In my dark times, I fear that community work can be somewhat of an opiate!  Well intentioned people can be kept incredibly busy on the mechanics, processes and tactics of locality development while the real structural injustices continue apace.  I think that this is particularly evident in this post-Welfare State political climate where “community” is tasked with increasing responsibility and is afforded fewer resources and supports. The expectation is that “community spirit” will compensate for the drastically reduced service provision by the various orders of government! (Alberta, by the way, has a Ministry of Culture and Community Spirit – perhaps suggesting that if there are persistent levels of social marginalization it is due more to the lack of spirit than the political decisions of the dominant political party.  Talk about blaming the victim!!).

However, in more serene times, I can clearly see the transformative benefits of community engagement, organization and development.  Even the very fact of people getting together and sharing their stories can set the foundations for tremendous results.  I remember reading an excellent book on modern Italian politics by Paul Ginsborg.  One of the chapters dealt with the appalling housing conditions of the working class in Naples.  The Italian Communist Party attempted to organize people into tenants’ groups to advocate for basic but decent housing.  At first blush, these attempts at organization seemed to fail – the housing conditions remained appalling.  But, all was not lost, and the people themselves realized the link between their personal issues and the public problems. This resulted in a collective understanding (and political awareness) – a great foundation for community work. And, eventually, conditions did improve.

By itself, this collective recognition is not enough.  There must be community organization, and the experiences of the various “communities” must be aggregated into social policy responses.  Community work can be a solid foundation for the creation of a better world – but I guess we need to determine how we can blend the “political” with the “community” in our activities.  How far can we go?