COMMUNITY EDUCATION

WHY THESE POSTINGS ON COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND DESIGNATED COMMUNITY SCHOOLS?

The effectiveness of democracy in a society is directly proportional to the amount of learning by citizens in that society. The greater the amount and the variety of that learning, the more fully realized will be democratic governance in that society.

Democracy cannot function satisfactorily where the population has a high degree of illiteracy. This has implications for places like Afghanistan and our involvement there. Even in societies with literate populations, such as in Canada, democratic governance is hampered because community learning levels are less than half their potential.

So, our governance systems in Canada are characterized by high degrees of private financing where those that provide private monies to politicians and political parties tend to be much, much more influential than citizens in general. Women are grossly underrepresented in our legislative bodies. Voter turn outs are in the fifty percent range and are falling, which is an indication of public disaffection with democratic governance.

The nature of community learning is not the issue in creating learning and fully realized democratic societies. As long as people engage in planned learning activities, whatever their nature, they tend to gain confidence in their abilities to learn. As a result, they engage in greater and greater varieties of learning experiences. The accumulated learning and establishment of leaning habits or learning mores creates conditions that allow people to break out of cultural constraints, such as those imposed by many religions. Learning societies are , therefore, more likely to value democracy, engage in democratic governance, and be creative of innovative democratic processes.

How can learning societies be advanced? Two highly cost effective strategies are the establishment of Designated Community Schools, which, in turn, utilize community education methods. Both constructs, community oriented schools, and community education, i.e., people learning with, through and for each other, advance fully realized, democratic governance. Fully realized, democratic governance is the vehicle for bringing about equitable, just, culturally rich, and sustainable societies.





WHAT IS COMMUNITY EDUCATION?

Community Education- is a process in which people within communities utilize educational, democratic, and sound research methods for both individual and community betterment. By design, the community education process ideally exhibits all of the following characteristics:

1. Interagency Cooperation

There is an effective and systematic community/interagency cooperative relationship and interagency commitment to the use of the community education process.

2. Citizen Involvement.

Strong emphasis is placed on facilitating informed citizen involvement in local needs identification, decision making, problem solving, and community programme implementation.

3. Use of What is There.

Priority is placed on full utilization of local human capabilities and physical resources as a basis for considered community action in the common interest.

4. Community School a Part.

The community school, in cooperation with other community agencies and resources, is viewed as an integral part of a total community education system.

5. Volunteerism.

Emphasis is placed on encouraging community self help, volunteerism, initiative and self renewal through the process of community education.

6. Local Leadership.

An important aspect is the development of opportunities and training so local lay and professional people can assume community leadership roles.

7. Lifelong Education.

There is an offering of supplementary and alternative educational opportunities for community members, regardless of age, to extend there skills, perceptions, and interests and to bring about community improvement. Education is viewed as a lifelong process. All positive forms of education are considered potentially useful in this regard, including the use of technology and the mass media.

8. Sense of Community.

An important underlying goal in the above considerations is the fostering of a sense of community which begins with the local community and extends outward to embrace the planet in all its complexity.