social capital talk at agm 09

8/14/2019 Social Capital Talk at AGM 09

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Building Social Capital : 2

There are many definitions (taken from Office for National Statistics socialanalysis and reporting division (2001) Social Capital A review of the literature):

Social bonds

Civic virtue

Community networks Social glue

Good neighbourliness

Social ozone

The social capital literature identifies two strands, both of whichsee as relevant in East London:

1. access to resources and power and2. mutual obligations and networks.

Some communities we work with have very little or no access toresources and power and others have. Some communitiesexperience language and cultural barriers but can musterresources.

The significance of social capital is evidence-based. Levels oftrust condition the prosperity of a community, the degree ofdemocracy within it and its ability to compete economically. The

quantifiable effects include: lower crime rates

better health

improved longevity

better educational achievement

greater levels of income equality

improved child welfare

lower rates of child abuse

less corruption and more effective government

enhanced economic achievement through increased

trust and lower transactional costs.

The cumulative effect is that the well connected are more likelyto be housed, healthy, hired and happy.

OECD definition:Networks together with shred norms, values andunderstandings that facilitate co-operation within or amonggroups.


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World Bank definition:Social capital refers to the institutions, relationships and normsthat shape the quality and quantity of a societys interactions.Social capital is not just the sum of the institutions whichunderpin a society it is the glue that holds them together.

As we see the recession starting to bite and imagine what life isgoing to be like next year, both for SAfH as an agency and forlocal people, many of whom are on the edge of the employmentmarket, we have been thinking about our response, how we canbe of help. It is this thinking that has led us to reflect again onsocial capital.

How can we help generate bonding (within community), bridging

(across communities) and linking (up and down social strata)social capital so that local people can thrive, so that exclusionreduces and inequalities do not increase? We know that overthe past decade or longer, differentials between communities ineconomic and health terms have shamefully, drasticallyincreased. Is this going to be further aggravated as governmentmoney dries up? How can we contribute to reducing suchdifferentials?

Our response is to help people build up their networks evenmore and to develop cross cultural networks of trust. We know itcan be done because we are already doing it - our staff areliving proof it can be done and our 200 sessional workers furtherproof. Our 7,000 participants demonstrate it on a daily basis.

We know that many people who get involved with SAfH and takepart in learning one way or another become economically moreself reliant. People who have been long term unemployed getjobs. But what if there are less jobs around?

We are actively planning social enterprises now through whichpeople can earn without having a job in a corporation orinstitution. We feel, and it is only a feeling at this stage, that wemust find ways to help people make a livelihood outside theformal corporate world, through mutual exchange, like the LETSscheme in Hackney, at a grass roots level, through cooperativeinitiatives, through using street markets and encouraging peopleto use their traditional skills and the new IT skills andcommunication skills, both of which we have in abundance in

East London.


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I was told once: if you wish to enter the marketplace, createyour market first. Create the need for the thing you are sellingand those markets will have to be located within communities.That is the task in hand for us over the next few years, buildinglocal, mutual interests, economic and social.

Your interest and help will be valuable indeed, since we do notknow how to do this, as yet. All we have is the intention to be ofuse in the process of reducing marginalisation, bringing peoplefrom the margins to the mainstream. We know that the result willimprove peoples health and well-being. We know how to enablelocal people to articulate demand for public services and nowwhat we plan is to add another string to our bow - we plan to findways to ensure that people can supply as well as demand goodsand services, in ways that are mutual, inclusive and attractive!

Today, in our workshops, we will be demonstrating our ways ofworking and ways of thinking about our work. We see ourprojects all as works in progress we want to share these withyou. You will see from your programme that we have 2 lots ofworkshops running simultaneously (4 workshops in all) and thena longer one on community engagement. Watch the videos ofour work. In the reception area we have two of the parents whohave been engaging with our Refugee Outreach Project keen totell you what impact the project has had on them. We hope youwill engage!

Elizabeth BaylissExecutive Director

21st October 09

social capital talk at agm 09

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