These comments are in response to Alison's posting of an anonymous request.
I was able to read the postings fine, so for those of you who could not -
basically the request was for people to speak to the difference between
capacity building  and community development in perhaps a less academic way
which might be more useful to practitioners.   I was one of the individuals
Alison suggested might respond because we are doing a new project in
Waterloo Region which I named, "Capacity Net", and people are curious about
that choice of words.

First to point out my particular bias - I'm a senior manager in a government
health department.  My primary roles are (1) to support the development of
staff so our work can continually improve  and (2) to ensure wise
expenditure of public funds.   Both these roles require me to interpret,
develop, facilitate... practice frameworks and guiding principles so we can
all "get on the same page" with health promotion concepts.

Recently I have chosen to use the phrase "capacity building" and to engage
in processes which clarify that term and its application, and this is why:

1.  Complete bastardization of the term community development. (I think its
terminal.)

We've worked with the concept and phrase: community development for many
years now.  (We even offered a fantastically successful community
development summer school, and people were desperate to attend it.)  Despite
trying to bring clarity to its use, I have watched this phrase be
interpreted for whatever purpose is at hand.  I don't only mean by
governments.  Private sector groups,  students,  university faculty, self
help groups, health and education institutions.....  are all interpreting
this term to suit their needs and insisting they "do" community development.
The result is that when any given agency here calls a meeting in which
community development is cited in the agenda - 50 agencies are miffed
because, after all, thats THEIR mandate.

So I thought to myself, if we have that many local resources going to
community development, than why is the gap between the rich and poor here
still growing? Why are women of colour still not in our top executive
positions?  Why did so few of these agencies help in the response to the
recent reduction in social assistance for pregnant women?  Why do more
agencies than residents show up at neighbourhood-specific "development"
meetings?  My answer (to myself) is that mostly we are not working to shift
power imbalances at all.  Mostly we (as formal groups and agencies) see
power as a precious and limited thing and therefore we compete for it.  If
we really understood community development and practiced it, we would view
power as a collective ability to accomplish something.

2.  The concept of capacity places the choice with community residents

Capacity-building is not topic specific - so the decision about "What do we
want to change?" rests with residents not professionals.  I know we might
say, "capacity building for health". (I've probably said that - because the
system we've all build requires me to "categorize"  resources into "health"
or loose them)  The point is capacity building for health, would also be
capacity building for social justice,  and for economic development etc.
Basically, to me,  capacity is the strength to respond  and the freedom to
determine the response.  (Community development, I think, SHOULD be this too
- but in practice it hasn't been.)

3.  The concept of capacity building is a better "umbrella" for my work
because (1) it can apply to individuals, groups and communities  and (2) it
opens more possibilities for crossing sectors.

I think that public health has been looking for a different "umbrella"
(Health Promotion was the umbrella, but other sectors still don't think that
concept includes them.)  Community Development caught on as an umbrella -
but it only applies to working with communities.  Some of the work we do is
focused on individuals, not groups.  Community Development - even if we
could "fix" the current muddle and "do it right" - would only apply to a
proportion of the work we do, then people feel left out - so they bastarize
the concept more.....

4.  Capacity building is language that residents themselves might use to
describe their own process.  So, it gives over the voice.

I've been  spending a lot of time, as a resident,   trying to establish a
new multi-purpose centre in my own neighbourhood.  I would never refer to my
work as community development.  Thats something the outsiders working with
us are doing.  But, I would say that, we are building the capacity of the
neighbourhood to lobby the city for a better centre.  And, in saying that, I
would be including the work residents and professionals are doing side by side.

5.  Capacity building focuses on the strength.  Community development, in
practice, usually focuses on rallying around the community's defecits or needs.

Imagine you read in your neighbourhood newsletter that your neighbourhood
has the highest smog readings in the city,  or the most low birth weight
babies,  or the most subsidized housing,  or the most unemployment,  or the
highest rate of bullying at the school.....  In my experience one of 2
things happen (1)word spreads and 20 community developers (including some
from my own agency) invade your peaceful street to show you how to fix it up
(and to unintentionally blame you for its state in the first place)  and/or
(2) you move because you have the resources to do so.

A capacity building approach focuses on sharing and building on what your
neigbbourhood has going for it.  Maybe there are a high number of privately
owned businesses,  maybe a seamstress lives there,  maybe there is great
cultural diversity,  maybe the school principal is really keen on the
concept of a community school, maybe theres a perfect spot for a community
garden,  maybe you have a great playground.......  The needs and the
defecits will still be talked about in that newsletter,  the development
invasion will still come - but you'll have some, "yeah but"  responses when
the invasion starts to blame you;  and you'll think twice about moving out
because you've become aware of the usefulness of those small businesse, that
seamstress, the cultural diversity.....


Sorry for such a long rant - love to hear other comments on the difference
between community development and capacity building. Don't get me wrong
please - I've spent 12 years supporting and trying to make the concept of
community development "come alive" in practice.  I have nothing against it.
I just think we're stuck, and looking at the thing from another point of
view might help.


Theresa Schumilas
Director, Family and Community Resources
Waterloo Regional Community Health Department

work email: [log in to unmask]
work phone: (519) 883-2254
work fax:   (519) 883 2241

home email: [log in to unmask]   ** preferred over the summer