Community Capacity - building strong communities

What is the purpose of my rant against articles like "Draft McShane"?

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Again, I'm fed up with watching the feeding frenzy that is taking place among some of the media and community leaders.

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Personal attacks are designed to tear people down and diminish the respect they enjoy in the community.

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A community that is weak is a community that receives diminished government services and political influence.

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Spirited debate is good, passionate debate about the issues is better. It means people are engaged and thinking about solutions.

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But launching personal attacks against others just to cause them harm is very ugly behavior.

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Without further ado, here is today's rant, posted by someone with absolutely no professional credentials (other than a degree that is really not worth anything in a college town). Nevertheless, I am proud to part of this community and I am not afraid to step forward and state publicly, "we can do better."

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"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead

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Community capacity - what does it mean?

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If you are not familiar with the term community capacity, you may be familiar with some of the other terms that have been used to describe this concept. For example, community competence, public capital, civic capital, collective efficacy, social capital, and community building have all been defined and described with similar characteristics.

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Community capacity is about local people, working together on a one on one basis to develop skills that allow them to take control of issues affecting them, their families and communities.

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It means offering support, encouragement and guidance to encourage people to solve problems cooperatively.

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Community capacity is often described as the resources, relationships and

infrastructure that enable a community to create change. The assets (value of human capital and diverse skills) provide a foundation for building a strong, interdependent community that works cooperatively to solve economic, environmental and public health problems.

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A number of communities across the nation have organizations dedicated to promoting and building community capacity. For example, the Little Rock Arkansas school district tells us:

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Much of the work to increase community capacity relies on the process that you develop. The following includes some recommendations for developing your processes.
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Participation in planning, organizing and implementing interventions is critical to their success. It is often helpful to start with existing social groups to gain community involvement (e.g., churches, volunteer organizations). Individuals within these groups often experience a sense of belonging with others who take part in these groups and have some trust in the processes used – both of which are critical to creating and maintaining participation. Experiences with these groups can be stepping stones for future collaboration.

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Social relationships rely on trust, reciprocity, conflict resolution and a sense of community. Through commitment to the intervention, these social ties can be used to solicit participation from other stakeholders, share information, build unity and solidarity, and open doors for individuals and groups.

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Skills and resources of community stakeholders should be identified and shared in order to develop a sense of support and interdependence as well as to capitalize on existing strengths to increase effectiveness of the intervention. Skills and resources are often referred to as assets and may include experience with strategic planning, ability to facilitate meetings or mobilize efforts, funding, space, and other necessities for carrying out the project.
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Community conversations to share information and make decisions ought to be dependent on the use of consensus-based, collaborative processes. Build on existing social networks (e.g., workplace, school, clubs) and keep all community voices at the table by including everyone’s interests, resources, and needs.

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Leadership demands some very important qualities, including: communication, evaluation, coaching, visioning, collaboration, and an ability to inspire others.

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Leaders should be representative of the community stakeholders in order to increase understanding of the needs of the community and to engage the stakeholders in the identification community problems and corresponding solutions. It is also important to build mechanisms for sharing leadership roles and responsibilities. This may include providing mentoring for new leaders and creating by-laws that require changes in leadership periodically.
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Values, history and culture are essential concepts to understanding the community context. Some of the core values inherent in doing this work are equity, collaboration and social responsibility. These values may be aligned with or in contrast to the community’s values and interests. Therefore, it is critical to recognize how community stakeholders’ beliefs and perspectives, as well as their history, influence their willingness to engage or act and to encourage community stakeholders to consider alternative ways of thinking and doing.

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The following tips are provided to assist you in building the capacity of your community:
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Ensure that the partnership vision and mission supports the interests and goals of the community.

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Inventory skills, experiences and resources in the broader community.
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Attempt to align your partnership with other initiatives for mutual gain.

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Organize community-building activities and projects.
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Encourage civic involvement.

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Build or rebuild trust in the community through shared experiences and

common links to resources.

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Promote economic growth, local enterprises and job connections.
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Celebrate local talents and resources.

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Community capacity is about working together, with diverse members of the community to find solutions to problems that threaten the community or prevent it from achieving the goals it needs to achieve to be economically prosperous and healthy.

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I think we can do this - without tearing down and alienating members of the community who have demonstrated that they are committed to making Whatcom County one of the best places to live in the state.

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Yes, I believe we can do it...