Underdeveloped community leadership

Despite a trend towards local initiation of community development, many rural communities have no way to develop and practise the community's leadership skills. The adult leadership force has been considerably weakened in recent years due to the failure of traditional local industries, since the men of the village have to leave and seek employment elsewhere. This also results in the young people of the community being deprived of models for vocation and responsibility. The remaining adult community members may be unable to participate constructively in guiding the community in the solution of its common problems. There is a tendency to rely on the handful of people who are willing to assume responsibility rather than trying to utilize the unique gifts of every individual; each person assumes that 'someone else' will take the lead, leaving the community without adequate leadership. In particular, residents feel they need training before they are able to participate in organizing and planning local educational and commercial ventures. Until structures are created to motivate and train the corporate leadership potential, communities will find themselves ineffective in creating ongoing social change.