Cormac Russell
@CormacRussell
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I animate communities & support professionals/orgs working in citizen space. New book: The Connected Community
Ireland, UK, Global
Joined September 2010
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We hope you enjoy our latest podcast, Six Degrees of Ubuntu (All My Relations) with Rama Nadu. We discuss South Africa pre/post Apartheid, power, love, Steve Biko; Cry Freedom, and much more. If you enjoy it, please share. With thanks, Sacha and Cormac🙏🏽🙏
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It seems ironic to my mind that as we race to find a vaccine for COVID-19, that
#COVID
may yet prove to be the most potent antidote to greed. New Zealand & Fiji are now 100 days w/o spread in the community. Why? B/c there, community matters more than economy. It's that simple.
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Two ways of knowing: 1 studies 2. Stories. Most studies lead to more data; stories are the seeds of social change. Cold data is mostly devoid of meaningful stories about specific communities. In contrast, warm data seeks to reveal local stories & meaning.
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Here’s my prescription 4 Social Prescribing: Don’t call it Social Prescribing call it ‘Community Building’ & don’t situate it in the doctors surgery -just make that one of many entry points. The Neighbourhood is the unit of change, not the waiting room. Sorry 2b so prescriptive.
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I’ll be taking a break from social media for a few days to grieve the death of my mother, Betty, who died peaceful late Wednesday night. Keep up your brilliant efforts to remain
#TogetherApart
Much love and solidarity✊ Cormac
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Again look at the question: ‘how do we get people to engage?’ With respect you don’t get ppl to engage. You listen to what they care about enough to act on, and then support them to work with others to do what they care deeply about. It’s not about getting ppl to do what we want.
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Here’s my prescription 4 Social Prescribing: Don’t call it Social Prescribing call it ‘Community Building’ & don’t situate it in the doctors surgery -just make that one of many entry points. The Neighbourhood is the unit of change, not the waiting room. Sorry 2b so prescriptive.
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If you focus on sickness, you’re going to end with doctors as the key actors; if you focus on wellbeing, you're going to end up with communities as key actors.
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Two ways of knowing: 1 studies 2. Stories. Most studies lead to more data; stories are the seeds of social change. Thin data is mostly devoid of meaningful stories about specific communities. In contrast, thick data seeks to reveal local stories & meaning.
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Again look at the question: ‘how do we get people to engage?’ With respect you don’t get ppl to engage. You listen to what they care about enough to act on, and then support them to work with others to do what they care deeply about. It’s not about getting ppl to do what we want.
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If you focus on sickness, you’re going to end up with doctors as the key actors. If you focus on well-being, you’re going to end up with communities as key actors.
#ABCD
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2 ways of knowing: 1 studies 2. Stories. Most studies lead to more data; stories are the seeds of social change. Cold data is mostly devoid of meaningful stories abt specific communities. In contrast, warm data (cf
@NoraBateson
) seeks to reveal local meaning. No data w/o stories.
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Here's my TEDx Talk: Sustainable community development: from what's wrong to what's strong | TEDxExeter
#ABCD
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To= everything done, is to us & without us. (Medical Model)
For= everything done, is done for us; without us. (Charity Model)
With= nothing for us without us. (Social Model/Coproduction/Co-design, Asset-based approaches)
By= done by us for us. (Asset-based Community Development)
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Two ways of knowing: 1) studies; 2) stories. Studies give institutions needed data 4 planning-while stories r what inspire social movements:
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Again look at the question: ‘how do we get people to engage?’ With respect you don’t get ppl to engage. You listen to what they care about enough to act on, and then support them to work with others to do what they care deeply about. It’s not about getting ppl to do what we want.
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If you focus on sickness, you’re going to end up with doctors as the key actors. If you focus on well-being, you’re going to end up with communities as key actors.
#ABCD
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If you focus on sickness, you’re going to end up with doctors as the key actors. If you focus on well-being, you’re going to end up with communities as key actors.
#ABCD
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Another milestone reached, just received the cover of our new book;) Publication date, Sept 27, 2022
#theconnectedcommunity
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Health isn’t an individual medical issue, it's a social; political issue. That means population health improves as a result of collective not individual agency. This, in turn, means health improvement is abt community building not signposting, referring or linking of individuals.
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If you focus on sickness, you’re going to end with doctors as the key actors; if you focus on wellbeing, you're going to end up with communities as key actors.
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Here’s my prescription 4 Social Prescribing: Don’t call it Social Prescribing call it ‘Community Building’ & don’t situate it in the doctors surgery -just make that one of many entry points. The Neighbourhood is the unit of change, not the waiting room. Sorry 2b so prescriptive.
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Quote of the week from me comes from a wise and frank leader in the Hospice movement, whom I had the privilege of interviewing around
#ABCD
and Hospice care: “People die twice, first socially, then physically. We need to pay more attention to the first.”
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If you focus on crime, you’re going to end with police as the key actors; if you focus on safety and wellbeing, you're going to end up with communities as key actors.
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To= everything done, is to us & without us. (Medical Model)
For= everything done, is done for us; without us. (Charity Model)
With= nothing for us without us. (Social Model/Coproduction/Co-design, Asset-based approaches)
By= done by us for us. (Asset-based Community Development)
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‘How do we get people to engage?’ With respect, you don’t get ppl to engage. You listen to what they care about enough to act on & then support them to work with others to do what they care deeply about. It’s not about getting ppl to do what we want.
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I would commend replacing the term *hard to reach* with *seldom listened to*, though even then, it’s important to also acknowledge that listening must go beyond hearing clients; towards hearing citizens into full democratic expression.
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To= everything done, is to us & without us. (Medical Model)
For= everything done, is done for us; without us. (Charity Model)
With= nothing for us without us. (Social Model/Coproduction/Co-design, Asset-based approaches)
By= done by us for us. (Asset-based Community Development)
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Having listened 2 so many institutions extolling the virtues of techniques & toolkits 2 “engage”. I hv 2 say I firmly believe if they r relying on techniques & toolkits 2 connect with communities, they hv yet 2 learn the greater power of having integrity; authenticity & humility.
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"There comes a point when we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in"
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Local organizations, -embedded within a community, small scale, staffed by local ppl; where the vision is cocreated & the effort is shared-provide a critical & irreplaceable vector for *care* & support in & by the community. Scale matters, small & local is the alternative future.
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“Seeing yourself as a fixer may cause you to see brokenness everywhere, to sit in judgment of life itself. When we fix others, we may not see their hidden wholeness or trust the integrity of the life in them. Fixers trust their own expertise.” Rachel Naomi Remen
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Only residents have knowledge of living 24/7 year-round in a local community. Given space and support they know what needs to be done, how best to do it, and who best to do it, in ways that even the very best professionals simply can't because they don't live and sleep there.
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If you focus on crime, you’re going to end with police as the key actors; if you focus on safety and wellbeing, you're going to end up with communities as key actors.
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I firmly believe that trust flows from the experience of being treasured, not measured.
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If you focus on sickness, you’re going to end up with doctors as the key actors. If you focus on wellbeing, you’re going to end up with communities as the key actors.
#rekindlingdemocracy
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I would commend replacing the term *hard to reach* with *seldom listened to*, though even then, it’s important to also acknowledge that listening must go beyond hearing clients; towards hearing citizens into full democratic expression.
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We need to be careful when using words like *vulnerable*. Of course too many are rendered vulnerable because of barriers to participation & not having their gifts recognised. Addressing vulnerability is largely about enabling citizenship & social justice; not therapy or charity.
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Forget 'social distancing.' The WHO prefers we call it 'physical distancing' because social connections are more important than ever - CNN
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We are not engaging in *social-distancing* or *self-isolation* we are engaged in *phyical distancing* while remaining present, social and civic
#viralkindness
#ABCD
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Some good news, thanks to the help of 100s of our friends, John McKnight & I have crowd sourced the title for our new book. It will be called: “The Connected Community: Discovering the Health, Wealth & Power of Neighborhoods” - many thanks to everyone who contributed🙏
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We need to be careful when using words like *vulnerable*. Of course, too many are rendered vulnerable because of barriers to participation & not having their gifts recognised. Addressing “vulnerability” is largely about enabling citizenship & equity; not therapy or benevolence.
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To= everything done, is to us & without us. (Medical Model)
For= everything done, is done for us; without us. (Charity Model)
With= nothing for us without us. (Social Model/Coproduction/Co-design, Asset-based approaches)
By= done by us for us. (Asset-based Community Development).
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Prof. Myrra Vernooij-Dassen tells us in no uncertain terms if you want to address loneliness; evidence is clear on what not to do: Don’t address loneliness directly. It’s a stigmatizing term that ppl who’re lonely don’t want to be associated with. Instead build community.
#ABCD
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The strength of communities is not determined by the capacity of local leaders, but by the depth of mutual trust and the willingness of groups to welcome ”strangers”.
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Dear friends, fellow-travelers/searchers - thanks for all the well wishes and positive vibes over the last week. I had my back/neck surgery yesterday and all’s gone well. I’m on six weeks r’n’r but will stay connected as best as I can. Stay in trouble☺️ BW Cormac🙏
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The Connected Community has a set of principles, which act like a compass not a map. The five core principles are:
1. Citizen-led
2. Asset-Based
3. Placed-Based
4. Relationship oriented
5. Inclusion focused
(C.A.P.R.I)
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Addressing loneliness head on is as productive as charging Rhino. You’ll loose. Better get past the label *lonely* to discover the person’s passions and potential contributions to the wellbeing of others, and then find folks to receive those gifts; and connect; connect; connect.
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What if instead of prescribing our version of salvation, we started with the question, ”What are local communities already doing, which creates that which we think they are missing?”
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There are four ways of serving people:
1. Deficit/medical model=Done to the people
2. Charity model=Done for the people
3. Coproduction = Done with the people
4. ABCD = Done by the people
They all have their place, but the fourth currently receives least attention.
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Don't measure the power of a community by the capacity of its leaders, but by the depth of its associational life & how they welcome the stranger. Indeed, when you find such depth and welcome, treasure it; don’t measure it.
#ABCD
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Prof. Myrra Vernooij-Dassen tells us in no uncertain terms if you want to address loneliness; evidence is clear on what not to do: Don’t address loneliness directly. It’s a stigmatizing term that ppl who’re lonely don’t want to be associated with. Instead build community.
#ABCD
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If you focus on sickness, you’re going to end with doctors as the key actors; if you focus on wellbeing, you're going to end up with communities as key actors.
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I’m struck by how little community development features in social care commentary & how “placeless” policies seem 2 be. It’s almost as if potential contributions of neighborhoods, towns & villages are being overlooked, or dismissed (even by some progressives😔)
#ittakesavillage
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Health is not a medical issue, it’s a social & political issue. If we want 2 enhance health & wellbeing we need 2 relocate authority from the institutional world of programmes & services to living communities where interdependence is found.
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Sustainable community development: from what's wrong to what's strong | Cormac Russell | TEDxExeter
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Now is not the time to abandon Asset-Based Community Development (
#ABCD
) approaches in favor of deficit based relief efforts. Now is the time to accelerate ABCD on every street.
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Health isn’t an individual medical issue, it's a social; political issue. That means population health improves as a result of collective not individual agency. This in turn means health improvement is about community building not signposting, referring or linking of individuals.
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The primary goal in
#ABCD
community building at neighborhood scale is not the development of community leaders; it's the deepening of associational life and collective power. Community leaders are important contributors towards that shared ambition; not the prime producers of it.
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Health isn’t an individual medical issue, it's a social; political issue. That means population health improves as a result of collective not individual agency. This in turn means health improvement is about community building not signposting, referring or linking of individuals.
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“Seeing yourself as a fixer may cause you to see brokenness everywhere, to sit in judgment of life itself. When we fix others, we may not see their hidden wholeness or trust the integrity of the life in them. Fixers trust their own expertise.” Rachel Naomi Remen
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While all volunteering is v. important & of immense value-it’s important 2 emphasis that there’s a difference between neighbour to neighbour civic action & volunteering. Hence the key isn’t volunteering alone, it’s community building, of which volunteering is a subset
#COVID19
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If it takes a village 2 raise a child. What r we doing 2 grow a village? How can we building communities that know how 2 keep all children safe? 2day much blame is being laid at the feet of social workers. But what social work r we not yet doing that could make a difference? 1/5
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Having listened 2 so many institutions extolling the virtues of techniques & toolkits 2 “engage”. I hv 2 say I firmly believe if they r relying on techniques & toolkits 2 connect with communities, they hv yet 2 learn the greater power of having integrity, authenticity & humility.
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It would be so great if more ppl understood the difference between “with not to” and “led by communities; with support when invited”.
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Instead of handing ”empowerment” out like it's Halloween candy, create an environment within which power can’t be easily stolen, and communities can more easily self-organise to build collective power.
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*To= everything done, is to us & without us. (Medical Model)
*For= everything done, is done for us; without us. (Charity Model)
*With= nothing for us without us. (Social Model/Coproduction/Asset-based approaches)
*By= done by us for us. (Asset-based Community Development)
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Some folks are into the “move fast and break things” mode of change making. Good luck to them, I say. But if like me, you’re into the “move slow and support others to make things” mode of change; then you may well also be into
#ABCD
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I feel very hestitant about the term “random acts of kindness” as a way of describing the neighbourly responses so evident at moment. Seem more like “rooted acts of kindness” to me, springing forth from a nascent culture of kindness.
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Starting with what’s strong isn’t an invite 2 ignore what’s wrong. We start with what's strong to better collectively define & address what’s wrong. While being creative enough 2 make what’s strong, stronger, by celebrating everyone's gifts & the natural resources that sustain us
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Our job is to the mind the gap between the bureaucracy of our systems and the opportunities in our communities.
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Bringing things to scale, & other fantasies of giantism, bedevil local community-led efforts. When a funder says: ”we love ur little project; we’d like to help u scale it up”, run while u can. Smallness is the magic! Our efforts don't scale they proliferate at the speed of trust.
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The sequence of participative dialogue:
1. What can communities do best, alone?
2. What can communities do with a little help from outside actors?
3. What do communities need outside actors to do for them (transparently)?
#ABCD
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Many rough sleepers decline.. accommodation offered 2 them. A big reason for this is that once established in a rough sleeping community, social bonds r forged and become difficult to break. Housing is abt more than shelter. We must feel connected 2 feel secure. (Darren McGarvey)
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We’ll never lift communities up by putting them down! Let’s get beyond narratives like “areas of deprivation.” Just as we no longer call an issue based community a “deprived community” (one hopes an explanation as to why is not required) we ought not label places as deficit
#ABCD
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TO=Everything done, is to us & without us (Medical Model)
FOR=Everything done, is done for us; without us (Charity Model)
WITH=Nothing for us without us. (Social Model/Co-production/Co-design..)
BY=Done by us for us (ASSET-BASED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT)-how r we responded to COVID?
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Who’d be up for an online
#ABCD
UK jamboree in the new year? Sharing stories; reports from the trenches;) - possibilities; tools, resources and fertile paths for further exploration?
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Communities don’t just happen, like all good relationships we have to work at them. Oh yes! and they come with baggage.
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Health isn’t an individual medical issue; it's a social & political one. Hence, population health improves due to collective, not just individual agency, which, in turn, means health improvement requires community building, not signposting or linking of individuals to activities:
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It’s been my experience that all too often, when folks from very large institutional systems claim that they are meeting ppls needs, in actual fact they’re confusing ppls needs with their service categories. Hence what they’re really doing is labeling & categorizing people
#ABCD
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I’m struck by how many institutional commentaries on citizen-led action in responding to COVID-19 is ”humble-bragging”. Which is rich, given that what actually happened was: as institutions hit their limits; community made invisible assets visible & vibrant. Please
#bemorehumble
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Those whom we refer to as *vulnerable*, are no more fundamentally so, than any of us. They are, however, more vulnerable to not being supported to participate and to not having their gifts recognised and received. Let's change that:
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Happy New Year my friends. May you & your co-conspirators give birth to many handmade & homespun delights in the year ahead.
…Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything.
That’s how the light gets in.
(Leonard Cohen)
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I'm so struck by how often ppl confuse needs with service categories. Eg: I need a listening ear, becomes: I needs a shrink. I need a regular friend who likes me 4 who I am, becomes: I need a social prescription. I need to walk for half an hour a day becomes a need for phsio🤔
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As long as we measure progress, in integrated care, by the quality of programs; not quality of life for all, we will continue to hit institutional targets while missing the essence of what life is all about.
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"Peace
is the only battle
worth fighting."
Albert Camus
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Health Warning re. social prescribing: An adult can’t prescribe how another adult should live their life, without treating them like a child & acting like they as ‘expert’ know best. It’s the wrong language, wrong ethic & the thinking that has started the problems we have.
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1. Health isn’t a product; 2. Citizens aren’t passive consumers; 3. GPs aren’t tools; 4. The hospital & GPs surgery aren’t factories. 5. Communities aren't service-providers, on the cheap.
#Alongiders
not
#prescribers
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I’m still banging on abt Social Prescribing. That which lifts up & values non medical community alternatives+relocates authority out of the medical system into community life should never be referred to as prescribing. I hope the language soon catches up with the good intentions.
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I am 💯% convinced that a moritorium must be declared on all deficit focused & damage-centered research. As this sort of pathologising research is being used as a gateway to community harming policies. Researchers that are profiling only deficits should be stopped at the gate.
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We’ll never lift communities up by putting them down! Let’s get beyond narratives like “areas of deprivation.” Just as we no longer call an issue based community a “deprived community” (one hopes an explanation as to why is not required) we ought not label places as deviant
#ABCD
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Done to the people:
Done for the people;
Done with the people;
Done •by• the people.
What courage is required to enlarge the ‘by the people’ space? Of central importance for practitioners is serving while walking backwards. Not to affect abandonment but to nurture abundance.
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We’re excited to see our new book, being used a compass for the practical application of asset-based community development.
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Health isn’t an individual medical issue, it's a social; political issue. That means population health improves as a result of collective not individual agency. This, in turn, means health improvement is abt community building not signposting, referring or linking of individuals.
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While volunteering is incredibly important & of immense civic value-it’s important 2 emphasise that there’s a difference between neighbour 2 neighbour civic action &
#volunteering
. Hence the key isn’t volunteering alone, it’s community building -of which volunteering is a subset.
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Deficit/medical model=Done to the people
Charity model=Done for the people
Coproduction = Done with the people
The Connected Community = Done by the people
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1. Health isn’t a product; 2. Citizens aren’t passive consumers; 3. GPs aren’t tools; 4. The hospital & GPs surgery aren’t factories. 5. Communities aren't service-providers, on the cheap.
#Alongiders
not
#prescribers
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Mowed my neighbours’ lawn as he sat in his porch; we chatted as neighbours, I got the benefit of his g8 company & a history lesson on the 1957 Pandemic. Didn’t need police clearance & my local authority were not involved. However if I was a volunteer that would have all changed.
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“Instead of asking how you or your organisation can create more value to/for or with community; ask how you can create more space for community to create what they value.”
#theconnectedcommunity
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Here are a few paradoxes I've noticed at play in the dynamics between institutions & communities:
#1
The institutional paradox: Institutions are hardest to reach when you need or want them most. And most difficult to shake off when you need or want them least.
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