CRUcial Times Issue 22 - Editorial

Jane Sherwin

Readers are no doubt familiar with the terms ‘social capital’, ‘community capacity building’ and ‘community development’. In this edition of CRUcial Times and at the coming conference we want to explore these concepts further. For example, what do concepts like ‘community capacity building’ mean for those involved in the lives of people with disabilities? What is a vital community? Is there hope for vitality in an era that is marked by declining communities?

In asking these questions, we are confronted by questions about how each of us lives our own life, and how we engage with others on a daily basis. The present era is one in which most people see less of family and friends, where more people find it difficult to maintain relationships, and where fewer people join clubs or seek to have a part on committees of community organizations. These trends are all signs of reduced social capital, yet in the disability sector we are broadly engaged in a struggle for true community living, based on a belief that people with disabilities belong in relationships with others, with those in their local neighbourhood, and in valued community roles.

In spite of current trends, across Australia there is plenty of evidence of inspiring efforts by people in small towns who, faced with declining social capital because of diminished populations, depleted businesses and facilities, and deserted public spaces, have rallied to rebuild a sense of vitality in their towns. Ordinary people - residents, farmers, teachers, shire councillors, ministers of religion, school students and older citizens - have been jolted from a sense of the inevitability of their town’s decline. They have joined with each other, felt the outrage, dared to imagine a vital future for their town, and together set about making it happen. Their efforts have not necessarily required additional financial resources; in each case, the rebuilding of the town and its community has begun with ordinary yet interested people coming together.

Those who are involved in the lives of people with disability can learn from these actions which reveal the power of having a vision, of grassroot efforts, and the power of collective action, leadership, and leadership renewal. There is power in having a mindset for capitalizing on opportunities, and in having an understanding of the complexity of problems. The actions that have been taken illustrate the importance of healthy, vital community behaviour such as participation, inclusiveness, consensus decision-making, collaboration, trust and respect for and by all its citizens.

The most significant thing that might be learnt from these revitalising efforts is the importance of valuing the physical and social environment in which we live, and of having the courage and inspiration to imagine something different. Contributors to this edition of CRUcial Times discuss some important aspects of these matters, helping us to reflect on our own behaviour and our expectations of each other in our everyday lives - they are aspects that will be further explored during three days in November when many people will come together at the CRU conference, Relationships and Everyday Lives: building the heart of vital communities. Your presence there is vital.