How can a local authority restore the sense of community when its evacuated residents lose hope?
Through out the war, the residents of Mateh Asher, evacuated from their homes, faced numerous challenges: communities were scattered and consequently weakened, and the people, removed from their familiar way of life, lost their sense of belonging.
Coming home, however, posed its own challenges: reuniting communities and reinforcing their bond with the place that is their home.
The answer lies in a strategy developed by the present cohort of the Bloomberg Sagol Center's Innovation Track, together with CIVIX and the Mateh Asher Regional Council. The novel program addresses the challenges of homecoming, with a focus on communities located near Israel's conflict lines.
Our field study found that strong leadership is critical for a community's functioning and enhancing residents' sense of belonging. In addition, research indicates that people who feel they belong to a country or community are better able to cope with disasters and crises.
Thus, the newly conceived "For the Community" program set out to restore the sense of belonging impaired by the evacuation.
The Track's team equipped community leaders with practical tools for conducting experiential walk audits - designed to identify needed improvements in the physical environment, map locations that encourage interaction in each community, discuss needs and jointly develop community values.
Both leaders and residents took part in walk audits conducted in four evacuated settlements: Adamit, Eilon, Matzuva and Arab al-Aramshe.
The dashboard shows a dramatic change
The team also developed a unique research dashboard that monitored the change in real time, and the results speak for themselves:
Before the walk audit many residents expressed pessimism about their community's future.
After the walk audit:
· Participants expressed more positive and optimistic views about their community's future.
· Participants were more willing to become involved and volunteer.
· Residents' perception of their leaders improved dramatically, especially regarding their role in promoting initiatives.
· The leaders' self-efficacy was enhanced, and they felt more capable of leading and initiating communal processes.
The residents felt that the regional and local leaderships really see them, listen to them, and work for them.
At the end of the process, the leadership of each community received a complete kit - guide book, tools and methodology – enabling them to conduct walk audits independently. The regional council already intends to extend the tool's use to additional communities.
Read about the full process: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CvigV3WgB0gCNTyMjKoS5TFfgXbXcnfi/view?usp=sharing
