SOCIAL CAPITAL AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: IDENTIFYING STRATEGIES
Should Do
The first task was to become clear on what we should (vision
building) do individually and collectively to build opportunities for all
people to be more active in the
community. Using an interactive,
nominal process the groups identified many strategies that they should do:
1.
Ask individuals what they want (assess needs on
individual and community level)
2.
Start from the beginning to focus staff efforts toward
building social capital (language of job description, hiring, training, etc.)
3.
Resource allocation (focus mission and reflect social
capital (government funding and board dialogue)
4.
Connect with churches, charities, and other existing
infrastructure to continue community-wide dialogue(share stories and process)
5.
Engaging in community mapping (understanding “local”
and matching interests)
6.
Brainstorm better transportation options (getting
people where they need and want to be)
7.
Model and bridge community engagement and
relationship-building
8.
Create and find work opportunities people want to do,
not just what “we” think they should do
9.
Educational curriculum relevant to the individuals
10. Network
with other agencies
11. Putting
energy into on-line vehicles(i.e. social media) to grow and support all people
with disabilities in communities of faith and inclusion
12. Be
an ambassador of and for people by gathering and circulating empowering
information that connects the community
13. Initiate
weekly “community connection conversation party” (getting to know who lives in
the neighborhood, what the needs are, where the resources are, etc.)
14. Discard
acronyms
15. Engaging
the business community (social capital in the workplace) through education, reaching out,
catalyzing opportunities for meaningful employment, etc.
16. Better
educate people around socially connecting patterns, norms, actions, and ways to
feel and experience belonging (teach the hidden “rules” of belonging I and to a
community)
17. Run
a cost/benefit analysis of accessible transformation vs. isolation
18. Tap
into the power of storytelling
19. Promotion
of individuals with disabilities serving on boards, community action groups,
etc.
20. Eliminate
site-based services, and shift paradigm from “disability” service to people
service
21. Adapting
building / redesign of facilities promoting the arts to become more accessible
and inviting to our populations
22. Maximize
inclusive options of places to live
23. Acknowledge
and discuss issues as an organization
24. Eliminate
the “us” vs. “them” language and mentality
25. Increase
dialogue/interactions across staff/participants
26. Increase
time/opportunities to meet/plan with individuals and family to discuss possible
community connections (done with intention)
27. Introduce
concepts of social capital from the ground up (state government)
28. Educate
the greater community on inclusion and social capital as well as the smaller
community we are connected with
29. Asking
the people we support about relationships
30. Find
ways to keep people safe in the community (including safety)
31. Imbedding
social capital into government funding RFP’s
32. Help
providers and family members understand, value and embrace relational safety as
opposed to system safety
33. Define
our compass point, and measure our success
34. Train
staff to be community connectors
35. Peer-run
education, support groups with opportunities, consultation, and staff (seeing
people as individuals rather than consumers)
36. Create
opportunities to enhance and build already existing relationships
37. Stop
focusing on group activities
38. Provide
resources (booklet, Internet, etc.) to share with teams to ensure it is
accurate and current
39. Educate
the community on the integration and inclusion (campaign)
40. Continue
to engage people beyond their presenting “need” to help them create strategies
to build their social capital
41. Provide
transportation into the community
42. Living
support including support in the areas of living, learning, socializing, and
working
43. Participants
in every community activity/event/board/organization
44. Change
the universal symbol for disability
45. Financial
assistance for community events
46. Open
Universities for persons with disabilities
Could Do
The next step was to reconvene and the same work groups
converted their list of "shoulds" into ones they could actually
do. This conversion created a new
list of "coulds". This
new list included real actions that group members think they can actually do in
their daily life.
1.
Individual assessment of social capital
2.
Help non-profits to organize themselves into a
symbiotic network of thought and positive action (connecting churches,
charities, etc. to encourage a community-wide dialogue)
3.
Refocus staff efforts (build bridges, consumer-focused
lens, recruiting, training, etc. all reflecting social capital mission and take
conversation to a board / state-funding level)
a.
Engaging in community mapping (understanding what is in
local communities and matching interests)
b.
Regional events and education to shift perceptions
c.
Model and bridge community engagement and relationships-building skills
d.
Create and find
work opportunities people want to do, not just what “we” think they
should/could do
4.
Be ambassadors of and for people by gathering and
circulating information that empowers people and strengthens communities
5.
Engage the business community (social capital in the
workplace) through conversation, education, and advocacy to catalyze
opportunities for meaningful employment
6.
Better educate/inform people about social norms to help
them feel more connected in social groups (teaching the “hidden rules” of
belonging in and to a community)
7.
Turn the focus of systems toward engaging people with
disabilities and enhancing their social capital to facilitate social inclusion
for all
8.
Run a cost-benefit analysis of accessible
transportation vs. isolation
9.
Transportation (Information, access, spontaneous,
on-call, staffing)
10. Inclusive
recreation with in-place adaptations
11. Promotion
of individuals with disabilities serving on boards, community action groups,
etc.
12. Education
on integration/inclusion/increasing comfort level of all individuals
13. Speak
up (acknowledge and discuss collaboration amongst colleagues)
14. Educate
stakeholders and community
15. Ask
participants about their interests
16. Plan
with intention of building relationships
17. Find
ways to keep people safe in the community
18. Train
staff on how to be community connectors
19. Define
our compass (measure outcomes)
20. Stop
focusing on group activities
21. Be
more open and engaging when out in the community
Will Do
The third step of the process was to have the same
workgroups identify the top 5 items that they "will" do when they
left the meeting. The group then
recorded their 5 "Wills”.
The final activity was a reconciliation of the "will
do" strategies each group identified.
1.
Ask individuals what they want (assessing social
capital)
2.
Educating the community about our work and finding a
way to promote our specific populations through positive means
3.
Refocus staff goals (build bridges to focus on consumers
first i.e. recruitment, training, job descriptions, etc. to aim for
reinvigorating social capital)
4.
Engaged community mapping (encourage colleagues and
find tools to share)
5.
Network, Network, Network
6.
Transportation and facilities maximize utilization
7.
Speak up (acknowledge and discuss collaboration amongst
colleagues
8.
Ask participants – interests, participation so we can
plan with the intention of
building relationships
9.
Define compass (measure outcomes)
10. Train
staff on how to be community connectors
11. Measure
success of social capital building
12. Formalize
the measures (use of EHR, use of student interns, build structure to enhance
focus, etc.)
13. Define
our compass in the day programs, set goals, and measure outcomes
14. Empower
individuals to self-advocate
15. Stop
focusing on group activities
16. Conduct
the social capital study in Central Pa
17. Work
to share resources, natural supports networks, and information
18. Introduce
the interdependence paradigm in the classroom
19. Being
more open and engaging when out in the community
20. Peer-run
education for community/peer-run support groups
21. Write
a book about ASD and relationships
22. Create
opportunities to enhance and build already existing relationships
23. Regular
(weekly) communication (staff, families, people supported, community
organizations) related to importance of relationships
It was exciting to see the similarity and diversity of
opinion on this issue. One theme
was abundantly clear, if we are to build a culture that truly finds opportunity
for community inclusion, we must change some of our current behaviors.
THE PATH FORWARD
Change is never easy.
People and organizations have a propensity to keep the status quo,
reject new ideas and continue the course, even if it does not solve the
problem. Yet to stay the same is
to stagnate.
What you have just read is the fuel for change – the raw
material of growth. The strategies
listed offer us a map to a new place – one that is at higher ground, further
evolved. Know, however, that the
achievement of some of these solutions will not come easy. They require a conscious and direct
effort. They also require that
individuals and organizations have a warm and hospitable core.
Either way, we must step forward to address these
issues. Rarely do people realize
the opportunity we have to touch lives and, in turn, impact our culture. How fortunate we are – yet how serious
the task. Thanks for all that you
do and best of luck in continuing to build a community where each belongs.
Jeff Fromknecht & Al Condeluci