Building Social Capital: It’s Not a See Saw
Written by Tim Buckley, March 2024
In the face of hope, fear recedes, and healing begins.
Dr. Wendy Ellis,
“Don’t let others control the narrative,” said Dr. Wendy Ellis, keynote speaker at the recent Youth and Family Summit in Salem, sponsored by Willamette Health Council.
She was reminding us of a tipping point in society, like a see saw. On one side, those who think that keeping things the way they are (status quo) is fine. On the other side are those who want things to change. Heated debate becomes charged when words like equity and resilience become symbols of that tipping point.
CBEL attempts to remove the “us versus them” by taking the narrative to a common point of agreement, away from the teeter-totter, upstream from the turmoil. We want “every child to grow up in a safe, stable, nurturing home, enjoy good health, succeed in school and go on in life to become financially self-sufficient.” Most agree with that purpose, so our work is to build agreement and collectively work our way there.
When it comes to making difficult decisions, and finding common agreement, Ellis said that listening is a key component. When “us and them” thinking turns conversation into argument, she said it’s time to listen to each other carefully and then “unpack” the concepts and ideas behind our differences. Listening, with an open mind and without agenda, we are more likely to find the sweet spot between us. “We aren’t born as ‘red’ and ‘blue’”, she said. “When we go upstream, we get beyond logjams and discover opportunities instead.”
Dr. Wendy Ellis meets with the Willamette Health Council team for a pre-Summit dinner with a group of our community partners
When Dr. Ellis began her presentation, she complimented the audience of 600 for its commitment to a healthier, more resilient community. “Salem has been an active resiliency partner since 2019,” she said, referring to the year she first visited and met with the Community Business and Education Leaders Collaborative.
CBEL emerged from theat 2019 meeting with a purpose to build community
resilience, to strengthen families, and to support world class education in
Salem and Keizer.
Of course there are obstacles, she said. “But, remember, fear is a primary emotion. While it’s an important one to keep us safe, fear can also paralyze us. Hope is a secondary emotion,” she continued. “It requires nurturing to bloom. But in the face of hope, fear recedes, and healing begins.”
“Inequities in society are traumas,” Ellis continued. “They’re messy. Messy hurt requires messy healing.” Social illnesses have been in the making for a long time; it will take a while to repair the mess and eclipse inequity.
“Listening to those with lived experience is the basis for establishing trust,” Ellis added. “Engaging with and integrating those people into every aspect of development is crucial.”
That’s CBEL’s game plan. Each Neighborhood Family Council (NFC) is fashioned by those with lived experience. On CBEL’s Executive Committee are some of the same people, whose trauma is diminished as trust and hope grow out of their determination and our teamwork. Each gathering of the CBEL Collaborative creates more trust. Each new NFC created (there are three, soon there will be eight ) gets us a step closer to that place where arguments subside and community begins.