"We must match our zeal for hi-tech with our passion for hi-touch lest we wire the world and short-circuit the soul."
With all the talk about FaceBook, Tweeter, on-line connection, etc., we really need to make sure we match our zeal for hi-tech with our passion for hi-touch lest we wire the world and short-circuit the soul. This catchy – but all so true - statement is a combination of a theme from yesterday (John Nesbitt, the author of the book “Megatrends” released back in the 80’s) and a line I heard some young author say recently (I can’t remember her name.)
John Nesbitt – who is still around – was instrumental in foreshadowing the hi-tech boom of the latter part of the 20th century. He highlighted, however, that all the hi-tech in the world would be meaningless if we lose sight of the ‘human need’ to touch, feel, see eye-to-eye, and simply ‘be in the same physical space’. Twenty plus years after his famous book “Megatrends” I find myself reading “The Soul of a Leader: Finding Your Path to Success and Fulfillment” (by Margaret Benefiel.) She too reasserts that innate need we have for belonging, being with each other, and finding that inner strength that comes from our connection to others. While neither of these two books is directly about our field of community development, there is a third that brings these themes together in a very potent way. The name of the book is “The Paradox of Power: From Control to Compassion” by Michael H. Crosby. (Google him. He is a Franciscan priest in Milwaukee.) Simply a great, great read.
Also on point and probably more directly related to our field is the work being done by various organizations throughout the country that are trying to respond to the current seismic shift in the economy with a combination of “hi-tech & hi-touch”. One example is something being done right in my backyard, Silver Spring.
We are bringing together the best of ‘old school’ (door knocking) with the best of today’s social media (blogs). Door knocking presses the flesh; blogs link the bytes. Our charge is simple: Let neighbors know that others care, and welcome their participation in common action for their individual and collective wellness. Our commitment is to do 20,000 door knocks and – here’s where the hi-tech comes in – document the process to maximize others getting enthused about the Neighbors Campaign. You can view the blog at http://neighborscampaign.wordpress.com/
Yes, the door knocking and blogging also intends to bring residents news about what services are available to help them through their economic crisis. And yes, the County is our partner… (We are blessed with a County where many of the elected officials and key department administrators "get it".) But, infinitely more important is the enhanced sense of caring and empathy that our community will feel… To know that someone cares; to know where to turn for comfort; to know whose house the next convening is at where people will share stories and maybe offer a hand. Door knocks alone could not get us there; neither could blogs alone… It is the innovative combination of these ‘hi-tech’ / ‘hi-touch’ techniques that will make success possible.
When training our door-knockers, one key point we've made is to ask them to visualize the inside of the house after they walk away. How does the person that just closed the door feel? Are they (a) energized to join others in the process – regardless of their personal situation; or are they (b) left simply knowing what phone number to call for help? Have we left them with (a) a sense that – again, regardless of their personal situation – they have a lot to offer others; or are they left with (b) the sense things are bad and help is somewhere out there? If we left them with (b), it is not enough… We must leave them with (a): A sense that they have lots to offer and and the excitement to do so.
When building our blog, it is critical that we drive people to people – not just to hyperspace. The blog is a tool for informing, yes. But, it is also a tool for exciting people to come together. And people come together in places and spaces where other people are: others’ living rooms; the County’s help center; the street corner happenstance gathering; accompanying others to do more door knocks; etc.
Hi-tech alone can be very efficient in mobilizing for action, getting many people to respond to an immediate situation, and disseminating information. But only good old fashion hi-touch can build long term sustainable relationships that will lead to systemic change in communities. It is through a combination of these two venues (hi-tech and hi-touch) that the soul of the community is most effectively nourished.
http://neighborscampaign.wordpress.com/
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Community Engagement [Longer, Revised Version]
This version has the benefit of input from many people... To all: GRACIAS!
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
Community Building, Community Organizing, and Community Leadership
Community engagement brings together community building, community organizing, and community leadership to improve lives and strengthen communities. Successful community engagement is the positive, constructive convergence of strong community building efforts and active community organizing with a relentless commitment to community leadership.
We are faced with the increasingly difficult challenge of stabilizing our communities and neighborhoods in the face of the devastating impact of economic disruptions and dislocation, foreclosure, joblessness, and diminishing traditional resources. Bricks and mortar alone are not the answer. Traditional involvement models no longer suffice. These models are impeded by the real stress of longer commutes, multiple jobs, and larger number of families caring for the young and old simultaneously. The resiliency of community residents and leaders is tested like never before; yet their boldness to invent new ways to engage the community consistently shines.
Participation in community – indeed, volunteerism in general – has matured beyond simply going to meetings or helping out the local charity. Community organizing, community building, and community leadership now come together to engage the whole community to create a better place to live, work, play, and worship.
Bringing together the traditional interests of residents, business, and government now expands to include social entrepreneurs; youth; on-line participants; the non-English speaker; renters as well as homeowners; the unemployed as well as the employed; the one-time volunteer as well as the fervent activist; new comers as well as established residents and interests. How decisions are made at the local level have become increasingly critical – and linked – to regional, national, and international issues. Today we are challenged with building our human capital, strengthening relationships, and connecting people to act in ways that yield tangible, measurable results in our lives and communities.
New and emerging issues require new tools, techniques and approaches. Some of these include: greening our neighborhoods; effectively managing family wealth and health; connecting the local economy to civic and volunteer participation; bringing to the decision process the voices of underserved communities; and tapping into the on-line world while reaffirming face-to-face connections.
It is through community engagement that people connect to improve lives where they live, and bring together individual, institutional, and social network interests to serve the common good. It is through the community building, community organizing, and community leadership that community engagement happens. Community engagement thrives when partnerships, collaborations and coalitions are nourished. Its values are rooted in inclusion, tolerance, and active participation. These values and context are operationalized in a real-world environment that is first and foremost diverse. Diversity is the driving cultural paradigm of successful community engagement. Ultimately it is through connecting people that communities thrive.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
Community Building, Community Organizing, and Community Leadership
Community engagement brings together community building, community organizing, and community leadership to improve lives and strengthen communities. Successful community engagement is the positive, constructive convergence of strong community building efforts and active community organizing with a relentless commitment to community leadership.
We are faced with the increasingly difficult challenge of stabilizing our communities and neighborhoods in the face of the devastating impact of economic disruptions and dislocation, foreclosure, joblessness, and diminishing traditional resources. Bricks and mortar alone are not the answer. Traditional involvement models no longer suffice. These models are impeded by the real stress of longer commutes, multiple jobs, and larger number of families caring for the young and old simultaneously. The resiliency of community residents and leaders is tested like never before; yet their boldness to invent new ways to engage the community consistently shines.
Participation in community – indeed, volunteerism in general – has matured beyond simply going to meetings or helping out the local charity. Community organizing, community building, and community leadership now come together to engage the whole community to create a better place to live, work, play, and worship.
Bringing together the traditional interests of residents, business, and government now expands to include social entrepreneurs; youth; on-line participants; the non-English speaker; renters as well as homeowners; the unemployed as well as the employed; the one-time volunteer as well as the fervent activist; new comers as well as established residents and interests. How decisions are made at the local level have become increasingly critical – and linked – to regional, national, and international issues. Today we are challenged with building our human capital, strengthening relationships, and connecting people to act in ways that yield tangible, measurable results in our lives and communities.
New and emerging issues require new tools, techniques and approaches. Some of these include: greening our neighborhoods; effectively managing family wealth and health; connecting the local economy to civic and volunteer participation; bringing to the decision process the voices of underserved communities; and tapping into the on-line world while reaffirming face-to-face connections.
It is through community engagement that people connect to improve lives where they live, and bring together individual, institutional, and social network interests to serve the common good. It is through the community building, community organizing, and community leadership that community engagement happens. Community engagement thrives when partnerships, collaborations and coalitions are nourished. Its values are rooted in inclusion, tolerance, and active participation. These values and context are operationalized in a real-world environment that is first and foremost diverse. Diversity is the driving cultural paradigm of successful community engagement. Ultimately it is through connecting people that communities thrive.
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