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Community needs assessment.

• Mary Ohmer Mary Ohmer University of Pittsburgh
•  and  Emily Underwood Emily Underwood University of Pittsburgh
• https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.013.73
• Published online: 11 June 2013
• This version: 23 March 2022
• Previous version

Community assessments in macro social work practice focus on identifying the needs and assets of a community that can be mobilized for community improvement and change. Macro social workers engage with residents and community members as partners in conducting and utilizing the findings from community assessments. The first section describes the values and principles underlying community assessments. This is followed by a discussion of approaches for conducting community assessments. The overall approach to community assessment discusses the shift in community assessment from focusing mainly on needs and deficits to understanding both community assets and needs. Two specific approaches to community assessment are then described in greater detail, including the consensus organizing approach to conducting a community analysis and the asset-based community development approach to conducting asset mapping. This section is following by an overview of the key methods for collecting and reporting data for a community assessment.

• internal resources
• external resources
• community capacities
• consensus organizing
• asset-based community development (ABCD)
• community practice
• community research
• macro social work

Updated in this version

Content and references updated for the Encyclopedia of Macro Social Work.

Community Assessment Values and Principles

In the field of social work, conducting a community assessment can be a valuable exercise in creating positive impacts for both individuals and their communities. The information that is gathered from a community assessment can be used to address important issues in subsystems including the physical environment, social services, healthcare, education, transportation, and education, while also improving community coping and problem solving (Beverly et al., 2005 ). Community assessments of this nature incorporate many of the values of the social work profession including service, social justice, the importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence (NASW, 2017 ). This approach to community assessment allows community members to participate in decision-making processes around issues related to economic opportunity, resources, social supports, and policy making. At the same time, community assessments can also enhance current relationships and efforts to address these types of issues in targeted communities. Community assessments can also serve as a method for analyzing current systems and as the basis for strategic planning and developing interventions (Beverly et al., 2005 ). Community assessments are inclusive approaches to macro social work because they take into consideration both individual and communal experiences and knowledge in order to empower communities and enhance community outcomes.

Approaches for Conducting Community Assessments

Overall framework.

Community assessments help social workers identify the needs and the resources in a community that can be mobilized to improve quality of life. While social workers historically have focused more on identifying the “needs” of the community in a general sense, we have shifted over time to understanding the needs from the perspective of community residents, stakeholders, and others impacted by specific issues. Furthermore, instead of focusing only on deficits, the lens has widened to identify and include community assets or resources that can be leveraged to create change. This change was partly a result of social work scholars and organizers called on social workers and others in the helping professions to change their ways. Specifically, Specht and Courtney ( 1994 ) in their book, Unfaithful Angels: How Social Work Has Abandoned Its Mission , criticized social workers for focusing too much on peoples’ “needs” and “problems” and for using mostly clinical and psychotherapeutic interventions to address the needs of mainly white, middle-class people. They called on social workers to become partners with communities to address systemic change through social justice and community-level interventions with underserved and disenfranchised people. Around the same time, Kretzmann and McKnight ( 1993 ) argued that the negative images often produced by focusing only on needs creates a map of the community that is often perceived as the whole truth; however, these images are only part of the truth about the actual conditions of a troubled community. Assessing only needs creates an incomplete picture of a community that leads to problem-focused solutions instead of solutions that leverage the assets and strengths of the community (Kretzmann & McKnight, 1993 ). The former approach takes the power away from the community, wherein they see themselves as having special needs that can only be addressed by outsiders with professional expertise to deal with their problems. Kretzmann and McKnight ( 1993 ) argue for an alternative path that focuses on community strengths and assets that leads to policies, solutions, and interventions that focus on the capacities, skills, and assets of lower-income people and their neighborhoods. Table 1 summarizes and compares the differences between traditional needs assessments that focus more on problems and community assessments that examine assets and needs.

Table 1. Comparing Needs Assessments to Community Needs and Resources Assessments

Source : Adapted from Ohmer and DeMasi ( 2009 ).

According to the Community Toolbox ( n.d. ), needs are the things that are missing or the gap between what a community is and what it wants to become. Needs can be concrete things needed by people, groups, or the entire community, such as clean water or fresh produce; or they can be social needs like more participation in local organizations or political needs such as increased voter registration. Community resources or assets are the people, organizations, institutions, physical assets, and relationships that can be leveraged to improve communities (Community Toolbox, n.d. ; Ohmer & DeMasi, 2009 ). Community resources include the capacities and skills of people, the things that are working and creating quality of life, strong social connections, community wealth, and effective local organizations (Community Toolbox, n.d. ; Homan, 2016 ; Ohmer & DeMasi, 2009 ). Resources or assets can include individuals, organizations and institutions, buildings, landscapes, equipment—anything that can be used to improve the quality of life (Community Toolbox, n.d. ).

Several arguments can be made for focusing on both needs and resources, including two in particular. First, this approach allows for a deeper understanding of the community, including the community’s unique history, culture, social relationships, political and economic structures, as well as conflicts and sources of tension and disagreement. Understanding how the community works is key to developing strategies for community change. Second, community residents and stakeholders are encouraged to understand their own strengths and how to leverage them to address their needs. This is an empowering approach that builds more sustainable community capacity. Third, the process more easily allows residents and key stakeholders to develop priorities as well as realistic action plans for program or system improvements (Community Toolbox, n.d. ; Ohmer & DeMasi, 2009 ). Two specific approaches for community assessments, the consensus organizing approach and asset-based community development , represent the overall frameworks discussed in this section.

The Consensus Organizing Approach to Assessment: The Community Analysis

Low-income communities have been surveyed and studied over the years by outside agencies and government (Ohmer & DeMasi, 2009 ). Sometimes residents are part of the process, but many other times they are not. Needs assessments can be important tools to identify issues in communities, but they too often focus on community weaknesses versus strengths. Community needs assessments and surveys may also be used by agencies to support or justify the status quo and their programs, or demonstrate needs so that the agency can secure funding (e.g., a survey that shows a high incidence of domestic abuse in a community, which is then used by an agency to get funding for domestic violence programs).

Consensus organizing focuses on facilitating trusting relationships among residents and between residents and external resources based on mutual interests and values. This process leads to enhancing the community’s bonding and bridging social capital and their capacity to address some of their most difficult problems (Eichler, 2007 ; Ohmer & DeMasi, 2009 ). Consensus organizing has been used over the past 40 years to facilitate resident-driven initiatives to advance social justice and equity around a range of community issues, including equitable development and violence prevention (Beck et al., 2012 ; Brown & Stalker, 2020 ; Eichler, 2007 ; Ohmer, 2016 , 2020 ; Ohmer & DeMasi, 2009 ; Ohmer & Owens, 2013 ). Macro social workers using consensus organizing implement an in-depth community analysis to find out “how a community works” and to build relationships with and engage residents and other community stakeholders (Ohmer & DeMasi, 2009 ). Some of the most important components of this type of community analysis are identifying people in the community and finding out their self-interest—that is, what they care about and what kinds of community problem-solving efforts they might be motivated to get involved in. One of the distinguishing characteristics about that community analysis is that both internal resources and external resources are assessed, focusing not only on the assets and potential contributions of community residents and stakeholders but also on the potential assets and contributions of external stakeholders and resources. In other words, the assessment uses a parallel process to leverage resources and assets inside and outside the community to address community-identified needs and issues (Ohmer & DeMasi, 2009 ). While many needs assessments are directed by outside agencies, consensus organizing flips this approach by empowering residents to identify their owns needs and assets and by matching residents with outside resources who also care about and have a self-interest to address similar issues. Needs assessments and other kinds of surveys and analyses can be valuable tools to understand a community; however, in consensus organizing, these tools are developed and implemented with the community (Ohmer & DeMasi, 2009 ).

The community analysis has three major components: (a) understanding a neighborhood’s history, culture, characteristics, strengths and demographics; (b) understanding and building relationships with the internal resources in a neighborhood, that is, the people who live, work, provide services, and operate businesses there; and (c) identifying, understanding and building relationships with external resources, that is, the businesses, government officials, institutions, and philanthropists that can contribute to community change that is directed by the community (Ohmer & DeMasi, 2009 ). These components are explained in Table 2 .

Table 2. Steps in Conducting a Community Analysis

Asset-based community development.

Asset-based community development (ABCD) is a method for understanding a community that requires participation of the community’s residents. The focus of this type of assessment is to “empower communities to identify and address their own problems through the assets that are available to them” (Blickem et al., 2018 , p. 2). Kretzmann and McKnight ( 1996 ) developed this alternative strength-based method of assessment in response to the more traditional models which focus on identification of community deficits. The goal of ABCD is capacity building based on existing resources and individual strengths (Kretzmann & McKnight, 1996 ). This shift in perspective can make a significant difference in the resources needed to address community issues as well as the efficiency by which they are utilized. Moreover, this approach reaffirms the work that is already being done in neighborhoods (Kretzmann & McKnight, 1996 ). Through its primary method of asset mapping, ABCD places an emphasis on creating sustainable networks through person-centeredness and relationship building and “aiding the process of translation of experiential knowledge into a communally available resource” (Harrison et al., 2019 , p. 4).

According to its creators, asset-based community development process relies on the following characteristics:

Community development strategy starts with what is present in the community, the capacities of its residents and workers, the associational and institutional base of the area—not with what is absent, or with what is problematic, or with what the community needs. Development strategy concentrates, first of all, upon the agenda building and problem-solving capacities of local residents, local associations, and local institutions. One of the central challenges for asset-based community developers is to constantly build and rebuild the relationships between and among local residents, local associations, and local institutions. (Kretzmann & McKnight, 1996 , p. 27)

With these characteristics ideas in mind, ABCD draws upon psychological and social theories in determining the criteria which define “assets” and for categorizing the assets into three levels: (a) primary building blocks or personal assets (includes motivation and self-efficacy); (b) secondary building blocks/collective assets (e.g., parks, libraries, grocery stores), and (c) potential building blocks, or assets which originate and are controlled external to the community (e.g., social welfare access) (Harrison et al., 2019 ). Additionally, social capital, such as connectedness, social networks, and reciprocity are all important considerations to be included in the asset map. Putnam ( 1993 ) defines social capital as a form of social organization that includes trust, norms, and networks that can improve the efficiency of society by facilitating coordinated actions. Putnam ( 2000 ) later characterized social capital in two ways: bonding social capital, which is based on relationships of mutual trust found between neighbors; and bridging social capital, which is based on connections between residents and individuals and organizations external to the neighborhood. Both of these forms of social capital are important to include when assessing community assets and strengths.

Asset maps can be created using multiple strategies, including engaging community members around a map, conducting focus groups or interviews with individuals or stakeholders to identify and locate assets, or simply taking a walk around the community being assessed (Mosavel et al., 2018 ). Asset mapping can be an effective way to facilitate participation and efficacy within communities. Processes such as identification of visible assets, noticing patterns of interactions among those assets, as well as the accessibility of assets can make valuable contributions to developing a community asset map (Mosavel et al., 2018 ). Once assets have been identified, they can be categorized and used to build connections that multiply their power and effectiveness, while also targeting institutions that are not yet being utilized to bolster efforts (Kretzmann & McKnight, 1996 ).

It should also be noted that ABCD offers the additional strength in its inclusivity, and its emphasis on the perspectives of nonspecialists, including youth, seniors, and the differently abled (Blickem et al., 2018 ). The analysis of asset maps can offer keen insight into issues such as access to food and transportation, opportunities for greenspace transformation and improved health outcomes, and other issues that communities might seek to enhance. Figure 1 provides a template to use when conducting an observational asset assessment by walking throughout the neighborhood.

Figure 1. Template to identify assets identified through a community walk.

Methods for Conducting Community Assessments

Data collection methods.

The Community Toolbox ( n.d. ) and Ohmer and DeMasi ( 2009 ) identify multiple methods for collecting data for Community Assessments, including: (a) using existing data (census data, public records, existing reports of information gathered by other organizations, websites, etc.); (b) one-on-one meetings and interviews with key stakeholders, and informal and formal leaders (people respected in their communities); (c) small focus groups or listening sessions to learn about the community and their perspectives on issues, resources, assets, barriers, and solutions, including what has worked and not worked in the past); (d) direct observation of the community (e.g., walking and/or windshield surveys; Google street view) and/or participant observation (e.g., participating in a community meeting, attending a community event, spending time in local parks, or going to a local coffee shop); (e) surveys (e.g., written surveys, online surveys; in person or via email, text, phone, etc.); (f) asset maps focusing on community resources and strengths (e.g., these are like the maps conducted when using asset-based community development approaches). Sometimes these maps have already been developed by the local community, so check with your community partner to see if they have already created an asset map (see, for example, an asset map for Pittsburgh where you can learn about the assets in specific communities and neighborhoods); (g) public forums and town hall meetings where information can be shared about the results from a community assessment, as well as to get feedback and ideas. These types of forums are typically larger meetings with residents and key stakeholders organized by local organizations or by your organization in collaboration with already identified community partners.

Dissemination and Action

When producing reports of community assessments, it is crucial to keep the audience in mind. Some reports may be utilized in an academic setting, and alternatively or additionally, results of the assessment are presented to nonacademic laypersons. In general, reports should be written at a high-school reading level, free from jargon, acronyms, or other technical language (Royse et al., 2009 ). While passive voice is often used with academic writing, using an active voice may be preferable in creating a community assessment report that is an engaging narrative for the audience. Active voice is generally shorter than passive voice; for example, “Over 100 residents attended the community forum” versus “the community forum was attended by over 100 residents.” It is also necessary to consider the purposes of both the community assessment and the report in mind when creating a summary. Is this a document that will be shared with the public, or kept for internal organizational use? Will it be used for making programming and resource decisions, or will it be used to present the outcomes objectively so that the reader can draw their own conclusions? The answers to these questions are better discussed earlier in the process. These will provide guidance as to how the report should be designed and the type of information that should be highlighted.

As a rule of thumb, the outcomes report should contain four sections: the introduction, the methodology, the findings, and a summary (Royse et al., 2009 ). The introduction explains the purpose of the assessment and relevant background information about the issues or subjects of interest that led to the assessment and what the community participants hope to learn. After reading this section, the audience should be able to understand the purpose and rationale for the assessment. The methodology section is the opportunity for the writer to explain processes like how participants were recruited, an overview of any survey instruments that were used, and information such as the number of participants and how those participants are representative of the larger population (Royse et al., 2009 ). The findings/results section is arguably the most critical part of disseminating the assessment findings. Again, it is important to keep in mind the purpose of the project and whether it is the job of the writer/organizer to make recommendations or to report the data as objectively as possible. This portion of the reporting should focus on the objectives of the project rather than a detailed description of every finding. Responsible researchers should also include project limitations or any issues that occurred during the assessment, both for the purposes of sustainability and replicability, as well as transparency and ethical research. The summary is basically an abstract that provides a snapshot of the project and highlights key findings and recommendations. One suggestion is to keep the full report brief, using the appendices for more detailed descriptions of the data and results. In addition to a comprehensive report, a brief executive summary and/or an infographic would be helpful for dissemination to a wider audience.

Community assessments and the resulting report can be used to develop action plans for addressing community issues. For example, a consensus organizer builds on the relationships developed through the community analysis to engage a core group of residents in developing an action plan and designing and implementing win-win projects (Ohmer & DeMasi, 2009 ). Action plans should include the overall goals for improving the neighborhood and specific objectives and projects related to each goal. Successful action plans typically have four major ingredients: (a) community support and buy-in, (b) real and tangible roles for residents and stakeholders, (c) criteria to evaluate progress, and (d) internal and external resources engaged and invested in the community.

Win-win projects feasibly and quickly address one or more of the key goals and priorities in the action plan in ways that will garner widespread community support, engage the self and mutual interests of residents and external stakeholders, and tangibly and visibly illustrate the community’s strengths and progress toward their overall goals. Action plans and win-win projects should be used to build partnerships based on mutual self-interests that can be sustained over a long period of time. Consensus organizers employ two key principles for building and sustaining partnerships (Ohmer & DeMasi, 2009 ). First, self-determination is key to community organizing but also to macro social work practice. Essentially, self-determination means that those most affected by problems should lead efforts in finding solutions. The second principle is contribution, which means that macro practitioners should engage a broad base of people to participate and contribute to devising solutions to problems. These strategies and principles are key to building on community assessments to strengthen community capacity and sustainable and positive neighborhood change.

Throughout the community assessment process, it is important to understand that conflicts and sources of tension can exist in communities despite the ability to find common ground on some issues. Therefore, it is important to anticipate and build in time for disagreements among residents and between residents and key stakeholders, individually or as a group. Disagreements can also occur between residents and macro social work professionals who may be assisting with the assessment process. It is important to discuss with the organizational leaders in advance how to handle differences and potential conflicts. For example, ownership issues can occur about who has access to and/or who owns the data gathered during a community assessment. If this is a potential problem, then a data sharing agreement of some kind could be developed as part of the initial steps in the community assessment process to clarify questions or concerns about data access and ownership. Understanding potential sources of conflict and working with community partners and organizational leaders in advance to develop ways to address these conflicts is also key to a successful community assessment process.

Community assessments are important tools for macro social workers to use to engage community residents and stakeholders, as well as external stakeholders, to identify the community assets, strengths, and capacities necessary for addressing community problems and fostering sustainable community change efforts. Social workers have been criticized in the past for focusing too much on the needs and deficits in the community at the expense of community assets or resources. Too often needs assessments are conducted in a top-down fashion and are used to raise resources for agency programs and initiatives. Macro social workers now have extensive tools and resources to conduct community assessments that provide a more comprehensive picture of a community that can be used to create action plans and raise and leverage resources both inside and outside the community. There are also extensive resources available for social work educators on ways to incorporate macro content into the curriculum, including methods for conducting community assessments. For example, the Council on Social Work Education’s ( 2018 ) Specialized Practice Curricular Guide for Macro Practice is a resource that provides examples of macro content related to the CSWE competencies, including readings and course assignments. Understanding how to conduct a community assessment is clearly important for macro social work students, but it is also important for students in clinical MSW programs, as well as BSW programs. All social workers need to be prepared to conduct community assessments that genuinely engage the community, build on their strengths, and promote community change.

• Beck, E. , Ohmer, M. L. , & Warner, B. (2012). Strategies for preventing neighborhood violence: Toward bringing collective efficacy practice into social work. Journal of Community Practice , 20 (3), 225–240.
• Beverly, C. J. , Mcatee, R. , Costello, J. , Cheroff, R. , & Casteel, J. (2005). Needs assessment of rural communities: A focus on older adults. Journal of Community Health , 30 (3), 197–212.
• Blickem, C. , Dawson, S. , Kirk, S. , Vassilev, I. , Mathieson, A. , Harrison, R. , Bower, P. , & Lamb, J. (2018). What is asset-based community development and how might it improve the health of people living with long-term conditions? A realist synthesis. SAGE Open , 8 (3).
• Brown, M. E. , & Stalker, K. (2020). Consensus organizing and CBPR to address social-structural disparities and promote health equity: The Hope Zone case study. Family and Community Health , 43 (3), 213–220.
• Community Toolbox . (n.d.). Section 1: Developing a plan for assessing local needs and resources .
• Council on Social Work Education . (2018). Specialized practice curricular guide for macro social work practice . Council on Social Work Education.
• Eichler, M. (2007). Consensus organizing: Building communities of mutual self-interest . SAGE.
• Harrison, R. , Blickem, C. , Lamb, J. , Kirk, S. , & Vassilev, I. (2019). Asset-based community development: Narratives, practice, and conditions of possibility—a qualitative study with community practitioners. SAGE Open , 1 (11).
• Homan, M. S. (2016). Promoting community change: Making it happen in the real world (6th ed.). Brooks/Cole.
• Kretzmann, J. , & McKnight, J. P. (1993). Building communities from the inside out: A path toward finding and mobilizing a community’s assets . Institute for Policy Research.
• Kretzmann, J. , & McKnight, J. P. (1996). Assets-based community development. National Civic Review , 85 (4), 23–29.
• Mosavel, M. , Gough, M. Z. , & Ferrell, D. (2018). Using asset mapping to engage youth in community-based participatory research: The We project. Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action , 12 (2), 223–236.
• National Association of Social Workers (NASW) . (2017). Code of Ethics .
• Ohmer, M. L. (2016). Strategies for preventing youth violence: Facilitating collective efficacy among youth and adults. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research , 7 (4), 681–705.
• Ohmer, M. L. (2020, August 24). Youth-adult partnerships to prevent violence . Journal of Intergenerational Relationships , 1–20. Advanced online publication.
• Ohmer, M. L. , & DeMasi, K. (2009). Consensus organizing: A community development workbook: A comprehensive guide to designing, implementing, and evaluating community change initiatives . SAGE.
• Ohmer, M. L. , & Owens, J. (2013). Using photovoice to empower youth and adults to prevent crime. Journal of Community Practice , 21 (4), 410–433.
• Putnam, R. D. (1993). What makes democracy work? National Civic Review , 82 (2), 101–107.
• Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community . Simon & Schuster.
• Royse, D. , Staton-Tindall, M. , Badger, K. , & Webster, J. M. (2009). Needs assessment . Oxford University Press.
• Specht, H. , & Courtney, M. H. (1994). Unfaithful angels: How social work has abandoned its mission . Free Press.

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• Table of Contents
• Troubleshooting Guide
• A Model for Getting Started
• Justice Action Toolkit
• Best Change Processes
• Databases of Best Practices
• Online Courses
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• Subscribe to eNewsletter
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• About the Tool Box
• How to Use the Tool Box
• Privacy Statement
• Workstation/Check Box Sign-In
• Online Training Courses
• Capacity Building Training
• Training Curriculum - Order Now
• Community Check Box Evaluation System
• Build Your Toolbox
• Facilitation of Community Processes
• Community Health Assessment and Planning
• Section 15. Qualitative Methods to Assess Community Issues

Chapter 3 Sections

• Section 1. Developing a Plan for Assessing Local Needs and Resources
• Section 2. Understanding and Describing the Community
• Section 3. Conducting Public Forums and Listening Sessions
• Section 4. Collecting Information About the Problem
• Section 5. Analyzing Community Problems
• Section 6. Conducting Focus Groups
• Section 7. Conducting Needs Assessment Surveys
• Section 8. Identifying Community Assets and Resources
• Section 9. Developing Baseline Measures
• Section 10. Conducting Concerns Surveys
• Section 11. Determining Service Utilization
• Section 12. Conducting Interviews
• Section 13. Conducting Surveys
• Section 14. SWOT Analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats
• Section 16. Geographic Information Systems: Tools for Community Mapping
• Section 17. Leading a Community Dialogue on Building a Healthy Community
• Section 18. Creating and Using Community Report Cards
• Section 19. Using Public Records and Archival Data
• Section 20. Implementing Photovoice in Your Community
• Section 21. Windshield and Walking Surveys
• Section 22. Using Small Area Analysis to Uncover Disparities
• Section 23. Developing and Using Criteria and Processes to Set Priorities
• Section 24. Arranging Assessments That Span Jurisdictions
• Main Section

What are qualitative methods of assessment?

Why use qualitative methods of assessment, when would you use qualitative methods of assessment, how do you use qualitative methods of assessment.

Using qualitative assessment methods rather than purely data-based information is crucial to understanding many community issues and needs. Numbers work well to show comparisons, progress, an statistics of community efforts, but they cannot express motives, opinions, feelings, or relationships. This section discusses how to use qualitative assessment methods and when to implement them into communtiy planning.

Qualitative methods of assessment are ways of gathering information that yield results that can’t easily be measured by or translated into numbers. They are often used when you need the subtleties behind the numbers – the feelings, small actions, or pieces of community history that affect the current situation. They acknowledge the fact that experience is subjective – that it is filtered through the perceptions and world views of the people undergoing it – and that it’s important to understand those perceptions and world views.

There are two major scientific ways of gathering information: quantitative methods and qualitative methods. Quantitative methods are those that express their results in numbers. They tend to answer questions like “How many?” or “How much?” or “How often?” When they’re used to compare things – the results of community programs, the effects of an economic development effort, or attitudes about a community issue – they do it by subjecting all of the things or people they’re comparing to exactly the same tests or to the same questions whose answers can be translated into numbers. That way, they can compare apples to apples – everything or everyone is measured by the same standard. Quantitative measures are often demanded by policy makers; they are considered trustworthy because their results can be measured against one another, and because they leave less room for bias.

Qualitative methods don’t yield numerical results in themselves. They may involve asking people for “essay” answers about often-complex issues, or observing interactions in complex situations. When you ask a lot of people for their reactions to or explanations of a community issue, you’re likely to get a lot of different answers. When you observe a complex situation, you may see a number of different aspects of it, and a number of ways in which it could be interpreted. You’re not only not comparing apples to apples, you may be comparing apples to bulldozers or waterfalls. As a result, researchers and policymakers sometimes see qualitative methods as less accurate and less legitimate than quantitative ones. That can be true, but, as we’ll see, if qualitative methods are used with care, they can also yield reliable information.

Qualitative and quantitative methods are, in fact, complementary. Each has strengths and weaknesses that the other doesn’t, and together, they can present a clearer picture of the situation than either would alone. Often, the most accurate information is obtained when several varieties of each method are used. That’s not always possible, but when it is, it can yield the best results.

There are a number of qualitative methods that can be used in assessment of issues or community needs. We’ll list the major ones here, and look at them in more detail later in the section.

They include:

• Individual interviews . These may be structured interviews, where the questions are determined beforehand, or unstructured conversations that are allowed to range wherever the interviewee wants to go in relation to the general topic. Even in structured interviews, there may be room for both interviewers and interviewees to pursue topics that don’t relate directly to answering the original questions. The difference, however, is that in a structured interview, all those questions are formally asked, and the interviewer does her best to make sure they’re answered.
• Group interviews . These are similar to individual interviews, but involve two or more interviewees at a time, rather than one. (Sometimes, these are unexpected – the interviewee’s mother and sister are present, and insist on being part of the conversation.) Group interviews have some advantages, in that interviewees can act as a check on one another (I remember that happening in a different way…), and stimulate one another’s thinking. At the same time, the interviewer has to be somewhat of a facilitator, making sure that no one person dominates, and that everyone gets a reasonable chance to speak.

A special case of group interviewing is a focus group . This is a group of about 6-10 people, led by a trained facilitator, assembled to answer a specific question or questions. An effort is sometimes made to make sure that group members don’t know one another, so that social pressures won’t influence them. If trained facilitators are available, focus groups can be a good way to get accurate information about an issue.

• Observation . Here, someone actually goes and looks at a place or event, watches situations or interactions, or takes part in the life of the community or a population while recording what he finds as a result.
• Community or other large meetings . These meetings allow a range of people a chance to express their opinions and react to others’. They can draw on a large pool of opinions and knowledge at one time, and uncover disagreements or differences that can then be discussed.
• Interpretation of records, transcripts, etc. This can range from qualitative analysis of quantitative data (like the assumption of the researcher in the introduction to this section that people who are doing well won’t be interested in an adult education program), to using quantitative data as a jumping-off point for qualitative assessment, to case studies (detailed examinations of individual cases). The last are not always useful in assessing community issues or needs, but they can be very effective in convincing policymakers or funders of the importance of those issues and needs.

Many types of qualitative information are turned into numerical results, although not always accurately. The transformation may miss important details, or the information may simply be too complex to fit easily into numerical constraints, unless you can create a computer model or similar number-based framework that has the capacity to take in an enormous amount of variety. There are many software programs – NVivo and Atlas.ti are fairly well-known, but there are many others, including some freeware – that are intended expressly for analyzing qualitative data.

Since qualitative methods give you results that are not always easy to compare, or even to check for accuracy, people who want hard and fast evidence often see them as suspect. In fact, both quantitative and qualitative measures are important and necessary, depending on the situation. When you’re assessing community issues, as we’ve discussed, you’ll often get closest to the complete picture by using both. The problem is convincing those who need to be convinced – policymakers, funders, etc. – that your qualitative measures are reliable.

There is a debate in the research community about how to judge qualitative methods. Some say they should be evaluated by the same standards as quantitative methods. Others maintain that, because they are intrinsically different from quantitative methods, qualitative methods need a set of standards that take into account their philosophical base and the kind of information they yield.

The British government, for instance, has developed a framework for demonstrating qualitative reliability, which includes a set of 18 questions that a qualitative assessment or study should be subjected to (see Tool #1 ).

Guidelines that can help you argue for the reliability of your qualitative assessment include:

• Report accurately and completely . Whether you’re interviewing, observing, or engaging in some other technique, you should faithfully record such details as the time and place of your activity, who was involved, what the situation was, etc. In that way, you can see similarities and differences, and make comparisons where they’re appropriate. The recording of interviews, observations, and other information should be as accurate and nearly complete as possible (e.g., word-for-word for interviews).
• Frame the right questions, and direct them appropriately . Occasionally, it works to go fishing for information, i.e. to start without any idea of what you want to find out In most instances, however, you should know what the important questions are, and where you need to look for answers. The clearer you can be – and the clearer it is that the questions you’re asking will lead to real understanding and effective action – the more credibility your inquiry will have.
• Use qualitative methods specifically to gain information you can’t easily get from quantitative methods . You can quantify how many members of a specific minority live in a particular neighborhood. It’s much harder to quantify a clear understanding of how well they get along with their neighbors, and why.
• Use the method(s) that can best help you answer the questions you’re asking . If you want to know the state of vacant lots in a city, you’re less likely to determine it by asking people than you are by going and looking at the lots themselves. On the other hand, you usually can gain more information about people’s opinions through talking to them than you can from observation.
• Sort out your own and others’ subjective feelings and comments from objective reality, and try to make sure that your findings are objective . It’s easy to get caught up in the passion of interviewees’ opinions, or in your own response to particular conditions. If you want your findings to be reliable, you have to screen out as much of the subjective as possible from what you find and record. (One way to approach this issue is to have more than one person record and analyze each interview or observation, and then to check on how well they agree, both in their recording of the data and in their interpretation.)

Something that’s objective – an observation, statement, opinion, research finding, etc. – is based on reality as it actually is. Scientists, for instance, aim to be objective, and to understand the way things really are, rather than the way the scientists or others want them to be, or think they might be. A subjective observation, statement, opinion, or research finding, on the other hand, is based on the thoughts and assumptions of the person issuing it. A researcher may be so appalled by the conditions in neighborhoods where violence is rampant that she may begin to feel that violence is in fact the only rational response, and slant her research in that direction. Especially in community assessment, objectivity is vitally important. Objectivity in looking at the community will help you understand how to most effectively address issues, maximize and use assets, and solve problems. Understanding your own subjective reactions – to difficult conditions, to particular individuals, to cultural practices – will help you to screen them out, thereby increasing the reliability of your findings.

The basic reason to use qualitative methods is that there are some kinds of questions and some dimensions of community assessment that can be better addressed by them than by quantitative methods. The methods you use should be determined by the questions you’re asking. Since it may be hard to convince policymakers and others that qualitative methods are useful, however, why bother to use them at all? Some of the major reasons:

• They answer some questions that quantitative measures can’t. Quantitative methods may tell you how many people do a certain thing, but they’re unlikely to tell you how or why they do it. Qualitative methods can better answer the how and why questions, and also provide other information in the process.
• They connect directly with the population and the community with which you’re concerned. In assessment, the best sources of information are those closest to what’s being assessed: they experience it more than anyone else. Qualitative methods generally go directly to those sources with more complex questions than quantitative methods.
• They can get at certain underlying realities of the situation. Once again, quantitative methods often don’t answer “why?” questions, while qualitative methods can tell you about the history of the community or issue, who the significant supporters and opponents of various ideas are, whom people in the community listen to, etc. In an assessment situation, these can be crucial pieces of information.
• They can involve the population of interest, or the community at large, in helping to assess the issues and needs of the community. This participation fosters a sense of ownership and support for the efforts.
• They often allow for a deeper examination of the situation or the community than quantitative methods do. Quantitative methods, although helpful, can tend to put people or events in specific categories, ask for yes-no or multiple-choice answers, often eliminating complexity. Qualitative methods allow for following promising directions (“Why do you say that?”), and can lead to the discovery of important information that quantitative results wouldn’t have touched on.
• They allow for the human factor. While the information obtained through qualitative methods is often subjective, it is also often identified as such, and can be analyzed accordingly.

Clearly, there are times when quantitative research will give you the information you need. So when do you use qualitative methods? It depends to a great extent on the question you’re asking. (The first four situations below are based on a USAID guide to using rapid appraisal methods, Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Tips .)

• When what you need is qualitative, descriptive information . Particularly in an assessment situation, what you’re often looking for is descriptive or analytical information that has little to do with quantitative measures. The type of information provided by qualitative methods is often exactly what you’re looking for in community assessment to decide on next steps.
• When you’re trying to understand the reasons and motivations for people’s behavior, or how they operate in particular situations . Why don’t people take advantage of human service programs for which they’re eligible? What are the differences in the ways people of different cultural backgrounds respond to services? These are the kinds of questions you’re likely to want to answer in a community assessment, and they often can’t be answered quantitatively.
• When you’re analyzing quantitative data. As mentioned above, much quantitative data can be analyzed using qualitative methods.

An odd set of numbers – a community that’s decidedly low-income, but where a vast majority of people own their own homes, for instance – might be the springboard for a qualitative examination of why this is so. A number of reasons are possible: The community is largely elderly, and people are living in long-since-paid-for houses they bought 40 or more years ago, when their income was higher and housing was less expensive. One or more local banks have made it a priority to help people buy houses, and provide low-interest mortgages and other subsidy programs to further that goal. While they may be low-income, the members of the community nonetheless scrimp on everything else in order to put away money for a house. This is often the case among immigrants from certain cultures, where people are willing to live very simply for many years in order to save for property and education. The community has been “written off” because of its substandard housing, dangerous streets, and lack of services, and houses as a result are ridiculously cheap. A combination of factors, some of which may not be listed here. By and large, quantitative methods won’t easily tell you the reasons for this unusual situation, but qualitative methods will.

• When you’re trying to develop suggestions and recommendations . Again, this is often the primary purpose of community assessment. How should you design a program or initiative to accomplish a major community goal or deal with an issue? What will people respond to? Qualitative data may give the best information here, or may be used in addition to qualitative information to provide a complete picture on which to base your strategy.
• When you want to involve the community in assessment as directly as possible . Involving community members directly leads to ownership and support of initiatives, and is also likely to generate the best and most effective solutions. Qualitative assessment methods, for the most part, collect information directly from community members themselves, and allow them to fill in the details as much as they can. By and large, being interviewed is more likely to leave someone feeling like part of the process than filling out a survey.
• When you’re doing community-based participatory research (i.e., involving the community directly in planning and implementing assessment). Community-based participatory research often relies greatly on qualitative assessment methods.
• When quantitative data are unavailable or unobtainable.
• When you don’t have the capacity to use quantitative methods . You may not have the proper training, the software or hardware that will make quantitative assessment useful for you, or the time to use quantitative methods properly.

Now that you’re convinced of the importance of using qualitative methods of assessment, how are you going to do it? There’s seldom one right way to do anything, but we’ll offer some steps to take in using qualitative methods, including some guidelines for doing interviews and observations, the two most common methods. (Most of these guidelines hold equally for using quantitative methods as well.)

Start by deciding what it is you want to know.

You may remember that this is also one of the guidelines for qualitative reliability. It may seem elementary, but it doesn’t happen anywhere near as often as it ought to. The importance of deciding what you want to know is that it determines the character of your assessment – what kinds of questions you ask, whom you ask them of, how you’ll go about it, etc. Without that minimal amount of structure, you’re likely to wind up with a confused and unorganized mass of information.

There are many ways to approach a community assessment, and, consequently, many questions you might choose to start your assessment with. You might even use more than one, but it’s important to be clear about exactly what you’re looking for.

Some possibilities:

• What is the most serious issue – either general or specific – the community faces (i.e., what should we turn our attention to?
• What services are most needed in the community? Who most needs them?
• Are people taking advantage of services that currently exist?
• What are the community’s significant assets? How can they be strengthened?
• Are there forces working against the good of the community that should be opposed? (You probably wouldn’t be asking this question unless you thought there were, and had some idea who or what they might be.)
• Who ought to be involved in a prospective coalition or initiative?

Choose the method best suited to finding the information you’re looking for.

If you want to learn about people’s public behavior, you would probably use direct observation. Observing mothers and children in a clinic waiting room, for example, might give you information about the mothers’ anxiety levels or child-rearing practices.

If you want to know people’s opinions or how they feel about issues, some type of interview would be appropriate.

Once you’ve chosen the right method, it’s important to carry it out properly. Be aware of what you can do with the resources you have. You can’t conduct thousands of interviews in a large city, for instance, without considerable money. If you’re a cash-strapped nonprofit, you might look for a grant to fund your interviews, or you might confine your assessment to one neighborhood. Perhaps you’d mobilize volunteers to conduct interviews, or interview groups rather than individuals. It’s better to do a limited community assessment well than a large one badly. In choosing your method, be aware also that, in some cases, quantitative methods may be more appropriate and more likely to tell you what you want to know.

Choose the people who will gather the information, and, if necessary, train them.

With qualitative methods, where contact is often personal, the question of who carries them out can be very important. Academics or others who are perceived by community members as “the other,” whether because of their behavior, their speech, or simply because they’re outsiders, may find it hard to gather accurate and complete information from a population that’s very conscious of class or cultural differences. Often, it makes more sense to train members of the population or others who are known and trusted by – or at least familiar to, in their behavior, dress, and speech –those who are being asked to contribute their opinions and observations.

Data collectors should be fluent in the language and culture of those they are interviewing. If you’re assessing commercial activity in a Hispanic neighborhood, you’ll miss most of what’s really happening unless you understand both the Spanish language and the normal ways in which Hispanic (or Dominican or Mexican or Puerto Rican) customers and merchants relate to one another.

If you recruit members of the community or of a specific population to do qualitative information gathering – because they relate to the population better, because they speak the language, because you’re engaged in a participatory effort, or simply because you think they’ll be good at it – you should provide them with training to make sure that the results they come up with are reliable. Depending on what kinds of methods they’ll be using, some of the elements of a training might be:

• What to record and how : It may not be obvious how important it is to record the time, place, details, and circumstances of an interview, observation, focus group, or larger meeting It may also be necessary, depending on a trainee’s experience, to learn to use a recorder or video camera, and/or to learn how to take efficient notes without losing the thread of the conversation or missing important points in an observation.
• Interview techniques , as well as exactly what purpose an interview serves, and how it fits into the larger assessment picture. The more clearly an interviewer understands not just what to do and how, but why she’s doing it, the better she’s likely to be at drawing out the information she’s seeking.
• Observation techniques : As with an interview, an observation will be far more useful if the observer understands not just what to do and how to do it, but exactly why he’s doing it, and how it will be used.
• Training in other methods : Focus groups, for instance, require specific skills and techniques.
• Training in how to think of themselves as researchers : Like those engaged in community-based participatory research , information gatherers should understand how researchers operate. Objectivity, attention to detail, curiosity, and the continuous processing of information in order to generate the next question or observation are all part of the investigative mindset, which they should be encouraged to develop.

Determine from whom or from where you need to gather information.

It may be that you want to hear from all sectors of the community, but some issues or circumstances demand more specific informants. Some possible interview subjects may be public officials, members of a specific population or cultural group, people from a particular geographic area, or people with certain characteristics (parents of young children, individuals with disabilities, males 18-24, people with high blood pressure).

Knowing whom you need to ask extends to any method in which you talk directly to people – focus groups, large community meetings, etc. Focus groups used by marketers are chosen extremely carefully, for example, with age, gender, income, place of residence, and even such factors as favored leisure activities considered.

Observation may or may not involve people. If it does, the question may not be whom you want to observe, but rather what activity or situation you want to observe. If it’s general – what kinds of street activity take place in various neighborhoods, how people use a public park – it’s not necessary to focus on a particular population, but rather on the place. If it’s more specific – back to commercial activity in that Hispanic neighborhood – you’ll need to be in the right place at the right time.

Gather the information.

Now it’s time for you or the people you’ve chosen to go out and collect the qualitative information you need.

As mentioned above, interviews can be structured or unstructured. In a strictly structured interview, the same questions in the same order are asked of everyone, with relatively little room for wandering off the specific topic. Semi-structured interviews may also be based on a list of specific questions, but – while trying to make sure that the interviewee answers all of them – the interviewer may pursue interesting avenues, or encourage the interviewee to talk about other related issues. An unstructured interview is likely to be more relaxed – more like a conversation than a formal interview.

There are advantages and disadvantages to each approach. A structured interview may make the interviewee focus in on the questions and the interview process, take it more seriously, and thus provide excellent information. Because everyone is interviewed in the same way, a structured interview may be – or at least may look – reliable. It may also make an interviewee nervous, emphasize the differences between him and the interviewer, and lead to incomplete or less-than-truthful answers.

A semi- or unstructured interview may allow the interviewee to be more relaxed, and thus more forthcoming. It also leaves room for pursuing a topic that’s not directly related to the formal list of questions, but that might be important or even crucial. At the same time, because it can be far-ranging, a semi- or unstructured interview – particularly one that doesn’t start with a list of questions – is, or appears, less reliable than a structured one. It also, in the hands of an inexperienced or indecisive interviewer, may allow an interviewee to get sidetracked and never get back to the original questions.

What kind of interview you use depends on the nature of the information you’re looking for, the needs of the people you’re interviewing (e.g., whether comfort is more important than structure), and your own comfort. The author has conducted all three types of interviews, and has found that semi-structured interviews – having clear questions and goals for the interview, but conducting it in an informal way, with room for pursuing tangents and some simple friendly conversation – is generally productive. The following guidelines for interviewing reflect that view.

• Ask the interviewee to choose the space . You might give him a range of suggestions – his home or workplace, the office of a human service agency, a neutral space, such as a café or a park – and go with his choice. The more comfortable he is, the better and more informative the interview is likely to be.
• Choose your clothes for the comfort of the interviewee . In general, your clothes and hers should be similar: if she’s in jeans and a t-shirt, you shouldn’t be in a suit; if you’re interviewing a business executive at her office, you should be wearing a suit. Clothes send powerful messages, and the message you should be sending here is “We’re from the same planet; you can talk to me.”
• Talk beforehand with the interviewee if you’re planning to record or photograph the interview . Get permission before you show up with equipment It’s common courtesy, and it’s less likely to start the interview off awkwardly .

If the results of the interview are likely to be published, even if the interviewee will be anonymous, you might want to get a signed “informed consent” form, indicating that the interviewee understands the purpose of the interview, and gives permission for the material to be published or used in other ways.

• Record carefully the time, place, circumstances, and details of the interview . This includes a description of the location (the neighborhood as well as the space, if you’re interviewing a community member), other people present, any distractions (kids, pets, TV), other factors influencing the interview or the situation. Include a general description of the interviewee (married Hispanic woman, age 25, three children aged 6, 4, and 1).
• Think out and frame your questions carefully, and ask directly for the information you’re seeking . Memorize your basic questions (not necessarily word-for-word, but know what they are), so that you refer to notes as little as possible. Make your questions clear and unambiguous, so that questions aren’t vague or difficult to understand.
• Ask open-ended questions . These are questions that require an "essay" answer, rather than a yes-no response. For example, instead of asking "Did you enjoy being in the program?" you might ask "What was participating in the program like?" Try to give people the chance to answer as fully and thoughtfully as possible.
• Probe . Ask follow-up questions to get at what people are really saying, or to keep them talking about a topic. ("Why did you like it when the teacher asked your opinion?") Don't be afraid to pursue what may seem to be a sidetrack. Sometimes the best or most important information lies off the beaten path.

Some interviewees can manage one-word answers to nearly any question. They might answer "What was participating in the program like?" with “Good.” Don’t be afraid to probe these answers. “What does that mean?” or “How was it good?” might get you a flood of information. If it gets you another one-word answer, keep probing, unless you sense that the person is getting angry or frustrated. Then it’s probably time to move on to the next question, and hope that there’ll be an opportunity to return to this one for a fuller explanation. But be aware that some people are simply quieter – or less reflective – than others. You may never get much more than one-word answers from them.

• Don't cut people off too quickly . Their stories, or what you can read between the lines, may give you information as important as what they tell you directly.

At the same time, be aware when they’ve strayed too far from the topic. There’s a Mark Twain story that consists of the voice of a man telling an anecdote about a three-legged dog. Every other word reminds him of something else – another story – and he gets continually sidetracked, never finishing the story of the dog, or any of the others, either. Beware the Curse of the Three-Legged Dog: gently but firmly direct people back to the topic if they get too far afield.

• Confirm what you're told by checking with others to the extent that you can . Remember that you're getting people's perceptions, which aren't always the same as objective reality. In Rashomon, a film by the great Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, an incident is described from the perspectives of four participants, each of whom sees it totally differently. In fact, the phenomenon of Rashomon lurks everywhere; get everyone's side of the story.

Group interviews are both similar to and different from individual ones. The basic guidelines – being clear what you’re asking, open-ended questions, probing, etc. – still hold, but the group brings its own dynamic to the situation. The interview becomes more of a group discussion , and the interviewer’s concerns must extend to making sure that everyone gets heard, reining in individuals who dominate the discussion, and keeping the focus on ideas and information, rather than personalities. As with other methods, group interviews have advantages and disadvantages. The former include using the energy of the group to generate more information than might otherwise be forthcoming. Members may stimulate one another to come up with more and more useful material, as their thinking is prodded by the memories and conclusions of others. They can also act as a check on the accuracy of the information provided. In addition, the presence of other, often familiar, interviewees may help to break down shyness or nervousness, and create a relaxed atmosphere in which everyone feels comfortable talking. (The skills of the interviewer at making people comfortable – at least partially by being comfortable herself – are important here.) With these potential positives come the possible negatives of conflict, antagonism, or dislike among group members, as well as other negative feelings or history that can disrupt or twist discussion and make an interview all but useless. There are also problems that can arise from members of the group being too friendly: they may spend too much time in chit-chat, and have trouble focusing on the questions at hand. Group interviews may be useful when resources – and, as a result, interviewers – are limited, or when there are a large number of people who should be, or would like to be, interviewed. Groups probably shouldn’t be much larger than five or six, and interviewers should have, or be trained in, basic group facilitation skills .

Observation

What do we mean by “observation?” For our purposes, there are essentially two kinds: direct and participant observation.

Direct observation is the practice of examining or watching places, people, or activity without interfering or taking part in what’s going on. The observer is the proverbial fly on the wall, often unidentified, who does nothing but watch and record what she sees and/or hears. A direct observation to see how people use a public park, for instance, might consist of one or more observers simply sitting in one place or walking around the park for several hours, or even several days. Observers might come back at different times of day, on different days, or at different times of year, in order to understand as much as possible of what goes on in the park. They might occasionally ask questions of people using the park, but in as low-key and unobtrusive a way as possible, not identifying themselves as researchers.

Some kinds of direct observation – those where people are observed in situations they think are private – have the potential of violating privacy. In these instances, ethics generally demands that the observer obtain the permission of those being observed . In laboratory schools, for instance, where teachers are trained and new educational ideas tested, classes are often observed from behind one-way mirrors. In such cases, both the teachers and the parents of the students are generally informed that such observation may happen, and are asked to sign consent forms. They don’t know exactly when observation is taking place, but they understand that it’s part of the laboratory school environment, and are willing to allow it in order both to improve individual teachers’ skills and to foster the development of better educational methods.

Participant observation involves becoming to some extent part of the life of the people you’re observing – learning and taking part in their culture, their celebrations and rituals, and their everyday activities. A participant observer in the park above might introduce himself into the activities he observes – a regular volleyball game, winter cross-country skiing, dog walking, in-line skating – and get to know well the people who engage in those activities. He would also monitor his own feelings and reactions to using the park, in order to better understand how its users feel about it. He would probably ask lots of questions, and might well identify himself as a researcher.

An effective participant observer may take a long time (in some cases, years) to establish himself in this way. There are exceptions to this rule, of course. Some marketing firms and corporations employ trend-spotters as participant observers. Young, hip, and stylish themselves, these observers are able to identify and mingle with adolescent and young adult trend-setters in brief interactions, and determine what products, styles, and behaviors are likely to catch on soon with young people in general. You may able to do something similar, but it helps greatly if you’re already part of the group that you’re interested in observing, or if the group, like public park users, can include anyone.

Both direct and participant observation can be useful in community assessment. A participant observer in that situation is likely to be a member of the group being observed, because of the length of time it can take to establish an outsider as a participant observer. Direct observation is probably more common as an assessment tool.

Regardless of its type, your observation should be conducted so as to be reliable.

Some guidelines for reaching that goal:

• Think carefully about the questions you want your observation to answer . You may be looking at people’s behavior or interactions in a given place or situation, or the nature of social, physical, or environmental conditions in a particular place or circumstance. If you’re clear about what you want to find out, you can structure your observation to get the best information.
• Where and whom should you observe to answer these questions ? You wouldn’t normally look for evidence of homelessness in the wealthiest neighborhood in town, nor would you observe the residents of an Asian neighborhood to find out something about the Hispanic population.
• When and for how long should observation take place ? Observing commercial activity downtown on Sunday morning won’t get you a very accurate picture of what it’s actually like. You’d need to observe at both busy and slow times, and over a period of time, to get a real idea of the amount, intensity, and character of commercial activity.

What should you observe and record? That depends on the questions you’re trying to answer, but some basics include:

• The physical characteristics of the setting(s), including weather, if outdoors.
• The time of day, week, and year.

Clothing reflects the way people choose to present themselves to the world. A mohawk haircut, piercings, and black clothes represent an attitude and, to some extent, a world view, not just a fashion statement. The same is true for an expensive suit, or for an outfit of jeans, wool shirt, and hiking boots. Paying attention to such details can increase both your understanding and the reliability of your observation.

• The activities, events, and/or places or circumstances observed, and a description of each.
• The nature of interactions among people.
• People’s apparent attitudes toward a place, situation, activity, or event – positive or negative, happy, confused, angry, disappointed, etc.

At a neighborhood festival, for instance, an observer could be watching from a window high above the street, from a position just at the edge of the crowd, from within the crowd and the festival goings-on, as a participant in a festival activity, or even as a festival volunteer or organizer. What she would see and hear, what she would experience, and the information she would obtain would be different from each of these viewpoints.

• The observer’s own responses and attitudes, including the physical and psychological comfort of the observation. This should be separate from the recording of the observation itself, and, in the ideal, should not influence the objective recording of what was observed.

How do you record observations? That depends on the nature of the observation and on your resources. Video recording, unless it’s done from a concealed spot, or in a situation where such recording is expected (a tourist site, or that street festival, for example), can change people’s behavior or put the observer under some suspicion. Audio recording is much less obvious, but also provides less information, unless it’s specifically sound information that you’re seeking. In most cases, recording would be done with a notebook and pencil or with a laptop computer. If recording during the observation would be disruptive or out of place, you’d probably wait till after you had left the situation – but as soon after as possible, so as not to forget or confuse details.

Analyze the information.

Once you’ve gathered information by whatever qualitative method, you have to figure out what it tells you . Some of that will be obvious: if you’ve been interested in who uses that public park we were talking about earlier, and your observation tells you that it’s mostly young people, you have an answer to your initial question . Your next questions may be why other groups don’t use the park as much , and whether the fact that it’s largely used by young people keeps others away. When you’ve answered those questions, you may have generated others , or you may have a basis for planning a campaign to get more people using the park.

Make and carry out a plan to address the issue or problem you’ve identified or were concerned with.

The final step here is to use the information and analysis that came from your use of qualitative methods to change the community for the better. All the assessment in the world is useless if it doesn’t lead to some action that’s meant to create positive change.

Qualitative methods of gathering information – methods such as interviews, observation, focus groups, and community meetings that don’t always yield results that can be reduced to numbers, or that are used to capture a level of information difficult to get with quantitative methods – are often extremely useful in community assessment, especially when used together with quantitative methods, which do give numerical results. Qualitative methods can get at the things that numbers don’t, such as the reasons for people’s actions, or community history. They can help to identify community issues and needs, and provide a basis for planning community efforts that lead to long-term change.

Online Resources

The Action Catalogue is an online decision support tool that is intended to enable researchers, policy-makers and others wanting to conduct inclusive research, to find the method best suited for their specific project needs.

Chapter 6: Research Methods in the "Introduction to Community Psychology" describes the ecological lens in community research, the role of ethics, the differences between qualitative and quantitative research, and mixed methods research.

Harnessing Qualitative Data to Advance Health Equity is a presentation on how data has the potential to both paint an accurate picture of what sexual and intimate partner violence prevention practitioners and advocates know is happening on the ground  and  convey that reality to policymakers.

Qualitative assessment of the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services goals provides a summary of the results of focus groups conducted to explore the public's perception of relevant issues. This is a summary, but you can also download a PDF of the full report.

Qualitative Methods  provides brief descriptions of four standard qualitative research methods: participant observation, direct observation, unstructured interviews, and case studies.

Qualitative Research Methods  is a compendium of sites with papers, links, etc. to qualitative research methods.

Print Resources

Berg, B. (2007),  Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences  (6th edn.) Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Berkowitz, W. (1982).  Community impact . Cambridge, MA: Schenkman Publishing Company, Inc.

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Jane Addams College of Social Work

Community engagement: the special genius of social work.

Engaging community members in meaningful and participatory ways is the legacy of Hull-House, and lies at the heart of the college’s approach to research, education and policy reform.

Community engagement is a term often heard in social work and in academia, but what does it really mean to “engage” the community? When asked this question, Professor Alice K. Butterfield says without hesitation, “Community engagement is the heart of social work. It’s what we do.” Butterfield has worked in the areas of asset based community development and the development of social work education, here in the U.S. as well as in Ethiopia, India and Romania. “Social workers need to foster projects that build on community strengths and engage community members in their own sustainable problem solving,” she says.

Barbara Coats, the college’s Director of Field Instruction and Community Programs, agrees completely. The Jane Addams field division has a long track record of establishing relationships with community-based organizations not only for MSW field placements, but also as a foundation for collaborations that can support community development and well-being. “In social work, the beginning, the middle and the end are always with community and family,” Coats says. “Social work has never existed without the community, and community engagement is a real strength for us at Jane Addams.”

And Alice Butterfield quickly adds, “Working in and with the community is what Jane Addams did at Hull-House more than 100 years ago. We trace our roots to that, and stay true to that legacy.”

Roots in Hull-House, Branches in the Community Today Heading link Copy link

Jane Addams, the college’s namesake, is widely considered to be the founder of social work in America, and she lived where she worked: at Hull-House, in a poor immigrant community on Chicago’s West Side. Under Jane Addams, Hull-House became a center for education, community engagement, inquiry into the causes of urban poverty, and action with and on behalf of oppressed populations. In a speech delivered at the 1930 National Conference of Social Work, she succinctly crystalized the importance of being rooted in the community, saying, “Social work’s special genius is its closeness to the people it serves.”

That legacy is taken seriously by JACSW faculty and staff, who have worked in partnership with a wide array of community-based groups and organizations, including The Resurrection Project, Citizens Alert, Starting All Over Outreach Ministry, Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants, The Salvation Army and Streetwise. More recently, college faculty have engaged or partnered with West Side Health Authority, Austin Coming Together, West Side United, SAFER, Bill Winston Ministries, Acclivus, Inc., Fathers Families Healthy Communities, and Chicago Advocate Legal, just to name a few.

College faculty may not take a one-size-fits-all approach to community engagement, whether in their scholarly research that enriches our understanding of the problems faced in a variety of communities and populations, or in the rigorous education that prepares future social work practitioners to work in and with those communities. But there is always the common long-term goal of ensuring that social work practice or public policy reform are grounded in the real-world needs of the community. In that way the college carries forward and fulfills the legacy of Hull-House.

“Our faculty continually demonstrate the college’s dedication to that legacy through collaborative work with community partners and stakeholders,” says Assistant Professor Charles Hounmenou. “Without investment in and interaction with communities, a college of social work will fail its essential, historical goal to advocate for and empower oppressed and vulnerable groups.”

For Professor James Swartz, whose research focus is health disparities among marginalized populations, community involvement has been essential to his work. “My work with Howard Brown Health Center, centered around transgender women of color and LGBTQ communities at high risk of HIV, was guided and shaped by input from those communities,” he says. “Science and research knowledge need to be complemented by real world experience, which adds richness to interpreting data and better shapes the project to meet community needs.”

Assistant Professor Jennifer Geiger, a researcher and former practitioner in the field of child welfare, believes community engagement is crucial because of our ethical responsibility as social workers to serve our community. “Given the college’s location in an urban setting, it is important for us to cultivate partnerships in Chicago communities that are most in need. This work informs our teaching and curriculum, so we can fully prepare future social workers to work in those communities,” she says. “Community engagement is how we understand the real issues that communities are dealing with and help them in creating solutions.”

“It is so important for us to know what communities are experiencing and doing, what’s working or what’s not working,” says Assistant Professor Branden McLeod, whose work centers on families involved in the justice system. “Connection with the community provides opportunities for our students, and conversations with community members helps inform our approach to research, so that it can contribute to real problem-solving on the ground.”

And Assistant Professor Aaron Gottlieb adds, “Engaging with the community matters for our society, because people who live in marginalized communities need to have a say in how they are governed, in the public policy that impacts their lives, and the social services on which they may depend.”

Staying True to the Special Genius of Social Work Heading link Copy link

While JACSW maintains strong connections to the community, Field Director Coats worries that the broader field of social work may be losing its focus on community-based practice. She notes the conversation that has arisen around the professionalization of social work and what might be described as a bifurcation in the field. “Some people look at the rise of licensure and of clinical practice and wonder if social work is losing its focus on community-based practice,” she says. “It’s a big question, with no easy answer. For health and mental health, clinical interventions are clearly necessary, and providing such services can be a necessary foundation for creating a longer-lasting structural change. But the root, the essence of social work needs to be at the community level; working sometimes with individuals, but in radical and socially transformative ways. We have to keep that foremost in mind, and that kind of community engagement is core to our mission here at Jane Addams.”

“Ultimately, community engagement means that whichever group, organization, community or country we ‘engage’ with, it should be a long-term commitment leading to sustainability,” adds Professor Butterfield. “It should lead to empowerment, ownership and capacity building so that over time, social workers can lead by stepping back.” She pauses, then adds with a laugh, “In other words, the goal is to work ourselves out of a job!”

Examples of Community Engagement in Action Heading link Copy link

Amplifying Voices from Marginalized Communities

Under the direction of Dean Hairston, the Jane Addams Center for Social Policy and Research is working on several projects and initiatives that are founded on the voices and perspectives of individuals from marginalized and vulnerable communities.

The Center is working in long-term partnership with Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health to evaluate the State’s implementation of the Williams Consent Decree, examining factors that hinder or support the transition away from institutionalization and into community-based settings for persons who have a mental illness. Essential to this work has been interviews with people who are living in nursing homes for persons who have a mental illness, as well as people who have successfully transitioned into the community, so that their first-hand experiences can help optimize implementation of the consent decree.

Another ongoing project is the Center’s study of African American men involved in the criminal justice system. The study has included input from African American men who have a criminal record and/or their families, policymakers, program providers, advocates and business persons from the community. Along with others who have expertise in criminal justice processing, the participating community members are included in policy deliberations, are employed as interviewers, and will share in discussion of research findings.

The Center has also convened a series of summits on the issues faced by older returning citizens. The summits bring together high-level Illinois policymakers, community-based practitioners, formerly incarcerated persons and family members of incarcerated persons to share their expertise and experiences, and work together to address barriers to community reintegration for this population, both at the social service and policy levels.

“It is important that the different experiences and views of community members from different walks of life are involved in shaping social policies and programs,” says Dean Hairston. “But it is particularly important to include the persons who the policies or services are intended to affect. If their perspectives are dismissed or ignored as irrelevant, the resulting service or policy may end up being ineffective.”

Example 2 Heading link Copy link

Understanding the Violent Victimization Experiences of Young Black Men

Through her research project SURVIVE, Associate Professor Henrika McCoy has been working to increase our understanding of how young Black men experience many forms of violence in their lives, and how they respond to and cope with those experiences. The research was conducted in a variety of urban, suburban and rural locations throughout the U.S., and from its inception not only included but relied upon input and participation from members of the community. “SURVIVE was created with community in mind, from the questions we asked to how the work was conducted. We literally asked men and women in these communities what we should do in the research, and best way of going about it,” she says.

McCoy notes that researchers in academia are often hesitant to engage with the community and think that working in the community is difficult. “But we had no problem with participation because people want to be heard, they are just not asked often enough,” she says. “They are the experts of their own stories and their own lives, and without that perspective we would simply be imposing our own assumptions, an approach that is destined to fail and is part of why we continue to have the problems we have. Communities must be the leading voice in our work.”

Example 3 Heading link Copy link

Health Equity for Low-Income Communities of Color

Under the direction of Dr. Amparo Castillo, MD, the Midwest Latino Health Research, Training and Policy Center regularly conducts workshops to train community-based practitioners in the use of the DEEP™ program, which helps individuals take control of their diabetes and reduce the risk of complications. “It is important that an intervention such as DEEP™ is implemented at the community level,” she says. “So we work with practitioners who are based in the communities they serve, who truly know those communities and their unique needs.”

The program, developed at the Center by Dr. Castillo, takes a multi-cultural and bilingual approach to serve a variety of communities, and its success has been recognized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which designated it as one of the three diabetes self-management education programs for distribution to practitioners and caregivers. More recently, DEEP™ was recognized by the American Diabetes Association, which listed the program as one of eight practice-tested support programs in the nation.

Example 4 Heading link Copy link

Promoting Community Cohesion in a Chicago Neighborhood

Assistant Professor Karen D’Angelo is working with the Westside Health Authority on a community participatory case study of their Good Neighbors Program, the aim of which has been to foster community cohesion as a response to community violence in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood. The project was based on interviews with community stakeholders and multiple focus groups involving neighborhood residents. The case study will culminate in a report back to the community, with the results presented at a public forum.

“This community-based approach ensures that the findings matter to the community and make a difference in the work they are doing. We’re not taking an idea from someplace else, plopping it into their community and still expecting it to be effective,” D’Angelo says. “This is their reality, their ideas, and their context, and the data we gather will be used to fuel activism or social impact in the community. It’s a nice marriage of knowledge generation and robust research methodology with the social impact side of grassroots community practice.”

MSW Specialization: Organization & Community Practice

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6 Community Needs Assessment-Process and Tools

Dr. Mahbub Hasan MSW, Ph.D.

• Community Needs and Resources
• Analyzing Community Problem
• Tools in Community Needs Assessment and Planning
• Sources of Information for Community Needs Assessment

Introduction

The community needs assessment is an essential task and step in community development, and the community worker should have skills in identifying community needs and community needs assessment for any community initiatives. This chapter will define key concepts and processes in community needs assessment and discuss using tools to understand needs and voices.

Material in this chapter is adapted from: Berkowitz & Wadud (2022, July 11). Developing a Plan for Assessing Local Needs and Resources .  Community ToolBox .  Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

1. Community Needs and Resources 

Needs are the gap between what a situation is and what it should be. Resources are those things that can be used to improve the quality of community life.

1.1 Why should you identify local needs and resources?

• To understand the environment.
• To understand public opinion.

1.2 Who benefits from identifying needs and resources?

• Those experiencing the problem.
• Service providers.
• Community leaders.
• Community workers

1.3 When you should identify needs and assets:

• You are planning to start a program.
• You are implementing an initiative.
• Efforts are being reviewed.

1.4 What are the phases of developing your plan?

• Brainstorming: developing preliminary ideas.
• Using what you already have to answer your questions.
• Finalizing questions.
• Identifying your target population.
• Deciding what methods to use.
• Deciding what is missing.
• Deciding if you have the resources to conduct a survey.

1.5 Tools for Collecting Data

• Listening sessions.
• Public forums.
• Assets mapping: One mapping method is to find a large street map of your community, with few other markings (you can probably print one out from Google Maps or some other similar site.) Then just mark with a dot, tag, or push-pin (maybe color-coded by type) the geographic location of the groups and organizations you have found.
• Needs assessments tools’  existing data . This is the research you might do to unearth the information in census and other public records, or to find information that’s been gathered by others.

Interviews and focus groups .  Open-ended questions (those which demand something more than a yes or no or other simple answer), follow-ups to interesting points, and a relaxed atmosphere that encourages people to open up are all part of most assessment interviews. A  focus group  is a specialized group interview in which group members are not told exactly what the interviewer wants to know, so that they will be more likely to give answers that aren’t influenced by what they think is wanted.

Direct, and sometimes participant, observation . Direct observation involves seeing for yourself.  Do you want to know how people use the neighborhood park on weekends? Spend a few weekends there, watching and talking to people.

Surveys . There are several different kinds of surveys, any or all of which could be  used as part of a community assessment .

1.6 Interview Tips

• Start with small talk.
• Explain your motives.
• Ask for a definition of the community.
• Follow up on leads and go on to subjects and areas you haven’t reached yet.
• Ask who else you should talk to.
• Let interviewee end the interview.
• Thank interviewee for his/her time.

2. Analyzing Community Problem

Problem can occur any moment in a community. Some of the community problem may include access to clean drinking water, child abuse and neglect,  domestic violence,   ethnic conflict, health disparities,  hunger,  lack of jobs, lack of affordable housing, poverty etc.

Criteria you may consider when identifying community problems:

• The problem occurs too frequently  (frequency )
• The problem has lasted for a while ( duration )
• The problem affects many people ( scope, or range )
• The problem is disrupting to personal or community life, and possibly intense ( severity )
• The problem deprives people of legal or moral rights ( equity )
• The issue is perceived as a problem ( perception)

Video: Issue Analysis Technique 1 Root Cause

Source: YouTube, https://youtu.be/Ej73eqhO0Wg

3. Tools in Community Needs Assessment and Planning

3.1 Identifying the focal issue with ‘Problem Tree Analysis’ technique

Source: YouTube, https://youtu.be/-j-_Y7D35H4

• Identify a problem in your community based on the community consultation. 
• Analyze the root causes of the problem. 
• What are the consequences of the problem? 

This activity will help you to understand the root causes of community problems and plan projects/actions to address them. Your project should address the root causes, which are expected to bring positive changes in the community.   

3.1 What is SWOT Analysis? Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats

Source: YouTube, https://youtu.be/WI1qXpaAbJs

Question for Reflection:

• When should you do a SWOT analysis?

4. Sources of Information for Community Needs Assessment

Various sources can be used for writing a community needs assessment report. The preliminary information should come from your community consultation. To support issues and problems discussed in the community, you should use data from credible sources. Libraries are always a vital information source; you can visit the library in person or access various online library resources. I am providing some references for collecting information for your community needs assessment.

• Data collected from community
• Government statistics/statistics Canada.
• Neighbourhood profiles of the city or municipality.
• News stories from mainstream media
• Academic articles
• Relevant Books and publications
• Reports written by NGOs or local community agencies
• Publications of research agencies

5. Case Studies

Video 1: Community Development-Needs Assessment by ActionAid Bangladesh. 

Source: YouTube, https://youtu.be/IyCMIjFQLGc Together In Change is a video on the community needs assessment process of ActionAid, an international development agency working in over 45 countries worldwide. This 13 minutes documentary was made in 2002, which was conceptualized & coordinated by Dr. Hasan of ActionAid International. The community was located in a rural and poverty-prone area of Bangladesh. This community needs assessment video was used for recruiting sponsors from Greece, and over 600 individual sponsors were recruited within six months. Each sponsor used to donate $30/per month, which raised $216,000/year for an integrated community development project focused on land rights, women’s entrepreneurship, and children’s education.

• Who conducted the community needs assessment?
• What were the issues identified by the community? 
• What tools and processes were followed in this assessment?

Video 2: Community Development Needs Project – Scarborough North Students of Social Service Worker program of Centennial College created this video as part of their community needs assignment.

Source: YouTube, https://youtu.be/nwpGJ3OEnXs

Question for Reflection: 1. What were the process and tools  utilized by Centennial students?

Key Takeaways and Feedback 

We want to learn your key takeaways and feedback on this chapter.

Your participation is highly appreciated. It will help us to enhance the quality of Community Development Practice and connect with you to offer support. To write your feedback, please click on Your Feedback Matters .

Berkowitz, B. & Wadud, E. (2022, July 11). Section 1. Developing a Plan for Assessing Local Needs and Resources. Community ToolBox. Retrieved from https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/assessment/assessing-community-needs-and-resources/develop-a-plan/main

Community Development Practice: From Canadian and Global Perspectives Copyright © 2022 by Dr. Mahbub Hasan MSW, Ph.D. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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• USC Libraries
• Research Guides
• SOWK 536: Policy and Advocacy in Professional Social Work
• Community Assessment

SOWK 536: Policy and Advocacy in Professional Social Work: Community Assessment

• Search Strategies and Techniques
• How to identify a peer-reviewed article?
• Demographics & Statistics
• Newspaper Articles
• Government & Legislation Info
• Topic-specific Policy Resources
• Information on Los Angeles and the state of California
• Evaluating Your Sources - How do I know this is reliable?
• APA Resources This link opens in a new window
• Back to Main Social Work Research Guide

Community Assessment - Getting Started

For the community assessment assignment, you will need to find various types of sources:

• peer-reviewed articles
• newspaper articles
• government information
• demographics and statistics
• SOWK 536 Fall 2020 Overview of library services and resources for SOWK 536
• Community Assessment Worksheet Provides guidelines and chart to help you structure and conceptualize your community assessment assignment (536 Assignment 1).

Community Structures

TIP : Use official state, county and city web sites for information about your community, like government structure, elected officials,  neighborhood councils, religious leaders, and community activists and advocates.  Go to a search engine (like Google or Bing) and type in your state or city and the word government. For example,  Los Angeles government . This will bring up the official website on top of the results list. 

Sort your Google results by adding site:.gov; .org to the end of your Google search to find government or organization websites.  Example : pasadena neighborhood council site:.gov

U.S. Census Bureau Tutorials

The tutorials above are part of the U.S. Census Bureau's Data Gems, that will introduce you to various concepts and techniques to improve your ability to navigate the website and use data-access tools.

Finding Community Demographics

• U.S. Census Bureau Data The Census Bureau is the leading source of quality data about the nation's people and economy. You have two options to start your search on the landing page of data.census.gov: a free-form single search bar or an advanced search filtering experience.
• Census Data Tutorials These tutorials are from the U.S. Census Bureau and will help with navigating the new database.
• Homelessness Data These raw data sets contain Point-in-Time (PIT) estimates and national PIT estimates of homelessness as well as national estimates of homelessness by state and estimates of chronic homelessness from 2007 - 2019
• Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world.

• Social Explorer This link opens in a new window Visually display demographic data in the U.S. from 1790-present at a variety of geographic levels. Create reports, maps and animations that can be downloaded.

View the videos below for more info on how to use social explorer. 

• << Previous: Search Strategies and Techniques
• Next: Finding Journal Articles >>
• Last Updated: Jan 22, 2024 10:44 AM
• URL: https://libguides.usc.edu/sowk536

Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, 129 great examples of community service projects.

Extracurriculars

Are you interested in performing community service? Do you want examples of service projects you can do? Community service is a great way to help others and improve your community, and it can also help you gain skills and experience to include on your resume and college applications.

Read on for dozens of community service ideas to help you get started volunteering.

What Is Community Service?

Community service is work done by a person or group of people that benefits others. It is often done near the area where you live, so your own community reaps the benefits of your work. You do not get paid to perform community service, but volunteer your time.

Community service can help many different groups of people: children, senior citizens, people with disabilities, even animals and the environment. Community service is often organized through a local group, such as a place of worship, school, or non-profit organization, but you can also start your own community service projects.

Many people participate in community service because they enjoy helping others and improving their community. Some students are required to do community service in order to graduate high school or to receive certain honors. Some adults are also ordered by a judge to complete a certain number of community service hours.

Why Should You Participate in Community Service?

There are numerous benefits to participating in community service, both for yourself and others. Below are some of the most important benefits of volunteering:

• Gives you a way to help others
• Helps improve your community
• Can help strengthen your resume and college applications
• Can be a way to meet new friends
• Often results in personal growth
• Gives you a way to gain work experience and learn more about certain jobs

How Should You Use This List?

This list of over one hundred community service examples is organized by category , so if you're particularly interested in working with, say, children or animals, you can easily find community service activities more related to your interests.

In order to use this list most effectively, read through it and make note of any community service ideas that match your interests and that you may want to participate in. Some considerations to keep in mind are:

Is there a specific group of people or cause you are passionate about? Look for projects that relate to your passion and interests. You may also just want to perform particular community service activities that allow you to do hobbies you enjoy, like baking or acting, and that's fine too.

Perhaps you don't have enough time to regularly devote to community service. In that case, it may be better to look for opportunities that only occur once or sporadically, such as planning special events or helping build a house.

Some people prefer to participate in community service activities that have a quantifiable impact, for example, activities where you know the specific number of kids you tutored, dollars you raised, or cans of food you collected. This is in contrast to activities that don't have such clear numbers, such as creating a garden or serving as a volunteer lifeguard. Some people prefer quantifiable activities because they feel they look stronger on college applications, or because they simply enjoy knowing their exact impact on the community.

Many community service activities can help you gain skills. These skills can range from teaching to medicine to construction and more. If there is a particular skill you'd like to learn for future classes, jobs, or just out of personal interest, you may want to see if there is a community service activity that helps you learn that skill.

List of Community Service Examples

Below I've listed over 100 community service ideas to get you started with brainstorming.

General Ideas

Donate or raise money for your local Red Cross

Organize a community blood drive

Send cards to soldiers serving overseas

For your next birthday, ask for charitable donations instead of gifts

Hold a bake sale for your favorite charity

Read books or letters to a person who is visually impaired

Organize a wheelchair basketball team

Participate in a charity race

Organize an event or parade for Memorial Day

Volunteer to help at a charity auction

Participate in National Youth Service Day in April

Contact a tree farm about donating Christmas trees to nursing homes, hospitals, or to families who can't afford to buy their own

Collect unused makeup and perfume to donate to a center for abused women

Help register people to vote

Organize a car wash and donate the profits to charity

• Help deliver meals and gifts to patients at a local hospital
• Write articles / give speeches advocating financial literarcy. First you should learn about the topics themselves, like calculating housing costs, or understanding personal loans, and then give presentations on these topics.

Helping Children and Schools

Tutor children during or after school

Donate stuffed animals to children in hospitals

Organize games and activities for children in hospitals or who are visiting hospitalized relatives

Knit or crochet baby blankets to be donated to hospitals or homeless shelters

Collect baby clothes and supplies to donate to new parents

Organize a Special Olympics event for children and teenagers

Sponsor a bike-a-thon and give away bike safety gear, like helmets and knee pads , as prizes

Collect used sports equipment to donate to families and after-school programs

Volunteer at a summer camp for children who have lost a parent

Sponsor a child living in a foreign country, either on your own or as part of a group

Coach a youth sports team

Put on performances for children in hospitals

Give free music lessons to schoolchildren

Become a volunteer teen crisis counselor

Organize a summer reading program to encourage kids to read

Organize an Easter egg hunt for neighborhood children

Create a new game for children to play

Organize events to help new students make friends

Babysit children during a PTA meeting

Organize a reading hour for children at a local school or library

Donate used children's books to a school library

Work with the local health department to set up an immunization day or clinic to immunize children against childhood diseases

• Volunteer to help with Vacation Bible School or other religious camps

Helping Senior Citizens

Read to residents at a nursing home

Deliver groceries and meals to elderly neighbors

Teach computer skills to the elderly

Drive seniors to doctor appointments

Mow an elderly neighbor's lawn

Host a bingo night for nursing home residents

Host a holiday meal for senior citizens

Make birthday cards for the elderly

Donate and decorate a Christmas tree at a nursing home

Organize a family day for residents of a retirement home and relatives to play games together

Ask residents of a retirement home to tell you about their lives

Pick up medicine for an elderly neighbor

Perform a concert or play at a senior center

Help elderly neighbors clean their homes and organize their belongings

Rake leaves, shovel snow, or wash windows for a senior citizen

• Deliver cookies to a homebound senior citizen

Helping Animals and the Environment

Take care of cats and dogs at an animal shelter

Clean up a local park

Raise money to provide a bulletproof vest for a police dog

Plant a tree for Arbor Day

Place a bird feeder and bird fountain in your backyard

Start a butterfly garden in your community

Sponsor a recycling contest

Grow flowers in your backyard then give bouquets to hospital patients or people who are housebound

Help create a new walking trail at a nature center or park

Update the signs along a nature trail

Adopt an acre of rainforest

Help train service dogs

Participate in the cleanup of a local river, pond, or lake

Foster animals that shelters don't have space for

Organize a spay and neuter your pet program

Care for a neighbor's pet while they are away

Sponsor an animal at your local zoo

Train your pet to be a therapy animal and bring it to hospitals or nursing homes

Build and set up a bird house

Organize a carpool to reduce car emissions

Campaign for more bike lanes in your town

Volunteer at a nature camp and teach kids about the environment

Test the water quality of a lake or river near you

• Plant native flowers or plants along highways

Helping the Hungry and/or Homeless

Build a house with Habitat for Humanity

Donate your old clothes

Volunteer at a soup kitchen

Donate old eyeglasses to an organization that collects that and distributes them to people in need

Donate non-perishable food to a food bank

Donate blankets to a homeless shelter

Host a Thanksgiving dinner for people who may not be able to afford their own

Offer to babysit or nanny for a family in need

Make "care kits" with shampoo , toothbrushes , combs , etc. to donate to homeless shelters

Prepare a home-cooked meal for the residents of a nearby homeless shelter

Collect grocery coupons to give to a local food bank

Help repair or paint a local homeless shelter

Donate art supplies to kids in a homeless shelter

Help organize and sort donations at a homeless shelter

Babysit children while their parents look for jobs

Become a Big Buddy for children at a homeless shelter

Take homeless children on outings

Bake a batch of cookies or loaf of bread and deliver it to a soup kitchen

Build flower boxes for Habitat for Humanity houses

Organize a winter clothes drive to collect coats, hats, scarves, and gloves to be donated

Make first aid kits for homeless shelters

Reducing Crime and Promoting Safety

Volunteer at a police station or firehouse

Become a certified lifeguard and volunteer at a local pool or beach

Paint over graffiti in your neighborhood

Organize a self-defense workshop

Organize a drug-free campaign

Sponsor a drug-free post-prom event

Start or join a neighborhood watch program

Create and distribute a list of hotlines for people who might need help

Teach a home-alone safety class for children

Create a TV or radio public service announcement against drug and alcohol use

Become CPR certified

• Volunteer as a crossing guard for an elementary school

Promoting Community Enhancement

Paint park benches

Donate used books to your local library

Become a tour guide at your local museum

Repaint community fences

Plant flowers in bare public areas

Organize a campaign to raise money to buy and install new playground equipment for a park

Participate in or help organize a community parade

Clean up vacant lot

Produce a neighborhood newspaper

Campaign for more lighting along poorly lit streets

Create a newcomers group in your neighborhood to help welcome new families

Petition your town leaders to build more drinking fountains and public restrooms

Volunteer to clean up trash at a community event

Adopt a local highway or road and clean up trash along it

Help fix or raise funds to repair a run-down playground

Clean up after a natural disaster

Now that you know what your options are for community service, you can take the following steps to start getting involved:

#1: Look over your interests: Which activities seem most appealing to you? Were they mostly in one particular category, like children or the environment? If so, that's a good starting place for choosing specific organizations to contact.

#2: Figure out how much time you can devote to community service: Are you available for two hours every week? Are you not free on a regular basis but can volunteer for an entire weekend now and then?

Think about transportation as well and how you'll be able to get to different locations. Knowing this information will help you choose which community service projects to pursue, and it's helpful information for volunteer coordinators to know.

#3: Do some research to see what projects you can do in your community: Check at your school, place of worship, or town hall for more information on volunteering. You can also contact the place where you'd like to perform your community service, such as a particular animal shelter or nursing home, and ask if they take volunteers.

#4: Start volunteering! This list ranges from small projects that you can complete on your own in a few hours, to much larger projects that will take more time and people. If you find a project you can start on your own, do it!

If you want to do a project where you'll need more resources or people, check around your community to see if a similar program already exists that you can join. If not, don't be afraid to start your own! Many organizations welcome new volunteers and community service projects.

Additional Information

Considering doing volunteer work in another country? Read our guide on volunteer abroad programs and learn whether or not you should participate in one.

Are you in college or will be starting soon? Extracurriculars are one of the best parts of college! Check out our guide to learn which extracurricular activities you should consider in college .

Did you know that you can use your community service work to help pay for college? Check out our step-by-step guide on how to win community service scholarships.

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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Supporting Critical Reflection in Community-Engaged Learning

Compiled by Kathryn Van Zanen, Engaged Learning Graduate Consultant

Reflection is a critical component of community-engaged courses and programs. Reflection supports meaning-making, and regular reflection activities help students connect their community engagement experience to course or program learning objectives. Studies show that reflection can strengthen critical thinking 1 and enhance student development on measures of civic values and personal growth . 2     Reflection can come in many forms, but it’s most advantageous when it’s ongoing. Continuous, connected, challenging, and contextualized reflection helps students negotiate the stages of community engagement and supports them to prepare for and process their experiences. 3

The resources below offer guidance, examples and further reading around reflection. We would be glad to work with you to incorporate any of these resources into your community-engaged efforts.

• Contact us at  [email protected] or if you have any questions about these resources.
• Use our  Support Request Form  to request a consultation or workshop.  
• Join our  Academic Partner mailing list  to stay informed about upcoming events and opportunities!

How can I promote reflection with my students?

• Make reflection a regular– and rewarded– part of your course. You don’t have to grade the quality of students’ reflections, but giving them credit for doing it signals how important reflection is for their learning and your course objectives.
• Give feedback on student reflections, especially at the early stages. Reflection helps you to collect data about your students’ experiences and prompt them to deepen their thinking. Learn more about assessing reflection from Bradley (1995) and IUPUI.
• Reflect in a variety of ways. Invite multiple modes of reflection for students, from text to audio to video to artistic representation, and make time for students to reflect together and with you (Mabry 1998). The Northwest Service Academy Toolkit offers a wide range of possible activities organized by time commitment, while Clemson University organizes activities by the kind of learning they promote.
• Talk to students about why reflection is important. Many of the reflection models and resource lists linked below provide language for talking to students about why reflection matters; modeling reflective practices in your instructor role also underscores their value for your students. What are you learning from community engagement?

Additional Resources

• Peruse excerpts from the instructor manual or use specific reflection prompts that target personal, civic, and academic learning, respectively.
• Brock University’s Center for Pedagogical Innovation has a helpful website that compiles various reflection models (including DEAL) and assignment formats.
• Mine the ORID Model for questions to guide students from observation to integration of new knowledge and perspectives, plus tips for aligning reflection activities with your learning goals.
• Explore how to integrate reflection throughout your course or design a course-specific reflection project . 
• Explore our resources on Assessing Student Learning

What are some examples of reflection activities I can use?

Explore a range of reflection activities that can be used in many different ways, organized from shortest to longest: 

Reflection Guidebook, Santa Monica College This 5-page piece explains the basics of reflection and provides brief descriptions of many different kinds of reflection, as well as tips on what to consider as you determine what fits your course and learning goals.

Reflection toolkit, Northwest Service Academy This toolkit, designed for leaders facilitating reflection for the first time, explains what reflection is and why it’s important, and provides guidance for leading a variety of reflection activities. The activities are categorized by time commitment.

Reflection resources, Clemson University A collection of 28 different reflection activities for instructors, organized by category: reflection activities for prior knowledge (to use before engagement), cognition, metacognition, competency, and personal growth & change. Activities are marked for formative and graded, summative assessment.

Reflection activities: Service-Learning’s not-so-secret weapon , Katie Halcrow This 13-page piece outlines 33 different reflection activities for classroom use, grouped by “Reflection Activities In and Out of Class,” “Rigorous Academic Links,” and “Presenting Culmination of Experience.” The list includes group work, written activities, discussion activities, artwork, and ways to showcase students’ work.

Service-Learning Reflection Journal, Purdue University This student-facing handbook includes an initial assessment scale, pre-service project planning documents, a daily or weekly journal template, a final reflection assignment prompt, and a post-assessment.

International Service-Learning Reflection Journal, Purdue University This handbook, explicitly directed to students studying abroad, includes a pre-entry reflection and assignment, public affairs scale, daily/weekly journal template, reflective paper prompt, re-entry reflection and assignment, and a post-assessment public affairs scale.

What are some articles I can explore for further reading?

Below is a list of peer-reviewed articles about reflection (most recent first) 

Reflective Practice, Campus Compact

An extensive bibliography with links to peer-reviewed research on reflective practice in community-engaged learning.

Richard, D., Keen, C., Hatcher, J.A., and Pease, H. A. (2016). Pathways to Adult Civic Engagement: Benefits of Reflection and Dialogue across Difference in Higher Education Service-Learning Programs . Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 23(1), 60-74.

Drawing from a 30-campus, 1000+ participant dataset, Richard et al. explore the relationship between college engagement experiences and civic outcomes after college. They found that “dialogue with others across difference was the strongest predictor of cultivating civic outcomes after college. In addition, both structured and informal reflection independently contributed to civic outcomes (i.e., civic-mindedness, voluntary action, civic action).”

van Goethem, A., van Hoof, A., Orobio de Castro, B., Van Aken, M., & Hart, D. (2014). The role of reflection in the effects of community service on adolescent development: a meta-analysis. Child development, 85(6), 2114–2130. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12274

This meta-analysis of 49 studies finds again that reflection is essential to the positive academic, personal, social, and civic outcomes of service-learning. Positive effects of service-learning increased with greater reflection and particularly reflection on academic content.

Ash S.L., Clayton P.H. (2004). The Articulated Learning: An Approach to Guided Reflection and Assessment . Innovative Higher Education 29(2), 137–54.

The academic article that originated the DEAL reflection framework, this text describes the Articulated Learning framework’s three main components: description of an experience, analysis in accordance with relevant learning categories, and articulation of learning outcomes. It also considers applications for the framework in research and faculty development.

Hatcher, J.A, Bringle, R.G, & Muthiah, R. (2004). Designing effective reflection: What matters to service learning? Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning 11(1), 38-46.

This study, based on survey responses of undergraduate students, found that successful courses included reflection activities that (a) clarified personal values, (b) were a regular part of the course, and (c) were structured with clear guidelines and directions. The paper also discusses implications for practice.

Eyler J. (2002). Reflection: Linking Service and Learning—Linking Students and Communities . Journal of Social Issues, 58(3), 517–34.

This article reviews research on reflection practices in service-learning and collects concrete suggestions for attaining service-learning learning goals. It includes the reflection map from Eyler (2001) that can guide faculty to support students in multiple dimensions of reflection, including reflecting alone, with classmates, and with partners as well as before, during, and after service. 

Eyler, J. (2001). Creating Your Reflection Map . In M. Canada (ed. ) Service-learning: Practical advice and models. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, New Directions for Higher Education, 2001(114), 35–43.

This piece outlines the how and why or reflection in a guide to using the reflection map, a “tool to help practitioners organize their thinking about integrating continuous reflective processes into their service-learning practice.” The tool invites faculty to think about reflection in a matrix of time and interaction: reflecting alone, with classmates, and with partners, as well as before, during, and after service. 

Bringle, R.G. and J.A. Hatcher (1999). Reflection in Service Learning: Making Meaning of Experience . Educational Horizons, Summer, 179-185.

This brief article offers an easy introduction to service-learning, including narrative about the philosophical basis for reflection, types of reflection for service learning, assessing reflection, and consequences of reflection.

References:

1. Eyler, J., & Giles Jr., D.E. (1999). Where’s the Learning in Service-Learning? San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 2. Ash, S.L.; Clayton, P.H.; Atkinson, M.P. (2005). Integrating Reflection and Assessment to Capture and Improve Student Learning. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning 11(2), 49-60. 3. Eyler, J., Giles Jr., D.E., and Schmiede, A. (1996). A Practitioner’s Guide to Reflection in Service-Learning: Student Voices and Reflections. Vanderbilt University.

30 Community Worker Interview Questions and Answers

Common Community Worker interview questions, how to answer them, and example answers from a certified career coach.

Community work is a field that brings unparalleled satisfaction and profound challenges. As a community worker, you aim to make a real difference in people’s lives through advocacy, support, and empowerment. But before you can start impacting change in communities, you must first ace your interview.

Given the diverse nature of this role, it can be difficult to predict exactly what questions might come up during an interview. However, by understanding some common themes and preparing thoughtful responses, you can position yourself as the ideal candidate for the role. In this article, we’ll explore typical community worker interview questions along with strategic tips on how to answer them effectively.

1. How have you previously engaged with diverse communities and what strategies did you use to ensure inclusivity?

Hiring managers want to see how well you understand the importance of inclusivity and diversity in community work. They are interested in your ability to connect with a wide range of individuals, taking into account their unique backgrounds, experiences, and needs. Your approach to building relationships with diverse communities can significantly impact the success of the programs or initiatives you are working on.

Example: “In my past experiences, I’ve engaged with diverse communities through active listening and open dialogue. Understanding their unique perspectives was key to fostering inclusivity.

One strategy I used was implementing community meetings in different languages based on the demographic makeup of the area. This made sure everyone felt heard and included.

Another approach involved organizing events that celebrated various cultures within the community. It not only promoted understanding but also built stronger relationships among members.”

2. Could you describe a time when you had to resolve a conflict within a community you were working with?

Conflict resolution is a key skill when working within a community. Everyday, community workers encounter diverse individuals with different beliefs, backgrounds, and perspectives. Sometimes, these differences can lead to disagreements or conflicts. Hiring managers ask this question to gauge your ability to mediate and resolve such conflicts in a respectful and effective manner. They want to ensure you can maintain harmony in the community while respecting everyone’s viewpoints.

Example: “In one community, there was a conflict between older residents and newer, younger families over the use of a local park. The older group wanted it quiet and peaceful while the new families desired a playground for their children.

I organized a meeting with representatives from both groups to discuss their concerns. I facilitated open communication and encouraged empathy by asking each side to consider the other’s perspective.

The solution we arrived at was to designate specific times for quiet enjoyment and active play. This compromise respected the needs and wants of everyone involved and restored harmony in the community.”

3. How would you approach assessing the needs of a community that is new to you?

In the role of a community worker, you’re expected to be an empathetic listener, a keen observer, and a proactive problem-solver. Understanding the needs of a community is an essential part of the job. Therefore, when hiring managers ask this question, they’re looking to see if you have a systematic approach to identifying a community’s needs, understanding its dynamics, and creating impactful, sustainable solutions.

Example: “To assess the needs of a new community, I would begin with comprehensive research to understand its demographics, culture and history. Then, I’d conduct surveys or focus groups to gather firsthand information about their concerns, aspirations and challenges.

Next, it’s important to engage local leaders and stakeholders for their insights as they often have deep understanding of the community’s needs.

Collaborating with other social service agencies can also provide valuable data on existing services and gaps that need addressing.

Lastly, ongoing communication is key. Needs may evolve over time, so maintaining an open dialogue helps ensure we’re meeting current demands effectively.”

4. Can you provide an example of a community program you’ve developed and implemented successfully?

As a community worker, you’re expected to take the lead on creating programs that meet the needs of the community you serve. Your ability to develop a program from scratch, implement it, and measure its success is key to demonstrating your competency in the role. Employers want to know that you can not only identify a problem, but also create a solution and see it through to fruition.

Example: “Sure, I developed a program called “Healthy Habits” aimed at promoting physical activity and healthy eating among children. We partnered with local schools to incorporate fun fitness activities into their curriculum and provided workshops for parents on nutritious meal preparation.

The success of the program was measured by an increase in students’ participation in physical activities and improved knowledge about nutrition among parents. The feedback from both schools and families was overwhelmingly positive, indicating that our initiative had made a significant impact on the community’s health habits.”

5. What strategies would you employ to motivate community members to participate in a new initiative?

Community workers are often tasked with rallying community members behind new initiatives, and doing so requires both a deep understanding of the community and the ability to motivate people to take action. Therefore, hiring managers want to see that you can not only come up with effective strategies for engaging the community, but also that you have the ability to inspire and motivate people to get involved.

Example: “Understanding the community’s needs and interests is key in motivating them to participate. I would start by conducting surveys or town hall meetings to gain insights into their concerns and aspirations.

Based on these findings, I’d tailor the initiative to address their specific needs, making it more relevant and appealing. Clear communication about how this initiative benefits them personally can also increase engagement.

Involving community leaders or influencers in the promotion of the initiative can be effective as they often have the trust and respect of the community members.

Finally, offering incentives such as rewards or recognition for participation could further motivate individuals. It’s essential that any strategy employed respects and values the community’s input and involvement.”

6. Can you share an instance where you had to advocate for a community’s needs to higher authorities?

As a community worker, your role often involves being a voice for the community, sometimes with local, state, or national authorities. Your ability to advocate effectively and navigate these systems can be critical to achieving the community’s goals. Therefore, hiring managers want to know if you have experience in this area, how you approach it, and what results you’ve achieved.

Example: “In my experience, advocating for a community’s needs often requires diplomacy and persistence. For instance, I once worked with a low-income community facing food insecurity. After conducting surveys to understand the extent of the issue, I presented these findings to local government officials.

Despite initial pushback due to budget constraints, I continued to highlight the urgency of the situation, using data as evidence. Eventually, we managed to secure funding for a community garden project, which not only addressed immediate food scarcity but also promoted sustainable practices in the long term. This experience taught me that effective advocacy is about presenting compelling arguments backed by solid research.”

7. How have you used data to inform your community work and decision-making process?

Your ability to use data effectively is a key skill in community work. By understanding and interpreting data, you can identify trends, needs, and areas of improvement within the community. This information can inform your strategies and interventions, making them more effective. Moreover, it shows that you’re not just relying on instinct or personal experience, but are using objective evidence to guide your actions.

Example: “In my community work, I’ve used data to identify key issues and areas of need. For instance, by analyzing demographic data, we can pinpoint the most vulnerable populations and tailor our programs accordingly.

Data also informs program evaluation. Through surveys and feedback forms, we gather quantitative and qualitative data about program effectiveness. This information guides adjustments and improvements.

Moreover, data is crucial for securing funding. By demonstrating positive outcomes through concrete numbers, we can attract more support from donors and stakeholders.

Overall, integrating data into decision-making ensures our efforts are targeted, effective, and sustainable.”

8. What has been your most challenging experience in community work and how did you overcome it?

This question is a litmus test for your problem-solving skills, resilience, and adaptability. In community work, you’re bound to encounter a wide variety of challenges, from funding shortages to conflicts within the community. The hiring manager wants to know whether you can navigate these difficulties effectively and continue to make a positive impact despite the obstacles.

Example: “One of the most challenging experiences I had was dealing with a community deeply divided over a proposed local project. The tension was palpable and it was difficult to facilitate productive discussions.

I decided to implement a structured dialogue process where everyone’s opinions were heard and validated. This involved setting ground rules for respectful communication, breaking down larger groups into smaller discussion circles, and ensuring every voice was represented in decision-making processes.

This approach helped reduce hostility and foster understanding among community members. It wasn’t easy but it taught me the importance of patience, active listening, and creating inclusive spaces in community work.”

9. How do you ensure that you stay updated with the latest trends and best practices in community work?

As a community worker, your role is to address the needs and concerns of the community you serve. Therefore, it’s vital that you stay abreast of the latest trends and best practices in your field. This will allow you to provide more effective services and better support to your community. By asking this question, hiring managers want to gauge your commitment to professional development and continuous learning. They are interested in knowing how you keep yourself informed and how you apply new knowledge and techniques in your work.

Example: “Staying updated with the latest trends and best practices in community work is crucial. I regularly attend webinars, workshops, and conferences that focus on current issues and innovative solutions in this field. Additionally, I subscribe to relevant newsletters and journals which provide insights into new research and methodologies.

I also participate in online forums and networks of community workers where we share experiences and learn from each other’s successes and challenges. This helps me understand diverse perspectives and adapt my approach accordingly.

Moreover, I believe in continuous learning and often take up courses related to community development and social work. These platforms not only offer theoretical knowledge but also expose me to practical case studies from around the world.”

10. How would you handle a situation where a community’s needs conflict with the organization’s policies?

This question is designed to examine your skills in conflict resolution, negotiation and diplomacy. As a community worker, you can often find yourself in the middle of conflicting interests. Knowing how to navigate these situations, while respecting both the community’s needs and the organization’s policies, is a critical part of the role. The interviewer wants to see that you can find creative, ethical solutions that respect everyone’s interests.

Example: “In such a situation, I would first ensure that I fully understand the community’s needs and the organization’s policies. If there is indeed a conflict, I would communicate this to my superiors in an objective manner.

I believe in open dialogue and negotiation as means of resolving conflicts. Therefore, I would propose a meeting between representatives from the community and the organization to discuss the issue at hand.

The goal would be to reach a compromise where the community’s needs are addressed without compromising the integrity of the organization’s policies. It may require creativity and flexibility, but it’s crucial for maintaining trust and cooperation between both parties.”

11. Describe a time when you had to adapt your communication style to effectively engage with a community.

Engaging with diverse communities often requires flexibility in communication styles. The question is meant to gauge your cultural competency and your ability to adapt in order to connect with different individuals or groups. As a community worker, it’s essential to have the skills to communicate effectively with people from various backgrounds, cultures, and experiences.

Example: “In a previous community project, I worked with an elderly population. Initially, I noticed my usual energetic communication style was overwhelming for them. Recognizing this, I adapted to a more patient and calm approach.

I also incorporated visual aids in our discussions as some had hearing difficulties. This change improved engagement significantly, fostering trust and open dialogue within the group. It taught me the importance of flexibility in communication to effectively connect with diverse communities.”

12. Can you discuss a time when you had to work with other organizations or agencies to meet a community’s needs?

Collaboration and networking are key ingredients to a successful community worker role. Interviewers want to understand your ability to form effective partnerships and work as part of a team with other organizations or agencies. They are interested in your experience in leveraging resources, sharing information, and coordinating services to meet the diverse needs of the community you are serving.

Example: “In one instance, a local community was struggling with food insecurity. We collaborated with various organizations including food banks and supermarkets to organize a large-scale food drive.

This required effective communication and coordination to ensure the smooth flow of operations. It also involved educating these groups about the community’s needs to foster empathy and support.

The event was successful in providing immediate relief and sparked ongoing partnerships for future initiatives. This experience reinforced the importance of collaboration and understanding diverse perspectives when addressing community needs.”

13. How would you approach a situation where there is resistance from the community towards a new initiative?

This query is designed to gauge your problem-solving and communication skills. As a community worker, you will often be at the forefront of implementing new initiatives. However, not all of these will be readily accepted by the community. Therefore, your ability to navigate resistance, communicate effectively, and foster understanding and acceptance is crucial to your success in this role.

Example: “Understanding the community’s concerns is crucial. I would engage in open dialogue, listening to their worries and providing clear information about the initiative.

Building trust through transparency is key. Sharing all aspects of the plan, including potential challenges and how they’ll be addressed can help alleviate fears.

Collaborating with community leaders who are respected and trusted by the community members can also aid in gaining acceptance for the new initiative. They can act as advocates, helping to communicate benefits and address concerns.

Lastly, patience and persistence are vital. Change often faces resistance initially but consistent efforts and demonstrating positive outcomes over time can lead to eventual acceptance.”

14. How have you incorporated feedback from community members into your work?

Community workers serve the people who live in the areas where they work. It’s essential to understand the needs of those people and address them effectively. By asking this question, hiring managers want to know if you are capable of listening to community members, taking their feedback, and using it to improve your work. It shows your ability to collaborate, your respect for diverse perspectives, and your commitment to serving the community.

Example: “Incorporating feedback from community members is crucial for effective community work. I have done this by organizing regular town hall meetings and suggestion boxes to gather input. This feedback has often led to beneficial changes, such as new programs or modifications to existing services.

For example, after hearing concerns about lack of youth activities, we initiated a mentorship program. It was well received and helped bridge the gap between generations in our community.

Feedback not only helps improve my work but also ensures that community members feel valued and heard.”

15. What strategies would you use to build trust and rapport with a new community?

Trust is the cornerstone of any effective community work. A community worker who can quickly build rapport and trust with community members is likely to be more effective in their role. As such, your prospective employer wants to see that you have a clear, effective, and sensitive strategy for engaging with a new community, and that you’re aware of the unique challenges and opportunities this kind of work can present.

Example: “Building trust with a new community involves active listening and open communication. I would start by understanding their needs, concerns, and aspirations through town hall meetings or one-on-one interactions.

Demonstrating respect for their culture and traditions is also crucial in building rapport. This can be achieved by participating in local events and acknowledging the value of their customs.

Transparency is key as well. Sharing information about initiatives, progress, and challenges fosters an environment of trust.

Lastly, consistency in actions and follow-through on commitments is essential to maintain the built trust over time.”

16. Can you share an example of a time you had to manage a crisis or emergency within a community?

Being a community worker often means being on the front lines when something goes wrong. It could be a natural disaster, a public health crisis, or a conflict within the community itself. You’re the one who needs to step up and ensure everyone’s safety and wellbeing. This requires critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and the ability to stay calm under pressure. Therefore, potential employers want to see evidence of these qualities in action.

Example: “In one community I worked with, a severe storm caused significant damage. Many residents were displaced and public services disrupted.

My immediate action was to set up an emergency response team, liaising with local authorities for resources like food, shelter, and medical aid. We also coordinated volunteers for clean-up efforts.

Simultaneously, we established communication lines to keep everyone informed about available assistance and recovery progress. This experience taught me the importance of quick decision-making, effective coordination, and clear communication during crises.”

17. How do you measure the success of a community program or initiative?

Community workers are the social heartbeats of their neighborhoods, and that means they are responsible for leading programs and initiatives that foster positive change. The ability to measure the success of these endeavors is key. It’s about more than just implementing plans—it’s about ensuring they’re making tangible, beneficial differences in the community. This question is aimed at assessing your understanding of evaluating outcomes and your capacity for strategic thinking in community development.

Example: “Measuring the success of a community program or initiative involves both quantitative and qualitative assessments.

Quantitative measures include tracking participation rates, completion rates, and other numerical data that provide a clear picture of engagement levels. For example, if it’s an education program, we can measure the number of attendees, drop-out rates, or improvement in test scores.

On the qualitative side, surveys and feedback from participants are crucial. They give insights into how well the program is received, its impact on individuals, and areas for improvement.

In addition to these, long-term outcomes such as changes in behavior, improved living conditions, or reduced crime rates can also be indicators of success. It’s about creating lasting positive change within the community.”

18. What methods have you used to raise funds or resources for a community project?

Raising funds and resources is a key part of many community worker roles, so hiring managers want to know that you have some experience in this area. They are interested in learning about your creativity, initiative, and effectiveness in securing necessary support for community initiatives. Your response will help them gauge your ability to navigate this important aspect of the role.

Example: “I’ve utilized a variety of methods to raise funds for community projects. One approach was through grant writing, where I identified potential sources of funding and tailored proposals to meet their criteria.

Another method involved organizing fundraising events like charity runs or bake sales, which not only raised money but also increased community engagement with the project.

I have also leveraged social media platforms to run online crowdfunding campaigns, reaching out to wider audiences to support our cause.

Lastly, building partnerships with local businesses has been beneficial. By demonstrating how supporting the project can benefit them, we were able to secure sponsorships and donations.”

19. How have you ensured that your community work is sustainable and has a long-term impact?

This question directly addresses the core of community work: lasting, positive change. It’s all about making sure that the initiatives or programs you’ve implemented do more than just put a temporary band-aid on a problem. They should be designed to have a long-term impact and be sustainable even in your absence. This can involve empowering community members, creating self-sufficient systems, or ensuring continued funding. Your ability to demonstrate this kind of forward-thinking strategy is what interviewers are looking for.

Example: “In my community work, I ensure sustainability by involving the community in decision-making processes. This fosters a sense of ownership and commitment to the projects.

I also focus on capacity building. By training local individuals, we create a pool of skilled people who can continue the work even after the project ends.

Furthermore, I prioritize partnerships with local organizations. They have better understanding of the community needs and are more likely to stay engaged long-term.

Lastly, I monitor and evaluate our efforts regularly. This helps us understand what’s working, adjust strategies if needed, and demonstrate the impact of our work which is crucial for securing ongoing support and funding.”

20. Can you discuss a time when you had to handle sensitive or confidential information in your community work?

As a community worker, you are often trusted with sensitive information about the individuals and communities you serve. This can include personal health histories, domestic situations, or legal issues. Employers ask this question to gauge your understanding of confidentiality and your ability to handle sensitive information with the respect and discretion it deserves.

Example: “In my community work, I’ve often dealt with sensitive information. One instance was during a project aimed at providing support to victims of domestic abuse. Confidentiality was paramount as it involved personal and potentially dangerous situations.

I ensured that all communications were held privately and securely. Documents containing confidential data were properly stored or disposed of. When discussing cases within the team, we used codes instead of names to maintain anonymity.

This experience taught me how crucial trust is in our line of work. It’s not just about legal compliance but also about respecting individuals’ privacy and ensuring their safety.”

21. How would you handle a situation where a community member is not satisfied with the services provided?

The essence of community work lies in maintaining healthy and constructive relationships with community members. The ability to handle dissatisfaction or conflict is a key element of this role. When you’re asked this question, the interviewer is essentially gauging your problem-solving skills, your ability to empathize, and your knack for transforming a negative situation into a positive outcome. It’s a way of assessing your people skills, resilience, and dedication to service.

Example: “In such a situation, I would first ensure that the community member feels heard and understood. It’s crucial to listen actively and empathize with their concerns.

Next, I would conduct an objective assessment of the services provided. This involves gathering all relevant information, including feedback from other community members and service providers.

If improvements are necessary, I would work collaboratively with my team to implement changes. We might need to revise our strategies or find alternative solutions to better meet the needs of the community.

Throughout this process, maintaining open communication with the unsatisfied community member is essential. They should be kept informed about any changes made in response to their feedback.

Remember, it’s not just about resolving one person’s issue but improving the overall quality of service for everyone.”

22. What steps have you taken to ensure your personal safety and the safety of others while working in challenging community environments?

Safety is a paramount concern when working within challenging community environments. Hiring managers ask this question to assess your understanding of the potential dangers you might face and your ability to take proactive measures to ensure your safety and the safety of those around you. This not only factors into your ability to perform your duties effectively, but also into the overall well-being and functioning of the community you will serve.

Example: “In challenging community environments, I prioritize safety by maintaining open communication with local authorities and other stakeholders. This helps in understanding potential risks and developing appropriate responses.

I also ensure that I am well versed in cultural norms and sensitivities to avoid inadvertently causing offense or harm. Regular training on conflict resolution and de-escalation techniques is another step I take.

Furthermore, I adhere strictly to organizational policies regarding personal protective equipment and safe practices. For the safety of others, I advocate for their rights, educate them about safety measures, and report any concerns immediately.”

23. Describe a time when you had to work under tight deadlines to meet a community’s needs.

Working in community services often involves responding to urgent needs or crisis situations. This could be a sudden funding cut, a natural disaster, or a community member in need of immediate assistance. The ability to stay organized, keep calm, and find creative solutions under pressure is incredibly valuable in this line of work, and that’s exactly what hiring managers are looking for when they ask this question.

Example: “In one instance, our community faced a sudden flood crisis. As part of the response team, we had to quickly organize emergency shelters and food distribution within 48 hours.

The pressure was intense but it honed my ability to prioritize tasks effectively. I coordinated with local authorities for shelter spaces while mobilizing volunteers for food packing.

Despite the tight deadline, we managed to meet the community’s immediate needs. This experience taught me the importance of quick decision-making and teamwork in crisis situations.”

24. How have you handled cultural differences or language barriers in your community work?

Cultural sensitivity and the ability to communicate effectively across a diverse range of individuals are critical skills for community workers. Your ability to navigate these challenges directly impacts the success of your outreach efforts and the relationships you build. So, employers want to ensure that you are equipped with the right experience and mindset to handle such situations.

Example: “In my community work, I’ve encountered cultural differences and language barriers. To address these, I have focused on active listening and empathy to understand diverse perspectives better. For language barriers, I use translation apps or seek help from bilingual volunteers.

I also educate myself about different cultures to avoid unintentional offenses. This includes understanding customs, traditions, and communication styles.

Moreover, I encourage open dialogue in the community to foster mutual respect and understanding. By creating an environment where everyone feels heard and valued, we can bridge cultural gaps and build a stronger community.”

25. Can you provide an example of a time you used technology to improve your community work?

Community work involves a lot of coordination, communication, and resource management. Effective use of technology can greatly enhance these processes. This question is designed to assess your technological skills and how you apply them in a practical context. It also gauges your ability to innovate and improve existing workflows, which is a highly valuable trait in community work.

Example: “In one of my community projects, I noticed a gap in communication between different stakeholders. To address this, I introduced the use of Slack, an online collaboration tool. This platform allowed us to share updates, discuss issues and brainstorm solutions in real-time, significantly improving our efficiency and coordination.

I also used Google Forms for collecting feedback from community members about our services. The data was automatically collated into spreadsheets which made it easier to analyze trends and identify areas needing improvement. These technological tools greatly enhanced our productivity and service delivery.”

26. How do you handle stress and avoid burnout while working in demanding community environments?

Working in the community sector can be emotionally intense and stressful. Facing difficult situations, handling complex cases, and maintaining empathy for individuals in challenging circumstances all require a high level of emotional resilience. Potential employers need to know that you have effective strategies in place to manage stress and avoid burnout, ensuring you can consistently deliver high-quality support to those you’re serving.

Example: “Managing stress and avoiding burnout in demanding community environments requires a balance of self-care, effective time management, and setting boundaries. I prioritize my tasks based on their urgency and importance to ensure that the most critical needs are addressed first.

I also believe in taking regular breaks during the day for mental refreshment. This could be as simple as a short walk or a few minutes of mindfulness practice.

Moreover, maintaining open communication with supervisors and colleagues is key. By sharing challenges and seeking support when needed, we can distribute workloads more evenly and prevent overwhelming situations.

Lastly, pursuing hobbies outside of work helps me unwind and recharge, ensuring that I’m always ready to give my best to the communities I serve.”

27. Can you share an instance where you had to make a difficult decision that wasn’t popular but was in the best interest of the community?

Being a community worker often means you’re a decision-maker, and sometimes, the best decisions aren’t always the most popular. Whether it’s deciding to allocate funds to a necessary but overlooked project, or implementing a policy that might initially inconvenience some but will ultimately benefit the whole community, these situations demand strength, wisdom, and foresight. Hence, interviewers ask this question to assess your decision-making skills and your ability to stand firm for what’s right, even in the face of opposition.

Example: “In one community I worked with, there was a proposal to build a commercial complex in a green space. Many residents were excited about the potential convenience and job opportunities it would bring.

However, after assessing the environmental impact and considering long-term sustainability, I advocated against this development. It wasn’t a popular decision, but preserving the green space was crucial for the community’s overall well-being and future generations.

I organized public forums to discuss these concerns and eventually, we managed to propose an alternative location for the commercial complex that still brought benefits without sacrificing our green spaces.”

28. What is your approach to building partnerships with local businesses or organizations for community development?

Establishing partnerships is a critical aspect of community work. It’s not just about supporting individuals but also about fostering a sense of unity and cooperation among different entities in the community. As a community worker, you’ll need to demonstrate that you can effectively build relationships with local businesses and organizations to propel community development initiatives forward. This question seeks to understand your strategies and techniques for achieving this.

Example: “Building partnerships with local businesses and organizations starts with understanding their needs, goals, and values. I believe in creating a mutual benefit where both parties can contribute to the community’s development.

I would initiate conversations to understand their perspective and find common ground. This could involve discussing shared objectives or potential projects that align with our respective goals.

Following this, it’s essential to maintain regular communication and show transparency in all dealings. It helps build trust and fosters a long-lasting relationship.

Lastly, recognizing and appreciating their contributions publicly can also strengthen these partnerships. It not only acknowledges their efforts but also encourages others in the community to join in.”

29. How do you ensure that your community work is aligned with the organization’s mission and goals?

The alignment of your work with the organization’s mission and goals is central to your role as a community worker. This question is designed to assess your understanding of the organization’s objectives and how well you can integrate them into your work. It’s more than just doing your job; it’s about contributing to the bigger picture. This helps the hiring team see that you are capable of strategic thinking, planning, and execution in line with their mission.

Example: “To ensure alignment with the organization’s mission and goals, I first thoroughly familiarize myself with them. Understanding these objectives is key to effectively integrating them into my work.

I then set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) objectives that directly correlate with the organization’s goals. By doing this, each task I undertake contributes towards achieving the larger organizational vision.

Regular communication with team members and management also helps in staying aligned. It provides an opportunity for feedback and adjustments if needed.

Finally, continuous self-evaluation helps me assess whether my actions are still in line with the organization’s mission or if any realignment is necessary.”

30. Can you discuss a time when you had to handle a situation that was outside of your job description or beyond your capabilities as a community worker?

Community work often requires you to wear many hats, and sometimes, the unexpected happens. Interviewers want to see that you are adaptable, resourceful, and ready to take on challenges even if they fall outside of your regular duties. They want to know that you can think on your feet and are willing to go the extra mile to support the community you serve.

Example: “In one instance, a community member was dealing with severe mental health issues. As a community worker, my training in this area was limited.

I quickly coordinated with local mental health professionals to ensure the individual received proper care. I also initiated a series of workshops on mental health awareness for the community.

This experience taught me the importance of collaboration and proactive learning in addressing challenges beyond my capabilities.”

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115 Community Service Examples With List of Extracurricular Activities

Community service is an excellent way to help people and improve your community. It can also help you gain skills and experience to include on your resume and college applications.

What exactly is Community Service?

Community service is precisely what its name says; services you perform to benefit your community. Community service can be done by an individual or by several people that help others. 

Community service can improve the lives of different groups of people like troubled children, senior citizens, people with disabilities, sometimes even injured animals, and save the environment. Community service is usually organized through a local group, like a church, temple, school, or non-profit organization. However, you can also start your community service projects.  

People join community service because they enjoy helping others and improve their surroundings and community. Many students take up community service to graduate from high school or get particular honors. Sometimes adults are also ordered by a judge to complete several community service hours.

How Participating in Community Service will Help you in College Admission

Develop a better a perspective of the world.

Volunteering is a crucial part of preparing students to take authority as open-minded, civilized citizens in a global community. While performing community service, students have the opportunity to observe in real life how much their work can have a positive impact on the world. Students volunteering locally at food shelves, retirement centers, animal shelters, and orphanages get to interact with people who have immensely different backgrounds learn patience and empathy as they develop a whole new perspective of the world.

Connect What They Learn in the Real World

Community service provides students a considerable opportunity to explore academic interests in the real world. 

Volunteering can help students learn more about how certain things function; for example, clean up drives, recycling waste, etc., can help students learn more about environmental issues firsthand.

We have found that when students connect what they are learning in school to real-life issues that matter, they throw themselves into learning. Studies show that students who give back to the community perform better in university, especially in math, reading, and history. Moreover, students who participate in community service are also more certainly to graduate from high school.

Edge in College Admission Process

As admission to elite universities is becoming more and more competitive, volunteer experience can be a massive advantage in college admission. This is the reason many students start doing community service projects. However, students who start earlier have a distinct advantage because their span of experience allows them to step up to leadership positions within organizations quickly.

The advantage in Getting Scholarship

Those extra years of volunteering give students an advantage while applying for scholarships—usually, scholarships are planned to reward community service participation. The relationships students build with other volunteers also make their advantage when it comes time for college applications, letters of recommendation, and scholarships. 

Improved Resume

Volunteering looks impressive to employers and shows that the student is responsible and cares about their community. Also, volunteering can serve as an unpaid internship. Employers are often not ready to hire people without experience, and volunteering is an easy way for students to gain experience in various fields.

Create a network

Students who want to get into a particular field can use community service to network with other industry experts. As a volunteer, the students can learn about new job or internships. Students can also help some of their friends’ volunteer for references and advice on finding a career in the industry.

Overall become a better person. 

“Set your heart on doing good. Do it over and over again, and you will be filled with joy”. -Gautama Buddha

Indeed, volunteering is a peaceful experience internally. Studies show that people who help others are happier individuals. Students can become more comfortable through volunteering, and they can learn new skills that help them succeed. 

By learning communication skills and managing the books, students can pick up skills to grow. Students pay thousands of dollars every year for their schooling. Instead of spending more money on the school to learn a skill, students may pick up the same ability through volunteering. This will help students develop a great resume and network with professionals.

Improve your mental and physical health

A recent study shows that volunteers enjoy remarkable health benefits. Compared to non-volunteers, volunteers are likely to efficiently deal with stress, anxiety, and depression and have lower mortality rates. While older individuals had the most health benefits, young students also enjoy the health benefits. 

Also, people who spend over 100 hours helping in services each year show excellent positive health outcomes. From health benefits to a better resume, students who undertake community services can gain exceptional benefits. 

Community service allows students to show leadership, creativity, compassion, understand, and come to terms with the real world. Colleges do not just want students who will perform well in class – they want students who will also engage outside of the school and positively impact campus and the world.

How Should You Use This List?

We have covered more than one hundred community service examples. The list is organized by category, so let’s say if you are specifically interested in working with senior citizens, children, or animals, you can easily find community service activities related to your interests.

You can look for projects that are similar to your interests. You may also want to perform particular community service that allows you just enjoy, like baking, cleaning or acting,

Many community service work can help you gain skills. These skills include yoga, teaching, medicine, internet skills, CPR, construction, and many more. If there is a particular skill you'd like to learn for future classes, jobs, or just out of personal interest, you may want to see if there is a community service activity that helps you understand that skill.

List of Community Service Examples

We have put together a list of community service project examples to get you started.

Collecting things for your community

• Contribute to school supplies.
• Collect backpacks .
• Organize and make donations at a homeless shelter.
• Collect non-perishable food products .
• Get extra unused makeup to donate to domestic violence shelters.
• Collect Halloween candy to send to deployed military service members who cannot celebrate at their home.
• Collect hygiene items.
• Collect used jeans for homeless teenagers.
• Collect stuffed animals for small children.
• Collect SAT and ACT books and donate them to a library.

Helping School and Children

• Teach children after the school
• Organize fun games and activities for children in hospitals 
• Knit blankets which can be donated to hospitals or homeless shelters
• Organize a Special Olympics event for children and teenagers
• Donate a used sports equipment to children and teenagers
• Volunteer at a summer camp for teenagers who have lost a parent
• Coach a youth sports team
• Give free music lessons to children.
• Organize a program to encourage kids to learn, read and work hard for a better future
•  Help new students make friends. 
• Become a counselor and help troubled kids
•  Develop a new game for children
• Sponsor education of child living in an underdeveloped foreign country
•  Pass your good religious knowledge to troubled teenagers
•  Babysit children
• Volunteer local health department to set up an immunization clinic to immunize children against diseases

Helping Elderly

• Read to elderly at a nursing home.
• Deliver groceries and meals to senior citizens
• Teach internet skills
• Drive senior citizens to doctor appointments
• Now their lawn
• Host a bingo night at a nursing home
• Host a holiday meal
• Make birthday cards 
• Decorate a Christmas tree at a nursing home
• Organize a family day for residents of a retirement home and relatives to play games together
• Deliver medicines to elderly neighborhood
• Organize a concert, sing or play some instrument at a retirement home 
• Help the elderly clean their homes.
• Shovel snow, wash windows, and help in gardening. 
• Deliver cookies 

Taking care of Animals and Environment

• Take care of dogs and cats at an animal shelter
• Clean up a nearby park
• Help raise money and get a bulletproof vest for a police dog.
• Plant a lot of tree and plants
• Place a bird feeder and bird fountain in open spaces.
• Start a butterfly garden in your community.
• Segregate plastic waste into different categories for recycling purpose
• Cleanup drives for plastic waste removal
• Sponsor a recycling contest
• Create a new walking trail at a park
• Update the essential signs along a nature trail
• Adopt cats and dogs
• Organize the cleanup of a local river or lake
• Nurture animals that do not have space in shelters
• Take care of a neighbor's pet when they are gone away for a long time.
• Sponsor an animal at your local zoo
• Train your pet to be a therapy animal and take them to children’s hospitals and nursing homes
• Build a birdhouse
• Organize drives to inform people about the harmful effects of “Air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution, and soil pollution and how to prevent them.”
• Arrange a carpool to reduce car emissions
• Arrange more second-hand bikes in your town
•  Volunteer at a nature camp and inform kids about the environment
• Test the water quality of a lake or river near you
• Plant trees and quickly grown flowers along highways

Helping Homeless People

• Build a house
• Donate your old clothes
• Volunteer at a kitchen
• Donate your old eyeglasses 
• Donate blankets
• Organize a Thanksgiving dinner for people who are unable to arrange on their own
• Offer to for a family in need.
• Make “care kits” with daily necessities like toothbrushes, paste, soaps, shampoos, combs, etc., to donate to homeless shelters.
• Distribute a home-cooked meal for the residents of a nearby homeless shelter
• Help to fix the interior or paint a local homeless shelter.
• Donate art supplies to kids 
• Organize a donations drive at a homeless shelter
• Babysit children while their parents search for jobs
• Become a Big Brother for children at a homeless shelter
• Take homeless children on picnics.
• Prepare food and deliver it to a soup kitchen.
• Build flower boxes for Humanity houses
• Organize a drive in winter to collect coats, blankets, scarves, and gloves to be distributed
• Distribute first aid kits for homeless shelters

Promoting safety and reducing crime

• Volunteer at a police station or firehouse
• Volunteer as a lifeguard 
• Paint over bad graffiti in the neighborhood 
• Train girls and children for self-defense
• Organize a drug-free campaign
• Sponsor or arrange a drug-free event
• Start a neighborhood watch program.
• Teach a home-alone safety class for children
• Organize a drive against drug and alcohol use
• Become CPR certified
• Volunteer as a crossing guard for an elementary school

Helping overall community to grow 

• Paint park benches
• Donate used books to the local library
• Become a tour guide of your local museum
• Repaint community fences
• Plant flowers in bare public areas
• Start a campaign to raise money to install new playground equipment for a park.
• Help to organize a community parade.
• Clean up drives
• Produce a neighborhood newspaper
• Start a campaign for more lighting along the dark streets.

Let’s Explore the Extracurricular Activities for College Students

Extracurricular activities are activities that typically take place outside a classroom. According to the Common App , extracurriculars are activities that include arts, athletics, clubs, employment, personal commitments, etc.

Most well-known and top-rated colleges receive applications from incredibly accomplished students for mostly the same number of spots. How do applicants set themselves apart? How do admissions officers decide which student is the better investment?

Note - Before we get into extracurricular activities, I would just like to say that nothing can replace your high school grades and the results of your standardized tests (ACT/SAT). Your grades are still important- an excellent extracurricular profile will just make your application look good and make it stand out from the rest of the applicants. Do not take your grades lightly. You must enroll in challenging courses and do well in them if you aspire to attend top schools. Easy course loads, as well as low grades or test scores, cannot be overcome by developing a standout extracurricular profile.

However, it’s equally important to emphasize that doing well in challenging courses and on standardized tests like the SAT or AP Exams is not enough to get into elite universities. To stand out from the competition, you must pursue interesting activities in a focused way to demonstrate expertise, initiative, leadership, impact, and other positive qualities.

Most applicants are highly accomplished, and they have excellent stats while participating in various extracurricular activities. Therefore, a unique extracurricular profile will help the admissions officer pick you.

Typically, colleges would prefer a student with an average score of 85% and a lot of involvement in extracurriculars as compared to a student with an average score of 90% with no involvement. Also, colleges would rather admit two students from the 99th percentile in a particular field than admitting two students from the 80th percentile in various fields.

Colleges believe that what you do before college reflects what you will continue to do in college. College administration officers like students who are active and are contributing to the community. They believe that there is a good chance that applicants who are active and involved in the community will continue to do so in college. Therefore, extracurriculars can help you get into good colleges. But, how do you decide when to focus on schoolwork instead of extracurricular activities?

Colleges understand that not all students will get time for traditional extracurricular activities. Sometimes, obligations to family or financial constraints might restrict a student from taking up extra activities. Therefore, any way you use your time in a constructive or valuable manner will be acceptable by the college. For example, taking care of the family or working a part-time job are responsibilities that display maturity. This will show colleges that you are capable of being responsible and making serious commitments. 

A study in the US showed that students taking up extracurriculars have a better chance at scoring well in exams. The logic behind this study was that sometimes extracurriculars help you feel better about yourself, which in turn helps you get better grades. Think about it this way- playing a sport makes you smarter than watching TV/movies. If you like watching movies, you can form a club for movies and increase the number of members of this group. This will also be considered an extracurricular.

What do Colleges want to see?

When admissions officers see a list of extracurricular activities that is very common, it becomes difficult to differentiate between applicants. Thus, while looking at applications, colleges are looking for students who are specialists in their chosen fields and have a deep and interesting reason for engaging in it. 

Colleges care less about “what” activity you do and care more about “why” and “how” you do. No activity has more importance over the other, as long as your reason behind it is strong enough. There are three main things that colleges are looking for: Passion, Leadership, and Impact. The “why” and “how” define these three points.

Passion – Colleges believe that your passion is something that will create a drive in you to accomplish great things. They believe that this passion will most likely continue to drive you in college as well. Therefore, make sure your activity is not only for fun but also for passion.

Leadership - Leadership experiences include any time that you have been responsible for a project or for guiding, motivating, or instructing others. Many schools – especially the most selective ones – want to see students who exhibit leadership skills because they are hoping that their students will someday go on to be leaders who make differences on a larger scale in academics, business, or research. Therefore, showing that you have the desire and sense of responsibility that a leader needs can be very attractive to admissions officers.

Impact - One of the reasons that passion is so important is because admission officers want to see that you have made a significant investment in activity over an extended period of time. Though you’ll probably experiment with several different activities when you're younger, once you settle on the one you're most passionate about, officers are going to be looking for how you've made a difference in the activity and how you've changed because of it. Admission officers want to know about you, who you are, and what made you like this. 

Best extracurricular activities in a college application

Listed below are some of the extracurricular activities that universities look for in applications and which you should consider pursuing so that it positively enhances your university applications.

1. Student Government

Students who stand for elections and are elected from the Student Government on campus. Typically, the student government’s functions can include: 

• Coordinating events and activities for students
• Being the voice of students 
• Allocating funds to other student organizations on campus
• Providing forums for discussions of students’ problems
• Strengthening the student community on campus

Everything listed in the extracurricular activities of the Student Government aims to hone the leadership skill in a student. By being part of Student Government, you will become:

• More articulate 
• Enhance your interpersonal skills, as you will be interacting with different people
• Adept at handling activities beyond academics at school 

The most salient takeaway of being part of the Student Government is that it infuses you with leadership skills. Extracurricular activities at colleges where Student Government is an option have additional functions like being part of the honor council that is responsible for the university’s honor code as well as being on the judiciary board to hear and pass verdicts in disciplinary cases.You can participate in extracurricular activities at colleges such as Student Government only if you have done so in the past and exhibited leadership qualities.

Watch this video about the merits of extracurricular activities in Student Government:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgKGk9R8E_M

Watch this video of extracurricular activities at colleges:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4rVtUrHeHw

2.Athletics

By participating in extracurricular activities pertaining to sports, there are many qualities that you will refine. Sports will display your

• Leadership skills
• Obligation to practice
• Competitive spirit

All colleges look for such qualities in applicants so when you have demonstrated these qualities in extracurricular activities, colleges are bound to be interested in your application. There are many universities in the US like Stanford University, University of Florida, and the University of California, Los Angeles, – to name a few, who are reputed for athletics. By choosing athletics as one of your extracurricular activities, and studying at a university that further hones your talent, it could well pave the way for you to become a professional athlete. An added incentive in choosing sports is the possibility of getting financial aid to pursue your studies while participating in the university’s sports/athletics team.

For more information about getting financial aid for extracurricular activities in sports:

https://educationusa.state.gov/athletic-scholarships

Watch this video of Stanford University’s extracurricular activities at colleges:

https://www.youtube.com/user/stanfordathletics

3. The Debate Team

If you love conversations and putting forth your point of view about current matters, become a part of the debate team. All extracurricular activities are meant to challenge you but this one does so from the moment you decide to participate in a debate.

By participating in debates you will be:

• Up to date in current affairs
• Fearless to speak your mind
• Think on your feet
• Analytical in your thinking
• Confident in your beliefs

With such qualities in extracurricular activities that are demonstrated and not simply mentioned in your personal statement, your college application will be high up in the pile of applications. If you have the qualities of being good at debating, it can well present you with career options – you could become a lawyer, politician, broadcast analyst, etc.

For information on extracurricular activities in debates at Indian schools:

http://indianschoolsdebatingsociety.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-2m75o414c

4.Internships

When you choose to intern as one of your extracurricular activities, it immediately signals that you are focused and intent on achieving your academic and career goals. By doing an internship, you are willing to work for free if necessary to gain experience.

What an internship says about you when mentioned under extracurricular activities is that:

• You are dedicated to your goals
• You are efficient
• You are competent and mature to begin working
• You are willing to work hard
• You will go that extra mile if necessary

All colleges look for such qualities in applicants and the college will be further assured that you will be willing to take on tough study programs and challenge yourself.

While choosing an internship, ensure that it is related to the major that you wish to pursue at college. In doing so, your efforts in enhancing your extracurricular activities will have direction and purpose.

For information on extracurricular activities in an internship in India: 

http://www.makeintern.com/

https://internshala.com/internships

5.Volunteer Work and Community Service

By choosing to do volunteer work and community service, you demonstrate your desire to do what you can to make a difference to your community or the larger world. By becoming involved in local groups or international organizations, you can participate in such extracurricular activities.

Volunteer Work and Community Service will make you:

• More sensitive to the needs of others
• Committed to giving back to society
• Willing to work beyond the call of duty

When Volunteer Work and Community Service is mentioned under extracurricular activities in your application, every college admissions office will place you a few notches higher than other applicants. The experience you gain with such extracurricular activities is what colleges look for in students to make their college a better place.

When you initially choose to volunteer or offer community service in an area that you love, e.g., something related to the environment, helping stricken animals, etc., it may influence the study program you choose and may even lead to various career options. An added advantage of volunteering can be in getting selected for a job because you already have working experience.

Watch this video about extracurricular activities:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4LCe9uiGj0

Watch this video about how volunteering can help in finding employment:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBLIuDTvrxs

How to explain your activities on your application?

Letters of recommendation - You can share your project with teachers and guidance counselors who, in turn, can write about the projects in their recommendation letters . 

Common App Essay (i.e., personal statement) or supplemental essays - If a project took substantial time to complete, it may be worth writing about it in a reflective matter. You can also mention how you came across this project and what you learned from it.

Common App Additional Information Section - Unlike an essay, the Additional Information section is optional and should not be written in an essay form. It should simply provide a brief explanation—about a paragraph long—of the project.

Interviews - Although not every school requires one, an interview is an excellent time to share the details of an unusual project.

Extracurricular Tips  

• It does not matter what extracurricular activity you select. I cannot stress this enough. Colleges want to see what drives you, they want to know what you are passionate about. They don’t care what you choose to do, they just care about the “why”.
• Colleges don’t like seeing the most basic extracurricular. For example, if you play a musical instrument, they want you to use that to do something on a larger scale. Host a talent show with an ulterior motive, for example, awareness for breast cancer, or anything along these lines.
• Colleges want an activity that is not easily explained. Activities that have a high threshold are more impressive as compared to low-threshold activities. Colleges want to hear about your activity and wonder how you pulled it off. The more interesting it will be, the higher will be your chances of getting admitted. 
• Focus on only a few activities. Don’t be the jack of all and master of none. Pick 3 – 5 activities and narrow your focus on them. Specialize in one activity: colleges would rather you master 1 activity and be in the 99th percentile than be decent in several activities and be in the 80th percentile.

What you should and shouldn’t do

• Do as many activities as you can in the 11th grade to save time to focus on academics in the 12th. 
• Narrow your focus to 3 – 5 activities that you care about the most and try to master them. 
• Let your activities tell your story. What you choose to stick with defines who you are; your passion speaks for you.
• Don’t let your grades suffer. 
• Don’t waste your vacations. Use your holidays to explore your interests and then focus on them. 
• Don’t forget to enjoy the process, because this time will never come back! TIP - Trust the process!

What you are waiting for, start volunteering! You can withdraw from small projects that you can complete on your within a short time; then, eventually, you can take up much larger projects that will take more time and people. If you find anything interesting and are willing to do it, you can start on your own.

If you want to take up a large project, you will need more resources or people, and you can check around your community and get help or check if a similar program already exists that you can join.

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Free Resources

Sample Assignment Community work report

Format: This assignment includes the analysis of community work in action. You may choose a project that you have personal involvement with, or a community development project with a web presence (i.e. communities attending to local or global issues).

Please ensure you use a professional report format in this assessment.

Length: 2000 words

Curriculum Mode: Report

Select an example of community work in action and examine the fundamental values and philosophies that inform the work. In your report ensure you answer the following questions:

• What is the project? Who is the community? What is the community work in action? What are its strengths and limiters? Max 300 words
• What theories of community work are drawn on? 300 words
• What ethics, attitudes or philosophies underpin the community work in this case study? 400 words
• How did the collaborators go about facilitating change for the community? Describe the specific strategies or process to create change and development for this community. 400 words
• What have been the outcomes or expressions of actions? 300 words
• Through your analysis, what have you learned about community development? What reflections do you have about yourself engaging in community work? Max 300 words

1. Community Work Project- A Brief Background

The community work project with which I personally associate is the company called ‘Community Works’ that collaborates with the other organizations for promoting socio-economic development. The work of this organization involves developing strategies, designing, implementing, evaluating, and learning from the community work projects. It also works for managing conflicts and facilitating communication (Community Works| Building Stronger Community, 2020).

The areas on which the community project primarily focuses include mental health, conflict resolution, and peacebuilding among the others. Some of the community work projects that organization is engaged with includes- ‘Ground Breaking Work on Early Childhood Development- Colombia’, ‘Connected; Support for better quality, access and relevance of Education- America’, ‘Scaling Strategy for Green Economy in Canada’, ‘Engaging with Workplace Conflict’, ‘Community Mental Health Services for Flood-Affected Communities’ and ‘Stronger Communities for Children’ among the others (Community Works| Building Stronger Community, 2020).

The community work project in which I was involved in the ‘Connected Support for better quality, access, and relevance of education’. Therefore the community work in action was ensuring better quality and access to education. This community work project was done in collaboration with the foundation called ‘ConnectED’ that was earlier known as the ‘Rachel and Jackie Foundation’. This project was held in the rural areas of Guatemala in the year 2019 and it is the community for which the community project work was proposed (ConnectED; support for better quality, access, and relevance of education in Central America, 2020). The strength of this community work project was that it was a community-based model that was implemented through the help of the local education leaders or the fellows. A possible limitation of this project was it was highly focussed on the research model and strategic planning that the actual practical implications of ensuring quality education at the grassroots were lagging. However, this community work project was a great learning experience.

2. Theories of Community Work

The theory of community work is as important as the practice because the ‘practice of community development is not only restricted to the technical procedures but is also related to specific values and theoretical understanding about the functioning of the society and therefore community development and its work rely on the various underlying theories’ (Kenny, 2016). Therefore, it becomes essential for the people involved in the community development work to be aware of the theoretical perspective and concepts (Kenny, 2016). As Marx stated; “To discuss practice in isolation is to divorce from its contexts and to minimize its links to the theory”, because only when we try to change the society is when we begin to understand it.

Community development work is therefore more than just ‘doing’ as it requires constant reflection on the practice through gaining a better understanding of the community and the social change (Debailleul et al., 2018). Furthermore; it involves not just the evaluation of theory in terms of practice but also evaluates the social work practice in terms of theoretical understanding. Both Marx and Engels associated social relations with production and capitalism as the existence of humans is dependent upon the act of production and how it gets produced (Scatamburlo et al., 2018).

The following table summarizes the key elements in the community development work, in which the first element is the information and before going to the stage of transformation or evaluation, it is necessary to have information like theories or concept by answering the question ‘what do we know?’ before ‘what changes are required?’. This includes developing an understanding of how society works for understanding how things can be done differently (Kenny, 2016).

Therefore, theories are an essential part of the community social work because it helps in focussing on the social issues prevailing in the society through providing a developed understanding about power dynamics and the social relations that governs the structuring of the diverse group and facilitate achievement of structural change through social justice (Pradeep and Sathyamurthi, 2017).

3. Ethics, Attitude or Philosophies Underpinning the Community Work

According to the Australian Community Workers Association (ACWA), the codes of ethics adopted by a practitioner acts as a foundation for the community work and benchmark for the social practitioners. Therefore, a community worker must acknowledge and respect every individual irrespective of its race, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, or any other aspect (Australian Community Workers Ethics and Good Practice Guide, 2017).

The following figure summarizes the indicators of ethical practices and principles that should be complied with by the community work practitioner (Australian Community Workers Ethics and Good Practice Guide, 2017).

The community work is based on the underlying ethics, attitudes, and philosophies as these help in shaping the value of the community work. Community development is possible through the sustenance of aspects like democracy, participation, self-determination, social justice, and personal values. The underlying philosophies help in resolving the moral and ethical dilemmas such as the conflicts with the communities, employers, funding bodies, or due issues specific to laws and regulations. Therefore the principles of openness, honesty, integrity, anti-oppressive practices, and non-violence must underpin the ethical decisions that taken with respect to the community development work (Ife, 2013).

The rules of ethics as employed by the community practitioners should be beyond traditional ethics and focus on the contemporary ethical foundation of community practice. Some of the key aspects related to ethics and philosophies in terms of social work involve ‘inclusion, participation, empowerment, diversity, advocacy, and social justice’ (Racher, 2007). Among these, collaboration among the organization, institutions, society, and the communities can further help in the facilitation of ethical attitude acting as the key aspect that underpins the community theory and practice (Racher, 2007).

According to Ife (2013), there are two foundations of community development; first is the ecological perspective and second the perspective of social justice. This represents two forms of thinking, one which thinks of the environment is the medium or the way of ensuring a sustainable future and second that focuses on the social justice and human rights for moving towards an equitable society. The community work with which I was involved focuses on the second foundation of the community development and therefore works of ensuring quality access to education as a means to ensure social justice and guaranteeing basic human rights. Power and empowerment are the basic tenants of ensuring social justice in terms of community work (Ife, 2013). Empowerment means giving the power into their hands and education is an important tool for facilitation of empowerment or feel empowered due to gaining knowledge. This is what the ‘ConnectED’ and ‘Community Works’ attempts to achieve through the provision of quality access to Education in Guatemala (ConnectED; support for better quality, access, and relevance of education in Central America, 2020).

4. Facilitating Change for the Community

The changes brought to communities are dependent upon the roles adopted for the community work which can be classified into four types according to Ife (2013); facilitative, educational, technical, or representational role. The following figure gives an overview of the four types of community work roles and skills that are required from bringing changes for a particular role (Ife, 2013).

The facilitation for bringing changes to the community involves stimulation and support of the community development so that the social workers act as the catalyst for action and contributes to the facilitation of the process. The facilitative role is mostly adopted in roles related to supporting, building consensus, mediation, negotiation, or utilization of skills and resources (Ife, 2013). The educational role involves the worker to be active in providing their knowledge and experience. The social worker engaged in the educational role assists the community in determining the learning agenda and the role includes consciousness-raising, informing, confronting, and training. The technical community work role on the other hand involves empowering the community through research, computer, verbal, or written control (Ife, 2013).

The changes were facilitated in the present case study that is in the community work project through mediation, negotiation, support, and building consensus through dealing with the conflicting interests within the community in terms of access to education and providing awareness about the structural issues through the social justice approach. Facilitation for building consensus towards a common goal was done through the group facilitation that is through the consciousness-raising groups and the training groups.

Since the purpose of the community work in collaboration of ‘ConnectED’ and ‘Community Works’ was focussed on ensuring better quality and access to education, hence the educational community work role was the main domain that was employed in this particular community work project. The aspect of consciousness-raising among the community member related to the importance of education and access to quality education as a tool for bringing transformation in their existing socio-economic condition was a major factor in this particular community work. This was the most difficult part as the community members of Guatemala were not confident about education as the right choice for bringing transformation. This is because the prevailing socio-economic condition of the community restricts their choices due to income and other factors which make them believe that survival through any means is a priority rather than education. Another crucial tool that was used facilitating change in terms of education was through the provision of training.

5. Outcomes of Community Action

The outcomes of the community work action directed to achieve educational access can be summarized as below (ConnectED; support for better quality, access, and relevance of education in Central America, 2020):

• Research on comparative education models
• Interviews with key individuals on the impact and future directions of ConnectED
• Preparation of a strategy and business plan
• Development of key strategy components including the Theory of Change, logic model and M&E metrics
• Design of communication materials, including a prospectus for potential local partners
• Preparation of training materials for workshops in Guatemala
• Contributions to plans for fundraising.

Further, this community action plan worked in achieving access to quality education through skills such as consciousness-raising, informing, training through facilitative role related to supporting, building consensus, mediation, negotiation, or utilization of skills and resources (Ife, 2013).

‘Community Works’ collaboration with ‘ConnectED’ helped in the broadening the objective for designing the communication material, preparing the material for training and workshops in Guatemala using the effective strategies for fundraising the educational models and meeting the objectives of the training for facilitative educational change in terms of quality access (ConnectED; support for better quality, access, and relevance of education in Central America, 2020).

6. Reflection on Community Work and Development

‘Community Work’ or ‘Community Development’ is not an easy task because the community includes diverse groups and differences in the ideologies as a result of which it also involves politics and power as emphasized by Meade et al. (2016). This can be a huge challenge for community development because it becomes difficult to establish solidarity and promote dialogue among the community members and also between the community workers and the community. Therefore, in my opinion, it becomes necessary to rethink the approach adopted for community development and not just one single time but to always re-think the approach in multiple contexts because the same approach cannot prove to be effective in different contexts and situations.

The role of a community worker should not only be based on the theoretical understanding of the ethical code of conduct but should also be extended to include facets like the context in which the community worker is operating as well as the change that the worker desires to bring. Often the social activities aimed at helping the communities can be used for personal merits or meeting the personal objectives, which should not be the case and therefore while engaging in a community development work it is essential to take into consideration the perspective of the community we wish to transform and how will the community benefit from the transformation.

7. References

Acwa.org.au. 2017. Australian Community Workers Ethics And Good Practice Guide .

Community Works. 2020. Community Works| Building a Stronger Community . [online] Available at: https://communityworks.com.au/ [Accessed 10 July 2020].

Community Works. 2020. Connected; Support For Better Quality, Access, And Relevance Of Education In Central America . [online] Available at: https://communityworks.com.au/project/connected-support-for-better-quality-access-and-relevance-of-education-in-central-america/ [Accessed 10 July 2020].

Debailleul, C., Bichler, S., and Nitzan, J., 2018. Theory and Praxis, Theory and Practice, Practical Theory. Review of Capital as Power , 1 (3), pp.40-57. Available at: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/176895/1/20180400_dbn_theory_and_praxis_recasp.pdf [Accessed 10 July 2020].

Ife, J., 2013. Community development in an uncertain world . Cambridge University Press.

Kenny, S., and Connors, P., 2016. Developing Communities for the Future 5ed . Cengage AU.

Meade, R., and Shaw, M. eds., 2016. Politics, power, and community development . Policy Press.

Pradeep, K.P., and Sathyamurthi, K., 2017. Community social work: A theoretical perspective. International Journal of Research in Social Sciences , 7 (10), pp.223-231. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sathyamurthi_Karibeeran2/publication/320263587_Community_Social_Work_A_Theoretical_Perspective/links/59d84e410f7e9b12b36132e3/Community-Social-Work-A-Theoretical-Perspective.pdf [Accessed 10 July 2020].

Racher, F.E., 2007. The evolution of ethics for community practice. Journal of Community Health Nursing , 24 (1), pp.65-76. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Frances_Racher/publication/6538924_The_Evolution_of_Ethics_for_Community_Practice/links/5741347708aea45ee847c792/The-Evolution-of-Ethics-for-Community-Practice.pdf [Accessed 10 July 2020].

Scatamburlo-D’Annibale, V., Brown, B.A., and McLaren, P., 2018. Marx and the Philosophy of Praxis. In International Handbook of Philosophy of Education (pp. 549-567). Springer, Cham. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325676992_Marx_and_the_Philosophy_of_Praxis [Accessed 10 July 2020].

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