Citizens as community experts: The benefits of a neighborhood leadership program

Abstract

Referring to citizen leadership and expertise in participatory processes
at community level, research emphasizes the necessary balance between
inclusiveness and knowledgeability. Both conditions provide efficiency and
legitimacy for policy making, so as to avoid governance based either on elites,
or on mass democracy. Scholars propose the inclusion of “expert citizens”
as mediators between scientific and lay knowledge. In a practical manner, this
is to be achieved by the formation of community leaders, able to address the
needs and improve the quality of life for residents. A neighborhood leadership
program develops capacities in human relations, public speaking, conflict
resolution, rebuilding of trust and acting inside a network, as well as practical
skills related to grant writing, fundraising or completing a community project.
To what extent is the implementation of a professional training program
able to provide sustainable solutions in the field of community development?
The study addresses this research question by means of a review, synthesis
and analysis of previous literature. Its empirical section approaches three
particular case studies, from the United States and Canada. Results show that
the initiative of training citizens to become community leaders has positive
effects at an individual and collective level - it fosters personal development,
mutual understanding and social cohesion, contributing to an ongoing
educational process.