Abstract
The term “community-based” has become a buzzword with organizations and individuals using the phrase as a self-proclaimed badge. Oftentimes, initiatives that have the intention of assisting a vulnerable population with a social problem further subject the community to being victims of the "system". Communities replete with social injustices are led to believe that institutions are outside of their influence. The powerlessness induced by this belief promotes the notion that individuals are destined by chance, thereby removing self-agency and initiative from the people. In this thesis, through the exploration of community-based supportive theories, power is found in the people. In order to adopt a community-based philosophy, initiatives must allow organizational operations to be fully guided by the community. Local knowledge and local control are paramount to community-based work. This work begins with communities defining themselves and utilizing individual and community realities to inform the direction of an initiative. Organizations are required to facilitate dialogue that interprets community members in the manner in which they wish to be understood. Dialogue serves as the foundation to understanding the needs and lived experiences of a community. Community-based instruments are explored and a critique of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) addresses the cardinal flaws of NGOs and the fundamental traits of community-based initiatives. This thesis concludes with an action-oriented call to become community-based.