The Importance of Social Capital in Community Health Initiatives: A Reflective Journey
Francisco Mendina, HIS PhD candidate, MMASc, HBSc.
May 06, 2024
Throughout this semester, I came across the idea of social capital and its importance in community health settings while delving into a literature review for an international research project focused on how solidarity is practiced and understood in Francophone Africa. One author’s view on social capital includes civil engagement and interpersonal relationships that establish a person's assimilation into a community (Migheli, 2017). I understand social capital as the resources and support you can access to due to your social networks.
This idea made me think back to my time working as a program coordinator for an AIDS service organization in the York region of Ontario from 2022 to 2023 before I started my doctoral studies.
In my capacity as a program coordinator, I worked closely with my manager and five clients on a peer advisory committee. Together, in collaboration with local agencies, we planned monthly gatherings that addressed a wide range of subjects, including employment opportunities, legal assistance, healthcare service, and community involvement. We also planned social events, such as Christmas parties and summer picnics.
Our client base was diverse, consisting of many recent immigrants who were unaware of the York Region's social support systems and resources. Many of these individuals also did not speak English, and we had a high influx of clients who were refugees from Ukraine. In addition, a lot of people lacked family support because of the stigma or simply were not comfortable telling their families about their status.
Social events offered an important platform for the development of support systems as clients from similar life stories got the chance to meet. Even though our organization connected clients to pertinent resources like healthcare, benefits, legal aid, and other services, they frequently felt more comfortable speaking with insiders: people who were already part of their community. Being HIV-negative meant that I was an outsider by nature. Therefore, connecting clients with an existing network of insiders helped reduce social isolation, helped created a social space for engagement, and tapped into the preexisting social capital within the community—comprising networks, resources, and social support. Our team’s role in facilitating access to resources was crucial, but it was not everything.
Even though our social events consistently had high attendance, attendance at our employment access and resource connection sessions was frequently low. For instance, we saw a fraction of our usual attendance at a session hosted by a local community center to introduce new health services in the York Region—just 12 clients as opposed to the 30+ people who typically attend our celebratory dinners organized with the peer advisory committee. Upon inquiring with clients about their lack of attendance at certain events, they would tell me they were not always motivated to attend sessions where they would not be given the time to connect with people going through similar experiences. They would tell me that while the information was helpful, the speakers would not fully understand their needs given these were outsiders by background, by not being immigrants themselves, or by not being HIV positive. Moreover, the events were in English. Translation was provided, but the linguistic barrier for some further underlined a division between speakers and those in attendance.
Our family dinners, in contrast to other social events, were well attended. These provided an opportunity for clients who shared the same language to converse and share resources, which was essential in assisting newcomers from Ukraine and other nations to feel comfortable and locate community support. Furthermore, even though I oversaw the program, the peer advisory committee would frequently take the lead in these social activities. Being an immigrant myself, I can relate to this need for kinship. We were also linguistically and culturally isolated when my family first immigrated to Canada from Uruguay, which made things more difficult. We looked for other Uruguayans to help us adjust, and having an insider social circle of people who knew our language and culture in Canada was essential to our well-being. We were able to expand our network, help one another, and obtain access to a wealth of information and contacts by doing this.
Looking back, the family dinners our organization facilitated were essential for encouraging interpersonal relationships, life story sharing, and sharing resources used by folks in the York Region. I am not HIV positive. There are limits to my understanding of living with this status, even though I know I can serve as a resource through my awareness of the services and programs that are available. Observing the energy between clients at social events, I understand the additional benefit of organizations finding ways to extend social networks to include people who have experienced comparable circumstances.
As I think back on my work in community health initiatives, I am reminded of how crucial it is to leverage the social capital already present in communities and connect folks to insider groups. As a global health researcher, I consider how important it is to acknowledge the importance of interpersonal relationships, support networks, and community networks as we work to develop successful initiatives and navigate global health challenges. These resources help people dealing with health-related issues feel like they belong, are trusted, and are part of a community in addition to making essential services and resources easier to access. As we move forward, I believe we must pay attention and give importance to methods that build and utilize social capital in local communities to build long-term, globally significant health initiatives.
References
Migheli, M. (2017). Ubuntu and social capital: a strong relationship and a possible instrument of socio-economic development. Cambridge Journal of Economics, 41(4), 1213-1235.
Koplan, J. P., Bond, T. C., Merson, M. H., Reddy, K. S., Rodriguez, M. H., Sewankambo, N. K., & Wasserheit, J. N. (2009). Towards a common definition of global health. The Lancet, 373(9679), 1993-1995.
Photo by Vonecia Carswell on Unsplash
