Impact of Community Development in Poverty Reduction: Reflections of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Community Development Program

Exploring community leadership development program alumni leadership experiences

“…Noguera (2011) argued that poor communities face real obstacles for children living in poverty, which can influence their learning and achievement. Studies show how community engagement initiatives improve communities with high levels of unemployment and poverty (Hameed et al, 2017;Hoffman, 2017;James, Green, Rodriguez, & Fong, 2008;Kim, 2018).…”

“…Community development is focused on the process of improving "social well-being for the community residents" (Pigg, 1999, p. 198), and community development programs play a pivotal role in improving communities (Hameed et al, 2017). Extant literature suggests that numerous physical and psychological benefits have been identified with community development programs (Hoffman, 2017;Lawford & Ramey, 2017).…”

“…There exist a host of challenges that prevent positive and sustainable community development. Studies show that some communities struggle with crime, limited access to high quality education, and health care services (Apaliyah et al, 2012;Bassler et al, 2008;Hameed et al, 2017;Hoffman, 2017;Lamm et al, 2017;Majee et al, 2018). Furthermore, lack of resources to meet the growing demands of the community, aging population with fewer wealthy residents, difficult living conditions, and cultural differences further impede community development (Apaliyah et al, 2012;Hameed et al, 2017;Hoffman, 2017;Majee et al, 2018;Williams & Wade, 2002;Wituk et al, 2005).…”

“…Researches have questioned whether community leaders "know how to run a meeting, to convene a community decision-making process, or to make sure that stakeholders in the community are appropriately included in decision-making processes" (Apaliyah et al, 2012, p. 32). As a result, while the importance of community development is well established (Hameed et al, 2017;Hoffman, 2017;Lamm et al, 2017;Lawford & Ramey, 2017;Reece & Gough, 2019), it is critical for communities to understand the role community leadership plays in improving the lives of the citizens with the community (Fritsch et al, 2018;Kirk & Shutte, 2004;Lamm et al, 2017;Majee et al, 2012;Williams & Wade, 2002).…”

“…List of Figures ................................................................................................................................. Figure 1. Summary of major themes ............................................................................................ Tables Table 1: Basic profile of participants . ........................................................................................... Table 2: Major themes of the participants ... ................................................................................. 72 Chapter One: Introduction When communities have strong local leaders, there is a positive impact on social issues (Azzam & Riggio, 2003;Hameed, Saboor, Khan, Ali, & Wazir, 2017). According to Azzam and Riggio (2003), "some evidence indicates that communities with strong civic engagement and strong local leadership tend to have lower crime rates, better schools, and more effective government institutions" (p. 55).…”