About CED

Community-based Economic Development (CED) is a way to enhance communities by putting people first. Through CED, we can build the social and economic activities that we need to make a better life for ourselves and our families.

The knowledge and experiences that women have are essential building blocks for healthy and sustainable communities. That is why women’s CED values the work that we do in our homes, in our schools and in our communities. Women’s commitment to CED is demonstrated by the work that we do as we nurture our children, care for our elders, shop locally, volunteer with community projects, address affordable housing, create child care opportunities and build home-based and small businesses. Women’s CED is inclusive. It supports the involvement of diverse citizens, especially those challenged by such issues as: culture, age, education levels, poverty, geographic isolation and unemployment.

CED is a way that people in communities work together to improve their lives and take control of their futures. This CED work is driven by two ideas:

Social growth is as important as economic growth.
Community members should make the decisions about how they want their community to grow and to develop.

The Women’s CED Network works to support women’s full participation in CED in Nova Scotia. We do this by developing projects, services, information and resources to assist women to participate in the local decision-making that will affect their lives and their families. This section of the web site offers information about CED and about the kinds of issues and challenges that women face in becoming full participants.�

Our Definition of CED�

Community-based Economic Development (CED) focuses on the things the community needs to improve life for everyone. It includes both economic and social development and is based on the practice that the people who should make decisions are the people whose lives will be changed by those decisions. In CED, social goals and economic goals are closely intertwined. In order to support this inter-relationship, a number of basic elements need to be addressed:

CED is inclusive; it is recognized that all members of a community can contribute to its development.
Local economic development is enhanced through entrepreneurship and small business development. CED recognizes that local people creating small businesses support communities in many ways. They create employment and patronize other local businesses, thus keeping local dollars in the community. They also draw others to the community, bringing new dollars into that economy.
Skills development is essential; by recognizing existing skills and building new skills within a community, CED creates a long-term capacity for growth and development.
Building strong networks is critical to CED; both individual growth and community development are enhanced through the exchange of ideas and information.
Creative partnerships are fundamental to the work of CED. They focus the skills, talents, and assets of community members, non-government and government agencies on a common goal. The members of these partnerships work as equals.
Public awareness and communications are tools which help to draw the elements of Community-based Economic Development together. Through these tools, community members know how they can contribute and that their contributions are valued; skills are developed; networks and partnerships are established; and local businesses are supported. These tools also reach outside local work to inspire others and to mentor new efforts.�

Issues and Challenges�

In 1997, the WEE Society launched the Counting Women In CED project. The project was designed to give women information about, and promote their involvement in all aspects of Community-based Economic Development. In all, 1,540 women came forward to share their concerns, identify their needs, and express their desires to be involved in CED in this province. These women identified a range of challenges that limit or prevent their involvement in mainstream CED initiatives. These challenges include:

a lack of access to information and resources
a need for networking and support structures
a scarcity of quality child care and elder care
restricted access to transportation
a need for skills development in CED
an inability to get funding or credit
a need for literacy training and education programs
unemployment and underemployment
cultural barriers
opportunities for empowerment which increase self-esteem
a need to value women’s unpaid work
lack of support for volunteers
limited representation on boards and committees
a need to improve community partnerships
a need for local facilitators to support local development
a need for services for youth
improved health care
a need to address environmental issues
public awareness and education about these issues
and the short term nature of projects