Information Seeking Patterns Of Communities of Los Angeles: Sustainability Model For Mainstream Community Development

Murali D. Nair, PhD Clinical Professor, School of Social Work University of Southern E-mail [email protected] www.muralinair.com

International Community Development Conference, Minneapolis Tuesday, July 26, 2016. 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Nearly one-third of all foreign- born persons in the US live in California.

Diversity of Los Angeles

Los Angeles County is home to 10 million people—more than any other county in the U.S. It includes the City of Los Angeles and 87 other cities.

City of Los Angeles has always had the region’s greatest ethnic diversity.

Languages spoken

• According to Professor Vyacheslav Ivanov of UCLA: there are at least 224 identified languages in Los Angeles County.

Ethnic publications are locally produced in about 180 of these languages.

Nearly 200 Languages being spoken 150 Publications in different languages

As of 2012, nearly four-fifths of foreign- born Californians lived in the metropolitan areas of Los Angeles (5.1 million). Los Angeles hosts the largest populations of Cambodians, Iranians, Armenians, Belizeans, Bulgarians, Ethiopians, Filipinos, Guatemalans, Hungarians, Koreans, Mexicans, Salvadorans, Thais, and Pacific Islanders such as Samoans in both the U.S. and world outside of their respective countries. . Los Angeles has one of the largest Native American populations in the country. The metropolitan area also is home to the second largest concentration of people of Jewish descent, after . Los Angeles also has the second largest Nicaraguan community in the US after Miami.

Source: Association of American Geographers- Ethnic Change and Enclaves in Los Angeles, March 08, 2013 http://www.city-data.com/forum/los-angeles/146925-los- angeles-its-ethnic-enclaves-glendale.html#ixzz2dldL3nEM

Major Ethnic Enclaves

• • Thai Town • • Little Ethiopia • Filipinotown • Little Armenia • Indiatown • Little Moscow • Little Tokyo • • Little • Persia Town • Little Bangladesh • Salvadorian • Little Saigons • Guatemalan

• models of information seeking patterns • testing the models • use of Web-based resources • a case study ( LA Ethnic Enclaves) • Sustainability model Community Development –

Partnership s

Social Action Culturally Empowerment Safe Community

Capacity Building Asset Based Partnerships & Co-Creation of Knowledge

• The dominant culture is “deliberately decentred so that the perspectives of those who have been marginalized become starting points for knowledge construction” Capacity Building ~ Self-Determination & Empowerment

• Builds on a community’s assets & potential • Shifts power & knowledge • Promotes empowerment & sustainable self- determination

Successful community building

• Citizen-led • Asset-based • Relationship-driven • Internally-focused • Comprehensive Community-building paradigm

• Old • New – Focus on deficits – Focus on assets – More services – Fewer services – Problem response – Opportunity identification – Focus on individuals – Focus on community – Maintenance – Development – See people as clients – See people as citizens – Fix people – Develop potential – Programs are the answer – People are the answer – Emphasis on agencies – Emphasis on associations – Charity orientation – Investment orientation Community assets • Institutions

• Associations • Individuals Individuals assets

• Talents “Every living person has some • Skills gift or capacity of • Creativity value to others. A strong community • Culture is a place that • Sense of history recognizes those • Time gifts and ensures that they are • Enthusiasm given.”

• Relationship & − Building Communities from the Inside Out, networks Kretzmann & McKnight, 1993 • Income Associational assets

“The basic community • Councils organization for empowering individuals • Block clubs and mobilizing their • Faith Based groups capacities is the association. An • Sports teams association is a group • Business groups of citizens working • Political groups together. An association is an • Service clubs amplifier of the gifts, • Exercise groups talents and skills of individual community • Arts organizations members.”

− Building Communities from the Inside Out, Kretzmann & McKnight, 1993

Local institutional assets

“Every community • Parks hosts some • Libraries combination of more formal, public, • Schools private and non-profit • Colleges institutions. Since these institutions • Health Care represent significant concentrations of • Faith based resources, local • Social service neighborhoods have agencies begun to capture them for community- • Police building purposes.”

− Building Communities from the Inside Out, Kretzmann & McKnight, 1993

Mobilizing community assets

Local Institutions External Institutions Associations

Individuals Consequences of needs map • Local residents internalize “deficiencies” • Local relationships are destroyed • Funds are directed to professional helpers, not residents • Leaders magnify and exploit deficiencies • Failure is rewarded • Dependency is perpetuated