CDHN Pathways to Health Seamus Ward, General Manager of Bogside and Brandywell Health Forum Healthy Living Centre in Derry Presentation on our experience of Building Social Capital

Building Social Capital – A definition ‘Social capital means the set of norms, institutions and organisations that promote trust and cooperation among persons in communities and also in wider society’. (Durston, J 1999) ‘the social networks and the norms of trustworthiness that arise from them” (Sander et al 2006)

Building Social Capital – Why? The core concept of social capital is that social networks matter, both for those in the networks as well as sometimes for bystanders as well. At the core of social capital is trust

Anti- Discrimination and Equality Collective Action Community Empowerment Working/ Learning Together Social Justice Values and Practice Principles of Community Development

BBHF- How we developed Social Capital Development of programmes into projects (OPSF/Pink Ladies/Born to Run) –Support and corporate development to enable community ownership –Encourage successful programmes and the people involved to ‘take final ownership’ of programmes

BBHF- How we developed Social Capital Development of participants to become facilitators –Training and support offered to participants to offer services for and in our community. –Local people gaining experience of facilitation to gain confidence and experience –Encourage facilitators to accept more responsibility for promotion and public speaking

BBHF – Social Capital

what’s changed? Advertised and recruited specialist facilitators on needs basis for programmes Commitment to train and develop volunteers and participants (we look within) Limited staff resourcesLarge bank of local, trained volunteers for health related facilitation Passive recipientsBuilding on peoples learning and experiences and putting this to work Delivering servicesSupporting things to happen and catalyst change Engagement with the communityCommunity part of the decision making

In a nutshell…. In 2007 BBHF had a bank of 5 facilitators, 3 for physical activity and 2 for Older peoples services. Two were from the local area. We now have a bank of 25 facilitators. 23 are local people. 23 are previous participants in our programmes. They are all part of the fabric of BBHF.

How has the approach helped Increased number of participants Increased number of classes Additional ‘next step’ for participants who have life changing experiences that can help others Closer relationship with the community Redirecting local £ to local people

Consideration for Social Capital in Health Community-led health is an “approach” to health improvement rather than a particular “technique” or “method”. It is fundamentally different from the provision of community-based health services as it is concerned with community, or neighbourhood, as the focus of, and mechanism for, change rather than community as a setting for health practice

Questions?