Shaping Communities Through Extension Programs
Author: Chester John Bowling , Barbara A. Brahm
Publisher: Journal of Extension
Copyright 2002
Volume: 40
Issue: 3
Annotation: Communities are highly sophisticated human systems. They are shaped by the actions of their members. These actions are not taken without some thought and consideration. But what informs the thought and consideration? It is fair to suggest that what members of a community know determines their course of action and ultimately shapes their community. This makes knowledge a powerful tool in the community-shaping process. It might even be said that what a community knows about itself becomes its destiny.
Because knowledge is such a powerful element in the shaping process, educational programs that create knowledge are one of the most important activities in any community. In communities all across the United States, Extension, through its educational programs, plays a significant role in the knowledge-creation process and therefore is instrumental in shaping communities.
In this article we explore how Extension can use a collaborative action research process known as Appreciative Inquiry to create the kind of knowledge that will be a powerful force for positive change. The strength of this knowledge creating process is its ability to:
Release positive conversation within the community,
Build an ever-expanding web of inclusion and positive relationships,
Create self-reinforcing learning communities,
Bolster democracy and self-organizing throughout the community, and
Provide a reservoir of strength and unleash a positive revolution of change (Ludema, 2001).
Online Resources:
Journal of Extension
|
|
