Case studies : Community development manager: Jennie

Jennie graduated with a degree in design for performance in 2006, having previously trained as a lawyer and worked in commercial practice.

Her role as community development worker at a community theatre in London, which is local authority funded, is not necessarily 'typical' of community development work. It has a particular focus on engaging community members in arts and cultural activities as well as providing entertainment and leisure opportunities, although the theatre also works with various statutory bodies and voluntary organisations to provide access to services such as health and welfare support.

One element of Jennie's work that is common to most community work jobs is that she works with a community that is economically deprived and one in which many individuals are vulnerable. The theatre is set within a low-income housing estate - a pocket of deprivation within an otherwise affluent area of London. The theatre was originally built as the community centre for the estate and still represents a focal point for the community as well as being a dedicated live arts venue.

Jennie manages a small team and liaises with local community groups including local voluntary organisations, churches and youth groups in order to encourage them to use the theatre, either through participating in performances, coming to watch them, or using the theatre as a venue for meetings and activities. Among the activities on offer are drama activities for young people, a community market and film showings for older people within the community.

Jennie's job is multi-faceted. It includes researching local community needs, organising activities to meet those needs, and raising funds to support the activities. Jennie also does all the publicity and marketing for the community development programme and has responsibility for the health and safety of her groups while using the premises. She liaises with groups who hire space within the theatre on a community basis. This provides a valuable additional source of income to support community activities.

Jennie describes her job as one that is very rewarding. She helps get people out mixing and socialising who might otherwise stay at home. She gives community residents encouragement to enquire about the services, facilities and events which are available to them and organises activities that can improve their quality of life. Putting on arts events means that Jennie is providing enjoyment to people, and she says that is a particularly enjoyable aspect of the work. 'When I'm at work, I'm usually mixing with people who are at their leisure,' says Jennie.

Seeing the transformation of young people who have not had the opportunity to set foot on a stage getting to the point where they can perform in front of an audience is another source of immense satisfaction.

There are few downsides to the job from Jennie's perspective. There is often limited funding available to support the work, and with more money, lots more could be done for the community. 'We have learned to do as much as we can on as little as possible. It makes us find creative solutions to getting what we need,' says Jennie. An example of the kind of resourcefulness required in community development work is a summer children's art project that Jennie ran. There was very little money available to run the project, and a need for art materials. By advertising on a service called Freecycle, and by being willing to drive around to peoples houses to collect materials, Jennie was able to acquire lots of free resources to run the project.

Jennie sometimes has to deal with the anger of people within the community who want things done more quickly. With finite resources, it is impossible to satisfy everyone's needs, and Jennie feels it is important to do things slowly, surely and in a well-presented way. The priority has to be to give people a quality experience. That's how you build a reputation for good work.

Jennie strongly recommends volunteering and work experience placements as a way of building up experience for community development work. 'You need to develop resilience if you are going to succeed in this type of work,' she reflects. 'There will always be people who you are unable to help, who are beyond reach.'

Nevertheless, the satisfaction of seeing community members developing a better quality of life overrides any frustrations. Jennie knows she could have earned more money had she stayed in law, but she also feels that she would not have had the same level of job fulfilment that she has now.