Helping communities plan for the future

This issue of World Neighbours in Action focuses on helping communities plan for the future. In particular, it describes Community Participatory Planning (CPP). This is a planning process facilitated by community leaders and animators, in which the major social interest groups participate in creating a community development programme aimed at solving their priority problems. The article discusses the aims of CPP, who it should be undertaken by, and when and where the CPP is done. It then details the two major stages of the CPP approach, which are supporting the CPP process through community preparation, and facilitating the CPP process in the community. It also discusses some of the conditions that need to be in place before training community leaders in the CPP process.