Community Guide: Analysis Assignment
Kathleen Z. Russell, Pacific Lutheran University

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Instructions

Choose a community or set of communities you would like to explore. If you choose more then one community for this exercise, make selections that provide for the widest range of community differences. Consider these characteristics in making your choices: size, type of governance, rural or urban, incorporated or unincorporated, type of government, diversity of the communities on dimensions of ethnicity, age, and class.

Choose groups of students and match groups to communities. Avoid assigning students to communities with which they are already familiar.

1. Planning Meeting. Each team locates their community on a map. The team must make one visit to the community as an entire group, using this time to establish a time and a plan for the team's visit.

   • Present the Community Assessment assignment.

   • Invite the team to consider the strengths and interests of each team member, matching tasks to the strengths and interests of participants.

   • Ask the team to consider what good team skills and strategies will help them to be successful in completing the tasks.

2. Data Gathering. Have each team gather this information about their community:

   • Demographic information.
     
     What size community is this in Census terms?

     How many people live in this community?
     
     What is their ethnicity? Their age? Their income?
     
     How many live in rental housing? What is the mean value of a house?

   • Governance.
     
     How is this community organized and governed?
     
     Are elected positions partisan or non-partisan?
     
     How is the community funded, and what is the annual budget?
     
     Does the ethnic diversity of the elected leaders match that of the area?
     
     What social utilities (light, sewer, bus, parks and recreation, police, fire, etc) does community government offer?

   • Business
     
     Is there a Chamber of Commerce in this community?
     
     Who are its members, and what services does it offer?
     
     What kinds of businesses exist in the community (retail, manufacturing, industrial, port, technology)?
     
     How do the businesses contribute to the tax base of the community?

   • Human Services
     
     What kinds of public human services are available to people in need?
     
     What kinds of private human services are available?
     
     Are there obvious gaps in services? Overlaps in services?
     
     In addition to resources like the Yellow Pages, you may contact agencies like your local United Way, which often has a list of human service agencies, city or county government, the Better Business Bureau, the Chamber of Commerce, local realty agencies, bank managers, and the local historical society.

3. Presenting the Data. Each team will present the community studied to the class. After the last presentation, discuss and compare the presentations, noting obvious differences in governance, demographics, presence or absence of various kinds of businesses, and gaps in human service.

4. Analyzing the Data. Each student, using the data gathered by their group, presents a 4-6 page analysis of the community studied. The analysis answers these questions.

   • What are the strengths of the community?

   • What are challenges to the community?

   • What factors keep the challenges from being resolved?

   • What sorts of policy would be needed to address the challenges?

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