Introduction

All communities have the capacity to grow and develop, but for some reason not all communities do so. In order to understand at least one of the reasons for behind this, this course will look at the topic of community empowerment. It will start by defining the key parameters of community empowerment and some of the most common forms, before looking at the barriers to community empowerment and ways that these can be overcome. It will conclude by looking at a particular challenge that can arise if communities are not sufficiently empowered and supported: crime and criminality.

After studying this course, you should be able to:

• understand the various ways in which communities can be empowered
• appreciate the key elements of community empowerment
• understood the barriers and incentives to community empowerment
• reflect on the various forms of stakeholder engagement
• consider ways in which empowered communities can deal more effectively with crime and criminality.