Learning Brief 3: Working with Communities

This is the third Learning Brief in a series of Learning Briefs produced by Isandla Institute under the Safer Places: Resilient Institutions and Neighbourhoods Together (SPRINT) Project. The Learning Brief is produced from the discussions at the third Learning Network session, hosted on 21 January 2021, focusing on ‘Working with communities’.

This brief outlines the importance of working with communities
in planning, implementing and monitoring development.
In particular, it focuses on the ways in which civil society
organisations work with communities. Some key approaches
for working with communities include developing strong
relationships with a wide range of community structures,
facilitating change rather than driving it, capacitating
communities and holding space for communities to engage with
government and advocate for themselves. Developing productive
relationships with government can be pivotal in amplifying
the impact of the work with communities, despite the various
challenges around this.