Network Logic - Index of
Network Logic - Index of
Network Logic - Index of
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Developing the well-connected community<br />
sense’. Community networks convey information and ideas,<br />
recruiting potential collaborators and supporters for self-help groups<br />
and collective action.<br />
Communities can be thought <strong>of</strong> as complex systems comprising<br />
overlapping networks <strong>of</strong> social and organisational relationships.<br />
Their boundaries are difficult to define; they consist <strong>of</strong> multiple,<br />
interdependent elements; there exists no centralised control<br />
mechanism; and interactions between members are governed by<br />
localised and relatively simple conventions. Well-functioning<br />
communities possess a range <strong>of</strong> capacities for absorbing or adapting<br />
to change, managing internal tensions and generating (and<br />
dissolving) a variety <strong>of</strong> forms for collective action.<br />
These capacities are organic and ‘owned’ by communities themselves.<br />
In many instances, they has been built up over years <strong>of</strong><br />
collective action among a fairly stable population who accumulate<br />
skills, knowledge and confidence from a shared experience <strong>of</strong><br />
successful organising. Social networks with diverse, boundaryspanning<br />
contacts are particularly useful, especially where these<br />
provide links to other communities and powerful agencies. Loose<br />
networks are <strong>of</strong>ten the precursors to more formal organisational<br />
arrangements, especially where these involve people or organisations<br />
from a diversity <strong>of</strong> backgrounds and interests.<br />
Social movements depend on activist networks to organise<br />
collective action, to raise awareness and to lobby for change. For<br />
example, the first Bristol Festival Against Racism was organised<br />
entirely through the political, pr<strong>of</strong>essional and personal networks <strong>of</strong><br />
the main coordinators. Having no resources <strong>of</strong> its own, it used<br />
connections to mobilise organisations, galvanise individuals, generate<br />
ideas, gain access to funding and distribute its publicity. Trust<br />
and shared values were vital to these achievements and the<br />
organisers particularly encouraged groups to work together where<br />
there had previously been only limited contact. A subsequent<br />
evaluation <strong>of</strong> the initiative revealed that participation in the Festival<br />
had reinforced people’s commitment and confidence around antiracism.<br />
A framework had been established on which stronger, more<br />
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