Community development in education advocates for creating innovative programs and collaboration between community members to advance community learning and sustainability. It aims to equip communities with the skills needed to undertake activities of their choosing. Key aspects of community development in education include lifelong learning, community involvement, efficient use of resources, self-determination, self-help, leadership development, institutional responsiveness, integrated delivery of services, and decentralization. Community educators work with people of all ages across a variety of settings and programs to address community needs through learning and prepare individuals for active community life.

1. Lifelong Learning
Community
Involvement
Efficient Use of
Resources
Self-Determination
Self-Help
Community Development in
Education
Leadership
Development
Institutional
Responsiveness
Integrated Delivery
of Services
Decentralization

2. Community Development
in Education advocates
and supports the creation
of innovative programs
and collaboration between
all members of
communities for the
purposes of advancing
community learning and
sustainability.

3. The aim of 'Community Education' is to equip communities
with the skills they need to undertake the activities they wish
to undertake; it is essentially about educating communities
or groups, not just individuals.
Defining Community development in
Education

4. Adult and Community Education (ACE) is a response to the
lifelong learning needs of the community. Key features are:




it is learner-centered.
it is for everyone.
it covers a wide variety of learning.
it responds to the community.
Defining Community Education

5. 



A process whereby learning is used for both
individual and community betterment. It is
characterized by:
Involvement of people of all ages.
The use of community learning, resources and
research to bring about community change.
The recognition that people can learn through,
with and for each other to create a better world.
Defining Community development
in Education

6. The field of Community Education is about providing the knowledge and
skills for people to not only be self-sufficient and independent, but to
create and utilize the interdependencies that must also exist in civil
society. It is about creating a participatory learning culture that
incorporates principles and practices of respect, mutual aid,
inclusiveness, lifelong learning, skill building, self appreciation,
entrepreneurship, and leadership development – the puzzle pieces that
make up community life and learning.

7. Who are Community Educators?

8. We are the learning strands of communities.
We are the youth workers and the youth leaders.
We are the preschool and out-of-school time instructors and
supporters who work with children and their care-givers.
We are the adult education counselors, teachers
and volunteers
in continuing education programs,
in workforce development programs,
in workplaces,
in colleges,
in prisons,
in museums,
in immigrant serving agencies
in family resource centers,
in senior centers,
and in other community-based agencies.

9. We are so many people addressing the multiple
needs of individuals, families, organizations, and
communities - providing an array of
academic, recreation, health, social
services, using the common thread of learning, to
prepare people of all ages for active and healthy
community life.

10. Recommendations
Build the linkages between the
myriad incarnations of
Community Education and
ensure that the mission is
about sustaining communities
through education and
learning.

11. Build partnerships with all
institutions, (education,
government, businesses,
service organizations,
neighborhoods, families,
philanthropy and civic
associations), locally,
regionally, nationally, and
internationally, and guide
where we are welcome the
process of creating
collaboration.

12. Constantly review,
evaluate and adapt to the
political, economic,
societal, technological,
environmental, and
demographic shifts
occurring in our
communities, nationally
and internationally.

13. Community Education is a vibrant
and ever changing field,
unique and interdependent,
adapting to the needs of
communities by responding with
programs and/or processes specific
to the local area.