Towards a robust democracy: the core competencies critical to community developers

Community developers must possess specialized skills and knowledge to effectively promote democratic practice. The training literature indicates strong agreement on the values of the profession, including inclusion, broad participation, and empowerment. Only rarely in the literature are these values translated into a comprehensive set of core competencies. Following a research synthesis approach, we identify seven specific competencies: (1) listening, (2) emotional awareness, (3) cultural awareness and humility, (4) public deliberation, (5) facilitation, (6) appreciative inquiry, and (7) empowerment. We propose this initial framework to spur a robust discussion and debate among practitioners, scholars, and educators. We believe that the field of community development will be strengthened if there is a widely accepted set of competencies for those who seek to build just and democratic communities.