EXAMINING THE ASPECTS OF EMPOWERMENT

Examining The Aspects Of Empowerment

Examining The Aspects Of Empowerment

Question: Critically examine the key aspects of 'empowerment' from community development perspective. Please illustrate your answer with at least one appropriate example.

Introduction

This essay would examine what empowerment generally means and further relate it the community and find out what is meant by community empowerment. In furtherance, the meaning of community development would also be focused. Finally, the key aspects of empowerment from the community development perspective would be fully discussed, citing appropriate current examples.

Generally, empowerment can be defined as a multi-multidimensional societal action through which people acquire a better control over their actions and lives. Due to this process a new stream of power is injected in people; which they later utilize in their lives, the communities they live in and the society. The power is utilized in the form of actions for solving the desired important problems. It is these processes by which individuals as well as groups, having little or no power, acquire the ability take the decisions themselves which directly affect their lives.

Empowerment is any act, policy, or process that enhances fairness and equity toward or reverses discrimination against marginalized individuals or groups, such as those defined by economic status, race, ethnicity, language, religion, or gender. Empowerment processes increase the self-determination of individuals and groups (Garrat, 2002).

Empowerment is defined, by Popple (1995), as the process through which people, their groups and communities become capable to control the scenario the live in. they also learn to achieve their goals, hence they can maximise their abilities and work to improve their life standards. Popple further explicates that the capacity of people to politically, socially, psychologically and economically gain control of the circumstances in their life is termed as empowerment. The enlightenment of thoughts and actions is achieved through the access to knowledge, information and skills; these things inculcated the attributes of community participation, decision making, self efficiency and perceived control.

Garrat (2002) has defined that developing a community is the gesture of active participation of people in the issues related to their lives. The process of community development is based on sharing skills, power, knowledge and experience: it takes place both in neighbourhoods and within communities of interest. It also enables individuals and communities to grow and change according to their own needs and priorities.

Communities and Local Government, (2008), defines Community empowerment as the outcome of effective community engagement. It's about "shifting power, influence and responsibility away from existing centres of power and into the hands of communities and individual citizens”.

The process to promote empowerment in community and the process to contribute for socially transforming the community is the point which can be termed as empowerment at a short term level. The short term need is satisfied by providing technical assistance to groups and individuals in communities. This enables the community people to fulfil their needs in the context of their recent societal arrangement.

The Community Development National Operational Standards have set the community empowerment as a vital value in ...