Community development is all about making the right changes every day. When people come together to solve problems affecting them, it enhances sustainable use of resources. Jerome Karam Houston has been advocating for this all his life.
Positive community changes include community engagement that brings a sense of inclusion to all community members. It has for a long time proven to be a uniting tool for communities as people learn the importance of valuing each other.
However, for a community to change, many processes are involved. Mobilizing people and engaging them is challenging. The community has different opinions, and agreeing to change is an uphill task for community leaders. That is why having a leader who can guide the community when making changes like Jerome Karam Houston is essential.
The idea behind bringing in community changes is first having good development activities, which Jerome Karam has been advocating. It ensures that the community members identify and appreciate the resources available and create good use of these resources. It is an excellent chance for people to understand the various challenges of different community members and assist each other in finding practical solutions.
Further, in the process of changing, a community gets to know harmful and outdated social cultures. Awareness creation is a focal point of effective changes. It may help identify other social concerns in the community, including health, poverty, and hunger.
Changing the community is not all about solving problems but also celebrating life. It helps people reach their full potential. We live in an imperfect world, and if everybody could put other people’s needs before theirs, the world would become a better place.
Communities differ, but there are a few similarities in the process of effecting change. The five phases include:
Table of Contents
Commitment
Commitment starts with assembling community members to address important issues and create partnerships with other successful agencies. Coalitions allow the participants to own the process and support policies and environmental change programs.
Assessment
In the assessment phase, information is gathered on what the community requires. Assessment is also an ideal way of ensuring that the community’s voice is heard. For a significant impact, community changes must include the needs of a community. A community voice influences the community organizing design.
Planning
After assessing the community’s needs, the next process is planning. The team develops the Community Action Plan for change with the available information. This involves what exactly will be included leaving out the irrelevant parts.
Execution
The execution process involves implementing the planned actions in collaboration with partners and the community team. Execution requires consideration of the commitment and ownership created in the initial stage. It is what enhances successful implementation.
Evaluation
Evaluation is carried out throughout the community change process. It provides a base for examining the process, particularly checking if the right strategies are being implemented and creating an envisioned impact. Experts like Jerome Karam Houston may help in conducting this process. Evaluation can be formal or informal, but either way, it helps gather lessons from the ongoing activities and recommendations for future improvements.
Different Types of Community Projects and Their Benefits
A majority of community development projects focus on improving the lives of the residents in various ways. A good example is a program that aims to impart the skills they require to enter the labor market. Other communities also capitalize on projects that focus on the health status of their residents. They do this by educating members on the significance of maintaining a healthy weight or getting preventive care.
Others shift their focus from conducting health education to supporting residents who receive affordable healthcare services. The project activities may include distributing vaccines for free or at a reduced price, offering free-of-charge dental check-ups, or providing advice on weight loss. Some health projects may specialize in regular healthcare for the elderly and children in the area.
Another type of community project is the safety of community members to protect them from dangerous situations that involve domestic violence, drug abuse, and other forms of crime. This is done by reducing the number of homeless people in the community by providing housing at a reduced cost through leading community development experts like Jerome Karam Houston. In other cases, some residents are unemployed and cannot feed their families. That is why programs focused on enhancing work skills are common in many communities.
If a community can have skilled members, they will be able to minimize the need for other projects like those that support community members to save money, pay utilities and get food donations. This program also helps in identifying open positions, whether permanent or temporary. In return, more people get employment opportunities, which fosters economic development for the community and attracts hiring companies to the area.
About Jerome Karam
If you live in Southwestern Louisiana or Texas, you might have heard about the trailblazer in real estate, Jerome Karam, the founder, and operator of JMK5 Holdings. Jerome Karam has redeveloped over one million square feet of real estate in the past five years alone. Turning struggling real estate into thriving commercial districts.
Take the case of the Texas City Mall, where Jerome Karam has redeveloped it into a world class bustling city centre. Jerome attributes his real estate triumphs to his loving wife, Leslie, and their five children.