Community Organization and Building:

“The health education professional who begins with the community’s felt needs, rather than with a personal or agency-dictated agenda, will be far more likely to experience success in the change process and to foster real community ownership of programs and actions than if he or she were to impose an agenda from outside” (McKenzie et al., 2009)

A. Describe how you would use your community building skills to move through each step of the community organizing process to galvanize positive change :

1. Where would you begin?

2. How would you identify the health issue, and what methods would you use to gain entry into the community?

3. What would be your key strategies – grassroots organizing, coalitions, policy development?

4. Be sure to discuss the community organization and community-building typology in your response.
   

B. The Planned Approach to Community Health model, also known as PATCH, has emerged in the field of health education as a dominant model in community organizing. Given the prevalence of obesity and chronic disease (i.e., heart disease, cancer, etc.) in our society, choose one of these topics as your focus :

1. Describe how you would use the phases of the PATCH model to mobilize your community and improve the health issues within it.
2. What partnerships would you create?
3. With whom would you work?
4. How would you prioritize health problems and carry out your intervention?