Network Logic - Index of
Network Logic - Index of
Network Logic - Index of
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<strong>Network</strong> logic<br />
diverse networks could grow. The success <strong>of</strong> the Festival Against<br />
Racism provided a model for subsequent RESPECT events and has<br />
important implications for strategies to develop greater community<br />
cohesion.<br />
However, some areas and some sections <strong>of</strong> the population lack<br />
what has been termed ‘community capacity’ and are disadvantaged as<br />
a result. Informal networks might be cliquey, perpetuating power<br />
imbalances and fostering segregation rather than integration across<br />
different groups. Consequently, such communities find it difficult to<br />
represent their interests to public decision-making bodies and react<br />
to conflict and crises in ways that are seen by outsiders as chaotic or<br />
apathetic.<br />
<strong>Network</strong>ing for community development<br />
Tackling such situations involves strategic and well-resourced<br />
interventions, including support for individuals who take on<br />
representative or leadership roles, and help with setting up and<br />
managing formal organisations.<br />
Community development has traditionally emphasised these two<br />
approaches, now the focus <strong>of</strong> several government initiatives, for<br />
example, Community Champions and FutureBuilders. While these<br />
are making important contributions to strengthening voluntary and<br />
community sector capacity, they are not the most effective means <strong>of</strong><br />
building social capital.<br />
Community development has been defined as ‘[being] about<br />
building active and sustainable communities based on social justice<br />
and mutual respect. It is about changing power structures to remove<br />
barriers that prevent people from participating in the issues that<br />
affect their lives’. 6 A vital, but underestimated aspect <strong>of</strong> this work is<br />
the practical, psychological and political support that nurtures<br />
informal networks. Community workers <strong>of</strong>ten find themselves acting<br />
as interpreters and mediators within communities, helping people to<br />
talk and work together when there are difficulties relating to<br />
language, assumptions and the occasional antagonism. They may<br />
themselves provide the ‘boundary-spanning mechanisms’, brokering<br />
152 Demos