Weaving Webs of Support

.....Cultivating diverse and meaningful relationships is at the core of Community Weaving. It occurs among individuals, within communities and across states, as the following examples illustrate.
.....The Emergency Service staff of the Seattle King County American Red Cross placed victims of disasters into the homes of specially trained Family Advocates. Child Protective Services (CPS) used FSN volunteers to mentor parents and supervise visitations of children in foster care when there was a shortage of staff to supervise the visits.
.....A local hospital called a Community Weaver instead of Child Protective Services when a single mother abandoned her colicky baby in an Emergency Room because she was overwhelmed and at her wits end. The Community Weaver matched the mother to a Family Advocate who was a retired nurse who loved to garden and was feeling lonely and depressed. She was asked to provide respite care to the single mother by babysitting. This gave the nurse a sense of joy and great satisfaction. While babysitting, she noticed the empty lot next to the mother’s home and discovered it was for sale. She tapped the Resource Treasury to connect with someone who knew the ins and outs of community gardening and they approached an agency that wrote a grant to purchase the vacant lot and started a community garden. The nurse now was doing what she loved, and the young mother would bring her children over to help in the garden and visit with her friend, whom they called Auntie M.
.....Another large-scale Community Weaving project involved four FSN volunteers called “Operation Safe Havens.” They organized an effort to provide transitional housing to evacuees displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The Community Weaver living in Seattle screened the families offering transitional housing and conducted background checks. The Community Weaver living in Austin, Texas worked with local shelters and matched evacuees looking for transitional housing with host families. Organizations in Austin, such as the Red Cross and Salvation Army, gave families the resources needed to cover transportation costs to get to their new homes. A Family Advocate who was a mental health counselor teamed with a Good Neighbor who survived Hurricane Andrew. S/he created materials to inform host families about the signs and symptoms of mental health issues that impact evacuees’ ability to function and to determine when professional assistance is required. Both the host families and evacuees were connected to the FSN Resource Treasury where they found resources and Family Advocates to talk to. Good Neighbors living nearby provided additional assistance to evacuees by helping them search for loved ones, find jobs, locate permanent housing, furnish their new homes and arrange for childcare.
.....These stories demonstrate the power of connectivity, level of ingenuity and commitment people are willing to make to serve one another. Tapping into these innovative ideas and enabling good works is the primary objective of Community Weaving. All the materials developed for these special projects are made available at no cost and are easily replicated to address similar situations.
.....The data collected about the activities of FSN volunteers provided indicators of accomplishments and gaps in services, was published in FSN Updates, and distributed to community leaders. Public officials used the FSN Updates to base decisions on how to best serve the community. The FSN Updates was a useful tool in identifying the public officials and policymakers who were responsive to the needs of the community.

Weaving the Fabric of Community

.....Community Weaving fosters a vibrant grassroots web, which builds and bridges social capital between individuals, among group members and across community systems. The result is an intricate patchwork of conscientious citizens functioning interdependently with one another and formal systems, in order to mend the tears in the social fabric caused by fragmentation and shifts in the cultural, economic and political climate. Given time, the beneficent presence and dynamic activity of Community Weaving changes the culture of community and transform lives.

Weaving Fabric of Community Diagram

.....Community Weavers are the key to building and bridging social capital to weave a grassroots web of support. This new web of volunteers provides a system of support to catch those falling through or out of formal systems. The skills and insights gleaned from serving others raise social consciousness and reweave the shredded fabric of community. Partnerships between grassroots and formal systems create opportunities for cooperation and teamwork. This interdependent web of relationships instigated by Community Weaving strengthens the social fabric of community and creates space for creativity, innovation, authenticity and living democracy.
.....The cohesiveness of the community is strengthened as formal systems and the grassroots function interdependently to solve problems impacting the health and welfare of communities. This fosters resiliency to enable individuals, groups, organizations and whole communities to thrive.
.....Community Weavers compile data detailing the interconnections, interactions and innovations made to improve lives and conditions in the community, as well as the efforts to fill gaps. This information is exchanged among all Community Weavers, enabling them to coordinate efforts and compensate for changes by tapping the creative potential of participants and empowering them to co-create with them to solve problems.

Scaling Community Weaving to various aspects of the community

Core Beliefs and Guiding Principles

Community Weaving Change Dynamic

.....The change dynamics of Community Weaving raises consciousness and enhances functioning of individuals and systems by fostering creativity, innovation, and cooperation resulting in an increase in productivity. There are two causes for engagement in Community Weaving. The first is a reactive response to meet an internal need within the giver or receiver, which is viewed as a lower-consciousness response. Those operating at a higher level of consciousness are more apt to initiate change and find satisfaction contributing toward the common good. To improve community functioning and increase levels of productivity, participants experience the process of change through:
1) Action
2) Interaction
3) Insight
4) Integration
5) Actualization
6) Change in behavior, thinking and beliefs

Change Dynamics Diagram

Roles, Responsibilities & Relationships

Community Coordinator
.....Community Coordinators oversee implementation and are responsible for administration, public relations and marketing efforts, and building community partnerships.

Community Weaver
.....Community Weavers are trained volunteers and staff representatives of the broad spectrum of community who create interconnected social networks. They recruit, train and engage participants to network with others within their organization, and to grow individual and community capacity across systems.

Family Advocate
.....Family Advocates are volunteers trained to provide peer support services to those requesting assistance. They must pass a background check. They commit to volunteering a specified number of service hours.

Good Neighbor
.....Good Neighbors comprise the majority of participants. They engage by volunteering to help others and pool their resources in the Resource Treasury. Good neighbors engage by organizing social, educational or recreational activities to build relationships and grow social networks. They commit to volunteering a specified number of service hours.

CW Partner
.....CW Partners are individuals, community organizations, agencies and businesses who contribute cash, time, expertise, services and equipment. CW Partners are welcome to serve as coalition member in community-wide Community Weaving initiatives.

Conditions for Success

.....Any project or initiative involving change requires preparation, planning and awareness of what to expect and how to negotiate change. Resistance to change is natural and often triggers a response. These responses open gateways for new insights and opportunities. Resistance played an instrumental role in the development of Community Weaving practices. As obstacles were encountered, they were viewed as opportunities to creatively address issues impeding progress. With this in mind, the conditions for success of Community Weaving are:
1) Desiring to function in ways that foster innovation and creativity;
2) Engaging individuals to take responsibility for what they care about;
3) Supporting new initiatives instigated by those tapping into their passions;
4) Engaging Community Weavers who are passionate and committed to contributing to the common good; and
5) Incorporating Community Weaving practices into policies and procedures.

Community Readiness

.....Communities must be readied to embrace this transformative community-building approach. The keys to community readiness are a desire to change, a willingness to participate, and an openness to outcome. Kent Roberts, founder of the Civility Center and author of Community Weaving, offers insight and indicators for community readiness.

.....“If we are serious about improving communities, we must be aware of the local community context and the readiness of that context for change. Even the best strategies will not be successful unless the community environment has a culture of acceptance for new ideas. Conversely, if we have a context of readiness, then anything we do will have a higher probability of success. The correlation between the probability of success and the readiness of the community cannot be over stressed.
.....In order to assess the readiness of a community, we must determine its ability to confront the conditions that inhibit growth and development. We must ask questions like: Are individuals open to the possibilities of change? What is the relational trust within the community between individuals and its institutions? Do people treat each other with dignity and respect? Where are the opportunities for open, safe and civil dialogue? Can we accept others’ differences and build upon what we share in common? Answers to these questions begin to determine the readiness level of the community. Understanding the concept of readiness is the first step to increasing the collective capital of that community.
.....Before we start, we must internalize the importance of why we are entering into this complex area of work. We should encourage the community to ask itself: Why must we commit to working together differently? Are things really that much different than in the past? Why can’t we just go our separate ways and still be members of the same community? If a community can’t truthfully answer these questions, it will never succeed. Understanding “the why” is more important than figuring out “the how.” The need to commit to this effort is paramount to the future of the community.
.....If we want communities and organizations to change their behavior, we must change their context and their readiness level for change. If the contextual culture of the community does not change then nothing really changes. Often we want to implement new ideas but we don’t recognize the level of readiness for them. When our ideas fail, we are discouraged and lose energy. There was nothing wrong with the?? idea; the community’s level of readiness was not strong enough to support the initiative. As we begin to work together differently, we must recognize the present context and correlate our efforts to fit the degree of readiness for change. You don’t teach a child to run before it can walk. The same principle applies as we start our collective journey in making our communities better places in which to live, learn, work, play and pray.”

Getting Started

Community Weaving Framework Diagram

Grassroots, group and organizational initiatives:

.....Community Weaving is implemented by trained Community Weavers who use the materials, tools and technology to grow individual and group capacity by weaving members together.

Community-wide initiatives:

Implementing Community Weaving at the community level can be accomplished in two ways:

.....1) In a bottom-up approach, staff or community volunteers are certified as Community Weavers and start implementing Community Weaving by recruiting participants and building partnerships throughout the community. This approach does not require buy-in or coordination of community systems. The downside with this approach is it does not have the synergy of a collective action for a community change initiative. It takes longer to build trust and momentum.

.....2) For a community-wide change initiative, collaborative partnerships representative of the diversity of the community are formed. Together with an experienced Master Weaver, who has insight into the process, a strategic plan for implementation is designed. This requires 3-6 months’ preparation before Community Weaving commences and involves education, surveying community readiness and identifying and training Community Weavers. The sponsoring organization completes a Community Weaving application, indicating purpose to implement Community Weaving and identifies initial stakeholders. A strategic plan is developed with a Master Weaver detailing roles and responsibilities for raising awareness, developing partnerships, setting up administration, recruiting participants, and conducting a Community Readiness survey. A contact person coordinates these preparations and identifies who will be trained as Community Weavers and where they will be stationed. Communities with experience in Asset-Based Community Development tend to?? like the concrete steps used in Community Weaving model. It puts theory into practice with the tools and technology to support it.

Coalition building:
..... Organizing a collaborative partnership of interested stakeholders who represent the diversity of the community builds a solid foundation that sustains the effort. If a coalition already has experience working on community improvement initiatives, including administrating grants, this is ideal.

Community Weaver Certification Training:
..... The curriculum educates Community Weavers on theories and practices that underpin the methodology. Community Weavers learn the dynamics of system change and how to foster conditions to evoke change by employing Community Weaving principles and practices.

Family Advocate Recruitment & Training:
..... Family Advocates are participants engaging as leaders; role models and mentors who learn skills to provide direct support services in a safe and confidential manner. All Family Advocates must pass background checks.

Coalition Partners:
..... Coalition members representing various aspects of the community empower Community Weaving by providing financial support and access to resources.

Staffing:
..... Community Coordinator: Is administrator of the organization overseeing implementation of CW initiatives, develops partnerships, and raises community awareness

Scaling Community Weaving Approach

Do's and Don'ts

Sustainability

The essentials to sustaining Community Weaving are:
1) Establish a corporate entity to create legitimacy, or affiliate with existing group or organization;
2) Recruit Community Weavers who are passionate and committed to weaving community;
3) Train staff as Community Weavers to employees in community weaving activities;
4) Integrate Community Weaving practices into policies and procedures;
5) Incorporate fail-safe conditions that foster innovation;
6) Document results and make materials easily accessible to others for replication;
7) Make efforts self-supported through contributions and training fees.

Theory Base:

Social Networking Theory Diagram

Social Network Theory Diagram-Lin Social Theory Diagram Link

Burning Questions

.....The burning questions people ask usually are about money and liability. How much does something like this cost? How can it be sustained? Who is liable if someone gets hurt or if property is damaged?
Saving lives is priceless. Initial investment for implementation and training is shared by multiple partners or funded through a grant. The beauty of this approach is existing staff trained in Community Weaving practices administrates the methodology. A Community Weaver spends an average of 10 hours a week recruiting, weaving and engaging volunteers using cutting-edge web-based technologies. Due to the wealth of human and tangible resources generated by their activities, the organization (i.e., church, school, public or private non-profit) or company employing them reaps multiple benefits. These benefits include: cross-training and skill-building workshops available to staff and those they serve; a social support system of trained volunteers committed to caring and sharing resources; and a means to self-organize and initiate change initiatives to improve conditions in the workplace and in communities. The result of these benefits increases individual and community capacity, empowers people to act on their own behalf; reduces stress and burnout; and, fosters cooperation, which enhances productivity and improves retention. Community Weaving is sustained as the duties of the Community Weavers are integrated into job descriptions at the various levels of the organization and in diverse community sectors.
.....The Good Samaritan Law blankets most volunteer activities, as long as there is verbal consent of person receiving services. All participants, whether they are practitioners or receivers, must consent to adhering to policies and procedures, and acknowledge release of liability prior to participating in Community Weaving activities.

Final Thoughts

.....In a time when gauging success is based on measurable outcomes, research is necessary to determine those outcomes. This approach has yet to be scientifically researched to qualify as a best practice and the benefits that come with the distinction.

.....Special thanks to Kirk Gardner for his devotion as my mentor; John Burbidge for the hours spent editing this chapter; Max M. Stalnaker and DanielCrawford for development of technology, Christine Valenza for her amazing illustrations; Harrison Owen for paving the way to Open Space; and especially Peggy Holman for opening the door to limitless possibility.


Quick Summary

Community Weaving
Purpose/Outcome
..... Community Weaving is a social change methodology that incorporates the use of web-based technology to weave the human and tangible resources of the grass roots with the knowledge and skills of formal systems. The approach raises social consciousness and awakens the human spirit to its purpose by engaging people to take responsibility for what they care about to create a more caring, just and civil society.
.....Number of participants Trainings: 20 maximum Community Partners and Participants: InfiniteGroup Level: Limited to group membershipOrganizational Level: Limited to members/employeesCommunity: Infinite
Type(s) of Participants · Group or organization members· Employees · Staff and clients· Community members
TypicalDuration No preparation required for grassroots initiativesPreparation for groups/organizations: 1-3 monthsPreparation for community-wide initiatives: 3-6 monthsMay involve eventTotal transition: Ongoing
Brief Example Grassroots: One Community Weaver recruited, trained and mobilized over 150 Family Advocates and 800 Good Neighbors and established Family Support Network, a non-profit based in Bothell, Washington, with 15 agency partners. Community-wide: Lewiston, Idaho created Family Support Network using Community Weaving practices. Established coalition representative of the diversity of community who formed interagency agreements. Hired Community Coordinator, trained 20+ Community Weavers and recruited Good Neighbors who started a furniture & clothing exchange, organized activities and volunteered in community.
.....When to Use (Grassroots) Individuals are passionate about taking responsibility for what they care about and providing meaningful way to engage in community.(Group/Organization) Desire to change and foster a healthy environment to increase productivity and retention.(Community-wide) Demonstration of community readiness, buy-in of community partners and openness to outcomes. Desire to function at higher level and operate in ways that increase productivity.
.....When not to Use · Leadership has an agenda and is not open to outcome · Empowering people is not consistent with leader’s values· Environment is not supportive of creativity and innovation· Leadership mandates participation and imposes it on people· If leaders not willing to co-create with other members of the system
Cultural Assumptions · Changes paradigms of the meaning of authority and responsibility· Questions commonly held strategies and policies· Confronts attitudes of helplessness or victim-based thinking· Promotes leadership at all community levels· Challenges an exclusive mindset within formal systems. · Advocates cooperation among systems rather than protecting turf· Provides an alternative to an “us versus them” mentality

Creator Cheryl Honey, C.P.P.
Creation Date 1993

.....HistoricalContext Rooted out of self-organizing (Wheatley) and social networking theories (Lin); grounded in democratic philosophy and service-learning (Dewey); and influenced by Open Space Technology and Asset-based Community Development (McKnight & Kretzman).

Cheryl Honey's Bio

Cheryl Honey, C.P.P.
Master Community Weaver
Family Support Network, Int'l
206.240.2241
www.familynetwork.org
www.communityweaving.org

Kent Roberts Bio

Kent Roberts
Founder
The National Civility Center
563.263.2891
248.874.1604
Kent.Roberts@ussem.org
www.civilitycenter.org

References

Follett, M. (1920), The New State. New York, NY: Longmans, Green and Co.

Follett. M (1930), Creative Experience, New York. NY: Longsmans, Green and Co.

Granovetter, M. (1982). The Strength of Weak Ties: A Network Theory Revisited. Pp. 105-30 in Social Structure and Network Analysis, edited by Peter V. Marsden and Nan Lin. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

Lin, N. (1994). “Action, Social Resources, and the Emergence of Social Structure: A Rational Choice Theory.” Advances in Group Processes 11:67-85.

Lin, N. & Cook, K & Burt, R. (2001). Social Capital: Theory and research. New York, NY: Walter de Gruyter, Inc.

McKnight, John (1995). The Careless Society: Community and its Counterfeits. New York: Basic Books/HarperCollins.

McKnight, J. and Kretzman, J. (1996), Guide to Capacity Building. Chicago. IL: ACTA Publications.

Putnam, Robert (1993). Making Democracy Work. Princeton. NJ: Princeton University Press.

Roberts, K. and Newman, J. (2003), Community Weaving, Muscatine, IA: The National Civility Center.

References to Family Support Network:

Community Works: The Revival of Civil Society in America (1998) pg. 81-87
E.J. Dionne Jr. editor
www.brookings.nap.edu/books/0815718675/html/81.html

Beyond Theory: Civil Society in Action by Pam Solo
The Brookings Review, Fall 1997, Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 8
http://www.brookings.edu/press/REVIEW/FALL97/SOLO.HTM

“FSN approach recognized as Promising Practice”
Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice
http://www.air.org/cecp/teams/prospectors/bothell_washington_individualized.htm

“Parent’s Leading the Way”
National Family Resource Coalition Publication (1996)

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