Do you sometimes feel powerless to tackle problems in your neighbourhood? A community of action can make a difference. This is a group of residents coming together to make positive changes.
In this blog, you will learn what it is and how it works. Find out how you can bring about change!
A Community of Action brings people together around a shared goal or issue. They actively work for change by encouraging direct action and collaboration.
The role of Community of Action in Social Change
A Community of Action strengthens involvement in public services. It encourages community initiative to tackle local problems. Read more about our approach here.
Local communities can use action research to tackle problems such as housing shortages or environmental issues. In doing so, you strengthen the voice of vulnerable groups and help them influence decisions. Participatory policy development ensures that your insights and needs are taken directly into account in municipal policies. Community-based initiatives such as CBAR (Community-Based Action Research) build well-being and emancipation. Together with others, you can mobilise resources to implement change. Local governments listen to organised groups more often because they present concrete plans and solutions.
Social movements need strong communities to make an impact. You can take action by making connections between personal and political issues. Feminist theory highlights how your experiences play a role in broader social change. Black and anti-racist approaches help you understand and combat racism as a structural problem. Community action gives you tools and strategies to support these movements. Through collective action, you can influence local policy-making and improve public services. In doing so, you fight against neoliberal systems that perpetuate inequality.
A Community of Action often arises around shared goals or pressing issues. Clear roles and decision-making strengthen cooperation within the group.
To build a Community of Purpose, you need clear goals and an active approach. Maintaining it requires commitment and strategy.
Target group analysis
We map the needs, interests and behaviour of the target group. This forms the basis for a successful community strategy.
Concept development and strategy
We develop a strong community concept and define the strategy to engage and activate the target group.
Ambassador programme
We identify and support core members who act as ambassadors and help strengthen the community.
Events
We organise both online and offline events to encourage connection and interaction within the community.
Stakeholders & Partner management
We engage relevant stakeholders and build valuable partnerships that strengthen the community.
Community communication
We create and manage effective communication channels to promote community engagement and interaction.
Platform selection and technology
We select and implement the right platform and technical tools that optimise the community experience.
Support & advice
We provide guidance, monitoring and continuous optimisation to ensure community growth and impact.
Effective methods encourage collaborative decision-making within the community. Practical approaches strengthen direct involvement and action-oriented thinking.
Community-based action research (CBAR) focuses on strengthening communities. It helps address problems in your neighbourhood directly. This research combines social justice and community engagement. You work with others to find solutions to local challenges, such as poor public services or limited resources. CBAR strengthens the voices of marginalised groups, allowing you to actively contribute to change in your neighbourhood. With participatory methods, you are not only a participant, but also a co-researcher. Through critical curiosity, you discover new insights and possibilities. This makes CBAR a powerful tool for social movements and policy development. Action research forms the basis for your involvement in participatory policy development.
Participatory policy development lets you and your community have a say in policy. It strengthens the voice of less powerful groups, such as families in poverty or small local entrepreneurs. By working with local governments, solutions become more practical and equitable. Social justice, critical curiosity and connectedness are central here. You can directly influence public services and plans through community engagement. For example, a neighbourhood coalition can have a say in urban redevelopments. Community coordination ensures that everyone is heard. This process makes policy-making fairer and more accessible.
Communities of action can achieve great change through joint efforts. They solve local problems and improve public services through collaboration and engagement.
Local communities often start green initiatives such as community gardens. These bottom-up movements not only help the environment, but also strengthen social ties. You can contribute to this by sharing space, for instance in multifunctional green spaces. Such areas provide ecosystem services such as food production, climate regulation and education. Such projects promote sustainable choices and localise food supplies. By participating in local food movements, you also support social missions such as biodiversity and climate awareness. Together, you ensure a stronger environment as well as an engaged community.
Like environmental conservation initiatives, urban development projects focus on improving living environments. You often see a focus on healthy, physical and social spaces in such projects. The WHO Healthy Cities programme of the 1980s is a prime example. This programme encouraged communities to make cities healthier and more inclusive by working with local governments and public services. Think better cycle paths, green spaces and accessible healthcare structures. You probably also notice that urban development projects often respond to specific needs of neighbourhoods. Community coalitions use strategies such as participatory policy development to keep residents involved. This approach gives you as a resident more influence over local decisions. Urban projects, such as Compassionate Cities (Kellehear, 2005), additionally focus on socio-emotional support in the event of loss or illness, proving how broad the impact of such initiatives can be.
Resistance within a community can make collaboration difficult. Projects often get stuck due to a lack of resources and long-term planning.
Resistance can arise from fear of change or loss of control. You can address this through open communication and sharing clear goals. Involve people actively in decisions. This fosters trust and cooperation within the community. Listen to concerns and acknowledge existing tensions to find solutions. Community action sometimes creates oppositional reactions against neoliberal policy systems. You can use anti-racist theories to discuss structural inequalities. Supporting collective action for social justice shows that diverse voices are valuable. This strengthens engagement and reduces polarisation within your community of action.
Projects in community action often face limited funding. Fundraising can be challenging, especially in initiatives that seek to reach both the urban poor and elites. You need to be creative in attracting resources, such as grants, sponsors or collaborations with community action agencies. Clear planning and transparency on how funds are spent increase investor confidence. Sustainability requires long-term thinking. Without structural support, projects risk failure. Combining participatory policy development with local governments increases the chances of lasting impact. This lays a foundation for strong social movements with long-term impact on policy-making.
Communities of action are evolving with smart technologies and digital platforms. Local governments are collaborating more frequently with these networks to tackle challenges faster.
New strategies such as community-based action research (CBAR) strengthen your local engagement. This focuses on welfare, empowerment and capacity building. With participatory policy development, you can give powerless groups a voice and drive concrete change. By using technology, such as digital platforms, you improve communication and mobilisation within your community. This promotes collective action and engagement in social movements. Collaboration between community action agencies and local governments leads to sustainable policies and public services.
Communities of action often collaborate with local and national governments to achieve sustainable change. Consider initiatives such as WHO’s Healthy Cities programme, which has been encouraging citizens to show leadership in their own healthcare since the 1980s. By joining municipal plans, you strengthen the impact on public services such as education, health and infrastructure. You can also use participatory policy development to make your community’s voice heard. Community coalitions, for instance, are ideal for addressing specific needs in community projects. Indeed, government involvement helps in obtaining funding, expertise and long-term support. This lays a foundation for effective social movements and change in policy.
You can make a powerful impact by participating in a Community of Action. These types of communities offer practical ways to achieve social change. You have learned how these groups work and are strong in tackling local problems. Use your unique skills to contribute to environmental projects or urban initiatives. Small steps can lead to big improvements for your neighbourhood. Ask yourself: how can you strengthen your community? Collaboration and involvement produce lasting results. Find out more about how you can actively contribute to communities of action in your area by clicking here.
A community of action is a group of people working together to solve local problems. It focuses on community engagement and improving public services.
Community action agencies support local communities. They provide assistance for basic needs and work with local authorities to address social challenges.
Local government helps coordinate actions and provide resources. They work with communities to improve public services.
Community engagement strengthens cooperation and involvement. It ensures that residents actively contribute to solutions to local problems.
