Capacity Building
Capacity building refers to the process of strengthening the skills, knowledge, confidence, relationships and resources that enable individuals, groups and communities to identify priorities, make decisions and act on issues that affect them. In community development, it is not simply about teaching people new skills or improving service delivery. At its strongest, capacity building is about increasing the ability of communities to participate, organise, advocate and exercise greater control over the conditions that shape their lives. It is therefore closely connected to ideas of participation, empowerment and Social Justice.
Building capacity by layer
Capacity building can occur at several levels. At an individual level, it may involve developing knowledge, leadership, confidence or practical skills. At a group or organisational level, it can include strengthening governance, planning, communication and the ability to work collectively. At a broader community level, capacity building can involve developing networks, partnerships, local leadership and stronger connections with institutions and decision-makers. This is where it overlaps strongly with Social Capital, particularly bridging and linking capital.
Capacity Building and Community Development
Within Community Development, capacity building is most useful when it enables communities to become less dependent on external organisations and more able to shape their own priorities and responses. A purely service-based approach may build capacity only to the extent required to participate in an existing program. A stronger community development approach seeks to build collective capability, confidence and influence so that communities can organise, negotiate, advocate and challenge inequitable structures.
This also creates an important link with Asset Based Community Development, which begins with the strengths, knowledge, relationships and resources already present within a community rather than assuming capacity must always be imported from outside. From this perspective, capacity building is often as much about recognising and mobilising existing capability as it is about creating something new.
Position in this Vault
This is a structural note linking Community Development, Social Justice, Social Capital and Asset Based Community Development. It provides a useful bridge between the values of community development and the practical processes through which communities strengthen their ability to act collectively, access resources and influence decisions.
- Kenny, S. (2007). Developing Communities for the Future: Community Development in Australia (2nd ed.). Thomson.