Development of community approach

In case of those affected by the issue of equal opportunities it is also necessary – in addition to individual support – to spread in wide circles community-centric approach. This is the only way to achieve that we move towards social integration, inclusion and solidarity by searching for and organising partnership relations in the settlements that put into the centre common thinking and community actions. Permanence of community actions implemented by the local communities is the result of community work.

Community work is also suitable to manage social problems that cannot be handled adequately and satisfactorily as individual cases. Breaking with the practice to satisfy needs and demands within institutional frameworks, community work steps out to an arena that does not belong to it but to the community, and this way is capable to manage the local problems individually and locally. Members of the community and the expert(s) have equally important role in it. Consequently, community work represents a new approach also in the area of the specificities of the institutional network, because it intervenes into it, creates resources, exerts political pressure, organises institutions, groups and actions with the involvement of local people.

This article based on the following document: Esélyegyenlőségi módszertani útmutató