Community participation efforts for strengthening community well-being through conflict management

ABSTRACT

This participatory action research aimed to enhance a community's potential in strengthening sub-district well-being, a grass-root community of Northeast Thailand. Community Participation had three patterns. The first pattern-involved determining the five community commitments in which the members relied on an honest living, followed a "sufficiency economy" process, practiced local traditions, engaged in community development, and prevented their community from conflicts under the community justice system. The second participation was processed through community meetings with volunteer voting. Three workshops were arranged for volunteer training to develop instruction media for raising consciousness, distributing their knowledge, and resolving any controversies among the community members. The third participation was to advocate human rights among the community members by broadcasting via the local news tower, religious ceremonies, and career meetings. These activities helped encourage generosity among the community members, praised the respectful members , maintained traditions, developed communication, and built careers for the children, handicapped, poor, sick or elderly as well as supporting a community's proactive role in using the justice system to settle conflicts among its members.