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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

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