ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author looks briefly at the tension for workers in balancing visibility and invisibility. Among community development writers and practitioners there is a range of views on the role of the paid community development worker. These workers took direction from the residents, not the other way around. These community development workers demonstrated faith in the capacity of the residents to organise and to act. Being visible in communities means using the professional skills one have gained through their privileged education and experiences. These skills might include knowledge of the political system—knowing what department or agency is responsible for or can assist with a particular issue. Being visible also means a lot of checking in with residents, seeking out dissenting voices, hearing arguments and deliberately engaging when conflict arises. A consistent difficulty in most community groups is managing conflict, whatever its cause.
