The Importance of Social Networks to Empower Communities
Connected Communities, represents an interesting new piece of research from the RSA on how social networks power and sustain the Big Society. It believes Social Capital is the currency of the Big Society, and social networks hold the reserves of that currency. The report explains:
Traditional approaches to community regeneration which define communities in solely geographic terms have severe limitations. They often failed to deliver on key social capital improvements such as improving trust between residents or fostering a greater sense of belonging.
The RSA's Thomas Neumark sums up the main idea of the report as:
Social network analysis offers a powerful approach to community regeneration.
The report argues for a new approach to community regeneration, based on an understanding of the importance of social networks. This approach has the potential to bring about significant improvements in efforts to combat isolation and to empower communities.
Connected Communities - How social networks power and sustain the Big Society
Some Key Points in the report include:
- Traditional approaches to community regeneration (defining communities in solely geographic terms) have failed to deliver on key social capital improvements such as improving trust between residents or fostering a greater sense of belonging.
- Efforts to build the ‘Big Society’ , such as training for community organisers or initiatives aimed at increasing the membership of community groups, should draw heavily on social network analysis. If they fail to do so they risk replicating existing inequalities within communities.
- While we believe social networks offer a powerful tool that may well enable communities to solve problems and shape circumstances more effectively, no social network can provide a substitute for capital investment, or form the rationale for significantly withdrawing support and funding from areas where entrenched disadvantage is acute.
The RSA also has a few good reasons for why you should read their report.
For more on the report, check the Guardian's piece 'Big society' faciliatators are found within communities
