Assignment 2: 1 community assessment

“To be in community, is to share a common oneness with others” (Bopp & Bopp, 2011, p.12). Bopp and Bopp (2011), define a community as “any grouping of human beings who enter into a sustained relationship with each other to improve themselves and the world within which they live” (p.13). Every community has needs, strengths, assets and challenges, and according to Smathers and Lobb (2014), the process of identifying these aspects of a particular community is referred to as community assessment. An effective assessment of a community will help its members “uncover community needs and resources as well as understand how to solve community problems and improve community life” (Community Tool Box, n.d)

This paper discusses the process and result of an assessment of Alliance Cameroon (ACAM), a Calgary-based Cameroonian community in Calgary, Canada. This assessment presents one major and persistent problem affecting the ACAM community, which is the lack of dedication to the community by some members. It also discusses the methods and tools used in the assessment process. This assessment will help create an information base and provide a foundation for further planning and action in the community.

Overview of the community

Alliance Cameroon Calgary (ACAM) is a Non-Governmental Organization and an Apolitical association made up of Cameroonians who are currently residing in Calgary. This community also includes individuals of other nationalities who are married to Cameroonians. ACAM Calgary was created in 2011 with a mission to promote socio-economic and cultural values, encourage community development, facilitate the integration of its members into the Calgary-Canadian society, and support its members in times of need (ACAM Calgary, 2019). A person becomes a registered member of the association by paying a non-refundable sum of $60, which is renewable yearly, and this membership is limited to adults age 18years and above. There are currently about one hundred registered members in this association (ACAM Calgary, 2019).

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Methods

Participants

The participants in the assessment process included the community’s formal leaders (members of the executive) and some members of the General Assembly (list in appendix A). The executive members were included since they are at the forefront of community affairs and are the key decision-makers in the community. Bopp and Bopp (2011), emphasizes the importance of “involving the people whose lives are being affected by the process of development in all aspects of the process (analyzing issues or problems, discovering solutions, making plans, implementing strategies and projects, and evaluating outcomes)” (p.36). I involved as many community members as possible in all stages of the assessment, ensuring that all participants had the opportunity to express their concerns and ideas.

Data collection

The first method of primary data collection was through surveys. The reasons for the assessment were explained to the individuals at the beginning of the survey to ensure an effective process. Questionnaires were administered in-person to participants in their homes. The questionnaires contained short and simple open-ended questions about the main issues plaguing the community and what the members thought could be done to bring transformative change to the community. This method allowed the participants to answer the questions anonymously and in their own words, thereby encouraging candid responses.

The next method used was one-on-one phone interviews with the participants. A prepared list of straightforward questions was asked, and the individuals’ responses noted. These interviews were conducted through phone calls because it was difficult to find individuals who had the time to do a face-to-face interview. During the interviews, there was room for follow-up questions on responses that I did not fully understand.

There were a few setbacks during the process. Some members complained that they had no time to participate in the process. This reduced the number of stakeholders who could have shared their views in the assessment. Also, it was impossible to meet all the participants in one place due to scheduling conflicts, so I had to make house visits in order to distribute the questionnaires. It was also challenging to get some participants to return my phone calls for the interviews or even return the questionnaires. In the end, those I could engage in the process freely shared their beliefs, concerns and ideas about the problems in the association and what they think the community needs for transformative change to occur. These individuals showed active participation throughout the process not only by answering the questions asked but by proposing strategies to help the association move forward. Some of the participants even suggested names of other members whom they felt also had a lot to offer. Most of these members continuously asked about the possibility of a valuable outcome at the end of the assessment.

Result

After actively listening to and analyzing the responses of all the participants, one major and persistent problem was identified which is the lack of dedication to the community by some members. The medicine wheel approach was used to assess the community in order to identify the problem. Using Freire’s problem-posing method, it was discovered there were a lot of interconnected factors causing this problem.

The medicine wheel

“The medicine wheel is an ancient symbol which represents an entire world view and the teachings that go with it” (Bopp & Bopp, 2011, p.22). Bopp and Bopp(2011) further explain that this model “sees things in fourness or quaternity” (p.23). The medicine wheel sees the community in the following interrelated ways; political and administrative, social, economic and environmental, cultural and spiritual (Bopp and Bopp, 2011). Using this model, ACAM was assessed by examining these four aspects.

Political and Administrative

Bopp and Bopp (2011) explain that the political and administrative area has to do with “how power is arranged, how decisions are made, and how the governance and management of the community’s affairs occur” (p.29). After analyzing the political and administrative aspects, it was discovered that in the ACAM community, there is the misuse of power by the president. The participants complained that the president often takes decisions with little or no inputs from other members. According to the participants, these actions make members reluctant to attend monthly association meetings as well as participate in other community activities. Bopp and Bopp (2011) describes the president’s action as “one of the seven deadly viruses of community development” (p.176). Other participants complained that the association is always quick to use the principle that “the majority wins”, in every decision-making process without even trying to reach a consensus. This principle, in the opinion of the participants, totally ignores the ideas and proposals of some members, as a result, discourages their contributions and participation in community affairs.

Social

The social area, according to Bopp and Bopp (2011), deals with “patterns of human relations, including conflict resolution, communication patterns, social protocol and kinship patterns” (p.29). Some participants were concerned with the fact that members involved in interpersonal conflicts found it difficult to take part in the same activities without making matters worse. “These members either end up disrupting the whole activity or not participating at all”, said one participant. Other participants were worried that some members joined the association as a family and not as individuals. For example, if a man can not attend a meeting session, it is unlikely that his wife will attend that session, even though they are individually registered members. Several participants also pointed out that some members have decided to form cliques within the community in which they take collective actions on all community matters. The members of these cliques are often the best of friends who support one another in every decision or idea presented in the association. These actions make it difficult for the community members to act in unity and also contribute to the lack of commitment by members.

Economic and Environmental

This category has to with “how and to what extent people get what they need in order to sustain themselves as well as the community’s relationship with the eco-system upon which long term economic well-being depends” (Bopp & Bopp, 2011, p.29). Bopp and Bopp (2011) also emphasizes the “importance of going beyond income generation to question how economic activities are affecting other areas of human well-being” (p.29). ACAM members are Cameroonians by origin, and most of them moved to Canada as adults, in search of greener pastures. According to the participants, they do any kind of job just to take care of their families. Some work long hours under hard conditions. Others work while going to school to get better-paying jobs in the future. The participants concluded that these challenges were negatively affecting the people’s physical, emotional and mental well-being as well as the relationship with their community. As stated by some participants, working that hard leaves the people stressed and tired, and with little or no time to spend with their families and the community as a whole. A participant mentioned that his two years old child once called him ‘uncle’ as he was always working out of town and not spending time at home. All these issues contribute to some members not meeting their association obligations.

Cultural and Spiritual

This category talks of “the prevailing patterns of beliefs, values, morals and goals hidden beneath the surface of community life; both what community members espouse and what they actively practice are important dimensions to be considered” (Bopp & Bopp, 2011, p.29). ACAM consists of people and families with different opinions, standards and beliefs. In the opinion of the participants, there is always a clash of differing points of view and belief in a lot of community matters, which is expected. However, sometimes this conflict leads to commitment issues within the community. For instance, the social secretary proposed a particular traditional dance for ACAM’s International Women’s Day celebration, but some members were of different opinions on the dance choice. This disagreement brought many setbacks during the planning of this event, as explained by the social secretary. The activity was finally canceled for a lack of enough dancers. As Bopp and Bopp (2011) maintains, “without meaningful and effective participation, there is no development” (p.85).

Freire’s Problem-posing Method

This method which was developed by Paulo Freire in 1970 in his book Pedagogy of the Oppressed, uses a series of “But why” questions to get to the root cause of a problem. The “But why?” technique examines a problem by asking a question to find out what caused it and each time an answer is given, a follow-up “But why?” is asked. Below are the responses given by one participant.

Question: Why are some members not committed to the association?

Answer: Some members are involved in interpersonal conflicts and human relation problems which prevents them from committing to community affairs.

Question: But why is this preventing them from their commitments?

Answer: Because the conflicting individuals can not be in the same place or participate in the same activity with each other without bringing up and fighting about their issues.

Question: But why is this problem not being fixed?

Answer: Because the community has always ignored the problem hoping it will go away

Question: But why….

Different participants presented different opinions on the matter. The individuals all had different sets of answers to the “But why” questions. This series of questions go on until the root cause of the problem is determined. This process just shows that the lack of commitment might be the main problem, but there are a number of factors that are preventing the members from committing to the association. A way forward in this situation, for instance, can be a community intervention in an attempt to heal the conflict. The association can organize a peacemaking meeting with the permission of the conflicting parties. This meeting should involve all conflicting parties, association members who can be present and an appointed facilitator to make sure everyone speaks in turn. A successful community intervention will help change the mindsets of the conflicting individuals and bring about the transformative change currently desired by the people.

Conclusion

An assessment of a community gives the members information about the community’s needs, resources and how to solve the identified problems. An assessment of ACAM using the medicine wheel approach presents one major issue; the lack of dedication to the association by some members. This problem appears simple, however, the “But Why” problem-posing technique reveals many interconnected underlying root causes of the problem. At the level of the association, transformative change is possible when the people develop the right mindset towards community affairs and are willing to work together to achieve a sustainable future for themselves.

References

Alliance Cameroon Calgary. (2019). Retrieved 04 April 2020, from http://acamcalgary.com/vision-and-objectives/

Bopp, M., & Bopp, J. (2011). Recreating the world: A practical guide to building sustainable communities (3rd ed.). Calgary, AB: Four Worlds Press

Community Tool Box, n.d , Assessing Community Needs and Resources | Section 1. Developing a Plan for Assessing Local Needs and Resources | Main Section |. Retrieved 4 March 2020, from https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/assessment/assessing-community-needs-and-resources/develop-a-plan/main

Fernandez L, MacKinnon S, Silver J. (2010). The Social Determinants of Health in Manitoba. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Manitoba.

Smathers, C. and Lobb, J. (2014). Community Assessment. [online] Ohioline.osu.edu. Available at: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/CDFS-7 [Accessed 04 March, 2020].