LCBB4002: Community Engagement Report on Oxfam's Strategies and Issues

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of community engagement, using Oxfam as a case study. It delves into the core issues affecting community engagement, such as lack of community involvement, community-specific problems, high expenses, poor strategic implementation, and inadequate planning. The report outlines potential solutions, including launching specific programs, reducing expenses, and implementing strategies effectively. It also highlights the importance of interpersonal skills of employees in community projects, emphasizing their role in project management, communication, and attracting community involvement. The report concludes by emphasizing the significance of community engagement for organizations and the need to address the challenges to foster effective collaboration and positive outcomes. The report also includes information on various activities undertaken by the organization for community development, including women empowerment, fighting COVID-19, addressing hunger, and climate change.

Community Engagement
Part 1

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Core Issues relating to Community Engagement.........................................................................1
Resolving of the challenges.........................................................................................................2
Use of Interpersonal skills...........................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Community Engagement refers to the process in which there is a collaboration between
the different types of communities and therefore it becomes quite important that the involvement
of the communities can be analysed quite effectively and efficiently in a proper manner
(Abimbola, 2020). For this report, Oxfam has been chosen. It is an organization which deals in a
wide range of charitable activities and therefore helps the communities a lot. In this report, a
detailed focus will be made on issues relating to community engagement, resolution of the
identified challenges. Additionally, specific analysis on the way employees can add value to the
project will be discussed as a part of this assignment.
MAIN BODY
Core Issues relating to Community Engagement
There are various types of core issues which are related with Community Engagement.
These issues are required to be considered so that the Community Engagement can be carried out
quite effectively and efficiently (Adhikari, Pell and Cheah, 2020). This will be helpful as it will
lead towards better management of the needs and requirements related with the communities
effectively and efficiently. The core issues which are related with Community Engagement are
explained in the following manner-
 Lack of involvement of the communities- The main challenge which is concerned with
the Community Engagement is that there is a lack of involvement of the various types of
communities in the programmes which are aimed for their betterment (Caspe and Lopez,
2018). Therefore, In this way it can be said that this can lead towards a lot of problems
and therefore this can affect the overall development of the communities. In the context
of Oxfam, this creates a lot of impact because the communities which are associated with
the organization sometimes display a lack of involvement which creates an impact on the
firm.
 Community issues- Another challenge which is associated with the community
engagement are the wide range of community issues. Therefore, it creates a lot of
problems and issues for the communities and can therefore create an overall level of
impact on them. The communities which are engaged with Oxfam have their own issues
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which therefore sometimes impacts the implementation of certain schemes by the
organization.
 Higher-level of expenses- A main challenge which is faced due to the community
engagement is Higher-level of expenses. Therefore, In this manner it can be said this can
lead towards a lot of problems as well as issues for the communities thereby impacting
them a lot. Thus, In this way it can be said that Oxfam has to incur higher-level of
expenses and this creates an impact on the programmes which are being implemented by
it.
 Lack of implementation of proper strategies- Another challenge which is concerned
with community engagement is lack of implementation of proper strategies. Thus, In this
manner it can be said that this can create an overall level of impact on the different types
of communities. Oxfam's strategies are sometimes not implemented in a proper manner
which therefore affects the overall level of community engagement and affects the
participation of the people of the communities in such type of programmes.
 Lack of proper planning- An important challenge which is associated with community
engagement is lack of proper planning. The organizations concerned with are not able to
implement proper plans which affects the programmes which are related with community
engagement. This lack of planning affects the way in which the implementation of the
programmes aimed for the benefit of the society is done. Oxfam's managers sometimes
do not create proper plans which thus affects the organization a lot and the way it has to
implement its wide range of strategies in the short-term, medium-term and long-term in a
proper manner.
Resolving of the challenges
There are a wide range of challenges which are concerned with Community Engagement
(Cherney and Hartley, 2017). Therefore, it becomes quite important that the management of
Oxfam has to take appropriate steps for resolving these challenges. The steps which can be taken
by the managers of Oxfam are as follows-
 Launching special drives and programmes- It is quite essential that the launch of
special drives and programmes can be carried out in a right manner effectively and
efficiently. It is therefore quite important for the management of Oxfam that it is able to
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make sure that through these special drives and programmes it can attain the goals and
objectives.
 Launching community programmes- It is very important that the various types of
community programmes are launched by Oxfam (Di Napoli, Dolce and Arcidiacono,
2019). This will be helpful in ensuring that the development of the communities can be
done effectively and efficiently. Therefore, In this way solution to the challenge of
community issues can be found out in this manner. Also, it is important for the
management of Oxfam that through the implementation of these programmes it can make
sure that the communities are benefited.
 Reducing the expenses- Reduction of the expenses is important for the organizations so
that the unnecessary spend of the funds and grants can be managed (Karris, Dubé and
Moore, 2020). Therefore, for the management of Oxfam it is quite important that the
reduction in the expenses can be done by identifying unnecessary expenses and using the
appropriate methods as well as techniques so that these expenses can be controlled and
reduced. In this way, it can lead towards ensuring that the segmentation of the overall
level of the expenses can be done appropriately so that the management of the expenses
can be done.
 Implementing the strategies- It is important that the overall implementation of the
appropriate strategies can be made effectively and efficiently. It is crucial for Oxfam's
management that they are able to find out the right strategies which can be implemented
so that the wide range of goals and objectives which are related with the programmes of
the organization can be achieved.
 Creating proper plans- The use of Proper planning is essential so that the organizations
can make sure that they are able to make the use of the short-term, medium-term and
long-term goals and objectives in the future and ensure that the overall level of efficiency
and effectiveness can be enhanced. Thus, In the context of Oxfam it is quite important
that the creation and the implementation of the plans can be done and therefore the wide
range of approaches can be used for ensuring the success of these particular plans.
Use of Interpersonal skills
It is about community project which Oxfam has for poverty program. Oxfam is the
charity club. It has various employees for gives working for club. These employees has various
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talent. It is about, by their interpersonal skills they using these skills for community project. It
has various employees those has various skills. Employees using their innovative skills for
generating unique project. This project is about those who has poverty. Oxfam gives various
events for community project which is handle by the employees. Some employees has better
ideas, innovative skills. They thinks about unique ideas which helps them generating unique
project. Employees of Oxfam using their skills they planning for how they achieve their goal.
They making budgeting for this project, how much fund they need for achieve goal. This project
which community project, employees gives their unique ideas they generate team for various
activities. Every team has leader who use their leadership skills for managing team activities.
These leader managing activities for better performance. Finance department generate budget for
community project receipt, payment which it using. Finance department managing fund for
running their activities (Ojha and et.al., 2016). Finance department managing fund for running
their activities for better performance. Employees using their innovative ideas for generating
project activities. Employees for Oxfam managing activities which they includes for community
project. Those employees who has better communication skills they managing fund by investor.
They managing event for knowing about project. It is about how employees using their
interpersonal skills which Oxfam employees using for community project. Interpersonal skills is
about social skills for employees. It is process for using skills is about socialisation. Employees
who has strong interpersonal skills helps them for working for various employees which includes
manager, employee, customer. Interpersonal skills helps for communicate activities for
community project. Interpersonal skills helps for generating relation for customer. Interpersonal
skills helps employee for value, ideas, innovation. Employees using their skills for which they
using their value. Employees has necessary skills which is skills for management, ideas,
innovation for achieve goal. This project is about community engagement for which employees
managing various event for attracting society for social work. Community engagement is about
includes society for the charity club. Employees managing fair for attracting society which helps
for knowing about their project. Employees using their interpersonal skills for managing event
which helps for attracting society. It works for woman empowerment, COVID, festival.
Employees managing various activities for society they enjoy these activities by participating for
them, they receive price for activities. Employees work for their skills they improve their skills.
These skills they are using for their work which attract society for engaging for their project.
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Employees generating unique value which they use for community engagement project.
Employees running activities for society engagement for their charity club. Community
engagement activity includes generate, managing, budgeting, ideas, value, innovation. These
activities which they are run for community engagement. They runs social event which includes
classes about art, skills which helps society for developing their skills for better performance.
There are wide range of activities in which the employees for Oxfam take part. Some of
these activities are explain as follows:
Equality for woman: Woman empowerment is quite necessary for woman & therefore
Oxfam make sure that it is able to engage itself in the activities which leads towards woman
empowerment (Pratt, Cheah and Marsh, 2020). Thus, in this way the employee for Oxfam are
able to develop their interpersonal skills.
Fighting COVID: Fighting COVID-19 is quite necessary because the pandemic has
impacted all countries in world (Renwick and et.al., 2020). Therefore, employees for Oxfam
have to make sure that by using interpersonal skills they are able to develop & approach for
fighting COVID-19.
Beating hunger: Beating hunger is quite necessary for country. Therefore, employees for
Oxfam make sure they using their interpersonal skills they are able to feed & approach for
community engagement.
Climate change: Climate change is quite necessary for country (Wu, Fan and Zhao,
2018). Therefore, Oxfam make sure that it is able to engage itself in the activities which leads
towards climate change. Thus, in this way the employee for Oxfam are able to develop their
interpersonal skills.
Education: Education is quite necessary for country. Therefore, Oxfam make sure that it
is able to engage itself in the activities which leads towards education. Thus, in this way the
employee for Oxfam are able to develop their interpersonal skills.
Employees using their interpersonal skills for various activities which club runs.
Employees motivate for community engagement for which they using their interpersonal skills.
Employees generate various event for using their interpersonal skills which helps them for
innovation. Employee using their leadership, value, innovation skills which attract society for
community engagement. They are using this for economic development which helps for increase
for GDP. Oxfam work for various activities reduce poverty which helps for better performance
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which helps for higher profitability. Employees using their interpersonal skills which includes
leadership, manage, innovation, budgeting, ideas.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it has been concluded that Community Engagement is quite
important to be considered by the organizations to increase the involvement of the different
communities. Thus it is quite important for the management of the firms that they are able to
engage with the various types of communities in the right manner and thus take all the necessary
steps which will help in helping them effectively and efficiently. Therefore, this will lead
towards the attainment of a wide range of goals and objectives in the short-term, medium-term
and long-term.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Abimbola, S., 2020. Beyond positive a priori bias: reframing community engagement in LMICs.
Health promotion international. 35(3). pp.598-609.
Adhikari, B., Pell, C. and Cheah, P. Y., 2020. Community engagement and ethical global health
research. Global Bioethics. 31(1). pp.1-12.
Caspe, M. and Lopez, M. E., 2018. Preparing the next generation of librarians for family and
community engagement. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science.
59(4). pp.157-178.
Cherney, A. and Hartley, J., 2017. Community engagement to tackle terrorism and violent
extremism: challenges, tensions and pitfalls. Policing and society. 27(7). pp.750-763.
Di Napoli, I., Dolce, P. and Arcidiacono, C., 2019. Community trust: A social indicator related to
community engagement. Social Indicators Research. 145(2). pp.551-579.
Karris, M. Y., Dubé, K. and Moore, A. A., 2020. What lessons it might teach us? Community
engagement in HIV research. Current Opinion in HIV and AIDS. 15(2). pp.142-149.
Ojha, H. R. and et.al., 2016. Delocalizing communities: Changing forms of community
engagement in natural resources governance. World Development. 87. pp.274-290.
Pratt, B., Cheah, P. Y. and Marsh, V., 2020. Solidarity and community engagement in global
health research. The American Journal of Bioethics. 20(5). pp.43-56.
Renwick, K. and et.al., 2020. Community engagement is…: Revisiting Boyer’s model of
scholarship. Higher Education Research & Development. 39(6). pp.1232-1246.
Wu, J., Fan, S. and Zhao, J. L., 2018. Community engagement and online word of mouth: An
empirical investigation. Information & Management. 55(2). pp.258-270.
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