feedback to coalitions and technical assistance providers about coalition functioning. For those who want more information about coalition development, Butterfoss (2007, 2009, 2013), Butterfoss and Kegler (2012), and Goldstein (1997), provide nice overviews of the processes of building and sustaining coalitions.

Highlights Box 9.4 Tips on Working with Volunteers

Volunteers work for self-satisfaction, personal growth, fun, and other intangible rewards. Each volunteer should be treated as a colleague and recognized as an official part of the team. However, offer volunteers more flexibility than you can to employees, and adjust your expectations accordingly. For example, because volunteers cannot contribute as much time as paid, full-time workers do, they cannot complete tasks as quickly. When scheduling activities, be realistic about how long a busy participant will need to complete it.

Get to know each volunteer personally so that you can learn about special abilities and limitations and match responsibilities to skills. Vary responsibilities as desired by volunteers.

Be sure to assign specific and clearly defined tasks and to explain procedures and expectations. Develop a work plan or job description for the volunteer to help ensure that roles and responsibilities are understood. Provide training and give credit for work done. Give lots of feedback, encouragement, and signs of appreciation. Be willing to change the placement of volunteers, if that seems appropriate, or even dismiss a volunteer if necessary.

Keep in mind the following key points of working with volunteers. They want to be:

appreciated for the work that they do.

busy with worthwhile and varied tasks.

provided with clear communication about tasks and expectations.

developed through training.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (no date), p. A2–17.

Assessing the Community

Earlier in this chapter we noted that there were a number of strategies that have been used for community organizing. Many of those community organizing strategies operate “from the assumption that problems in society can be addressed by helping the community become better or differently organized, and each strategy perceives the problems and how or whom to organize somewhat differently” (Walter, 2005, p. 66). In contrast to those strategies is community building. Community building “is an orientation to practice focused on community, rather than a strategic framework or approach, and on building capacities, not fixing problems” (Minkler, 2012, p. 10). Community building is intended to affirm strong community-rooted traditions, and to build on the good work already going on in communities (Kretzmann & McKnight, 1993). One of the major differences between community organization and community building is the type of assessment that is used to determine where to focus the community’s efforts. In the community organization approach, the assessment is focused on the needs of the community, whereas in community building, the assessment focuses on the assets and capabilities of the community. A clearer picture of the community will be revealed, and a stronger base will be developed for change, if the assessment includes the identification of both the needs and assets, and involves those who live in the community.