[PDF] Community Development Toolkit - CommDev

GlossarycontinuedGLOSSARY AND REFERENCESCommunity profile A picture of thecommunity that reflects the demographic,economic, human, social, visual and naturalresources, needs and assets of thecommunity.Competency An attribute that contributes tosuccessful performance and achievement oforganizational goals. Competencies may bedefined organizationally or individually, andinclude knowledge, skills and abilities plusother characteristics such as values,motivation, legitimacy, initiative and control.Conflict resolution The process by which theparticipants together with the assistance ofa neutral person or persons systematicallyisolate disputed issues in order to developoptions, consider alternatives and reach aconsensual agreement that willaccommodate their needs.EEmpowerment Increasing poor people’sability to participate in decision making – tonegotiate with, influence, control and holdaccountable the institutions that affect theirlives. In its broadest sense, empowermentis the expansion of freedom of choice andaction, and implies transferring decisionmakingresponsibilities and operationalresources to project beneficiaries.Evaluation Systematic investigation of theworth, value, merit or quality of an object.Assessment of the operation or theoutcomes of a program or policy, comparedto a set of explicit or implicit standards, as ameans of contributing to its improvement.Criteria for evaluation may includerelevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impactand sustainability.Consultation A tool for managing two-waycommunications between project developersand stakeholders. Its goal is to improvedecision making, reduce risk and buildunderstanding by actively involvingindividuals, groups and organizations witha stake in the project. Their involvementincreases the project’s long-term viabilityand enhances its benefits to locally affectedpeople and other stakeholders. To bemeaningful, consultation should be carriedout in a culturally appropriate manner, withlocally appropriate time frames and in locallanguages.FFocus group A group, selected for itsrelevance to a particular area ofinvestigation, that is engaged by a trainedfacilitator in discussions designed to shareinsights, ideas and observations on the areaof concern. Focus groups are typicallyopen-ended, discursive and used to gain adeeper understanding of respondents’attitudes and opinions. A key feature offocus groups is that participants are able tointeract with, and react to, each other – thegroup dynamic often provides richer insightsand data than would have been achieved byinterviewing the participants individually.204 Community Development Toolkit