Community Engagement In A Community

Introduction

A community can be described as a group of people who live in a proximity to one another who share similar interests, beliefs, or concerns. The people within these communities may not live close to one another, but may be spread out, still sharing the same interests or identities (WHO, 2016). The determinants of health don't solely apply to individuals, the WHO states that these determinants also apply to communities as well as individuals (WHO, 2016). This means that communities can contribute to improving health outcomes for people living in these communities. What people experience within a community is often the same with regards to their environment, like pollution or crime. These similar problems can be an issue that these

I think community engagement is an important tool in steering the community as a whole in the right direction. This could be influence from outside organizations, which have specified knowledge in the issues concerning the community. An example could be governmental practitioners involving the community in new policy making or in decision-making in their area (State Government Victoria, 2013). There is the idea that encouraging the youth to participate in community engagement is vital to achieving long-term success, especially within rural areas (Place & Ricketts, 2009). This could be done by involving them in community functions and decision-making processes. Community engagement has its bad sides however. One who is ready to step up and lead within these functions and decision making processes must be of strong mind, willing to be engaged at all times from their peers and judged for taking action. Dealing with your community can cause a lot of your personal life and work life overlapping each other making it hard to switch off from your role as a leader outside of work. This could be a hard concept for some young leaders looking to step into community engagement (Place & Ricketts,

Community empowerment is about seeing who has the power, and then trying to fairly distribute this power among the community members, forcing some parities to give up their existing power (WHO, 2016). Community empowerment can be viewed under the headings: Local leadership, assessment of the problems in the community, and Community-based organizations (Laverack, 2006). These are just a few of the many avenues that community empowerment can be assessed through. Local leadership is a previous topic already touched on in this essay. Communities must choose the correct leaders to help aid them in seeking better health outcomes. This means appointing someone who is aware of the problems within the community and knows how to get something done about it. Community-based organizations are important in community empowerment, as they can be the center point for everyone in the community. This can be a place where people socialize and share ideas about how improvements can be made in their areas. An example of a community-based organization whose aim is to empower their community is Blantyre Miners Welfare Charitable Society in Scotland (Government, 2009). They are based in South Lanarkshire and their aim is to regenerate the community and improve the lives