Encouraging and supporting the existence of specialised community Associations

This post details the first objective of Zucodecg, hence the title. It is not only the first but also the main objective of Zucodecg. This is because it emphasises the path Zucodecg finds efficient and effective in its contribution to the cause of community development. The path is that of the existence and proliferation of Specilalised Community Associations (SCAs).

A community Association (CA) is an organised group of persons related to a community. The group is committed to an agreed purpose related to its members as members of their community. The community's welfare is expected to benefit from the association's efforts.

'Specialised' is a key adjective to the Community Associations Zucodecg wishes to encourage and support. By 'specialised', the concern is that the interest and purpose of a CA should be clearly specified, and all activities of the association be reasonably directed to the advancement of the specified interest and purpose. A Specialised Community Association of Graduates which may, for instance, have a specific purpose of enhansing academic interest among children in the community, is expected to channel its activities towards that purpose. But any attempt to, for instance, brainwash the children for a political interest defeats the essence of a Specialised Community Association. The concept of Specialised Community association guarantees focus, and subsequently expertise.

Why Specialised Community Associations (SCAs)?
SCA provides an opportunity to community members for making commitments in various aspects of their communities' welfare. In every community, members share different interests based on their backgroud and status. These varying interests are synonymous to the various aspects of a community's life. And thus, any organised effort to collectively serve an interest will definitely have a positive bearing on the community as a whole.

In a community of high illiteracy level where, for instance, some illiterate adult residents begun to detest their vulnerability, a specialised community association for the purpose of improving adult literacy is the option. Such an association, though may not involve all less literate adults, will eventually ensure an increase in the community's literacy level. It is also most likely to insight a community consciousness of the possibility to fight adult illiteracy.

The Intervention

The obvious intervention Zucodecg wishes to offer by this objective is of encouragement and support for specialised community associations.

In the encouragement aspect, zucodecg intends to engage in an advocacy of community associations as crucial to community development. The advocacy will take the form of write-ups, speeches, workshops, and other viable advocacy methods on the relevance, formation and operation of Community Associations (CAs). This advocacy intervention is expected to highten audiences' awareness of, and capacity to initiate, CAs.

For the supportive intervention, Zucodecg intends to provide support services to prospective pioneers of community associations, and existing associations. The supportive services range from Administration, consultancy, partnerships, collaborations, Publicity and fund-raising.

In a nutshell, considering the Mission of Zucodecg it is an obvious acknowledgement that encouragement and support interventions for community associations constitute a prime objective of Zucodecg. And conditional to the success of these interventions is the potential of beneficiary associations to be focused on, and not deviating from, their purpose.

This is what Zucodecg has for now as a detail to its first objective: Encouraging and supporting the existence of specialised community association.

Zucodecg welcomes your comments, ideas, critical questions and recommendations.

LET US JOIN HANDS FOR OUR COMMUNITIES!!!

WHY THE COMMUNITY? ZuCoDeCG ANSWERS.

WHY THE COMMUNITY?: ZuCoDeCG ANSWERS.
From the full name of ZuCoDeCG; through its vision and mission; to its objectives, the 'community' is clearly the focus. The question of "why the community" is an obvious expectation.
Here, ZuCoDeCG shares its working definition and understanding of a community. The rationale behind the interest in the community is also indicated.
What is a community?
A community is defined severally, though similarly. The similarity in these definitions are that a community is shared, and may either be geographical and /or other (by ethnicity, belief, profession, interest etc.). In appreciation of the similarity in the several definitions, ZuCoDeCG adopts a working definition: "A community is a geographical unit, locality or area inhabited by persons co-existing by a shared sense of belonging, and in a relation (or have the potential of a relation) beyond family, clan, ethnicity and/or religion".
Why the community?
ZuCoDeCG's interest in the community is founded on belief in the centrality of communities' welfare to national progress. This belief is also grounded on the understanding that a community is a multifaceted, basic socio-geographical environment of the individual. Thus the significance of a community in nurturing the individual (citizen).
ZuCoDeCG is unreservedly convinced that a better citizenry (needed for a better nation) well depends on the individual citizen's experiences and values as a member of a community. And therefore ZuCoDeCG commits itself to supporting community development by encouraging community self-support. Hopeful of a resulting self-sustaining Nation (Ghana).
THANK YOU! Suggestions are unrestrictively welcomed.

VISION, MISSION AND OBJECTIVES OF ZuCoDeC-Ghana

VISION: Ever-Deepening culture of community self-support in Ghana.
MISSION: Influencing organised participation of community members in effecting community progress through Community Associations.
OBJECTIVES:
1. Encourage and support the existence of specialised community associations.
2. Encourage community participation in Local Governance.
3. Institution of community owned "Literacy for All" and "Empoyable skills for All' Program.
4. Capacity building for members, staffs and Volunteers of ZuCoDeC-Ghana.