Why Community Capacity?

love. COMMUNITY.

Community capacity involves the collective

response of individuals to share responsibility

for the welfare of the community and its

members; to demonstrate collective

competence in seizing opportunities to address

community needs; and, to confront situations

that threaten community members’ well-being.

Benefits of community capacity. Communities that not only possess these

qualities, but also take action on behalf of

their community members, will produce results

linked to resilient communities. A valuable

asset embedded in the outcome of actions is

housed in the relational networks community

members have established, particularly

informal network (e.g., family, spouse,

extended family, friends, neighbors, faith-

based groups, etc) relationships.

Research suggests that the effects of

community capacity for members of a

community have far-reaching benefits, that

otherwise would not come about with the joint

efforts of formal systems and informal

networks pooling together to achieve a

desired outcome. Outcomes from such capacity

building include increased adaptation to life’s

demands, greater satisfaction with work life,

increased commitment to work, increased work

productivity, reduced work-life conflicts, and

increased overall well-being.

What is the purpose of this project? The completion of this project will result in

tools and training along with technical support

that will assist communities in supporting their

military personnel and families. More

specifically, community leaders will be able to

more effectively identify significant challenges

faced by military personnel and families, to

more effectively support communities to meet

the needs of, and to activate the assets of,

military personnel and families, and to

provide services through a partnership with

formal and informal community supports to

build a resilient community.

today live away from extended family so

alternative sources of support can be effective substitutes—e.g., the Guard/Reserve family’s

local community.

Everyone can do something! In order to inform program development, our team of researchers are conducting site visits to observe the practices of current, on-the-ground ISFAC partnerships. We want to hear your stories of how you have uniquely brought people together (e.g., community capacity building) in support of (to make a difference in) military families’ and

communities’ lives.

inspire. COMMUNITY.

There are about 143,000 troops deployed in

Iraq and Afghanistan. Many left families who worry

about them and/or struggle to maintain a house-

hold without them. These families could be in need

of emotional, financial or practical support. Military

children of deployed Soldiers are particularly vul-

nerable because they, too, worry about the safety

of their deployed parent. That stress could manifest

itself in the form of behavioral/emotional problems,

or decreased academic achievement. Many families

How You Can Be Involved

Who We Are

October 17, 2011

Building Community Capacity U n i v e r s i t y o f G e o r g i a

Family & Community Resilience Laboratory ♦ 261 Dawson Hall ♦ Athens, GA 30602 ♦ (706) 542-2305 ♦ FCRL@uga.edu

It is through formal systems

and informal networks that

shared responsibility and

collective competence towards individuals and

community members build

community capacity.

and U n i v e r s i t y o f N o r t h C a r o l i n a C h a p e l H i l l

This project is funded by

The Department of

Defense and The U.S.

Department of Agricul-

ture to enable The

University of Georgia

and The University of

North Carolina at Chapel

Hill to better understand

how to support military

families, specifically

members of the Guard

and Reserve, within their

communities by focusing

on factors necessary to

build community capaci-

ty in such communities.

Revolution.

“No individual can live alone, no nation can live alone, and anyone who feels that he can live alone is sleeping through a revolution.” --Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.