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Saskatchewan Economic Development Association
P.O. Box 113
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
S7K 3K1
ph : 306.384.5817
fax : 306.384.5818
verona.thibault@seda.sk.ca
Executive Director :
Verona Thibault
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| Partnerships | Marketing | Business Retention & Expansion | Community Pride | Leadership |
Project Development | Financing Economic Development | Engaging Your Community |
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ENGAGING YOUR COMMUNITY
The Community Economic Development Process Approach
written by Brenda L. Wallace
Community Economic Development (CED) is a holistic approach to development. It encourages communities and regions to take ownership of their own economic futures and chart the course they will follow to get there. Community Economic Development occurs in an environment where the forces of change and preservation of a traditional way of life compete with each other. Through the development of community capacity, these forces are used as guideposts to the development of a strategic plan for the community or region. By being developed by the community for the community, this plan best suits the diverse composition of that community/region.
The skills, knowledge, and abilities of residents enable the community to sustain progress over time without losing what made the community special to begin with. Examples include:
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Expanding and diversifying the people who participate in community decision making
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Building new leadership
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Strengthening people's skills
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Learning to agree to disagree as a community while sharing common hopes for your town
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Being strategic as a community
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Making consistent progress toward the goals you set as a community
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Building more effective community organizations and institutions
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Using the resources that already exist within the community more efficiently and effectively
How is Community Capacity Built?
Local citizens must exhibit will, take initiative and show leadership to:
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Involve and educate community members, shape opinion, and galvanize commitment to act through a strategic planning process
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Attract and collect resources, compile information, and develop strategies for using these resources to initiate change in how problems are addressed and opportunities are seized
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Organize people and work, develop skills, and coordinate or manage a sustained effort that builds up the positive qualities of community life
The development of community capacity is meant to stop the outflow of people, investment, resources, and businesses, and provide a mechanism for the generation of new ideas . Its progress is measured not just in numbers of jobs but in a quality of life that extends into all corners of the society.
To borrow a saying from the venture capitalists, when making an investment in a company, bet on the management, so, too, for communities with "capacity". |
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