Unpacking Transformation: Committing to Community in Education and Health Care Reform

(First paragraph) As we near the end of 2013, let 's round out this volume's editorial discussion on the essentialness of community voice in realizing the potential and well-being of individuals and families. The concept of community engagement is not new-the settlement house movement is a vibrant example of efforts to better "whole" neighborhoods through community and family-focused services (United Neighborhood Centers of America [UNCA], n.d.). From this legacy, a focus on mutualism appears to have the favor of most social workers. Further, an important aspect of the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers (Code of Ethics) calls for supporting and guiding participation in public policies and tenets that are important to the daily lives of individuals and their families: "Social workers should facilitate informed participation by the public in shaping social policies and institutions" (National Association of Social Workers, 2008, ...6.02). Indeed, "all professionals working in communities have an obligation to strengthen collaborative efforts, as they are essential to community empowerment and self-determination- key ingredients for healthy, sustainable and equitable communities" (Aboelata, Ersoylu, Cohen, & Swartz, 2011). In actuality, the process of empowering communities to have a voice in a variety of settings can be complicated and is not always successful. However, authentic engagement is a powerful tool for strengthening local neighborhoods and communities (Alliance for Children and Families & UNCA, 2013), thus worth doing consistently and progressively. Plus, it is encouraging that "more [representatives and stakeholders] in the public sector 'get it' and [are working to] engage people in decisions that affect their lives" (Dreyfus, 2013). (ProQuest: ... denotes formulae/symbols omitted.)