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Research Journal of the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka- Rohana 11, 2019

place through that community activism. For example, some key areas of these
strategies can be identified as:

1) Information - provision of information empowers local communities to make
decisions about how to be involved in their community and ensures people’s

access to appropriate services and resources. Volunteering and community
participation opportunities will be promoted broadly, so the community is

informed of the ways that they can get involved.
2) Connection - connection with integrity of CBOs, there is openness and honesty

about the scope and the purpose of volunteering so that there is a willingness to

trust the community views, experiences, and aspirations.
3) Inclusion - a diverse range of people in the community have a chance to be

involved in the volunteering. Community volunteering process seeks to include
and support those who may otherwise not be involved.

4) Cohesiveness - people have the opportunity to meet other people, get involved
and form relationships. This fosters relationships between and within

communities based on mutual understanding, trust, and respect.

5) Influence - when people participate in the community, it makes a difference in
the way things are done. Then the policies and services or the ways the

organizations work in the community reflect the input and involvement of local

people.
6) Accessibility - people who have difficulty to get involved are helped to

overcome the barriers to access and become involved.
7) Local - the opportunities to get involved in the community are available locally,

and the resources available for community volunteering prioritize meeting the
community participation needs, aspirations and interests of the local community.

8) Sustainable - opportunities to get involved and the activities that meet current

needs have positive influence on the community’s ability to meet future needs.
9) Diversity - different individuals and groups work together and become members

of a group characterized by complex diversity. They are strongly bound together

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