facilitating community resilience through the arts
There is no one definition of community – the term is subjective and is dependent on the beliefs and values of its members and what they deem as important to the healthy functioning of the systems and relationships that shape their everyday lives. A physical land boundary is just one example of how community is identified. Christensen and Robertson (1980) define community as consisting of “people, living within a geographically bounded area, involved in ongoing social interaction, and with psychological ties with each other and to the place they live” (as cited in Kirmayer et al.). A community is the result of bonds and connections of people, places, ideas, and cultures.
Art, common interests, diverse cultures and shared values are other essential aspects that, to me, create bonds within a community. From time to time, these bonds are tested by events that have the power to disrupt the lives of community members. Such events could be natural disaster, forced resettlement due to conflict, or violence. Communities that are able to overcome hardships by drawing on their protective factors, or conditions in their environment that reduce the probability of harm (Amorim, 2009), prove that they are resilient. A resilient community draws on the many skills, collective knowledge, and unique assets of its diverse body (Song & Buchanan, 2015).
I believe resilient communities are communities that are resourceful. They tap into the strengths, skills, relationships, connections, and spirit of a collection of people. Resilient communities do not fear that future threats will ruin them. Their adaptability and flexibility make them strong. They can bounce back from unexpected challenges or hardship. They are not necessarily rich in financial assets, but have other abundant forms of capital, such as bonding, bridging, and linking capital -- all distinct bonds that connect people to resources within the community (Wilding, 2011). Mapp (2014) states that social capital, that is, bonds within relationships, provide the "glue" (p. 197) that binds a community's assets.
Last summer, I traveled to an Israeli Bedouin village in the Negev Desert as part of my Community Arts program with BuildaBridge International. There my classmates, professors, and I developed and ran a week-long eco-arts camp for the children of the village, Qasr Al-Sir. The village, also referred to as Al Hawashla, is situated among hot and dry hills and its inhabitants, essentially all extended members of the Al Hawashla clan, number in the tens of thousands. They are a vulnerable population for many reasons including ethnic, political, economic, and geographical tensions with their Israeli Jewish neighbors. They are less vulnerable than other Bedouin villages however, because in 2003 they were “recognized” by the state of Israel, meaning their settlement was no longer considered illegal. Illegal Bedouin construction is often swiftly razed by Israeli inspectors.
Despite the lack of electricity, paved roads, trash collection, and the unpredictability of running water, the community of Al Hawashla is resilient. In the face of challenges it continues to strengthen its social support infrastructure by building schools, medical clinics, and women-run businesses. Amazingly, in an environment in which the sun is oppressive, water is scarce, and infrastructure is still relatively weak, this family of Bedouins has maintained their community’s essence. Magis (2007) states that community resilience is (as cited in Wilding, 2011):
“… the existence, development, and engagement of community resources to thrive in a dynamic environment characterized by change, uncertainty, unpredictability and surprise. Resilient communities intentionally develop personal and collective capacity to respond to and influence change, to sustain and renew the community and to develop new trajectories for the community’s future.”
Four important themes were taught through arts-based learning experiences involving music, mural painting, and gardening: re-use, sharing, resource, and create. We helped the children find materials in their community (e.g. trash, leaves, twigs, feathers) and transformed them into paint brushes and musical instruments. We also taught them permaculture techniques to increase their self-sustainability. The eco-arts camp facilitated Al Hawashla’s resiliency because it celebrated the things that make Bedouin life unique – the relationship to their land and nature, music, and art. In this poor community with very limited external resources, the art experiences and curriculum themes showed the children they had limitless internal resources.
Our intent as camp instructors was to teach the children to be able to recognize their own personal resilience factors and how these factors played a role in making their community strong. I learned during my week in Al Hawashla, that examples of resilience were all around me. The concept of resilience was not new to this community and I believe the children already had an awareness of this inherent asset. Even though the students and I could not communicate verbally due to a language barrier, it was clear that the community's culture had instilled in them hope, creativity, and initiative, all internal protective factors (Amorim, 2009).
references
Amorim, I. (2009). Resettlement of communities the case study of Jaguaribara: A resilient community (Northeast of Brazil). JAMBA: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies, 2:3 December, 216-234.
Kirmayer, L., Sedhev, M., Whitley, R., Dandaneau, S., & Isaac, C. (2009). Community Resilience: Models, Metaphors and Measures. Journal of Aboriginal Health; 5(1):62-117.
Mapp, S. (2014). Human Rights and Social Justice in a Global Perspective. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Song, D. and Buchanan, M. (2015). Where immigration meets resilience. The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. Retrieved 6/14/15 from http://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/blog/where-immigration-meets-resilience/
Wilding, N. (2011). Exploring community resilience in times of rapid change. Retrieved from http://www.carnegieuktrust.org.uk/carnegie/media/sitemedia/Publications/ExploringCommunityResiliencedownload.pdf
Kirmayer, L., Sedhev, M., Whitley, R., Dandaneau, S., & Isaac, C. (2009). Community Resilience: Models, Metaphors and Measures. Journal of Aboriginal Health; 5(1):62-117.
Mapp, S. (2014). Human Rights and Social Justice in a Global Perspective. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Song, D. and Buchanan, M. (2015). Where immigration meets resilience. The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. Retrieved 6/14/15 from http://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/blog/where-immigration-meets-resilience/
Wilding, N. (2011). Exploring community resilience in times of rapid change. Retrieved from http://www.carnegieuktrust.org.uk/carnegie/media/sitemedia/Publications/ExploringCommunityResiliencedownload.pdf