Community Development Studies

Offered by: Heart of Quest
Program Category: Social Work / Development Studies
Duration: 12 Weeks
Target Audience: Youth workers, volunteers, aspiring community leaders, social workers
Delivery Format: Weekly lectures, field assignments, group activities, presentations
Outcome: Certificate of Completion + Community Development Action Plan

🎯 Course Objectives

By the end of the course, learners will:

• Understand the principles, history, and practices of community development

• Gain skills to identify and assess community needs

• Develop small-scale interventions and mobilize local resources

• Strengthen their ability to engage stakeholders and promote sustainable change

• Prepare for careers in NGOs, local government, and grassroots organizations

🗓️ Course Structure (3-Month Plan)

📘 Month 1: Foundations of Community Development

Week 1: Introduction to Community Development

• What is community development?

• Historical and global perspectives

• Difference between charity and sustainable development

Week 2: Community Mapping & Assessment

• Tools for understanding a community (SWOT, needs assessment, participatory methods)

• Case study: Mapping a slum or underserved community

Week 3: Power, Participation, and Inclusion

• Who holds power in communities?

• Importance of including women, youth, and marginalized groups

• Group activity: Analyze a community power structure

Week 4: Community Mobilization

• Techniques for engaging and inspiring action

• Leadership styles and community organizing

• Role-play: Mobilizing community for clean-up day

📗 Month 2: Development Approaches and Intervention Planning

Week 5: Community Health and Sanitation

• Health challenges in underdeveloped communities

• Behavior change and health promotion campaigns

• Design a basic WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene) poster

Week 6: Drug Abuse & Youth Empowerment

• The link between poverty, drug abuse, and hopelessness

• Strategies for prevention, rehab, and social reintegration

• Discussion: “If you were a youth counselor…”

Week 7: Education and Advocacy

• The role of literacy and awareness in development

• How to run a local advocacy campaign

• Field assignment: Observe an NGO/community school

Week 8: Gender, Equity, and Social Justice

• Gender-based challenges and cultural norms

• Promoting inclusive development

• Case discussion: Gender equality vs. cultural traditions

📕 Month 3: Sustainability, Project Management & Field Practice

Week 9: Project Design for Community Development

• Logical Framework (LogFrame), goals, activities, indicators

• Budgeting and proposal writing basics

• Activity: Draft a one-page development idea

Week 10: Partnerships and Fundraising

• Working with NGOs, government, and donors

• How to write a simple grant application

• Simulation: Pitch a project to a mock donor

Week 11: Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)

• What is M&E? Why it matters

• Simple tools for tracking change

• Group task: Design a monitoring plan

Week 12: Final Project Presentations

• Present your “Mini Community Development Plan”

• Receive peer and instructor feedback

• Graduation and award of certificates

🧪 Assessment Methods

• Weekly assignments and class participation

• Field observations and reflections

• Final project presentation

• Peer evaluations and group work

🧰 Tools & Resources Required

• Notebook or community logbook

• Smartphone or camera for fieldwork (if available)

• Optional: Access to a local NGO or CBO for engagement

💼 Career & Life Opportunities

This course builds readiness for roles in:

• NGOs, humanitarian and development organizations

• Youth and women empowerment initiatives

• Local government and community mobilization efforts

• Grassroots leadership and advocacy work