IN THIS LESSON

In this lesson, you will engage with your own community development project in partnership with the identified community. This may require you to work with diverse values and differences.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Engagement in community development is the vehicle to progress rural community collaboration, identifying health needs, and the rural encounters which can lead to health disparities. Rural encounters need to be identified for example, distance to health services and limited availability of health care practitioners, reduced social services including policing, banks, tertiary education, childcare facilities and recreation. To uncover rural encounters, you will assess the community. Community assessment comprises community profiling, assessment, identification of health need/s which are aligned with a population group or aggregate. Further, action, and the design and development of health promotion messages and resources, with the aim to improve the health of those identified population associated with the rural community concludes community development.

PARTNERSHIP

Partnership in nursing practice is identified by the Aotearoa New Zealand professional body governing nurses as over-arching skill nurses must master as a component of their practice (Nursing Council of New Zealand [NCNZ], 2016). The opening statement of the competencies for registered nurses describes the scope of a registered nurse in New Zealand as a comprehensive process that ‘… occurs in a range of settings in partnership with individuals, families, whānau and communities’ (NCNZ, 2016, p. 2). All community development projects depend on partnership between all parties. Partnership requires understanding of diverse values and differences.

DIVERSE VALUES AND DIFFERENCES

Diverse values and differences refer to the range of beliefs, principles, customs, practices, perspectives, and experiences that exist among individuals or groups within a society or community. These values and differences can stem from various factors, such as culture, religion, ethnicity, socio-economic status, gender, age, education, and personal experiences.

  • Diverse values refer to the different beliefs and ethical principles that guide people’s actions, decision-making, and understanding of the world. These values can influence how people approach issues like family, work, community, social justice, morality, and authority.

  • Differences encompass the variations in identity, perspective, and behavior that emerge from individuals’ unique backgrounds and lived experiences. These differences may include differences in language, worldview, traditions, communication styles, and social norms.