Diploma in Community Development

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Free Course
Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition
10-15 Hours
Assessment
Certification
250 Pts

The free online course Diploma in Community Development introduces how community development can bring significant positive changes to a local community, and reviews the techniques needed to run successful community projects.

The course begins by introducing you to what is needed to get a community group started and how to organise a community group to take action. Using community health as a springboard for understanding community development, you will learn about the values, concepts and practices commonly found in the community development sector. You will learn how to define the community and its characteristics, and identify an issue to be actioned within the community. You will look at the various roles within a community group and the strategies it can use to further its objectives.

The course then guides you on how to maintain momentum during a community development project and how to evaluate the effectiveness of the project. You will learn about media communication techniques, how to work with other organisations in the community, how to recruit community volunteers and what makes for a successful volunteer program. You will also learn about the methods you can use to evaluate the community project and what you need to do to sustain progress in a community group.

You will get an overview of the challenges of including minorities in a community development project and you will learn about the benefits that accrue to an organisation or community that is inclusive. You will learn to identify diversity in the community and how to include minority groups who may have been overlooked in the decision making process. You will be introduced to a number of tools and techniques, such as how to use a template for the terms of reference or how to conduct a focus group, that will help you implement inclusiveness. You will be guided through ethical practice and principles in the context of community development and who should abide by these guidelines as well as reviewing examples of unethical behaviour.

You will be taken through the process of planning a promotional program using a health promotion program as a case study. You will learn how to create specific promotional objectives and outcomes, choose appropriate strategies and resources, and set indicators for measuring the success of the promotion. You will learn how identify and apply for sources of funding for your community development project. You will learn how to manage the process of developing the funding proposal, how to package the proposal, how to submit it for consideration and how to follow up after submission. Sample documents and worksheets for the various steps are included with the course.

This free Diploma course will be of great interest to professionals or volunteers working in community development and with community organisations. It will also be of interest to learners who would like to know more about community development and its role in changing and improving local communities.
Having completed this course you will be able to:
- Define community development values, concepts and practices;
- Identify community development strategies and features;
- List success factors in community partnerships and collaborations;
- List the characteristics of an effective team;
- Explain what governance is and what the key areas to be monitored.
- Describe some key communication techniques and active listening;
- List the different media channels that can be used to engage with the public;
- Identify the key factors that make a successful partnership;
- Outline the components of a successful volunteer program;
- Discuss the different project evaluation methods that can be used;
- List activities that can help sustain momentum within a community group;
- Identify the steps in each stage in implementing inclusiveness;
- Discuss ways to make events more inclusive;
- Explain ethics in the context of community development;
- Identify and discuss the key areas of ethics to be considered in community projects;
- Identify strategies to encourage diverse community involvement;
- Explain the importance of planning and managing a promotional program;
- List the six stages of needed to conduct a situations assessment;
- Explain the purpose of and the process for creating outcome objectives;
- Explain the reason for developing the program plan before seeking funding;
- Identify and research potential funders;
- Outline the content of each section of the proposal.
All Alison courses are free to study. To successfully complete a course you must score 80% or higher in each course assessments. Upon successful completion of a course, you can choose to make your achievement formal by purchasing an official Alison Diploma or Certificate.

Having an official Alison document is a great way to celebrate and share your success. It is:
- Ideal to include with CVs, job applications and portfolios
- A way to show your ability to learn and achieve high results