26 jci impact manual eng 2013 01

8/16/2019 26 JCI Impact Manual ENG 2013 01

1/14

JCI Official Course

JCI ImpactProjects for sustainable solutions to community challengesVersion 01 January, 2013

Participant’s Manual


2/14

2

JCI Impact Active Citizen Guide

JCI Vision

“To be the leading global network of young active

citizens.”

JCI Mission

“To provide development opportunities thatempower young people to create positive change.”

About JCI

JCI is a membership-based nonprofit organization ofyoung active citizens ages 18 to 40 in more than 100countries who are dedicated to creating positive changein their communities. Each JCI member shares the belief

that in order to create lasting positive change, we mustimprove ourselves and the world around us. JCImembers take ownership of their communities byidentifying problems and creating targeted solutions tocreate impact.

JCI Official Courses are designed to facilitate thelearning process by combining the new theories withpractice using the previous experiences from

participants as a source of learning with the focus onsharing knowledge and experiences.

© Copyright by JCI: All rights reserved.

This publication is for the exclusive use of the trainersconducting the JCI Official Course and can only bereproduced for this purpose. All JCI Official Coursesmust be organized online and all participants mustindividually register online to qualify for the manual andto be certified as graduated from the course.

This publication or parts of it may not be translated in

any other language without the express permission ofthe JCI Secretary General.

Published by

Junior Chamber International (JCI), Inc.15645 Olive Boulevard – Chesterfield, MO 63017,U.S.A.Tel: +1 (636) 449 3100 – Fax: +1 (636) 449 3107Toll free (from USA only): 1 800 905 5499E-Mail: [email protected] - Website: www.jci.cc.

Course Summary

JCI Impact is a course aimed for JCI members who

want to apply the Active Citizen Framework as amethodology to implement projects. The coursediscusses the active citizenship concept, covers theanalysis of community needs, the establishment of thereal causes of problems and discusses the projects aLocal Organization can conduct with other partners inorder to create long lasting positive changes in theircommunities.

Content

JCI Impact is a half day course divided in thesemodules:

Module 1 – Active CitizenshipModule 2 – Needs Analysis Module 3 – Sustainable Solutions

Criteria to attend this course

This course can only be attended by active JCI membersor past members still contributing to the LocalOrganization and to graduate the participant must passthe online knowledge test and fill the trainer evaluation.

The course must be organized online and have allparticipants registered online.

Criteria to become Trainer of this course

• Be an active JCI member or past members stillcontributing to the Local Organization for at leastone year.

• Have graduated from this course and JCI Achieve.


3/14

JCI Impact 3


JCI Impact

IntroductionThe 21st century finds mankind in a world of rapidchange. There is a meeting of the sophisticated and thebackward. People everywhere are demanding a betterlife and a greater share of the good things. This is theturbulence that we find today in the world community. Itis widely known, however, that the power to advance liesin the hands of the people. All that is necessary to satisfythese human aspirations is leadership! Leadership is aquality that JCI members are best equipped to provide.So the call goes out to thousands of JCI LocalOrganizations in more than 100 countries and territories

to identify themselves firmly with the hopes and needs oftheir communities. To do so we must not think in termsof community service but in terms of CommunityLeadership.

Ever since the formation of the Junior Chambermovement in 1915 in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.,members have made leadership in the community one oftheir major objectives. Since then, Local Organizationshave expressed their concern for the welfare of theirfellow citizens by conducting hundreds of projects thathave formed the basis of JCI activity throughout theworld. The highest form of community leadership isknown as the “catalytic action” project, whereby the

Local Organization engages people and organizations toachieve a major community objective previouslyconsidered to be beyond its capability.

The JCI Active Citizens Framework will guide you andyour Local Organization toward the realization of acommunity leadership role through the effectiveimplementation of a balanced community program. Thisbalance should be maintained between the morecomprehensive catalytic actions and the smaller, directaction projects. As well, there must be a balancebetween projects that care for people and those thatcare for the environment.

Active Citizenship Framework

The JCI Active Citizenship Framework is one of the tools

used to advance the conditions and way of living of the

people. The term has been used to describe a particular

method of work or a set of techniques; a comprehensive

process aimed at increasing human prosperity.

For JCI members, the JCI Active Citizenship Framework

is a system to combine efforts with their fellow citizens to

identify community needs and address them through

action projects.

No matter how large or small a Local Organization may

be, it can conduct some kind of a Community

Development project. This is true because the Local

Organization determines the size of the community

project based upon its own resources.

The JCI vision of Community Development emphasizesleadership as a stimulus for people to discover their fullpotential to contribute to the community.

Definition of the Active Citizenship Active citizenship generally refers to a philosophy, statesthat members of companies or nation-states havecertain roles and responsibilities to society, althoughthose members may not have specific governing roles.

Active citizenship can be seen as an articulation of thedebate over rights versus responsibilities. If a body givesrights to the people under its remit, then those samepeople might have certain responsibilities to uphold. Thiswould be most obvious at a country or nation-state level,but could also be wider, such as global citizenship. The

implication is that an active citizen is one who exercisesboth their rights and responsibilities in a balanced way.

What do we mean by "Active Citizenship"? To be acitizen is to be part of a community, a member of thesociety. To be an Active Citizen is to choose toparticipate and to take responsibility. It is empowerment- knowing that our destiny, and the destiny of the world,is in our own hands; that we have the power to influence

Active Citizens are the ones who make the difference /the world better.

Through Active Citizenship the world, our societies andeven ourselves become better. Every person (andespecially a JCI member) has many opportunities tomake a difference in their family, social and professionallife. More globally, thinking about Corporate SocialResponsibility Sustainability, that tell that business todayis not only about profit but also about responsiblebehaviors. We take responsibility for the society we livein, we as people, become better.

We feel better in a world that is more in line with ourvalues; we feel more part of it, more connected. It is a


4/14

JCI Impact 4


moral duty to be involved in society and to createpositive change. And everyone can make a differencebecause even small choices matter. By choosing to

make a difference, by knowing your purpose and bycontinuously challenging each other, you have thepossibility to become stronger contributors to the world.

Guiding Principles:

• Active Citizenship concerns everyone.

• We all have rights and responsibilities, and sharednational, continental and global interests.

• Strong and healthy communities welcome diversityin cultural expression, values and lifestyles.

• Openness, accountability and trust will helpmaximize participation in the democratic and

decision making process.• A successful society depends on a partnership with

citizens, civil society, unions, business, and electedrepresentatives.

• Active Citizens are made, not born.

• Active Citizenship needs leadership.

Active Citizenship is not for someone else – it is for eachone of us, as well as for government, businesses, themedia, unions, and organizations (such as JCI). It isabout how we engage with each other and createtogether a set of shared values for a better society.

Active Citizenship refers to the voluntaryaction of citizens and communities workingtogether in the pursuit of common goals.

It is not easy to define the challenges of activecitizenship due that, although rights are often writtendown as part of law, responsibilities are not as welldefined, and there may be disagreements amongst thecitizens as to what the responsibilities are. Yet, if we saythat an active citizen is someone who takes a role in thecommunity, then the biggest challenge is lack of activecitizens or inactive citizens; this will create a really bigglobal problem for sure.

An active citizen is a person who doesn’t hesitate to takesteps towards the mistakes or missing things that theyrealize. A world lacking of active citizens will be chaoticand static because of not coming into action. Everythingwill remain as it is with the missing parts, mistakes.

Let’s think about the worst case. Assume that a bigearthquake happened and no one is eager to help to oneother. If a rescue team is not available on that time,active citizens should be there to help people. If people

do not know the importance of being active, or do nothave perception, they will not be able to take into action.

The nature of volunteering is changing. There iscynicism and lack of confidence in democratic andconsultative structures – Individuals may feel they arenot genuinely listened to. There is a sense of uneaseregarding economic changes that impact on thecommunity. New ways need to be developed to attract,support and recognize the role of volunteers.

Citizens should be aware of the importance to be a partand take their responsibility. This is going to be anoutput of the understanding the importance of thevoluntarism. As much as a volunteer contributes to thesociety, the Social Capital (SC) of the citizen isincreasing! SC is something like a bank account andyou can built your SC with social activities. If you do thatyou build up your network...

Political indifference is another challenge that weshould think about it. People do not realize that theyhave a voice, nobody raises their voice and therefore weas a society are losing the value and contribution of eachindividual that would add great value to society. Peopledo not realize the benefit of their opinion and thereforethey should know the importance. This needs a changein the believes followed by a change in attitude. We maybrief it in three steps:

• Be aware of the importance of their

voice/opinion/contribution• Set a goal for future

• Act for that

Active Citizen Frame Work Tools

The JCI Active Citizen Framework illustrates themethodic manner in which JCI Local Organizationsaround the world embark on creating positive change intheir communities. In essence the framework allowsyoung people to play an active role in bringing all sectorsof society to work together towards sustainabledevelopment. By bringing all sectors together inidentifying needs they will build partnerships that workingtogether will lead to sustainable development.

JCI is looking to develop simple user-friendly highlyefficient Internet based tools that will allow its membersto be able to:

1. Collect and analyze the needs in theircommunities,

2. Plan a project based on the needs analysis3. Manage a project based on the plan


5/14

JCI Impact 5


4. Evaluate the results of the project.

Needs Analysis

Instead of JCI members just deciding on what projectswill create positive change, the framework tools enablethem to begin action by analyzing the needs in theircommunities. JCI members will be able to analyze needsby conducting online surveys, face to face meeting withgovernment officials, community businesses, civil societyorganizations and citizens, organize town hall meetingsand hold group meetings with a cross sections of thepopulation. The surveys must include simple questionsbut ones that will lead to easy analysis of communityneeds. All information that is collected in face-to-facemeetings, interviews with citizens, town hall meetings orgroup meetings will be inputted into the online tool foranalysis. The system analyzes the inputted informationand lists out the priorities of needs. This will permitmembers determine which projects they will run basedon the outcome of their analysis.

Project Planning

Based on the needs analysis JCI members determinewhich need they intend to craft sustainable solutions toin the community. Such a solution must be one that issustainable and not just providing short-term solution.The online tool will help JCI members determine whataction to take through a series of questions. Such

questions will simply be intended to make membersthink critically towards long lasting solutions to problems.For example if after needs analysis, poverty is listed asone of community challenges, the project-planning toolwill help members think of the root cause of povertyrather than just short-term solution such providingeducation or economic empowerment opportunities. Thetool will provide action steps toward developing a goodplan online that the participants will use to plan theirproject.

Project Management

The project management part of the tool will helpmembers take step-by-step action in accomplishing theirtasks. This will include time lines for the accomplishmentof specific tasks, people involved or responsible,resources necessary for the accomplishment of the taskand the projected outcome of every specific task.

Management and Evaluation Mechanism

This part of the tool will match original action withobtained results and determine what the impact of theproject is on the community. This will evaluate based on

the number of people impacted by the project, theamount of resources used, the role involvement ofcommunity stakeholder and the cost benefit analysis of

the project.

This part of the tool should be able to provide an outputrange that should tell the user whether project should bereconsidered or not.

Conclusion

To make the Active Citizen Framework effective thetools must be user friendly simple and easy to use. Itmust look fresh and attractive to young people as well ashighly interactive. What we seek to accomplish here isbreaking new grounds, we cannot afford to settle forless, yet we are conscious of limitations in ourresources. We must be creative and innovative and wemust look far into the future like no one has done before.

How to organize a CommunityDevelopment Project

The basic purpose of the Community Developmentproject is to identify the needs of your community andthen to conduct a series of projects that meet thoseneeds. Before reviewing the actual project, it is importantto realize a few key points:

1. To implement the actual Community Developmentproject, it is important for the Local Organization to utilize its maximum manpower and skills.

2. Planning is the key to success. Although thisexpression may sound like a cliché, it is an accurateone. Planning takes many forms; it ranges from theinitial idea to a detailed, written, step-by-step plan.Planning itself is an essential part of the LocalOrganization’s activity. It consists of assessing in thepresent what should be done in the future in order tofulfill the following purpose effectively:

“To give members the chance to become activelyinvolved in constructive projects to improve theircommunity and, simultaneously, to provide themwith opportunities for personal development.”

By implementing those projects that are best suitedto your members and that best fulfill the needs ofyour community, you will retain your members’interest, provide possibilities for personaldevelopment, and render valuable leadership to yourcommunity.


6/14

JCI Impact 6


3. The Local Organization should establish aCommunity Development Commission having thefollowing priorities:

a. The commitment toward understanding theconcept of community development projectmethods; studying this and other publications onthe subject.

b. The motivation to determine the needs of thecommunity and why a particular project isnecessary to meet those needs.

This is the area of interest that distinguishes JCIfrom many other organizations and grants themembers the opportunity for constructive action.The types of community projects conducted willvary from Local Organization to LocalOrganization according to their needs. However,in all cases, the conception of a project beginsby finding out what a community really needs.

c. The capacity to understand how a project can beimplemented by JCI members.

d. The establishment of specific and identifiablegoals for the projects. Goal setting is anextremely important function of any planningprocess. A goal establishes what you want toachieve in relation to each project and defines

the standard of measurement.

4. Once the Community Development Commission hasdetermined the needs of the community, it isnecessary to establish priorities to determine whichprojects should be conducted by the LocalOrganization during the year. This establishment ofpriorities is made through study and planning,leading to the selection of the best projects toachieve the goals set by the Local Organization.

A need in the community may require more than oneproject before it is fulfilled; however, these projects

could be interrelated, with one leading to the next orsupplementing the other.

5. The result of the work done by the CommunityDevelopment Commission it to be submitted to theLocal Organization’s Board of Directors for approvaland selection of the priority projects.

6. When the Local Organization has accepted theproject proposed, it should allocate the responsibilityof the project to a project chairman.

7. The image and effectiveness of the entire LocalOrganization, as well as that of its individualmembers, are reflected in the performance and

results of each and every project. The first elementis to identify problems in the community, set specificand identifiable goals for each project, and informmembers what is going to happen each month of theyear. Another element is guiding the projectchairmen in the basic steps of organizing each of theprojects.

Partners

There are various groups whose support you will need tocarry out a successful project. Firstly, you must get thesupport of your Local Organization members to avoid

having to do all the work by yourself. As it is acommunity project, various community groups mustsupport you as well. These groups include the newsmedia, community leaders, community organizations,sympathetic individuals and the public in general.

It is easier to interest the community in a specific projectthan it is to gain their support for an overall communityprogram. Therefore, each Local Organization communityproject will require a different method of gaining supportfrom different groups. It is also important to decide whattype of support you need: do you need manpower,publicity, finance or endorsement? Each group will beable to give you a different type of support.

The Local Organization members must be convincedthat the project fulfills a community need, is a feasibleexercise, and will be appropriate for the LocalOrganziation to carry out. Members must be enthused,and, to gain their support, you must plan yourpresentation well.

The news media can be a good friend. Involve newspersonnel from the very beginning and keep theminformed with concise, factual information. Treat themcourteously and, where possible, invite their advice as tohow your project can be publicized to the best

advantage.

Community leaders will take a natural interest in goodcommunity projects. Be very diplomatic and be sure torecognize their contribution to the success of the project.Such leaders—if suitably impressed by your sincerity,presentation, organization and the objectives of theproject—will be strong allies in your program.

Other organizations might be very glad to add theirsupport. Your best sources are the groups most closely


7/14

JCI Impact 7


identified with a certain project. Sometimes such groupsmay have wanted to implement that very project or oneof a similar nature but were handicapped by a lack of

organization, manpower or opportunity.

The general public has to deal with exposure toadvertising and publicity for many things. Somehow,your message must reach the various segments thatmake up the general public (i.e., children, teenagers,senior citizens, professional people, farmers, etc.).Therefore, it is necessary to plan your project so that itsmessage goes out to all the groups whose support youseek.

A word of caution: plan to combat those forces that willwork against your cause. This opposition can be passive(like public apathy) or it can be active, as when traditionsoppose the changes that are suggested by your project.You also have the opposition of misunderstanding, badpublicity, ignorance and even poverty.

The secret of a successful campaign to gain support isunderstanding. If all groups understand the benefits ofthe project, why the project needs their support, andwhat they must do to help it succeed, you will get all thesupport you need . . . and maybe more.

Promoting your project

The most effective method a Local Organization can usein establishing a good public image is to implement asuccessful, well publicized community project. Thepurpose of public relations is to let your community andmembers know what you stand for, what projects yourLocal Organization is conducting, what you haveachieved, and what you are trying to achieve. Thus,when you approach business leaders or your communityfor support, your reputation has preceded you, and theyknow what sort of an organization JCI really is.Ostensibly, it helps the recruitment program of a LocalOrganization if the people in your community know thatyou are an organization worth joining.

Public relations is a integral part of a LocalOrganization’s planning and action. It must not beconfused with publicity, which is simply a method ofinforming. Good public relations requires that informationbe given, but of primary importance is what youaccomplish and how you accomplish it. Well-plannedand well-executed projects that are of real value to themembers and the community are necessary to obtainthe best public relations.

Here are some suggestions that could be useful inpromoting the public image of your Local Organization:

1. Know your media. Make a list of all the mediaorganizations in your community, or at least thosethat you think may be of interest to you.a. Newspapers are a valuable medium for

continual coverage. A feature story couldprobably be developed from press releasessubmitted to the editor along with photos. Besure to supply the media with resource materialsabout the organization, especially aboutsuccessful projects.

b. Radio and television provide the largestaudiences. Since JCI is a nonprofit organization,public service announcements available at nocost will probably be the most accessibleavenue.

2. Know your media people. Meet them personallyand show that you are interested in helping them. Ask them how they would like to hear from you—byadvance notice, phone or e-mail.

3. Prepare routine fact sheets. These will presentyour major projects in a concise, easily assimilatedway. Fact sheets cannot be used by the press assuch but will arouse the interest of news people andserve as a reference. Samples of JCI Fact Sheetsare available from JCI’s Website.

4. Plan your public relations event. A LocalOrganization’s public relations event in connectionwith a community project should be planned to earnsupport from the public. The press and other mediacover the news. The problem is to determine what isnews from the journalist’s point of view. The journalist considers whether a story is new, warmedup, or cold and whether the subject matter isrelevant today. Convincing proof of relevance willestablish the quality of your project. If you do a good job, chances are the story will appear in the nextedition of the local newspaper or in the next

broadcast of radio or television news.

Once again, the importance of publicity cannot beoverstated. It can be virtually guaranteed if generated bya well-organized, dynamic community project ofconsequence to the general public.

Bear this in mind when contacting you local newspaper,radio or TV station with an announcement, article ornews release.


8/14

JCI Impact 8


The JCI Project Planning Process

The best method of implementing a successfulcommunity project is to follow the five steps of the JCIProject Planning Process.

Step 1: Survey

How can a Local Organization discover the actual needsor challenges in a community? Your Local Organizationmembers certainly do not want to spend time oncommunity projects that have not been researched, havebeen deemed unnecessary, or are irrelevant to yourcommunity. A comprehensive community survey is thebest way to discover the needs of the community. Be

sure to involve as many members as possible inconducting the survey. After the survey, your LocalOrganization analyzes these findings and establishes itscommunity project.

It is very important that, whenever possible, your LocalOrganization involves professionals in the field ofcommunity surveys (e.g., public relations or marketingconsultants) so that you avoid conducting an inadequatesurvey that would result in an inadequate CommunityDevelopment project.

A. PREPARING THE SURVEY

1. Your Community Survey Committee must havesome idea of the nature and scope of the survey, asthey are then in a better position to discuss surveygoals with consultants experienced in socialresearch.

2. Visit a public relations or marketing consultant todiscuss your survey. Professors in marketing andsociology at your nearest university may also behelpful. Also, students taking such a course mayvery well offer to participate in the survey.

3. While some members are preparing the survey

document, others should be arranging sponsorshipfor the printing of the documents. Some membersshould be gathering sufficient manpower to carry outthe survey and creating the appropriate publicity sothat the public and those polled will understand thepurpose of the survey.

4. Establish a survey timetable. This will depend uponthe type of survey you select.

5. Person-to-person interviews are not always easy. It

will be necessary to organize one or more trainingsessions for prospective interviewers.

6. We have mentioned publicity already, but it is worthrepeating. It is more important in large communitiesthan in small ones to make citizens aware that acomprehensive survey is being undertaken by theLocal Organization. Carefully planned mediacoverage of the survey—as well as the use ofposters, displays and other types of promotion—willresult in a more positive public response to thesurvey.

7. The best technique for implementing your specific

Local Organization survey is the one that can bebest handled by the resources of the LocalOrganization. This means you must carefullyconsider your manpower, the size of the communityserved by your Local Organization, financialresources, support from community leaders, and theprofessional expertise available in this field. Tailoringyour survey according to your resources would beour best advice to you.

8. You may have to choose between a comprehensive survey and a selective survey. The comprehensivesurvey covers a wide range of topics, while the

selective survey may concentrate on only one ormore specific areas.

9. The type of questions you ask the citizens in thecommunity is important. Some questions are definedin detail with recommendations. You would do wellto read that section carefully.

B. WHICH TYPE OF SURVEY IS THE MOSTSUITABLE?

1. Public survey. Go out on the streets and askquestions of a cross section of the community.

2. Leader survey. Visit a cross section of communityleaders and ask their opinions.

3. Representative survey. Carefully select arepresentative cross section of the public and mail aquestionnaire or make personal visits to them.

4. Panel discussion survey. Organize a publicmeeting featuring a panel of qualified individualsspeaking on the issues under consideration.


9/14

JCI Impact 9


5. Other. Local professionals in this field will suggestother survey methods to you (public relations andmarketing consultants, lecturers in marketing at

universities or technical institutes, etc.).

C. WHAT IS THE SURVEY PROCEDURE?

1. Determine the area of interest (physical appearanceof the community, people projects, historical,general, etc.)

2. Visit professionals in the field of social research.

3. Study available records from past surveys and othersources.

4. Send out a Local Organization observation team tolook and listen in the community. (Find out aboutroad conditions, water pollution, smoke nuisance,lack of playgrounds, inadequate youth facilities,badly maintained historical sites, etc.)

5. Select the type of survey that will best serve thepurposes of your Local Organization CommunityDevelopment project.

6. Carry out the survey.

D. PLAN OF ACTION FOR COMMUNITY SURVEYS

Always enlist the support of professionals whenpreparing the survey. Contact nearby LocalOrganizations and non-JCI groups for assistance whenconducting the survey unless your Local Organizationmembers can handle it without outside help. Makepreparations for receiving the survey results.

1. Develop a community survey. Include questionsabout community problems and needs.

2. Secure media coverage before the event. Asklocal newspapers, radio and television stations torun articles announcing the survey.

3. Determine the “target public” to be surveyed.Target several residential areas to visit (it is notnecessary to go to every house in the community;perhaps survey one household per block), highpedestrian traffic areas, and a favorite grocery ordepartment store.

4. After the event. Make sure that you thankbusinesses, government and the media for theirsupport and offer them the opportunity to join your

Local Organization’s efforts in conducting theCommunity Development project.

E. TYPES OF QUESTIONS

All your planning can be undone by your selection ofquestions. We have compiled some recommendationsand types of questions for you to consider.

1. True or false; yes or no Are you satisfied with the current number of parkswith green areas in the city?! Yes ! No

2. Multiple choices What the community needs to do most urgently for

its youth is:! Build a park.! Open a youth center.! Establish a number of youth clubs.! Construct a community swimming pool.

3. Factual How many different religions are represented in thiscommunity? __________________________________________ __________________________________________

4. Opinion What do you think is wrong with our community?

__________________________________________ __________________________________________

5. Priority listing By numbering the following items from 1 through 5(with 1 being the highest priority), give your opinionon the order of priority to be followed by localauthorities to lessen crime in our community:! Organize an educational program in schools.! Increase the size of the police force.! Institute a number of incentives to citizens for

criminal apprehension.! Introduce more severe penalties for certain

crimes.! Plan for community crime awareness campaign.

There are other types of questions that you canincorporate into your survey. This list will indicate to youhow important it is to prepare your questions for yourcommunity survey.

F. QUESTIONS TO AVOID

1. Leading questions, like “Do you think our town


10/14

JCI Impact 10


needs better streets?” Nearly every community inthe world needs better streets. This can only beanswered by yes and does not help you to

determine specifically the type of attention thestreets and perhaps the whole transport systemrequires.

2. Questions the public cannot answer, like “Shouldthe new community water storage tank contain800,000, 900,000 or 1,000,000 gallons of water?”Such a question will elicit an uninformed answer orno answer at all. At the same time, the person beingquestioned will doubt the contribution he or she canmake to such a questionnaire.

3. Questions that require too many answers, like“Should there be more emphasis placed on tourism,and, if so, where should the emphasis be placed,and how much public money should be spent?” Youlose the person answering your questionnaire veryquickly with multiple questions.

These examples confirm that your preparation of thesurvey questionnaire is of the utmost importance.

Step 2: Analysis

The survey has been completed and all the relevantinformation has been collected from the questionnaires

and interviews. Now it is time to analyze the results.

You have before you a variety of data—answers toquestions, reports, letters, and documents— that mustbe interpreted to answer your major question, “What arethe real needs of our community?”

The material should be organized logically and studiedso that the list of community needs can be placed in anorder of priority. Your Local Organization must produce aSurvey Report presenting the results of the CommunitySurvey as quickly as possible to maintain the momentumof community and member interest as well as theirenthusiasm.

Present the pertinent results of the survey to thecommunity via the news media or a prominentcommunity organization.

Even though you must take immediate action to resolvethe problems revealed during the survey, the very act ofimplementing the survey, making the analysis, andreporting the results has been a positive communitycontribution.

A small Local Organization might find that it has enoughworthwhile community projects to deal with for the nextfew years! The next step is to make a priority list of the

projects that most urgently need the attention of yourLocal Organization and appoint a project chairman forthem. You are now ready to move on to the next step.

Step 3: Planning

Now is the time for planning. The survey has beencompleted and analyzed, your Local Organization hasselected a number of projects and placed them on apriority list, and project chairmen have been appointed tolead each Project Committee. Now each project requiresa Plan of Action.

Before establishing the plan, remember that your LocalOrganization is not the only organization in thecommunity capable of handling projects. So,communicate with other groups, local governmentagencies, and nearby Local Organizations to avoidduplication, unnecessary rivalry, or misunderstanding.

The Project Committee

A well-organized team for implementing each project isthe foundation for success. An effective way of ensuringthis is to assign appropriate projects to a particularcommittee under the control of a chairman. It is thecommittee chairman’s responsibility to select committeemembers. He or she should look for a balanced groupcombining enthusiasm, specialized skills andexperience, and each member should have a specificresponsibility.

What to Do First

The first meeting of the committee should be for projectplanning. The chairman should guide committeemembers to think the project through step-by-step. It isthe chairman’s goal to enthuse the committee about thetask, help them visualize the job ahead, and anticipatethe problems they will encounter.

THE PLAN OF ACTION

With all the factors mentioned in mind, your ProjectCommittee is ready to draw up a Plan of Action. Takeinto account the financial and membership resources ofyour Local Organization. The Plan of Action must includethe following:

1. The Purpose of the Project. Establish the reasonwhy your committee is conducting the project. The


11/14

JCI Impact 11


Purpose must identify the project’s aims in onesentence that can easily be understood byeverybody involved in the project.

2. The Major Responsibilities of Key Result Areas. Divide the project activities into different Key Result Areas, such as Finances, Promotion, Records, Administration, etc.

3. The Objectives in Each Area. Establish the majorObjectives in each Key Result Area. The Objectivesmust be achievable and easily understood by themembers of the committee.

4. Strategies to Accomplish Each Objective; thePerson Responsible for It, and the Deadline.Under each Objective determine who should beresponsible for the task, and when it should becompleted.

5. Action Steps in Each Strategy. Each Strategymust be broken down into small Action Steps. Everyaction that must be taken by a committee member inorder to complete a Strategy must be written downso everybody knows exactly what they are to do andwhat is expected of them and others.

After the Plan of Action is completed, the followinginformation will be needed:

a. A chronological order of events or actionsb. A time schedulec. A budget outlined. An incentive or recognition schemee. An outline of the Local Organization’s commitments

in the projectf. Terms of Reference (outline of duties) for each

committee memberg. List of outside organizations, resources, and people

involved in the project.

The Plan of Action is then submitted to the LocalOrganization’s Board. The approval by the Board of

Directors or the General Membership Meeting willestablish the Local Organization’s commitment to theproject and will allow your team to get ready for Step IV: Action.

Step 4: Action

Warning – JCI members are often so eager to getstarted on project activity that they have hurried throughthe first three steps of the Community Project PlanningProcess or have skipped them altogether, commencing

their project with Step IV. In many instances theseprojects have not achieved their set goals or have onlybeen of minimal value to the community and the Local

Organization. So, before moving to this stage, be sureyou have prepared properly by covering the first threesteps.

In the Action phase, the project gets underway, and allparticipants are busy carrying out their share of theresponsibilities. Each project chairman is encouraged tofollow the basic steps of project planning. The Actionphase involves important skills such as delegation,supervision, communications, personnel management,public speaking and a variety of other skills.

Here are some brief points to consider in the Actionphase of the project:

1. Be sure that all participants understand the mainand subsidiary objectives of the project.

2. Share the workload and responsibilities among all participants.

3. Prepare brief Terms of Reference (list of duties)for all participants.

4. Keep everyone in the Local Organizationinformed at all times on project progress.

5. Emphasize incentives; the main incentive being“individual development through effectivecommunity involvement.”

6. Keep accurate records in one central system so

that progress can be tabulated regularly, thusavoiding a last-minute rush of paperwork at theend of the project.

7. At all times plan the project on formats that areeasy to maintain and complete.

Sacrifices have to be made at this time in the project.Members give up free time and may have to foregoleisure interests until the project is over. Keep this inmind when allocating your responsibilities, and be surethat efficiency is maintained at all times. This will notonly minimize the sacrifices that must be made but alsoserves to side-step any risk of project failure at this

critical phase that can occur despite excellentpreparations beforehand. After the exercise will comethe final step in the process—Evaluation.

Step 5: Evaluation

Can you remember where it all began? If you havefollowed the first four steps, Evaluation will be a naturalconcluding step for your project. Your Local Organizationdoes not end its responsibility with the project until theevaluation of the exercise has been done. The


12/14

JCI Impact 12


members, the public and perhaps even communityleaders or certain groups will want to know the outcomeof the project.

The project may have been an outstanding success, butstill not have satisfied the need. It may even haveuncovered a whole list of needs that will need action bysome group. That group may very well be your LocalOrganization again.

If it failed, it is important for the JCI learning process tofind out why it failed and how remedies can be appliedeither now or when a similar project is tried again.

After each project, ask these questions:

• Was the project a success? If so, why was it? Isfurther action required to fulfill the need?

• If it wasn’t a success, why not?

In addition to the evaluation of one project, it is importantto have a periodic evaluation of the whole LocalOrganization Community Development program.Community growth, changes of local leaders, changes inattitudes or the influence of successful projects by othergroups may require alterations in the LocalOrganization’s Community Development program.

Prepare a Project Record that will contain an outline of

the project, news clippings, photographs, a Final Reporton the project, minutes of committee meetings, charts,and other relevant items. This record will be placed inyour Local Organization’s library or will form the basis ofan awards entry before it is placed in the LocalOrganization’s library.

A good Local Organization Community Developmentproject usually spans a number of Local Organizationadministrations, so an Annual Report should beprepared to allow the new administration to continue aneffective community project. At the end of the project,the chairman, the committee, and all participants can

take pride in their achievement and feel satisfied that theexperience has developed them as individuals. Such isthe true test of a first-class community project.

Conclusion

In the 21st century with the cold war past and increased

globalization, people are exposed to threats that cannotbe resolved by unilateral efforts of nations.

Beyond national boundaries and governmentbureaucracies’ young active citizens will have to takeinitiative to ensure progress and development of

communities. The term Citizens Initiative has been usedto define the notion that positive change in the world willbe brought about by the action of individuals rather thanthe action of nations or states.

As active citizens we can no longer subscribe to thenotion that national security she be provided bygovernments but we must ensure the security of everyhuman being from want or fear.

In recent years the United Nations has began to addressthe concept of Human Security, which simplistically is aconcept that seeks to ensure the security of everyhuman being towards food, health, the environment,personal, community and politics.

The perspective of “Human Security” emerged in thecontext that a nations no longer have the ability to dealwith issues that face the security of individualsunilaterally.

Human security means to protect the vital core of humanlives in a ways that enhances human freedom andhuman fulfillment.

It works to free people of their fears as it relates toconflicts, terrorism, natural disasters, environmental

degradation, infectious disease and economic crisis.

It relates to the ability to elevate people out of poverty,illiteracy, poor health and the lack of vital social services.These problems continue to prevail becausegovernments whether in developed or emergingeconomies cannot sufficiently satisfy the wants of thepeople.

The old notion of top down approach to humandevelopment from government has proven insufficient. Itwill take a bottom to top grassroots efforts implementedby citizens like JCI members to meet these wants.

We are responsible for the future of our communities,our countries and the world at large. At no time has ourmission which empowers young people to createpositive change, been more relevant than now. At notime has our action been more urgent than now.

With a vision to becoming a leading global organization,we must reaffirm our commitment to our mission and asone global team with a unified sense of purpose embarkon an ambitious journey to lead the world to a new era.


13/14

JCI Impact 13


The Benefits of a Community Development Project

Individual benefits: Local Organization benefits: Community benefits:

Involvement In our rapidly changing society, all citizens are expected to becomeinvolved in the future of theircommunity.

Involvement In today’s society, organizations mustplay a part in the future of theircommunity.

Involvement Community leaders will have a strongally in the battle to have more citizensbecome aware of communityresponsibilities.

Experience The member uses such skills asorganization, group and committeeactivity, planning, public relations,reporting, speech making and basic

self-management. Also involved aredelegation, motivation, supervisionand meeting community leaders.

Experience The Local Organization becomes astronger unit because its membershave gained in experience.

Experience The citizens experience theenthusiasm and efficiency of theLocal Organization and have theopportunity of seeing the young

leaders of the future in action. Thecommunity will gain the experience oflearning more about its potential fromthe JCI projects.

Learning The individual will learn the skillsabove and more about his or hercommunity.

Learning The Local Organization will learnmore about its community role andresponsibilities.

Learning Citizens will learn more about JCI,particularly in Catalytic Actionprojects.

Leadership The individual member is accepted asa community leader.

Leadership The Local Organization is recognizedas a leadership organization.

Leadership The community gains young leaderswho will be responsible for guiding itin the future.

MembershipIndividuals may very well join theLocal Organization when theybecome involved in projects or seethe publicity that is part of the project.

Membership More people may join the LocalOrganization when they becomeinvolved in projects or see thepublicity the project receives.

Membership More citizens are given theopportunity to join a communitydevelopment organization that willmake them better persons.

SatisfactionThe individual has the feeling of prideand satisfaction at the conclusion of agood project.

Satisfaction The Local Organization has thesatisfaction that it continues to play arole in community betterment.

Satisfaction The community is satisfied with theresults and that its young citizens arepreparing for future leadership.


14/14

JCI Vision.

“To be the leading global network of young active citizens.”

JCI Mission

“To provide development opportunities that empower young people to create positive change.”

About JCI

JCI is a membership-based nonprofit organization of young active citizens ages 18 to 40 in more than 100countries who are dedicated to creating positive change in their communities. Each JCI member shares the

belief that in order to create lasting positive change, we must improve ourselves and the world around us. JCImembers take ownership of their communities by identifying problems and creating targeted solutions to create

impact.

26 jci impact manual eng 2013 01

Documents