Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Foreword
- Acknowledgements
- one Introduction
- two Civil society
- three Community development
- four Socialisation
- five Economic wealth
- six Social participation
- seven Social control
- eight Mutual support and solidarity
- nine The potential of community development
- ten Learning and support
- eleven Conclusion
- References
- Index
five - Economic wealth
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 September 2022
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Foreword
- Acknowledgements
- one Introduction
- two Civil society
- three Community development
- four Socialisation
- five Economic wealth
- six Social participation
- seven Social control
- eight Mutual support and solidarity
- nine The potential of community development
- ten Learning and support
- eleven Conclusion
- References
- Index
Summary
Sunlight Development Trust
The Sunlight Centre is an award-winning community venue and social enterprise in north Gillingham, Kent, an area that comes within the 20 per cent most deprived wards in the UK. A former derelict laundry, the centre is a hive of activity run by a combination of professional staff and volunteers, most of whom live locally. Almost 90 per cent of the centre's running costs are funded by its social enterprise arm, which has an annual turnover of more than £200,000.
The centre has been successful with its fundraising from government, local authority and national lottery sources. It has been visited by senior politicians from the three main political parties and is seen as a showcase for local social enterprise and community empowerment. The fair trade café at the centre has enabled 70 people, in one year, to obtain experience and qualifications as catering trainees. Outreach work at local health centres has created 25 further job and training opportunities for local people.
It is the combination of social enterprise and a strong commitment to community involvement that is the secret of Sunlight's success. It also provides a consultancy service, offering advice to other enterprise initiatives. The proceeds from the service are put back into running the centre.
The above example suggests that various factors influence the successful operation of projects in the broad field of community economic development. These include:
• the scope of the project, especially when it forms part of a major regeneration scheme;
• the growing connections being made between community economic development and environmental issues; and
• the dependence of community economic development on community development.
This leads us to an appreciation of the importance, historically, of economic criteria for community development. In Chapter Three, we noted Britain's colonial administrators’ use of community development. An important dimension of this was to encourage self-help among farmers in Africa and elsewhere. In the 1950s and 1960s, the United Nations (UN) produced papers and guidelines on community development with the aim of encouraging member states to use community development as a key component of their development planning. In some countries, departments of community development were set up and continued after independence.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Community Development and Civil SocietyMaking Connections in the European Context, pp. 61 - 82Publisher: Bristol University PressPrint publication year: 2010