When you say community work

Community work is closely linked to social work, which has a rich history in the Czech context. Contemporary social work at the local level—in communities—has seen an expansion of community work models and practical approaches and procedures suitable for solving local problems over the last decade. This publication thus responds to the needs of social workers who often do not perform community work as their main specialisation, but use elements of community work for effective operation in various organisations and institutions. The text can also be used by public administration workers, especially at the local level. The publication summarises the main principles and models of community work, traces the development of community work from the end of the 19th century, its specifics in the Czech lands, and mentions the stages of community work in the 20th century. It offers a perspective on the importance of community work in late modern society, a theme explored in the works of prominent authors. The main focus is on contemporary approaches and procedures in community work, which is modelled under the influence of other fields: besides social work, for which the community is one of the main target groups, contemporary concepts of community work are intertwined with influences and perspectives from sociology (social cohesion, marginalisation, social impacts of globalisation, individualisation, etc.), public policy (creation of local policies, balance of the local institutional network, citizen participation in public affairs), economics (employment, local economy versus local impacts of the globalised economy), urbanism (availability and character of public spaces), environmental sciences (sustainable territorial development, preservation of genius loci), and social anthropology (ethnic minorities, cultural differences of population groups). The publication emphasises the close connection between community work and the field of community development, which fundamentally contributes to the quality of life in localities: community education, community planning and support for people's involvement in public life, and the creation of community social capital. The publication is supplemented by a chapter dealing with the specifics of community-oriented research, which, in addition to a set of recognised qualitative and quantitative techniques, also allows for the use of other procedures. In conclusion, questions are raised concerning the trends and directions of community work in contemporary society, and the possibilities that enhance the quality of life in localities are considered. The publication provides examples of good practice from the Czech Republic and abroad.