Participant’s Manual
JCI Impact Projects for sustainable solutions to community challenges Version 01 January, 2013
JCI Official Course
JCI Impact Active Citizen Guide JCI Vision
Course Summary
“To be the leading global network of young active citizens.”
JCI Impact is a course aimed for JCI members who want to apply the Active Citizen Framework as a methodology to implement projects. The course discusses the active citizenship concept, covers the analysis of community needs, the establishment of the real causes of problems and discusses the projects a Local Organization can conduct with other partners in order to create long lasting positive changes in their communities.
JCI Mission “To provide development opportunities that empower young people to create positive change.” About JCI JCI is a membership-based nonprofit organization of young active citizens ages 18 to 40 in more than 100 countries who are dedicated to creating positive change in their communities. Each JCI member shares the belief that in order to create lasting positive change, we must improve ourselves and the world around us. JCI members take ownership of their communities by identifying problems and creating targeted solutions to create impact.
JCI Official Courses are designed to facilitate the learning process by combining the new theories with practice using the previous experiences from participants as a source of learning with the focus on sharing knowledge and experiences. © Copyright by JCI: All rights reserved. This publication is for the exclusive use of the trainers conducting the JCI Official Course and can only be reproduced for this purpose. All JCI Official Courses must be organized online and all participants must individually register online to qualify for the manual and to be certified as graduated from the course. This publication or parts of it may not be translated in any other language without the express permission of the JCI Secretary General. Published by Junior Chamber International (JCI), Inc. 15645 Olive Boulevard – Chesterfield, MO 63017, U.S.A. Tel: +1 (636) 449 3100 – Fax: +1 (636) 449 3107 Toll free (from USA only): 1 800 905 5499 E-Mail:
[email protected] - Website: www.jci.cc. 2
Content JCI Impact is a half day course divided in these modules: Module 1 – Active Citizenship Module 2 – Needs Analysis Module 3 – Sustainable Solutions Criteria to attend this course This course can only be attended by active JCI members or past members still contributing to the Local Organization and to graduate the participant must pass the online knowledge test and fill the trainer evaluation. The course must be organized online and have all participants registered online. Criteria to become Trainer of this course •
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Be an active JCI member or past members still contributing to the Local Organization for at least one year. Have graduated from this course and JCI Achieve.
JCI Impact Active Citizen Guide JCI Impact Introduction
identify community needs and address them through action projects.
The 21st century finds mankind in a world of rapid change. There is a meeting of the sophisticated and the backward. People everywhere are demanding a better life and a greater share of the good things. This is the turbulence that we find today in the world community. It is widely known, however, that the power to advance lies in the hands of the people. All that is necessary to satisfy these human aspirations is leadership! Leadership is a quality that JCI members are best equipped to provide. So the call goes out to thousands of JCI Local Organizations in more than 100 countries and territories to identify themselves firmly with the hopes and needs of their communities. To do so we must not think in terms of community service but in terms of Community Leadership. Ever since the formation of the Junior Chamber movement in 1915 in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A., members have made leadership in the community one of their major objectives. Since then, Local Organizations have expressed their concern for the welfare of their fellow citizens by conducting hundreds of projects that have formed the basis of JCI activity throughout the world. The highest form of community leadership is known as the “catalytic action” project, whereby the Local Organization engages people and organizations to achieve a major community objective previously considered to be beyond its capability. The JCI Active Citizens Framework will guide you and your Local Organization toward the realization of a community leadership role through the effective implementation of a balanced community program. This balance should be maintained between the more comprehensive catalytic actions and the smaller, direct action projects. As well, there must be a balance between projects that care for people and those that care for the environment.
No matter how large or small a Local Organization may be, it can conduct some kind of a Community Development project. This is true because the Local Organization determines the size of the community project based upon its own resources. The JCI vision of Community Development emphasizes leadership as a stimulus for people to discover their full potential to contribute to the community.
Definition of the Active Citizenship Active citizenship generally refers to a philosophy, states that members of companies or nation-states have certain roles and responsibilities to society, although those members may not have specific governing roles. Active citizenship can be seen as an articulation of the debate over rights versus responsibilities. If a body gives rights to the people under its remit, then those same people might have certain responsibilities to uphold. This would be most obvious at a country or nation-state level, but could also be wider, such as global citizenship. The implication is that an active citizen is one who exercises both their rights and responsibilities in a balanced way. What do we mean by "Active Citizenship"? To be a citizen is to be part of a community, a member of the society. To be an Active Citizen is to choose to participate and to take responsibility. It is empowerment - knowing that our destiny, and the destiny of the world, is in our own hands; that we have the power to influence. Active Citizens are the ones who make the difference / the world better.
The JCI Active Citizenship Framework is one of the tools used to advance the conditions and way of living of the people. The term has been used to describe a particular method of work or a set of techniques; a comprehensive process aimed at increasing human prosperity.
Through Active Citizenship the world, our societies and even ourselves become better. Every person (and especially a JCI member) has many opportunities to make a difference in their family, social and professional life. More globally, thinking about Corporate Social Responsibility Sustainability, that tell that business today is not only about profit but also about responsible behaviors. We take responsibility for the society we live in, we as people, become better.
For JCI members, the JCI Active Citizenship Framework is a system to combine efforts with their fellow citizens to
We feel better in a world that is more in line with our values; we feel more part of it, more connected. It is a
Active Citizenship Framework
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JCI Impact Active Citizen Guide moral duty to be involved in society and to create positive change. And everyone can make a difference because even small choices matter. By choosing to make a difference, by knowing your purpose and by continuously challenging each other, you have the possibility to become stronger contributors to the world.
do not know the importance of being active, or do not have perception, they will not be able to take into action. The nature of volunteering is changing. There is cynicism and lack of confidence in democratic and consultative structures – Individuals may feel they are not genuinely listened to. There is a sense of unease regarding economic changes that impact on the community. New ways need to be developed to attract, support and recognize the role of volunteers.
Guiding Principles: • • • •
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Active Citizenship concerns everyone. We all have rights and responsibilities, and shared national, continental and global interests. Strong and healthy communities welcome diversity in cultural expression, values and lifestyles. Openness, accountability and trust will help maximize participation in the democratic and decision making process. A successful society depends on a partnership with citizens, civil society, unions, business, and elected representatives. Active Citizens are made, not born. Active Citizenship needs leadership.
Citizens should be aware of the importance to be a part and take their responsibility. This is going to be an output of the understanding the importance of the voluntarism. As much as a volunteer contributes to the society, the Social Capital (SC) of the citizen is increasing… SC is something like a bank account and you can built your SC with social activities. If you do that you build up your network...
Active Citizenship is not for someone else – it is for each one of us, as well as for government, businesses, the media, unions, and organizations (such as JCI). It is about how we engage with each other and create together a set of shared values for a better society.
Active Citizenship refers to the voluntary action of citizens and communities working together in the pursuit of common goals. It is not easy to define the challenges of active citizenship due that, although rights are often written down as part of law, responsibilities are not as well defined, and there may be disagreements amongst the citizens as to what the responsibilities are. Yet, if we say that an active citizen is someone who takes a role in the community, then the biggest challenge is lack of active citizens or inactive citizens; this will create a really big global problem for sure. An active citizen is a person who doesn’t hesitate to take steps towards the mistakes or missing things that they realize. A world lacking of active citizens will be chaotic and static because of not coming into action. Everything will remain as it is with the missing parts, mistakes.
Political indifference is another challenge that we should think about it. People do not realize that they have a voice, nobody raises their voice and therefore we as a society are losing the value and contribution of each individual that would add great value to society. People do not realize the benefit of their opinion and therefore they should know the importance. This needs a change in the believes followed by a change in attitude. We may brief it in three steps: • Be aware of the importance of their voice/opinion/contribution • Set a goal for future • Act for that
Active Citizen Frame Work Tools The JCI Active Citizen Framework illustrates the methodic manner in which JCI Local Organizations around the world embark on creating positive change in their communities. In essence the framework allows young people to play an active role in bringing all sectors of society to work together towards sustainable development. By bringing all sectors together in identifying needs they will build partnerships that working together will lead to sustainable development. JCI is looking to develop simple user-friendly highly efficient Internet based tools that will allow its members to be able to:
Let’s think about the worst case. Assume that a big earthquake happened and no one is eager to help to one other. If a rescue team is not available on that time, active citizens should be there to help people. If people 4
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1. Collect and analyze the needs in their communities, 2. Plan a project based on the needs analysis 3. Manage a project based on the plan
JCI Impact Active Citizen Guide 4. Evaluate the results of the project.
the number of people impacted by the project, the amount of resources used, the role involvement of community stakeholder and the cost benefit analysis of the project.
Needs Analysis Instead of JCI members just deciding on what projects will create positive change, the framework tools enable them to begin action by analyzing the needs in their communities. JCI members will be able to analyze needs by conducting online surveys, face to face meeting with government officials, community businesses, civil society organizations and citizens, organize town hall meetings and hold group meetings with a cross sections of the population. The surveys must include simple questions but ones that will lead to easy analysis of community needs. All information that is collected in face-to-face meetings, interviews with citizens, town hall meetings or group meetings will be inputted into the online tool for analysis. The system analyzes the inputted information and lists out the priorities of needs. This will permit members determine which projects they will run based on the outcome of their analysis.
This part of the tool should be able to provide an output range that should tell the user whether project should be reconsidered or not. Conclusion To make the Active Citizen Framework effective the tools must be user friendly simple and easy to use. It must look fresh and attractive to young people as well as highly interactive. What we seek to accomplish here is breaking new grounds, we cannot afford to settle for less, yet we are conscious of limitations in our resources. We must be creative and innovative and we must look far into the future like no one has done before.
How to organize a Community Development Project
Project Planning Based on the needs analysis JCI members determine which need they intend to craft sustainable solutions to in the community. Such a solution must be one that is sustainable and not just providing short-term solution. The online tool will help JCI members determine what action to take through a series of questions. Such questions will simply be intended to make members think critically towards long lasting solutions to problems. For example if after needs analysis, poverty is listed as one of community challenges, the project-planning tool will help members think of the root cause of poverty rather than just short-term solution such providing education or economic empowerment opportunities. The tool will provide action steps toward developing a good plan online that the participants will use to plan their project. Project Management
The basic purpose of the Community Development project is to identify the needs of your community and then to conduct a series of projects that meet those needs. Before reviewing the actual project, it is important to realize a few key points: 1. To implement the actual Community Development project, it is important for the Local Organization to utilize its maximum manpower and skills. 2. Planning is the key to success. Although this expression may sound like a cliché, it is an accurate one. Planning takes many forms; it ranges from the initial idea to a detailed, written, step-by-step plan. Planning itself is an essential part of the Local Organization’s activity. It consists of assessing in the present what should be done in the future in order to fulfill the following purpose effectively:
The project management part of the tool will help members take step-by-step action in accomplishing their tasks. This will include time lines for the accomplishment of specific tasks, people involved or responsible, resources necessary for the accomplishment of the task and the projected outcome of every specific task. Management and Evaluation Mechanism This part of the tool will match original action with obtained results and determine what the impact of the project is on the community. This will evaluate based on JCI Impact
“To give members the chance to become actively involved in constructive projects to improve their community and, simultaneously, to provide them with opportunities for personal development.” By implementing those projects that are best suited to your members and that best fulfill the needs of your community, you will retain your members’ interest, provide possibilities for personal development, and render valuable leadership to your community. 5
JCI Impact Active Citizen Guide 3. The Local Organization should establish a Community Development Commission having the following priorities: a. The commitment toward understanding the concept of community development project methods; studying this and other publications on the subject. b. The motivation to determine the needs of the community and why a particular project is necessary to meet those needs.
c.
Partners
This is the area of interest that distinguishes JCI from many other organizations and grants the members the opportunity for constructive action. The types of community projects conducted will vary from Local Organization to Local Organization according to their needs. However, in all cases, the conception of a project begins by finding out what a community really needs.
There are various groups whose support you will need to carry out a successful project. Firstly, you must get the support of your Local Organization members to avoid having to do all the work by yourself. As it is a community project, various community groups must support you as well. These groups include the news media, community leaders, community organizations, sympathetic individuals and the public in general.
The capacity to understand how a project can be implemented by JCI members.
It is easier to interest the community in a specific project than it is to gain their support for an overall community program. Therefore, each Local Organization community project will require a different method of gaining support from different groups. It is also important to decide what type of support you need: do you need manpower, publicity, finance or endorsement? Each group will be able to give you a different type of support.
d. The establishment of specific and identifiable goals for the projects. Goal setting is an extremely important function of any planning process. A goal establishes what you want to achieve in relation to each project and defines the standard of measurement. 4. Once the Community Development Commission has determined the needs of the community, it is necessary to establish priorities to determine which projects should be conducted by the Local Organization during the year. This establishment of priorities is made through study and planning, leading to the selection of the best projects to achieve the goals set by the Local Organization. A need in the community may require more than one project before it is fulfilled; however, these projects could be interrelated, with one leading to the next or supplementing the other. 5. The result of the work done by the Community Development Commission it to be submitted to the Local Organization’s Board of Directors for approval and selection of the priority projects. 6. When the Local Organization has accepted the project proposed, it should allocate the responsibility of the project to a project chairman. 6
7. The image and effectiveness of the entire Local Organization, as well as that of its individual members, are reflected in the performance and results of each and every project. The first element is to identify problems in the community, set specific and identifiable goals for each project, and inform members what is going to happen each month of the year. Another element is guiding the project chairmen in the basic steps of organizing each of the projects.
The Local Organization members must be convinced that the project fulfills a community need, is a feasible exercise, and will be appropriate for the Local Organziation to carry out. Members must be enthused, and, to gain their support, you must plan your presentation well. The news media can be a good friend. Involve news personnel from the very beginning and keep them informed with concise, factual information. Treat them courteously and, where possible, invite their advice as to how your project can be publicized to the best advantage. Community leaders will take a natural interest in good community projects. Be very diplomatic and be sure to recognize their contribution to the success of the project. Such leaders—if suitably impressed by your sincerity, presentation, organization and the objectives of the project—will be strong allies in your program. Other organizations might be very glad to add their support. Your best sources are the groups most closely
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JCI Impact Active Citizen Guide identified with a certain project. Sometimes such groups may have wanted to implement that very project or one of a similar nature but were handicapped by a lack of organization, manpower or opportunity. The general public has to deal with exposure to advertising and publicity for many things. Somehow, your message must reach the various segments that make up the general public (i.e., children, teenagers, senior citizens, professional people, farmers, etc.). Therefore, it is necessary to plan your project so that its message goes out to all the groups whose support you seek. A word of caution: plan to combat those forces that will work against your cause. This opposition can be passive (like public apathy) or it can be active, as when traditions oppose the changes that are suggested by your project. You also have the opposition of misunderstanding, bad publicity, ignorance and even poverty. The secret of a successful campaign to gain support is understanding. If all groups understand the benefits of the project, why the project needs their support, and what they must do to help it succeed, you will get all the support you need . . . and maybe more.
Promoting your project The most effective method a Local Organization can use in establishing a good public image is to implement a successful, well publicized community project. The purpose of public relations is to let your community and members know what you stand for, what projects your Local Organization is conducting, what you have achieved, and what you are trying to achieve. Thus, when you approach business leaders or your community for support, your reputation has preceded you, and they know what sort of an organization JCI really is. Ostensibly, it helps the recruitment program of a Local Organization if the people in your community know that you are an organization worth joining. Public relations is a integral part of a Local Organization’s planning and action. It must not be confused with publicity, which is simply a method of informing. Good public relations requires that information be given, but of primary importance is what you accomplish and how you accomplish it. Well-planned and well-executed projects that are of real value to the members and the community are necessary to obtain the best public relations.
Here are some suggestions that could be useful in promoting the public image of your Local Organization: 1. Know your media. Make a list of all the media organizations in your community, or at least those that you think may be of interest to you. a. Newspapers are a valuable medium for continual coverage. A feature story could probably be developed from press releases submitted to the editor along with photos. Be sure to supply the media with resource materials about the organization, especially about successful projects. b. Radio and television provide the largest audiences. Since JCI is a nonprofit organization, public service announcements available at no cost will probably be the most accessible avenue. 2. Know your media people. Meet them personally and show that you are interested in helping them. Ask them how they would like to hear from you—by advance notice, phone or e-mail. 3. Prepare routine fact sheets. These will present your major projects in a concise, easily assimilated way. Fact sheets cannot be used by the press as such but will arouse the interest of news people and serve as a reference. Samples of JCI Fact Sheets are available from JCI’s Website. 4. Plan your public relations event. A Local Organization’s public relations event in connection with a community project should be planned to earn support from the public. The press and other media cover the news. The problem is to determine what is news from the journalist’s point of view. The journalist considers whether a story is new, warmed up, or cold and whether the subject matter is relevant today. Convincing proof of relevance will establish the quality of your project. If you do a good job, chances are the story will appear in the next edition of the local newspaper or in the next broadcast of radio or television news. Once again, the importance of publicity cannot be overstated. It can be virtually guaranteed if generated by a well-organized, dynamic community project of consequence to the general public. Bear this in mind when contacting you local newspaper, radio or TV station with an announcement, article or news release.
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JCI Impact Active Citizen Guide The JCI Project Planning Process The best method of implementing a successful community project is to follow the five steps of the JCI Project Planning Process.
will be necessary to organize one or more training sessions for prospective interviewers.
Step 1: Survey How can a Local Organization discover the actual needs or challenges in a community? Your Local Organization members certainly do not want to spend time on community projects that have not been researched, have been deemed unnecessary, or are irrelevant to your community. A comprehensive community survey is the best way to discover the needs of the community. Be sure to involve as many members as possible in conducting the survey. After the survey, your Local Organization analyzes these findings and establishes its community project. It is very important that, whenever possible, your Local Organization involves professionals in the field of community surveys (e.g., public relations or marketing consultants) so that you avoid conducting an inadequate survey that would result in an inadequate Community Development project. A. PREPARING THE SURVEY 1. Your Community Survey Committee must have some idea of the nature and scope of the survey, as they are then in a better position to discuss survey goals with consultants experienced in social research. 2. Visit a public relations or marketing consultant to discuss your survey. Professors in marketing and sociology at your nearest university may also be helpful. Also, students taking such a course may very well offer to participate in the survey.
7. The best technique for implementing your specific Local Organization survey is the one that can be best handled by the resources of the Local Organization. This means you must carefully consider your manpower, the size of the community served by your Local Organization, financial resources, support from community leaders, and the professional expertise available in this field. Tailoring your survey according to your resources would be our best advice to you. 8. You may have to choose between a comprehensive survey and a selective survey. The comprehensive survey covers a wide range of topics, while the selective survey may concentrate on only one or more specific areas. 9. The type of questions you ask the citizens in the community is important. Some questions are defined in detail with recommendations. You would do well to read that section carefully. B. WHICH TYPE OF SURVEY IS THE MOST SUITABLE?
3. While some members are preparing the survey document, others should be arranging sponsorship for the printing of the documents. Some members should be gathering sufficient manpower to carry out the survey and creating the appropriate publicity so that the public and those polled will understand the purpose of the survey. 4. Establish a survey timetable. This will depend upon the type of survey you select. 5. Person-to-person interviews are not always easy. It 8
6. We have mentioned publicity already, but it is worth repeating. It is more important in large communities than in small ones to make citizens aware that a comprehensive survey is being undertaken by the Local Organization. Carefully planned media coverage of the survey—as well as the use of posters, displays and other types of promotion—will result in a more positive public response to the survey.
1. Public survey. Go out on the streets and ask questions of a cross section of the community. 2. Leader survey. Visit a cross section of community leaders and ask their opinions. 3. Representative survey. Carefully select a representative cross section of the public and mail a questionnaire or make personal visits to them. 4. Panel discussion survey. Organize a public meeting featuring a panel of qualified individuals speaking on the issues under consideration.
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JCI Impact Active Citizen Guide 5. Other. Local professionals in this field will suggest other survey methods to you (public relations and marketing consultants, lecturers in marketing at universities or technical institutes, etc.).
Local Organization’s efforts in conducting the Community Development project. E. TYPES OF QUESTIONS
C. WHAT IS THE SURVEY PROCEDURE? 1. Determine the area of interest (physical appearance of the community, people projects, historical, general, etc.) 2. Visit professionals in the field of social research. 3. Study available records from past surveys and other sources. 4. Send out a Local Organization observation team to look and listen in the community. (Find out about road conditions, water pollution, smoke nuisance, lack of playgrounds, inadequate youth facilities, badly maintained historical sites, etc.) 5. Select the type of survey that will best serve the purposes of your Local Organization Community Development project. 6. Carry out the survey. D. PLAN OF ACTION FOR COMMUNITY SURVEYS Always enlist the support of professionals when preparing the survey. Contact nearby Local Organizations and non-JCI groups for assistance when conducting the survey unless your Local Organization members can handle it without outside help. Make preparations for receiving the survey results. 1. Develop a community survey. Include questions about community problems and needs. 2. Secure media coverage before the event. Ask local newspapers, radio and television stations to run articles announcing the survey. 3. Determine the “target public” to be surveyed. Target several residential areas to visit (it is not necessary to go to every house in the community; perhaps survey one household per block), high pedestrian traffic areas, and a favorite grocery or department store. 4. After the event. Make sure that you thank businesses, government and the media for their support and offer them the opportunity to join your
All your planning can be undone by your selection of questions. We have compiled some recommendations and types of questions for you to consider. 1. True or false; yes or no Are you satisfied with the current number of parks with green areas in the city? o Yes o No 2. Multiple choices What the community needs to do most urgently for its youth is: o Build a park. o Open a youth center. o Establish a number of youth clubs. o Construct a community swimming pool. 3. Factual How many different religions are represented in this community? __________________________________________ __________________________________________ 4. Opinion What do you think is wrong with our community? __________________________________________ __________________________________________ 5. Priority listing By numbering the following items from 1 through 5 (with 1 being the highest priority), give your opinion on the order of priority to be followed by local authorities to lessen crime in our community: o Organize an educational program in schools. o Increase the size of the police force. o Institute a number of incentives to citizens for criminal apprehension. o Introduce more severe penalties for certain crimes. o Plan for community crime awareness campaign. There are other types of questions that you can incorporate into your survey. This list will indicate to you how important it is to prepare your questions for your community survey. F. QUESTIONS TO AVOID 1. Leading questions, like “Do you think our town
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JCI Impact Active Citizen Guide needs better streets?” Nearly every community in the world needs better streets. This can only be answered by yes and does not help you to determine specifically the type of attention the streets and perhaps the whole transport system requires.
A small Local Organization might find that it has enough worthwhile community projects to deal with for the next few years! The next step is to make a priority list of the projects that most urgently need the attention of your Local Organization and appoint a project chairman for them. You are now ready to move on to the next step.
2. Questions the public cannot answer, like “Should the new community water storage tank contain 800,000, 900,000 or 1,000,000 gallons of water?” Such a question will elicit an uninformed answer or no answer at all. At the same time, the person being questioned will doubt the contribution he or she can make to such a questionnaire. 3. Questions that require too many answers, like “Should there be more emphasis placed on tourism, and, if so, where should the emphasis be placed, and how much public money should be spent?” You lose the person answering your questionnaire very quickly with multiple questions. These examples confirm that your preparation of the survey questionnaire is of the utmost importance.
Now is the time for planning. The survey has been completed and analyzed, your Local Organization has selected a number of projects and placed them on a priority list, and project chairmen have been appointed to lead each Project Committee. Now each project requires a Plan of Action. Before establishing the plan, remember that your Local Organization is not the only organization in the community capable of handling projects. So, communicate with other groups, local government agencies, and nearby Local Organizations to avoid duplication, unnecessary rivalry, or misunderstanding. The Project Committee
Step 2: Analysis The survey has been completed and all the relevant information has been collected from the questionnaires and interviews. Now it is time to analyze the results. You have before you a variety of data—answers to questions, reports, letters, and documents— that must be interpreted to answer your major question, “What are the real needs of our community?” The material should be organized logically and studied so that the list of community needs can be placed in an order of priority. Your Local Organization must produce a Survey Report presenting the results of the Community Survey as quickly as possible to maintain the momentum of community and member interest as well as their enthusiasm.
A well-organized team for implementing each project is the foundation for success. An effective way of ensuring this is to assign appropriate projects to a particular committee under the control of a chairman. It is the committee chairman’s responsibility to select committee members. He or she should look for a balanced group combining enthusiasm, specialized skills and experience, and each member should have a specific responsibility. What to Do First The first meeting of the committee should be for project planning. The chairman should guide committee members to think the project through step-by-step. It is the chairman’s goal to enthuse the committee about the task, help them visualize the job ahead, and anticipate the problems they will encounter. THE PLAN OF ACTION
Present the pertinent results of the survey to the community via the news media or a prominent community organization. Even though you must take immediate action to resolve the problems revealed during the survey, the very act of implementing the survey, making the analysis, and reporting the results has been a positive community contribution. 10
Step 3: Planning
With all the factors mentioned in mind, your Project Committee is ready to draw up a Plan of Action. Take into account the financial and membership resources of your Local Organization. The Plan of Action must include the following: 1. The Purpose of the Project. Establish the reason why your committee is conducting the project. The
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JCI Impact Active Citizen Guide Purpose must identify the project’s aims in one sentence that can easily be understood by everybody involved in the project. 2. The Major Responsibilities of Key Result Areas. Divide the project activities into different Key Result Areas, such as Finances, Promotion, Records, Administration, etc. 3. The Objectives in Each Area. Establish the major Objectives in each Key Result Area. The Objectives must be achievable and easily understood by the members of the committee. 4. Strategies to Accomplish Each Objective; the Person Responsible for It, and the Deadline. Under each Objective determine who should be responsible for the task, and when it should be completed.
their project with Step IV. In many instances these projects have not achieved their set goals or have only been of minimal value to the community and the Local Organization. So, before moving to this stage, be sure you have prepared properly by covering the first three steps. In the Action phase, the project gets underway, and all participants are busy carrying out their share of the responsibilities. Each project chairman is encouraged to follow the basic steps of project planning. The Action phase involves important skills such as delegation, supervision, communications, personnel management, public speaking and a variety of other skills. Here are some brief points to consider in the Action phase of the project: 1.
5. Action Steps in Each Strategy. Each Strategy must be broken down into small Action Steps. Every action that must be taken by a committee member in order to complete a Strategy must be written down so everybody knows exactly what they are to do and what is expected of them and others.
2. 3. 4. 5.
After the Plan of Action is completed, the following information will be needed: 6. a. b. c. d. e. f. g.
A chronological order of events or actions A time schedule A budget outline An incentive or recognition scheme An outline of the Local Organization’s commitments in the project Terms of Reference (outline of duties) for each committee member List of outside organizations, resources, and people involved in the project.
The Plan of Action is then submitted to the Local Organization’s Board. The approval by the Board of Directors or the General Membership Meeting will establish the Local Organization’s commitment to the project and will allow your team to get ready for Step IV: Action.
7.
Be sure that all participants understand the main and subsidiary objectives of the project. Share the workload and responsibilities among all participants. Prepare brief Terms of Reference (list of duties) for all participants. Keep everyone in the Local Organization informed at all times on project progress. Emphasize incentives; the main incentive being “individual development through effective community involvement.” Keep accurate records in one central system so that progress can be tabulated regularly, thus avoiding a last-minute rush of paperwork at the end of the project. At all times plan the project on formats that are easy to maintain and complete.
Sacrifices have to be made at this time in the project. Members give up free time and may have to forego leisure interests until the project is over. Keep this in mind when allocating your responsibilities, and be sure that efficiency is maintained at all times. This will not only minimize the sacrifices that must be made but also serves to side-step any risk of project failure at this critical phase that can occur despite excellent preparations beforehand. After the exercise will come the final step in the process—Evaluation.
Step 5: Evaluation
Step 4: Action Warning – JCI members are often so eager to get started on project activity that they have hurried through the first three steps of the Community Project Planning Process or have skipped them altogether, commencing
Can you remember where it all began? If you have followed the first four steps, Evaluation will be a natural concluding step for your project. Your Local Organization does not end its responsibility with the project until the evaluation of the exercise has been done. The
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JCI Impact Active Citizen Guide members, the public and perhaps even community leaders or certain groups will want to know the outcome of the project. The project may have been an outstanding success, but still not have satisfied the need. It may even have uncovered a whole list of needs that will need action by some group. That group may very well be your Local Organization again. If it failed, it is important for the JCI learning process to find out why it failed and how remedies can be applied either now or when a similar project is tried again.
Was the project a success? If so, why was it? Is further action required to fulfill the need?
•
If it wasn’t a success, why not?
As active citizens we can no longer subscribe to the notion that national security she be provided by governments but we must ensure the security of every human being from want or fear. In recent years the United Nations has began to address the concept of Human Security, which simplistically is a concept that seeks to ensure the security of every human being towards food, health, the environment, personal, community and politics.
After each project, ask these questions: •
Beyond national boundaries and government bureaucracies’ young active citizens will have to take initiative to ensure progress and development of communities. The term Citizens Initiative has been used to define the notion that positive change in the world will be brought about by the action of individuals rather than the action of nations or states.
In addition to the evaluation of one project, it is important to have a periodic evaluation of the whole Local Organization Community Development program. Community growth, changes of local leaders, changes in attitudes or the influence of successful projects by other groups may require alterations in the Local Organization’s Community Development program. Prepare a Project Record that will contain an outline of the project, news clippings, photographs, a Final Report on the project, minutes of committee meetings, charts, and other relevant items. This record will be placed in your Local Organization’s library or will form the basis of an awards entry before it is placed in the Local Organization’s library. A good Local Organization Community Development project usually spans a number of Local Organization administrations, so an Annual Report should be prepared to allow the new administration to continue an effective community project. At the end of the project, the chairman, the committee, and all participants can take pride in their achievement and feel satisfied that the experience has developed them as individuals. Such is the true test of a first-class community project.
Conclusion
The perspective of “Human Security” emerged in the context that a nations no longer have the ability to deal with issues that face the security of individuals unilaterally. Human security means to protect the vital core of human lives in a ways that enhances human freedom and human fulfillment. It works to free people of their fears as it relates to conflicts, terrorism, natural disasters, environmental degradation, infectious disease and economic crisis. It relates to the ability to elevate people out of poverty, illiteracy, poor health and the lack of vital social services. These problems continue to prevail because governments whether in developed or emerging economies cannot sufficiently satisfy the wants of the people. The old notion of top down approach to human development from government has proven insufficient. It will take a bottom to top grassroots efforts implemented by citizens like JCI members to meet these wants. We are responsible for the future of our communities, our countries and the world at large. At no time has our mission which empowers young people to create positive change, been more relevant than now. At no time has our action been more urgent than now.
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In the 21 century with the cold war past and increased globalization, people are exposed to threats that cannot be resolved by unilateral efforts of nations.
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With a vision to becoming a leading global organization, we must reaffirm our commitment to our mission and as one global team with a unified sense of purpose embark on an ambitious journey to lead the world to a new era.
JCI Impact
JCI Impact Active Citizen Guide The Benefits of a Community Development Project Individual benefits:
Local Organization benefits:
Community benefits:
Involvement In our rapidly changing society, all citizens are expected to become involved in the future of their community.
Involvement In today’s society, organizations must play a part in the future of their community.
Involvement Community leaders will have a strong ally in the battle to have more citizens become aware of community responsibilities.
Experience The member uses such skills as organization, group and committee activity, planning, public relations, reporting, speech making and basic self-management. Also involved are delegation, motivation, supervision and meeting community leaders.
Experience The Local Organization becomes a stronger unit because its members have gained in experience.
Experience The citizens experience the enthusiasm and efficiency of the Local Organization and have the opportunity of seeing the young leaders of the future in action. The community will gain the experience of learning more about its potential from the JCI projects.
Learning The individual will learn the skills above and more about his or her community.
Learning The Local Organization will learn more about its community role and responsibilities.
Learning Citizens will learn more about JCI, particularly in Catalytic Action projects.
Leadership The individual member is accepted as a community leader.
Leadership The Local Organization is recognized as a leadership organization.
Leadership The community gains young leaders who will be responsible for guiding it in the future.
Membership Individuals may very well join the Local Organization when they become involved in projects or see the publicity that is part of the project.
Membership More people may join the Local Organization when they become involved in projects or see the publicity the project receives.
Membership More citizens are given the opportunity to join a community development organization that will make them better persons.
Satisfaction The individual has the feeling of pride and satisfaction at the conclusion of a good project.
Satisfaction The Local Organization has the satisfaction that it continues to play a role in community betterment.
Satisfaction The community is satisfied with the results and that its young citizens are preparing for future leadership.
JCI Impact
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JCI Vision . “To be the leading global network of young active citizens.” JCI Mission “To provide development opportunities that empower young people to create positive change.” About JCI JCI is a membership-based nonprofit organization of young active citizens ages 18 to 40 in more than 100 countries who are dedicated to creating positive change in their communities. Each JCI member shares the belief that in order to create lasting positive change, we must improve ourselves and the world around us. JCI members take ownership of their communities by identifying problems and creating targeted solutions to create impact.
