The Five Principle Approach
KCD has adopted five principles that shape its community development approach:
The Benefits of The Five Principle Approach:
The goal of this approach is to build enduring structures into communities that work to maximize the opportunities of each community and its constituent groups to facilitate access to the information, support, entitlements and opportunities that they deserve without barriers. These structures should allow them to anticipate and resolve challenges, and to seize opportunities for equity, inclusion and positive change.
It focuses on building communities where people are aware of and can exercise their democratic rights and assume their responsibilities; where people are connected and involved in decision-making processes; where there are the support systems built in that allow all members to understand and exercise their choices and where the community groups have the ability and the opportunity to communicate with one another effectively.
Using the five principle approach, we can start to build a picture of a healthy community as a place:
- Where everyone feels safe, included and has access to the resources they need to be healthy and productive
- Where individuals and groups have access to information and opportunities to plan and achieve their objectives, individually and collectively
- Where people are linked together in networks that have the ability to address local issues and work toward shared goals
- That is seamlessly integrated into the fabric of the community and the region socially, economically, culturally
- Where everyone has equitable access to the full range of rights, entitlements and opportunities of South African society.