Appendix D -- Final HSP 403

1.Give a brief summary of the historical roots of community development and organizing. Describe at least three social movements that have contributed to the community organizing skills we use today.

When immigrants began to settle in America, then began communities. The skills in community development and organization grew as America grew. Early forms of community organization were in the rise of philanthropic efforts of people. Prior to the late 1800’s most philanthropy was inspired by religious institutions. (Marx). Then came the industrial revolution and one of the major shifts in philanthropy came. In the light of the industrial revolution, the inspiration from philanthropy shifted from religion to a more “social responsibility and that of enlightened self interest”. This fueled the grown of non-profits in the 1800’s. One of the social movements that came of the industrial revolution and contributed to the up-rise in community efforts was the “poor wage labor and growth of union Movement”. Another movement that correlates the non-profit world with the world of community organization is the “city mission movement” The City mission movement was dependant on philanthropy and was the result of the efforts of the professional class citizens who had moved out of the inner-city to leave the poorer factory employed, working class immigrants to live there. This movement was a way for the outer city fold to reach out to the inner city folk. This is an example of an early effort in community organization through the non-profit world. Another influential time for social movements was during the 1900’s when World War II, Civil rights movement and feminist movements shook almost every facet of life for Americans. Through this time, with so many people working toward social change, the fundamental approaches to people and communities continued to shift toward helping people and communities through the lens of empowerment and client based need.





2. Describe how the following values stated in CSHSE standard 19 affect your future work with communities: (a) choosing the least intrusive intervention in the least restrictive environment, (b) client self-determination, and (c) belief that individuals, services systems, and society can change.

It is very important to keep these values in mind while working with all clients, this does not exclude communities. Without these values change will not come from within the community, which is vital. The first part of the standard will ensure that you will take a thorough and strengths based assessment of the assets and needs of the community. The second part of the value will ensure that you will follow up on the strengths of the community and create a plan for change that comes from within the community itself. This will ensure ownership of the changes made. And the last and possibly most important part of the standard regarding the belief that change can happen translates directly to the belief in the community as a client and its ability to change.


3. Analyze the dynamics of culture, diversity, and social class within community systems.

Culture, diversity and social class play huge, interwoven roles within community systems. Attempting to work with, change or even think about community systems without considering the dynamics of these elements would be fruitless.
Culture, within a community, is so very important, it embodies everything from dress, manners, social expectations, tradition. The culture of the community is all encompassing and touches every facet of the people and happenings therein.
Communities may be more or less diverse, yet that reality is yet another driving factor in communities. A less diverse, more trait specific group of people, may have low diversity and super high culture. Yet the two are not necessarily inversely related. There may be a community with high culture and high diversity.
Social Class, especially in America seems to be a driving force behind behaviors of nearly every community regardless of their levels of culture or diversity.

4. Define capitalism, socialism, and democracy. State the arguments for and against combining democracy with capitalism. State the arguments for and against combining democracy with socialism.

Democracy: “A political system characterized by direct or indirect rule by the people” (Sargent).
Capitalism: “Private ownership of the means of production and the organization of production” (Sargent).
Socialism : “Public ownership of the means of production and distribution” and “May be centralized as in communism or very decentralized as in self-management” (Sargent,).
Democratic Capitalism: “Private ownership of property; no legal limit on the accumulation of property, the free market—no government intervention in the economy, the profit motive as the driving force, profit as the measure of efficiency” (Sargent).

The world of Democratic capitalism seems positive in the belief that it provides a level of individual freedom and the ability to be independent of the economy. It is also felt that the feeling of economic freedom also lends itself to feelings of political freedom as well as self determined success: or “equality of Opportunity” (Sargent). “Many capitalists believe that the competitive pressures of a truly free market will prevent that development of monopolies” (Sargent).

One of the arguments against democratic capitalism is the inevitability of the growing gap between wealth and poverty, as well as the political power maintained by the wealthy. (Sargent)

“Democratic socialists say that because the economy and politics are so closely intertwined, voters should be able to control their economic futures through the government they elect” (Sargent). Democratic socialism also says that a lot of “property held by the public through a democratically elected government, including most major industries, utilities, and the transportation system; a limit on the accumulation of private property; governmental regulation of the economy; extensive publicly financed assistance and pension programs; social costs and the provision of services added to purely financial considerations as the measure of efficiency” (Sargent,). “Democratic socialists say that because the economy and politics are so closely intertwined, voters should be able to control their economic futures through the government they elect” (Sargent, 2006, p111). An argument for Democratic socialism, as compared to democratic capitalism is that even if decisions are being made politically, at least it is not guaranteed that the people making the decisions (in politics) aren’t also limited to the wealthy. With democratic socialism, decisions can be made by people who need changes to happen. One argument against democratic socialism is that it can, over time, diminish the democratic part of the governmental structure. (Sargent 2006)

One argument of both is that having power in the government through socialism or power in the corporations of wealthy through capitalism is not much different.

5. What is a process for developing social policy in response to a specific social issue?

1) Identify the problem
2) Identify goals
3) Gain support
4) Make objectives and action steps that address those objectives.

6. Homan often refers to HSPs as change agents or agents of social change. Why?

Being a Human Services Professional means really caring about the human experience. When we care about the human experience we work toward justice in those experiences. Human service professionals, “Because of the nature of their work or perhaps because of the depth of their commitment…go beyond making these individual but very real changes” (Homan).


7. Imagine that you are asked to work with a community assist in making a safer place for children and families. The community has several vacant buildings, parks that are not maintained, and heavy traffic through residential streets. Locally owned business’ have moved out leaving both commercial buildings and residences boarded up. The plants in the park are overgrown, there is trash everywhere, and the slides and swings are rusted and broken. There is a 4-lane arterial on the border of the community, but people try to avoid the traffic lights by driving through the community. How would you analyze the community systems and structures existing within the community? What specific strategies, tactics, and activities would you use to initiate and sustain change? Give a rationale for each. What processes would you design to evaluate the success of the community’s actions?

I would do a thorough needs and asset assessment. This means researching the community members, what’s been done, what needs to be done. I would conduct interviews and surveys. I would do everything I could to learn about the situation as it stands.
I would attend or begin a community association and consider the strengths and assets of it.
Beginning with the members of the community is the only way to truly assess a community as well as create lasting change.
Part of the assessment will be to consider the existing efforts for change, what’s worked and what hasn’t. Laying the groundwork to use those strengths and improve on areas lacking.
The issue is more in the people of the community recognizing their potential than in the physical challenges they face in the community.
I would use meetings, interviews, conversations, fundraisers and volunteer efforts to begin to highlight the strengths of the community members and themselves as a group. They will begin to build their own set of resources. I would be available to help highlight the resources and strengths as time goes on.

8. What book did you read for your open learning group? What are the major concepts from the book that you shared with your group? (No more than one page).

I read Home From Nowhere by James Howard Kunstler.
- Suburbia fails us. It is abstract. Merely an idea of a place.
- America is wealthy and unhappy and are not taken seriously by the rest of the world.
- We want to believe that nothing changes. That we can ride out the bliss of being on top forever.
- Our American ideal of the good life is antisocial and detrimental.
- The physical spaces of our country are dismal, incoherent, ugly and meaningless
- Suburbia is not good for us.
- It is impossible to have an advanced society without integrated cities.
- Our use of cars is a failure that tears our society apart
- The things we value make us seem trashy.
- When we had the money, we made cheap things with no value, instead of nice things that had meaning.
- Tax laws perpetuate this by assessing value of property, not value of buildings.
- Zoning in America makes building vital community spaces impossible, against the law.
- Current zoning makes us dependant on cars to connect with people.
- Efforts to change this are faced with controversy.

Reference

Homan, M. S. (2008). Promoting community change: Making it happen in the real world (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thompson, Brooks/Cole.

Kunstler, J.H. (1996). Home from nowhere. New York, NY: Touchtone.

Marx, J. D. (2004). Social welfare: The American partnership. Boston: Pearson.

Sargent, L. T. (2006). Contemporary political ideologies: A comparative analysis (13th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

Smith, M.K. (1999). Settlements and social action centers. Retrieved March 13, 2009, from, http://www.infed.org/association/b-settl.htm