Every serious-minded citizen, starting from the president, the layman in the street and to you, will ask for how to promote empowerment in your community. The community is an enclosure of people with common goals and interests who are focused on engendering progress and growth in all areas that define human need.
Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area which may either be a country, village, town, or neighborhood or in virtual space through communication platforms.
Durable good relations that extend beyond immediate genealogical ties also define a sense of community, important to their identity, practice, and roles in social institutions such as family, home, work, government, TV network, society, or humanity at large.
Community development is often linked with community work or community planning, and may involve stakeholders, foundations, governments, or contracted entities including non-government organizations (NGOs), universities or government agencies to progress the social well-being of local, regional and, sometimes, national communities.
If you have been asking yourself how to promote empowerment in your community, here are answers to that question. In order for progress to come by, you will need to pay attention to the following bulletins:
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Help People Create Their Own Voices
Giving people, both young and old, direction and tools, and allowing them the freedom to self-organize around their location of choice is a way to expanding the community and providing opportunities. Consider organizing or facilitating exclusive events and meetings (in-person or online) as a way for your key leaders to connect, coordinate efforts, and brainstorm ideas.
It can be as simple as a conference call or informal happy hour. Many organizations are experimenting with Google Hangouts to provide a more face-to-face experience when geography doesn’t allow for in-person meetings. Connecting your supporters together can re-invigorate energy and enthusiasm and validate why they choose to put their support behind your organization.
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Make Them Feel Heard
Be open to feedback from your champions. They are out there in the trenches and can offer a deeper perspective and valuable insight into the needs and sentiments of your constituents. Involve them in the decision-making process. Ask for their opinions, be open to criticism, and truly listen to what they have to say.
Most importantly, use their input to inform your strategy. While you may not implement all of their suggestions, a key part of listening is reporting back. Acknowledge their points and tell them what you are doing in consideration of their input.
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Provide Opportunities for New Leadership
It can be easy to turn to your core individuals because they always seem to come through, but a healthy community breeds new cycles of leadership. You want to keep your community sustainable without burning out your longtime volunteers.
Read Also: Benefits of School to the Community
Have your key leaders help identify good candidates among newly involved constituents. Give them the opportunity to mentor the next wave of leaders. This allows your superstars to play a less intensive role in your community, yet remain active proponents of your cause.
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Make People’s Contribution Relevant
Making people’s contribution relevant is one of the good responses to how to promote empowerment in your community. Your marketing shouldn’t be all about you. Highlight your strongest supporters by publicly acknowledging their efforts, emphasizing how these contributed to success both for your organization and theirs. You might feature them in your newsletter or Facebook page or thank them publicly via your social media channels.
A guest post or interview on your blog or even involving them in a case study is a terrific way to showcase their achievements. They get the honor and recognition of being in the spotlight and you get to put a human face to your mission and your organizational purpose and impact.
