Critical Reflection #6: Community Wisdom and Power Dynamics
In “From clients to citizens” by Alison Mathie and Gord Cunningham, they explain the importance of a balance of power between community organizations and it’s citizens. ABCD is a different approach to supporting people in their communities. In many communities citizens, “begin to see themselves as deficient and incapable of taking charge of their lives and of the community” (476). This is an example of a negative relationship between community organizations and the communities because there is a hierarchy and ultimately, “community members no longer act like citizens; instead they begin to act like ‘clients’ or consumers of services with no incentive to be producers” (476).
This means that community organizers need to empower their citizens to be leaders instead of just leading them and/or being there as a resource that doesn’t challenge citizens to move forward in life. In order to counter the community to citizenship relationship, “municipal agencies decided to ‘lead by stepping back’; communities shifted from being ‘consumers’ of services to ‘designers’ of community programmed, and, finally ‘producers’ of community” (476).
On the other hand, CED is, “developing the economic capacities of groups to undertake community economic development” (481). The shift between CED and ABCD is that there is an understanding in ABCD that economics is not just the solution. “It is believed that community economic development will not emerge spontaneously, advocacy is considered essential” (481).
The design of Voces del Canal raise the voices of the community members to be engaged in what us going on in their community, know their rights, and gives them a space to speak out against their injustices. The main problem other than the root issues such as, public drug and alcohol use, gang violence, and miseducation is lack of communication and understanding. “The gaps (in the services we provide) are a reflection of the lack of communication between the community and organizations that serve them” (11).
In my community partner which also happens to be the canal alliance I am learning that when I work with specific students there should not be a clearly defined hierarchy, I should be able to intermingle with the students as one. If I come to the students with the approach that they have to do their homework instead of being there as a support system and we both work towards getting things done and work toward a common goal we have agreed that is important. In this way, this is a small example of balance of power and making the students feel like they are doing something for them instead of something they are told to do.
