Community Problem solving Paper
Problem solving is a psychological method that identifies problems and finds ways of solving them. It is a process of discovering and analyzing a problem in a given community in a bid to come up with a solution to this problem. Problem solving involves some steps referred to as problem solving cycle by researchers. This includes strategy development and knowledge organization, though people tend to skip some steps to reach a desired solution (Cherry, 2011).
Problem solving therefore involves: 1) Problem identification. This is the process of realizing existence of certain problem. This is not a simple task and requires some time since problem solving depends on how well the problem is identified.2) Problem definition-in order for a problem to be solved, it has to be well defined.3) Formation of strategy. A strategy that is to be followed in problem solving is then formed. This depends on the problem situation and individuals.4) Organizing the information. This involves collection of enough and available information. This helps in preparation in aid of finding a lasting solution.5) Resource allocation. Here, resources include time and money where problem solving becomes a priority. It depends on how important a problem is and therefore more resources should be allocated in solving this problem.6) Monitoring of progress. For effective problem solving exercise, the progress should be monitored and see whether the strategies used will meet the required goals.7) Results evaluation. Upon reaching a solution, evaluation of the results should be done which determines if the solution made suits the problem (Cherry, 2011).
One of the problems that a community faces is crime related problems. Crime is referred as violation of law. This calls for law enforcers to use legal action to combat crime. Of the most crime observed in communities is violence against children including sexual abuse, murder and abduction (National Crime Prevention Council, 2001). In my community, cases of children violence are very rampant. This has led to community-based programs to come to the aid of these children. Koinonia Community is one of the programs in our community that teach youth on violence and how to solve a problem through making a critical decision. Recently, study conducted shows that many children spend most of their precious time thinking about violence. The strategy used by the Koinonia Community Program is to teach children on how to say no to violent reaction to conflict. This engages them to solving problems in a positive and nonviolent way. Koinonia program also helps the youth to deal with problems of drug abuse, sexual abuse and other related crimes. At Koinonia, youth are empowered through thinking critically and provided with skills that help them in decision-making in an attempt to shun temptations that may influence vices.
Violence among children has also concerned the law enforcers and initiatives have been created to solve this problem. One of the initiatives that have seen a success to problem solving is the community policing. This is an effort by the police and the community to collaborate in problem identification in a given community and search for a lasting solution (National Crime Prevention Council, 2001). For a community to benefit from community policing, it has to come out and report all manners of crime to help the police to their investigations. Community policing involves three components. These include problem solving, change management and partnership. In partnership process of problem solving the police and the community must come together in fighting crime. Problem solving identifies problems and comes out with a lasting solution to a problem. In change management, the police department to enable the community involve themselves. Problem Oriented Policing (P.O.P) is method used by police to come up with long-term results to crime related problems. In my community, police and the Koinonia community program are working together in crime identification and determine the main causes of the problem.
On conducting an interview with the Koinonia program coordinator, Mr.Calvin Claine confirmed to me that community has embraced this program and are coming out in numbers to protect their children from crime. He says that the police department has taken actions against the perpetrators of children violence. According to the police department, crime has declined drastically and mainly due to the establishment of the community policing strategies. Mr. Calvin says they have strategies that help the program to be a success. These include; influencing the youth by offering special skills to combat violence and teach them that violence is a behavior that can be learned. The Koinonia program collaborates together with different other organizations in different communities such as the youth groups and churches in a bid to combat violence and promote communications skills and effect positivity in decision making in children and the youth. In addition, the program engages the youth in activities that will alleviate their mind from violence and promote togetherness in their homes and the community at large. Mr. Calvin claims that the empowerment of the youth is the main if not the only way out to violence prevention (National Crime Prevention Council, 2001).
On conclusion, the policy makers should enact laws that support the children protection. Otherwise, the whole generation will go to the dogs meaning that the youth will not be people to count on in the near future. Moreover, parents should come out and teach their children morals that help them to live peacefully with every member of the community.
References
Cherry, K. (2011). What Is Problem Solving? Retrieved from: http://psychology.about.com/od/problemsolving/f/problem-solving-steps.htm
National Crime Prevention Council. (2001). Strategy: Violence Prevention And Problem Solving Education For Children. Retrieved from: http://www.ncpc.org/topics/bullying/strategies/strategy-violence-prevention-and-problem-solving-education-for-children
