Sustainable community development: from what's wrong to what's strong | Cormac Russell | TEDxExeter

Summary

The speaker emphasizes the transformative power of community-based support, advocating for an approach that focuses on people's strengths rather than their deficiencies. Through examples from Leeds and Wirral in the UK, and Rwanda, the talk illustrates how identifying and mobilizing local assets can lead to sustainable change, fostering a sense of ownership and empowerment. The narrative calls for a shift in traditional helping paradigms to more respectful, grassroots-driven models, highlighting the importance of community builders in facilitating this process.

Takeaways

• 🤔 The script discusses the complexity of 'helping' and suggests that traditional forms of assistance might do more harm than good.
• 🌟 It emphasizes the importance of starting with the strengths within individuals and communities, rather than focusing on their deficiencies.
• 📚 The speaker cites various studies and foundations that support the idea of leveraging existing capacities for community well-being.
• 🔍 The focus on problems rather than strengths can lead to unintended harms such as defining people by their problems, misallocation of resources, and the erosion of active citizenship.
• 🏘️ The script shares examples of community-led initiatives that have transformed neighborhoods by identifying and mobilizing local assets.
• 👵👴 In Leeds, the approach to helping older people involves integrating them into the community life, rather than isolating them in programs for the elderly.
• 👷‍♂️ The story of Robin highlights how identifying and supporting passions can turn individuals from being perceived as in need to becoming community contributors.
• 🎨 Frank's story from Wirral illustrates how art and creativity can be used to engage a community in environmental improvement and civic pride.
• 🌐 The script calls for a global shift in the way we approach help and assistance, advocating for a 'back-yard revolution' that starts from the grassroots level.
• 🌱 It suggests that by focusing on strengths, we can foster a more inclusive, beautiful, and fruitful world where everyone has the power to redefine problems.
• 💪 The final message is one of empowerment, stating that we are the change we seek and that liberation is a collective effort, not a one-way act of charity.

Q & A

What is the central theme of the speech about helping others?

The central theme of the speech is the importance of starting with the strengths within individuals and communities when offering help, rather than focusing on their deficiencies or problems, which can unintentionally cause more harm than good.

What does Rosabeth Moss Kanter suggest about the experience of change for people?

Rosabeth Moss Kanter suggests that when change is imposed on people, they experience it as violence, but when people initiate change themselves, they experience it as liberation.

What is the 75-year Harvard study mentioned in the script, and what does it emphasize?

The 75-year Harvard study mentioned in the script is a longitudinal study on 'what makes happiness possible?' It emphasizes the importance of leaning into relationships and creating community over focusing on individual wealth.

What are the five ways to wellbeing as identified by the New Economics Foundation?

The script does not provide specific details on the five ways to wellbeing. However, it implies that the New Economics Foundation has helped identify methods that contribute to individual and community well-being.

What are the four unintended harms caused by focusing on what is wrong with people and communities?

The four unintended harms are: 1) Defining people by their deficiencies rather than their strengths; 2) Misdirection of funds intended for those in need to service providers instead; 3) The retreat of active citizenship in the face of increasing technocracy, professionalism, and expertise; 4) Communities internalizing a sense of deficiency and passively waiting for external rescue.

What is the alternative approach to helping suggested by John McKnight and Jody Kretzmann?

John McKnight and Jody Kretzmann suggest an alternative approach that focuses on identifying and building upon the strengths within communities, by engaging residents in conversations about change from their perspective and encouraging them to share stories of collective action.

What are the six building blocks for sustainable and enduring change according to the communities studied?

The script does not specify the six building blocks. However, it mentions that these blocks represent the assets and resources within communities that, when identified, connected, and mobilized, can lead to sustainable and enduring change.

Can you provide an example of how the community in Leeds is addressing the issue of loneliness among the elderly?

In Leeds, the focus is on building bridges between older people and the center of community life, rather than isolating them in services for the elderly. An example is Robin, who, after losing his wife, found purpose and community by sharing his passion for making walking sticks with others.

What is the significance of the pirate ship, the Black Pearl, in the Wirral community?

The Black Pearl, a pirate ship created by Frank, a community artist, serves as a tourist attraction and a symbol of civic engagement. It was built by involving community members who felt forgotten, turning driftwood and a littered beach into a beacon of community strength and environmental improvement.

What is the 'back-yard revolution' mentioned in the script, and how is it changing communities?

The 'back-yard revolution' refers to a shift in focus from what's wrong with people and communities to what's strong within them. It involves building on existing strengths to create a better future, and it is happening worldwide through initiatives that identify, connect, and mobilize community assets.

What is the core belief of the speaker regarding the solutions to intractable problems?

The speaker believes that the solutions to the most intractable problems start from the grassroots level, from the inside out, and that there is no division between 'them' with the problems and 'us' with the solutions – there is only 'us', working together for common liberation.