What is PCD?
PCD is made up of activities that:

1) Increase a community's understanding of the opportunities for development;

2) Enhance the participants' ability to make informed decisions that allow them to design projects that address their needs;

3) Help in the implementation projects that generate new income and services;

4) Heighten the participants' capacity to build consensus and forge partnerships in order to achieve lasting and equitable development; and

5) Encourage the ongoing establishment of projects that serve community needs.
 

How it Works:
The students, under the guidance of the instructor, will facilitate a series of 4-6 "community meetings" with the participants, with each meeting approximately 2 hours in length. These meetings are composed of small and large group activities. The activities include:

1.  Community Mapping:  A community map made by the participants show where resources, activities, problems and opportunities are located.

2.  Daily Activity Schedule:  This technique is meant to identify the routine demands the participants have in their daily lives. This information provides valuable insights into their work constraints and opportunities.

3.  Institutional Diagram:  This activity helps to identify which institutions have the confidence of the participants and can engage in sustainable development.

4.  Pairwise Ranking Needs Assessment:  This technique helps to identity project opportunities based on the participants' priorities.

5.  Options Assessment Chart:  This exercise involves a more detailed technical analysis of the opportunities for development suggested by the participants.

6.  Creating an Action Plan:  The action plan includes: 1) the community's development goals, 2) proposed actions, 3) individual and group responsibilities, 4) work schedules and 5) areas where external assistance is needed.

Note: None of the PCD procedures involve deception or any risks.

The UNM group will help raise necessary funds to realize the community's expressed development priorities. We will not be involved in day-to-day management.

Participation in the meetings is entirely voluntary. Participants may ask any question and may end their involvement at any time. No names will be recorded in the meetings. Documents written by the students are intended to help realize the goals the community has expressed. The participants' permission is required for information to be shared.

This project has been approved by the Human Subjects Institutional Review Board of the University of New Mexico (Scholes Hall, Room 225, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, (505) 277-6128). We are supervised by Dr. Susan Tiano, Chair, Department of Sociology, University of New Mexico, Social Science Building, (505) 277-2501.

This project is grant supported by the Graduate Research Development Fund at the University of New Mexico. The Instructor is Jason Ben-Meir and can be reached at (505) 224-2763.