Communities in history: representing and building the creative power of people to improve health and well-being

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Communities in the UK are under pressure. Geographical neighbourhoods are stripped of their resources and their raisons d'etre; occupational solidarity is broken up by de-industrialization, recession and austerity; and communities of identity are subject to various forms of social exclusion, disenfranchisement and discrimination. Historic patterns of culture, connectivity and meaning are churned and turned upside down by global economic developments. With the 'weight of the world' bearing down so heavily, how do communities survive, adapt or resist, let alone flourish? How do families and households manage without work and with cutbacks in essential benefits and services? And how do individuals retain any sense of hope or meaningful purpose in conditions of such separation and alienation? Evidence suggests that to maintain thriving communities, citizens must take ownership of the building of resilience in their communities. The aims of the project are: to explore how stories from and about communities connect with forms of resilience and resistance and relate to the maintenance of health and wellbeing; and to investigate the forms these stories take in knowledge production, dissemination and exchange and how they can best inform the development of appropriate policies, services and community action to promote health and wellbeing.This proposal is for a development grant to support the writing of a project proposal for a larger study.This project contributes to the Connected Communities Programme in developing more fine-grained ways by which communities and their connections can be understood. We will look at these in relation to their historical and cultural contexts, as part of wider social economic structural changes and across different social and demographic groups. The programme through its initiatives aims to foster positive relationships within communities which in turn foster mutual solidarity helping overcome stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination. There is considerable potential for developing methodology and research tools within new knowledge spaces which connect communities, researchers and policy makers and maximise impact. The project also seeks to identify ways in which communities can collaborate with policy and public service representatives to contribute to the promotion of health and social cohesion; and give communities the tools to help explore more systematically how best to make improvements themselves to their health and wellbeing.During the four months four meetings will be held to bring together academic researchers, policy makes, practitioners and community members. Three meetings will be country specific and will involve the 10 applicants plus up to ten key stakeholders from communties, and policy and practice worlds, many of who have already worked with the applicants in the past. At each of these meetings a paper will provide the basis for discussion, providing a step towards the development of the proposal for the larger project. A final meeting will include the academic team and will provide opportunities for reflection on the country-specific meetings, drawing out salient lessons and themes, confirming the main components of the project. The process will mean that the proposal will have been internally fully discussed and agreed, and will include the insights and knowledge of other stakeholders to ensure impact for the large project if it is funded.