Activating the Community Dialogue for the Development of Local Communities: A Study Applied to Social Development Centers in the City of Riyadh

Abstract

This study aims to reach the formulation of a proposal for activating the community dialogue in the development of local communities. Conducting dialogue with community members contributes to the development of their abilities through their participation in all activities, including decision-making, assuming responsibilities, defining roles and tasks as well as implementing them. This study is a descriptive analytical study. It is applied on female social workers in social development centers and committees in Riyadh to determine the role of community dialogue in social development and identify difficulties facing female social workers that hinder dialogue with the local community. The study is also applied on a sample of female beneficiaries of Dir`iyyah Social Development Center amounting to (217) female beneficiaries.

The study concludes that conducting dialogue with the community contributes to identifying community characteristics and discovering local leaders. In addition, it is a way of identifying community needs, drawing plans, and understanding social problems. Conducting dialogue with the community also encourages community participation. Female social workers face many difficulties hindering dialogue; some of which relate to the characteristics of the female beneficiaries while others relate to the professional preparation of the female social workers. The study identifies the steps, roles, strategies, and tools that can be used by practitioners to activatedialogue in local communities.