More attention to community spirit as a source of societal resilience during crises and transformations is needed, says extraordinary professor of Societal Resilience and director of the Social and Cultural Planning Office (SCP) Karen van Oudenhoven in her inaugural lecture at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
We live in a time of crisis threats and major transformations, including climate-related ones. In a technical sense, society seems quite equipped to take the right measures for this, but resilience is not only a technical issue, Van Oudenhoven said.
How resilient we are depends heavily on the resilience of people, organisations and institutions. Van Oudenhoven argues that we need a sense of community more than ever. And that communities and citizen collectives are indispensable for stress reduction, mutual solidarity and problem-solving in crisis situations and during major transitions.
Van Oudenhoven argues that resilience in times of crises and major social transitions is not just about smart protocols and crisis plans. "It is in the connection between people. In how we treat each other, how we help each other, and how we solve problems together."
Citizens are not customers and citizen collectives are not implementers of policy
Van Oudenhoven calls on politicians and administrations to rethink the relationship with citizens. "Stop seeing citizens as customers of policy, but as active participants in the policy process. Involve them from the beginning in analysing problems and thinking about solutions." She advocates a receptive government that gives space and trust to citizens but also to civic initiatives. "Only then will the trust needed to shoulder social challenges together emerge."
Connecting across group boundaries
An important message in Van Oudenhoven's speech is also that a sense of community does not arise automatically. Certainly not in a diverse society. "We tend to look mainly at people who look like us. But precisely connecting across group boundaries is of great importance during crises. There is then less risk of tension in the community and network connections between people from poor and rich neighbourhoods, for example, ensure that a community recovers faster after crises." She therefore advocates designing the social and physical environment in a way that promotes contact and solidarity between people. If people meet and understand each other, they are more likely to want to do something for each other during crises.
Vulnerable groups deserve extra attention
In her oration, Van Oudenhoven warns of the risk of losing sight of people who struggle to get along in society. "Those with few resources - such as income, a social network or good health - are particularly at risk during crises. People tend to think that they are used to adversity and therefore more resilient. We need to break that idea." According to her, policies should therefore explicitly focus on supporting people with few resources.
A connecting story
According to Van Oudenhoven, community spirit only flourishes when the government is more sensitive to the pluralism among citizens and their organisational and institutional affiliations. In her oration, she outlines the importance of a connecting narrative about a shared future in which everyone recognises themselves, regardless of origin or conviction. Political governance can play an important role in this by explicitly recognising different narratives and propagating the shared future story around crises and transitions. From a vision in which the values of the democratic rule of law are the guiding principle.
Collaboration and joining existing collectives
Finally, Van Oudenhoven refutes the criticism that fostering community spirit means that the government shifts its responsibility. "On the contrary, cooperation means that the government takes its role seriously - by making room for the power of society." Her message is therefore clear: "Resilience is about connection. Let's keep investing in that."
The full lecture text can be found here.