Friday, November 12, 2021, 5 PM (GMT)
Discussion of a paper by community psychologist Suzanne Wilson (UCLan, UK) highly relevant for community resilience in global crises.
About the event
As the world begins to take stock of the impact of Covid-19 on communities, this paper provides a critical review of the role of mutual aid groups in the community response in the UK. Drawing on a narrative review of available literature, interviews with community members and selective case studies we consider what forms of social capital impact on access to mutual aid support in the community response to Covid-19. The three case studies will identify enablers to participation in community resilience responses to Covid-19. The research found that communities with social capital have been among the most organised in providing mutual aid, and sometimes this has extended to supporting the more marginalised and disadvantaged sectors. The phenomena of collective resilience in the pandemic, and in particular the activities of mutual aid groups as described in this paper, testify to the relevance of key concepts in social and community psychology. Without psychological ‘groupness’ – the sense of being a part of and identifying with a community, and the motivations and commitments that come from that – there would be no adaptive community response.
Previous research in community resilience explored responses to the multiple culture traumas of floods and a mass shooting. Suzanne is currently researching the impact the COVID-19 crisis is having on families who were already experiencing poverty and published a rapid response paper on this topic.
About the presenter
Suzanne Wilson is a Research Fellow in Social Inclusion and Community Engagement at The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan). The research agenda, which is in partnership with the Samuel Lindow Foundation and The Centre for Citizenship and Community, is to work with communities to identify effective and sustainable means of increasing community capital. This expanding portfolio of research focuses on working-class, coastal communities, often regarded as being ‘left-behind’ and recently won a Golden Apple Award for ‘Best Community Initiative’.
The innovative format of the CROP Workshops/Salons follow the principles of writers workshops which are used by the pattern community. Please be informed about the rules by reading the CROP Workshop Agenda Rules and/or Writers Workshops as a Scientific Method
Please make sure to read Suzanne’s full paper before the event. Once you register you will receive the paper by November 5.
To participate, please click here | Meeting ID: 836 1200 3686 | Code: 043398