On PCD:
It is a slippery slope when practitioners of community development begin to debate over theories and techniques when we live in a world where so few are practitioners.  Division of people with a heart for the poor is detrimental to the cause.  I do not mean to imply that these debates are not valid.  Simply that they can easily become the focus and those who are hurt most are those not being focused on.  These disagreements can quickly snowball and divide people with the same heart.

PCD methods continually appear throughout history.  So why then do they continually disappear throughout history?  Why aren’t all of our schools and social institutions run in this manner?

I do not think that cloistered groups should have to conduct their meetings or rankings in secret and that some involvement of politicians may be advisable.  How does one determine the extent of such involvement?

When did pairwise ranking become a term and has pairwise ranking been practiced before it received such a designation?  Why don’t developers, project proponents, our U.S. government, our towns, counties and states utilize such a practical approach?

One charismatic person can easily persuade 51% of any group to see things his/her way, but that does not make it the right way.  Does a community always come up with the best and most efficient answers to a community’s problem?  I doubt it.  But doesn’t a community have the right to exercise its own beliefs and values and find the answers in their own way?  I believe so.  Freedom allows us to have success and make mistakes as well.

This class of students has given me hope that there are still many people who care about others and I leave this class motivated in many ways.  This class has opened up new windows of opportunities for thinking and action.

What are some ways to measure levels of participation in areas where PD methods are implemented?

When does the process of PCD begin? I would like to know if the community sees the need for change first, or does the facilitator come into the community to create interest in possible change, and then the process begins? Does it begin when the facilitator is available to begin in the process?

The one flaw in the [pairwise ranking matrix] process so far was the combination of many of the problems. I'm not sure why this was done. Perhaps it was done to include everyone's ideas. However, I think that it confuses many issues, and in the end makes the process more difficult.

I thought about the mapping activity…in the classroom setting. Do teachers learn about these interactive activities? So much group cohesiveness could be achieved within a classroom of students and their teachers. Maybe its too idealistic, but it seems if students were allowed to help create their classroom agenda's based on a needs assessment, how much more open would students be to learning…actual learning?

As part of the sociological development process, this theory, or practice, or methodology should probably more closely resemble an art more than a science.

"If it's okay for us, it's okay for them." A flawed way of thinking.

It occurs to me that involvement in a project makes success more achievable and that the more involvement is solicited, the more success is actualized.

How can the local communities possible express their desires when no matter which way they turn, they see nothing but someone else's beliefs being forced on to them?

I think that it is important to not only change the material or physical conditions during community development, but also transform the way the participants view their world.

We are social creatures who need one another to survive, and so this idea of participatory development is not revelation but rather a reflection of old that has mused the great thinkers of our time.

Must we ignore what we personally believe could benefit the community? Is it possible to give 100% to something you don't believe in or agree with 100%? I suppose it depends on the degree of open-mindedness a person has.

This "quiet revolution" … is truly an art form. Where can I learn this without making mistakes on human[ity] in real life situations. These ideas seem almost like a religion to me. It has that cum ba yah feeling to it. So this is participatory community development theology. I think I'm a believer.

I strongly believe in education. The education of all people. Educating people about the effects of the "isms"--racism, sexism, classism and homophobia. I wish there had been some pre-education before we went into a project of participatory building. If we do not have a good understanding of privilege in the United States we will eventually perpetuate these myths in our participatory projects.

To better serve those involved in PCD, it would seem important to define the particular community that will participate.

How are good ideas funded? After working in the non-profit sector for many years, funding is one of the most important issues when implementing new programs and services.

I have always thought of the large group intervention work I've been involved in--future research, participatory design, etc., as PCD.

The concept and practice of action research definitely resonated for me, as I believe that a good deal of my consulting work, past and present was action research based.

I asked immigrant women if they would be interested in being involved in a food cooperative in which they would pay a minimal membership fee and volunteer a few hours per month to receive groceries. They eagerly answered yes. Here is the catch. I did not look into these women's schedules. They are all very busy with everyday tasks and they can only commit to so many hours of "self help" each week. Instead, I built the co-op's hours around the food delivery schedule. The first month was a success, however, the next month school started. Our membership fell from 30 active families to 16 in a matter of a few weeks. This brought a lot of tension to the project because it was in danger of disappearing. This is a problem that could and should have been addressed early on. With an ongoing dialogue, and a more interested ear, I would have been able to arrange the hours to benefit the people instead of the project.

It is interesting how many general "life lessons" are incorporated into this idea of PD. Listening, letting people know what is best for them, being adaptable and open to change, being open to other ways of thinking. It also makes me realize how many life lessons I have learned and forgotten.
 

On Facilitation:
A facilitator can only do his/her best to KNOW his/her biases and to correct for them. A truly neutral facilitator, one with absolutely no stake in the outcome, if one could be found, would be one who has total access to the unconscious.

I can imagine the role of the facilitator is the same as the role of a parent helping his/her child ride a bike. … It would be a horrible world if the parents never let go. They would be out of place running after Jr. when he's 15, hanging on to the back of his mountain bike as he hauled up a 7-grade hill.

I am not quite sure as to how or who is going to be the facilitator [in the class project] or if we are going to have more than one facilitator.

[Badawi] suggests that any new person coming into the development field should get to know themselves better before trying to help others. One has to be critical of oneself and to reflect on oneself and one's behavior at all times.

"The cure can be worse than the disease." The most insidious long-term consequence of applying non-systemic solutions, or those that do not involve the whole (system) community as participants, is the phenomenon of short-term improvements leading to long-term dependency. This is known as "Shifting the Burden to the Intervenor."
 

On September 11:
Yesterday was September 11. I didn't think I would be as affected as I am. I still don't know how I feel about what happened.  On one hand, I despise the fact that a huge group of people went to so much trouble to organize and train for a mass murder. On the other hand, I understand why other countries despise us.  As a nation, we are gluttonous and power-hungry.  I do not feel like my personal ideals are represented by our government.  I find it odd that most of the people I have met in my lifetime disagree with most of the actions of our government, yet these actions are still carried out.  I loathe our government, yet I feel lucky to have access to the opportunities that have come my way.  I love and hate America at the same time.

I want justice. I want Bin Laden to pay along with Afganastan and all his camps. I feel I am a fair, level-headed person, so it makes me scared and nervous to be having such horrible revenge and hate in my heart. I am almost ashamed of how these people have made me feel.

I have problems with many aspects of U.S. foreign policy. I have problems with the school of the Americas. I have problems with sweatshops. But these problems do not cause me to hate, or even dislike my country. These problems, as I see it, cast shadows on the greatest country on earth. I want my country to remain strong and proud and free and a model of democracy. Therefore, I feel that we must do all we can to correct weaknesses that exist within our system. I want America to be above reproach in All aspects. I have never been prouder than I am now to say that I live in a country where I can have a dissenting opinion and still have my head attached to my neck.

I suppose it is inevitable that as the world becomes more interconnected there is going to be conflict between different beliefs, but as one can see in any of the great world religions, we all have the same foundation.

The reality is you can only oppress a group of people for so long. Eventually they will react to the condition of their surroundings. … Did we as a society contribute to this problem either by making conscious decisions that negatively affected other people's lives? People must have the right to self-govern.
 

On Gender:
Why is any work more vital than any other if without it our communities would be lessened? Its been decided that "women's work" is less vital and therefore she should do it without financial reward. This leaves her with less economic power in society, subject to the will of her male relatives.

I cannot think of one "prosperous" country on this planet that has put its women at a disadvantage because of their gender. Certainly here in the U.S. the colonial mentality continues to exist. Why else would there be "women's issues" that continue to be addressed, debated, etc.?

Leaving either gender group out could result in a loss of ideas, talents, and creativity, as well as the loss of community adhesion. Therefore, it is important to understand the role of women in a society, as it may affect the techniques used in PCD.

How would the social constructs of life as we know be different if God was associated with a feminine connotation?

Domestic violence cases hold still other clues to the disparity of women's roles and responsibilities. Many cases comprise professional women as plaintiffs, with the male defendant unemployed and obviously not "in charge" of the home, yet the women stay in such relationships because it is "their role" as a wife and mother.

It was like a huge light bulb went on when I read about the development agencies assumption that women were not already participating. I got it. They were, it just wasn't visible. What a great visionary shift for me. It opened up a different way of looking at things with even less judgment.

My friend was beaten up badly by her boyfriend who is now in jail. I sat in the emergency room while she was being stitched up and x-rayed. The right side of her face is completely swollen and her nose is broken and all of this happened in a matter of seconds. This incident occurred downtown in front of a club. Thank god for this since there were people around to stop him. Had she been alone with him, she may not be alive today.
 

On Race and Ethnicity:
I am wondering whether homosexuality classifies as an ethnic group.

What would the process of reconciliation look like on a world scale, with G. Bush admitting our culpability in many acts of injustice, and with our humbled attitude towards creating reparations? I do not believe that we would lose status as a powerful force in the world. Indeed, we would benefit from an increase in dignity and honor.

From my experience, sharing stories seems to be one of the best ways to ameliorate conflict, but what happens when the stories are shared and the participants have to go back to their daily lives where they may not have a voice at the macro-level?

In my estimation, this issue quickly separated the class along racial and gender lines. I thought that this was a very interesting problem that was arising. This must happen in a real world situation as well. I had to ask myself if the issue of race and national origin is often an issue in community participatory development. Unfortunately, the class ended was we discussed the issue. I believe this is unfortunate because I left the class feeling a bit separated from my fellow students. I noticed that as soon as class was over, people kind of congregated with their "own" group. Hopefully, in the future, there will be room for discussion about issues like this one.

As much as we try to be strong and resilient to others expectations and perceptions of us, I think it is painfully difficult to do so. I do believe there are some people in the world who live according to their own principles and truly stand by every action they perform and every word they say. However, we carry with us the influences of rules and regulations, be it from our parents, society, or religion.

In 1991, the Los Angeles Riots was an unfortunate clash between ethnic groups: African Americans vs. Korean Americans. These two groups, regarded as lower rungs of the class hierarchy, fought against each other in their cries to sustain a livelihood in the heart of L.A. As minorities fought with each other to change the order of ranks, the white men sat back and watched, unaffected by this struggle; no fear that their position at the "top of the food chain" would be altered as everyone scrambled for the white man status.
 

Thoughts Related to PCD:
The meeting created more questions than answers. But I choose to see this as a good thing.

I am absolutely fascinated with the skills and methods of facilitation--is there a school for that?

At the department of chemistry, we recently got a new administrator. Since she arrived, she made numerous changes in the department. Some love her, some hate her. Posted on her door is a quote that basically makes fun of humans for being scared of change. I have learned a lot about taking risks and "thinking outside the box" from our new administrator.

Patience is important for everything in life. Someone who has learned patience is an individual who has learned much about themselves.

Usually individuals learn to be humble by being humbled.

A Chinese Poem:
Go to the people
Live among them
Learn from them
Love them
Start with what they know
Build on what they have
But of the best leaders
When their task is done
The people will remark
"We have done it ourselves."

The first few calls I received [at a 24-hour crisis hot line at a domestic violence shelter], I found very difficult to listen to the horror stories and not tell the woman on the other end to run for her life. I couldn't understand why I was instructed to say very little. The reason was two fold: First, I was unaware of the complexities of the woman's position. If I told her to leave her situation, I could be endangering her life even more. On top of that, this woman was not my responsibility. She was an adult who chose to make her own decisions. If I tried to make them for her, I would remove her dignity. Second, and probably most important, women (and sometimes men) called us not to work on a solution to their situation, but to be heard. Acknowledged. That is what most of the calls were about. These callers just wanted to feel valid, like somebody wanted to listen to them.

Material needs [are] generated by advertisers and major corporations--all to keep us busy while the real business of life passes us by and we have no time to write our congress people, senators and local government officials because we have to go to WalMart and the Mall because we need something. … All of this I think our government perpetuates on a national level and here at home on an individual basis, creating and then catching us in our insecurities. It's all fine and good for me to say all that, but the hard part is practicing it in my life. Some of these dependencies are so deeply rooted they don't let go so easily--body image being one I can think of off the top of my head.

I think I have begun to experience in our class one of the benefits of PCD; creating a safe and open atmosphere that offers the possibility of building relationships in a short time, working together, learning from one another, and hopefully, if the energy is sustained, making a difference doing something together that could not be done or done well, working alone.

From Mission’s album entitled One; Song “Last Night”
I had this dream last night, you know it kind of messed me up
I felt like Chris Parker, because I couldn’t wake up
And in it, every minute I was in hell and poison
I looked around the neighborhood, all the girls and boys
When they ran, they stepped in crack bottles and sand
The fruits on trees wasn’t as good as groceries
Pesticides and hormones was put in our food
But at the age that it didn’t effect kids attitudes
The children got worst, they started turning to thugs
To combat drugs, we started putting them on drugs
Stop giving hugs, avoided eye contact
Being unfriendly to strangers was the way your suppose to act
The people who had the most, contributed the least
Brutality by police was keeping the peace
Money ruled the world
We had overcrowded schools
People who wouldn’t follow this way was labeled as fools
Bums, transients, homeless, dropouts
They live separate from society, shunned by the masses
Cultures were wiped out, forts were demolished
Species died off so the cog remained polish
Slavery got abolished, except technically in prison
Most were drug related, drugs came from the decisions the government made
And the people got played
And the people got played
And the people got playedBut the real strange part of this whole dream state
Is that the beauty that surrounded these problems was so great
That the people got wise and they started taking notice
Rallying together and organize a focus
Small groups turned big through information distribution
The people came together started revolution
And named there kids unborn and ancestors
Spread the word love, dreams can come true
I said spread the word love, dreams can come true
Yeah, spread the word love, dreams can come true
 

On the class project:
One of my predictions is that no one will be able to predict how these meetings will go.

My thoughts this week revolve around development of the class project and the overall impact it will have on our target group. Do we assume from the very beginning that their needs aren't being met?

I'm wondering what we might do to provide support to the women if the semester ends before the project is at a stage that is sustainable. I realize that this reality is very different from one in which I'd be around (as the facilitator) without a time limit. Perhaps classmates will have some ideas on this topic.

If we expect this group to be empowered with our methods and facilitation then wouldn't it be in their best interests to know what is going on out there (besides in the shelter they are staying?)

A generous heart and nature should be protected and that is where safety, and talking about safety, is essential--no matter how isolated and circumstances are.

If there were a way to get a listing of possible distributors for the food and the care package idea, I would have no problem calling them up.
 

Class Related Topics:
To be an environmentalist means to establish a balance between the needs of our society with the needs of the environment.

It would be wonderful, in the case of people who are in need of medical treatment, for all the medical specialists and healers being used to come together with the patient they are treating and dialogue. It seems to be that a much better treatment plan would come about through verbal exchange instead of having the patient were to go to each healer/medical person individually. I hear of so many horror stories, like the one where a doctor prescribes to the patient a medication that is counter-indicative to another medication a different doctor prescribed. I just think that there would be so much more to be gained by all these different entities working together, and the patient would feel as if she or he was taking an active part in recovering….

The Weingart Center used to be the El Ray Hotel. This building is fairly old; it was built in 1926 and is located in downtown L.A. The El Rey Hotel was donated to Volunteers of America for the purpose of providing a full range of housing, detoxification, Stairs, HATS, Veteran's programs… There is a vast array of programs offered here for those individuals who are homeless.
 

On Academia:
Often, when I am reading my communications textbooks, I find myself thinking that I already know what the authors are explaining, they just happened to be able to articulate these ideas in academic language forms.
 

On Action Research:
Action research seemed primarily an interesting discussion of semantics, but I was left feeling that I had not fully grasped the concept as it differentiates from PCD.

My hunch is that groups that consider funding community development projects may be more apt to do so if they are presented with written accounts in academic formats, complete with hypothesis and data.
 

On Justice:
We were sitting next to a Native American lady and her daughter, and her husband had been arrested for driving under a suspended license without insurance.  To me, traffic violations are a ridiculous reason to jail someone!  I can’t believe the system perpetuates itself in such a disturbing manor.  It’s like the judge, the lawyers, and the cops are all protecting their jobs at the expense of this man who probably makes less than $10 an hour, yet the judge did not ask how much he made, what his profession was, his employment status, how many people in his family depend on his income for stability, if he can even afford insurance and registration, or how far he needed to travel to get to work.  People’s lives shouldn’t be so drastically affected because of a stupid traffic ticket.  It’s not like New Mexico provides good public transportation, nor does it provide low income vehicle insurance and registration for the disfavored working class.  Why is it that the poor are being punished for being poor?

If the law were more like an iron fist against first time offenders [of domestic violence], the levels of crime would decrease.
 

On the Negotiation Simulation:
We went back and forth as far as who was going to make the first offer, unaware of the advantages for the one that first threw out a value.  Eventually, the seller threw out a value, and since it was well below my upper limit, I took it.  It was so simple that we thought we missed something.  But, I learned from the guest lecturer the importance of understanding the interests of both parties.

I elicited one of the highest bids in the class and was proud.  Proud that is until we reviewed the lesson and I realized I went in for the kill without any regard of the win-win concept.
 

On Charity:
I see charity being perceived in a colonial context by most people.  It is a bit ironic though to see that those in need, or in receipt of charity, either tangible or intangible, are those who were forced into situations deserving or requiring charity by those who attempt or seek to provide the charity.  There are also those who use charity to keep people or communities in situations where they will need charitable acts and in those situations, the acts of charity should no longer be considered as charity but as “controlled charity.”
 

General Thoughts:
I feel alienated from the election process that has discriminated against people of color, and the political process that all but ignores those not blessed with eternal wealth or those who are not willing to sacrifice their souls to attain the "American Dream."... Social control keeps us distracted and moves the focus away from the problems that we face as a society.  The package is better than the contents.  It keeps us from really thinking about how much of our society is just a beautifully wrapped package with nothing inside.  It makes us numb and prevents us from looking more deeply at the problems we're truly facing--such as the fact that the wealth of this country is becoming more concentrated in the hands of the fewer, the environment is a mess, and fewer children have access to a quality education--and it keeps us from connecting with one another.  I am scared for the future of this country.  We must not let our voices be silenced.

Flexibility is the one thing that I love about our Constitution. What foresight!! Where would America be if we still had all the same laws as we did when America first became a nation? Flexibility also helps me to be calm in my life. Knowing that almost any decision I make can be fixed by another decision helps a lot with peace of mind. When I realized that just because I got my degree in a certain subject didn't mean that I couldn't play music, work with children, write a novel, work in a community center, or travel throughout my lifetime, the pressure to decide what to study suddenly evaporated. Life is too short to spend all your time planning for what might happen. As the saying goes (basically), "life is what happens when you're planning for life."

Some say that boredom is often at the root of misbehavior and crime.  I wouldn’t agree with this in all cases of crime and misbehavior, but I think that boredom and a feeling of neglect are influences in these types of behavior.

The idea is to encourage consumers to visit an area by providing “free” parking.  But parking isn’t free.  Someone has to pay for the repairs and maintenance of these parking spaces.  These “free” parking spaces are typically subsidized by the taxpayers.  Again, who benefits from “free” parking?  Those who use it.  Since the poor community tends not to own a car, they are subsidizing those who have one or more vehicles.

There will always be conflict. It just seems that lately people would rather end relationships than put energy into working through the conflict. I don't see how anything will ever be accomplished that way.

Are there just wars? I say the ends rarely justify the means, if the means are the same tools as that of the enemy.

There were times when I would have opened the door for a stranger but fear of finding my place robbed overruled the decision. It seems like an important lesson that others should know about--that is, there are people in the world who can provide help without expecting anything in return.

I guess I have an "issue" with missionary work, when the agenda is self-serving or at the potential expense of the people. I realize that not all such work is or has to be that way, and hold people in high regard who have been able to provide the right balance of spiritual and physical nourishment to people in dire straits.