Community Issues The problems we are all faced with

Community
Issues
The problems we are all
faced with
All Information was obtained
from The Community Tool Box
Communities Have Problems
 Two
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basic facts:
Communities, like people, try to solve
problems
Analyzing those problems helps in their
solution
 Analysis
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Good analysis will lead to better long-run
solutions
Good analysis takes time
Criteria for identifying a community issue
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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 possible intense (severity)
The problem deprives people of legal or
moral rights (equality)
The issue is perceived as a problem
(perception)
Analysis of Problems
 Analysis
of problems is carefully thinking
about the problem or the issue before
acting on the solution.
 It involves identifying reason a problem
exits, and then(and only then) identifying
possible solutions and a plan for
improvement.
 It requires logic and the collection of
evidence
WHY you should analyze a community
problem/issue
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To better identify what the problem or issue is.
To understand the heart of the issue
A problem is usually caused by something;
what is that something? We should find out.
And often the problem is a symptom of
something else.
To determine the barriers and resources
associated with addressing the problem.
Analyzing the problem can also help you
understand the resources you need. And the
better equipped you are with the right
resources, the greater your chances of
success.
WHY you should analyze a
community problem/issue
 To
don steps for addressing the problem
develop the best act
To create and have a plan of action,
which is better than a few random shots at
the problem
It is ALWAYS better to analyze before you
begin
When Should Analysis Begin?
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From the Start!!
The conditions of analysis are:
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When the community problem is not defined
very clearly
When little is known about the problem, or its
possible consequences
When you want to find causes that may
improve the chance of successfully addressing
the problem
When people are jumping to solutions much to
soon
When you need to identify actions address the
problem and find collaborative partners for
taking action
How should I Analyze a
Community Issue/Problem?
1.
Justify the choice of the problem
- the frequency, duration range, severity,
equity, perception, etc.
 Example:
Overweight/ Obese Children
Justify: Overweight/Obese
Example

The percentage of overweight and obese
children in the community has been steadily
increasing and now approaches 25%. Since
we know that childhood obesity tends to lead
to adult obesity, and that obesity and being
overweight are linked to chronic conditions –
diabetes, heart disease, stroke- this is a
problem that needs to be addressed now.
Our organization has the will and the ability to
do it.
How should I Analyze a
Community Issue/Problem?
2. Frame the problem

-state the problem without implying a
solution or blaming anyone, so that you can
analyze it without assumptions and build
consensus around whatever solution you
arrive at. One way to state it in terms of a
lack of positive or negative behavior ,
condition, or other factor.
Frame: Overweight/Obese
Example
 There
are too many children in the
community who are overweight or obese.
The problem is particularly serious among
low income families.
How should I Analyze a
Community Issue/Problem?
3. Identify whose behavior and/or what
and how environmental factors need to
change for the problem to begin to be
solved
Identify: Overweight/Obese
Example

All, and particularly low income, children
should have the opportunity and the
motivation to eat more healthy and exercise
more. Parents need to change their children’s
– and perhaps their own- diets, and schools
need to adjust their lunch programs and
exercise schedules. In low-income
neighborhoods, there needs to be greater
access to healthy food and more safe places
for children to play or participate in sports,
both outdoor and indoor.
How should I Analyze a Community
Issue/Problem?
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4. Analyze the root causes of the problem
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The root cause of the problem may not be
immediately apparent. The problem may
rooted in a behavior or a situation at first glance
that seems unrelated to it.
To help solve this question ask “But Why?” and
continue asking it until you get to the underlying
problem and it cannot be reduced further.
The difference between recognizing a problem
and finding the root cause is similar to a
doctor’s treating the symptoms of a disease
and actually curing the disease. Once a
disease is understood well enough to cure it, it is
often understood well enough to prevent and
eliminate.
But Why: Overweight/Obese Example
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There are too many children in the community who
are overweight and obese. The problem is
particularly serious among low income families. (But
Why?)
Because many low-income children don’t eat a
healthy diet and don't exercise enough. (But Why?)
Because their parents, in many cases don’t have the
knowledge of what a healthy diet consist of, and
because even if they did, they lack access in their
neighbor hoods to healthy foods- no supermarket
farmers, or restaurants serving health food, and
therefore shop at convenience sores and eat out at
fast-food places. Kids don’t play outside because it is
too dangerous- gang activity and drug dealing
make the street no place for children. (But Why?)
This would continue until it is solved.
How should I Analyze a Community
Issue/Problem?
 5.
Identify the restraining and driving
forces that affect the problem.
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This is called the force field analysis 
 It
means looking at the restraining forces that
act to keep the problems from changing
(social, cultural, ideological, political, lack of
knowledge, health, environment, etc) and
the driving forces that push it toward change.
Restraining Forces: Overweight/Obese Example
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Forces restraining change here include:
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The desirability and availability of junk food- kids
like it because it tastes good and you can get it
pretty much everywhere.
The reluctance of super market chains to open
stores in low-income neighborhoods
The domination of street gangs and drug dealers
Some forces driving change might be:
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Parents’ concern about their children’s weight.
Children’s desire to participate in sports or simply to
be outdoors
Media stories about the problem of childhood obesity
and its consequences for children, both now and later
in their lives.
A full force field analysis would include many more
forces in each category.
How should I Analyze a Community
Issue/Problem?
 6.
Find any relationship that exists among
the problem you’re concerned with and
others in the community.

There may be other people concerned or
organizations that are already involved with
the issue that you can work with.
Relationships: Overweight/Obese
Example
 We’ve
already seen connections to lack
of education, unemployment, lack of
afterschool activities, and gang violence
and crime, among other issues. Other
organizations may be working on one or
more of these, and a collaboration might
help both of you to reach your goals.
How should I Analyze a Community
Issue/Problem?
 7.Identify
personal factors that may
contribute to the problem
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Individual behavior
Community conditions
Beliefs
Skills
Education
Background experience
culture
Personal: Overweight/Obese
Example
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Some ethnic groups have a genetic
predisposition not only to overweight, but to
diabetes and other conditions
Many parents don’t have the knowledge of
healthy nutrition that would allow them to
create a healthy diet
People working several low-wage and often
physically demanding jobs may find it difficult
to take the time to provide healthy meals
Children like junk food
How should I Analyze a
Community Issue/Problem?
 8.
Identify the Targets and Agents of
Change for Addressing the Problem
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Focus on who has the power to change the
situation
Policy change may be needed
Recruit Agents
Target: Overweight/Obese Example
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Parents of children in low income neighborhoods (or
all parents in the community) for education purposes
Children themselves
Teachers
School officials who are responsible for food
programs
Public Relation people who are responsible for super
market chains
Short List of potential agents for change
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Parents and children in low income neighborhoods as
controllers of their children’s diets
School officials and school supporters and those directly
involved with school food
Local and public officials who could create incentives
for markets to move into undeserved neighbor hoods
Going Beyond the Basic Really
Works 
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1. Analyzing community problems is hard work &
takes effort.
Real community problems are complex.
When you go looking for reasons and underlying
causes for significant problems you are likely to
find more than one.
The problem may have more than one reason, It
may have more than one solution too. Problems
often call for multiple- prolonged solutions.
When solving real community problems, the
analysis may not be cut and dried.
But that’s why problems are problems