Social capital, citizenship behavior and service learning - as strengthening resources for community reconstruction

Capital social, comportamiento ciudadano y servicios de adiestramiento como recursos de fortalecimiento para la reconstrucción comunitaria

The role of psycho-social activities (e.g. training programs, professionalization, etc.) in affected communities has been growing steadily throughout the recent decades. Typically, however, these psycho-social programs focused on traumatized individuals and shattered families. Rarely did they expand beyond the family realm - into the community, larger society or regional domains. In an era of modern globalization and dramatic transitions from old federations to new regional or ethnic nationalities, a growing weight is (or should be!) placed on community activities. Likewise, care providers are expected to develop and empower local resources (e.g. lay leaders, social networks, support-groups, etc.) in communities, in crisis-aftermath. In parallel, several key-concepts have emerged in the last twenty years within the social sciences, that reflect these social and political transitions.

Social Capital (Coleman, 1988; Putnam, 1993) is defined as "features of social organization, such as trust, norms, and networks, that can improve the efficiency of society by facilitating coordinated actions"; Citizenship Behavior (e.g. Walzer, 1980) is reflected, first of all, by one's active participation in public affairs within one's community; and Service Learning is "a form of experiential education ... that addresses community needs or assists individuals, families and communities in need" (Hunter, 2000).

Each of these (sample) concepts has maturated from a theoretical construct into a widely applied, practical action: vast research and systematic observations have demonstrated that life is easier in a community blessed with a substantial stock of social capital, its members share higher mutual trust and collaboration and exhibit, as individuals, higher levels of well-being. Likewise, various forms of citizenship behavior have been implemented in a variety of organizations, communities and working places and resulted, in general, in improved organizational effectiveness and in higher levels of performance and satisfaction. Finally, the expanding implementation of service-learning programs in various educational institutions (from kindergartens to universities) has transformed its students from passive members to active participants, from help-seekers to help-providers, and from victims to leaders (Eberly & Kielsmeier, 1991).

This presentation, then, will propose the promotion of both awareness and practice of the above concepts, among mental-health professionals and community leaders, as powerful resources for individual readjustment and community reconstruction.