Resilient Community

Communities have a big impact on their members’ lives, both in ordinary times and during crisis. Despite the emergence of new types of communities – virtual, professional and so on – the local community still has a special significance on many levels. Research shows that local community action can reduce crime, raise educational achievements, and improve health and quality of life in cities.

Community resilience is among the major factors that advance the resilience and social-economic mobility of individuals. Attributes of the environment and the community that affect mobility include trust, a sense of belonging, civic involvement, collective capability and more. However, communities in the periphery often have a hard time developing collective processes that are vital for the welfare of their members, as well as of the community as a whole.

The ‘Resilient Community’ initiative aims to strengthen local communities in the social-geographic periphery in a holistic and inclusive view, thereby driving social mobility and improving the quality of life of community members from birth to old age.  This is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Social Services, JDC-Ashslim and Rashi, operating through a round table and mission-specific teams that bring together representatives of government ministries, local government, civil society and philanthropy, academia, businesses, professional and community activists.

Implementation stages:

• Planning – identifying the characteristics of resilient communities, success indicators and outcomes, best practices and means for strengthening communities.
• Field pilot – three-year pilot in 10 locales, accompanied by formative evaluation to draw conclusions and make ongoing improvements.
• Dissemination – wide-scale application of the models that have been developed, supported by national policy changes and budget allocation.

Partners

Government | Local authorities | Philanthropy and civil society