Towards a Social Cohesive Ecology:

Themes from a Participatory Community

perspective

Exploring

Communicating

Contributing

Generating

Connecting

Education for Social Cohesion in Lebanon

Theoretical Framework

• one common core depiction in the extisting literature (e.g.,

Bruhn, 2009) is the notion of social cohesion as a bond

that brings people together.

• Helly et al. (2003) has argued that this notion implies the

promotion of a sense of communality and

responsibility of community members towards each

other.

• Inquiry : What role can community-based civic action

play towards an effectual social cohesion?

n - applied research Creativity Community

• Learning environment providing space for collective

creativity

• Action-research opening up a world of possibilities for

collective action

• Facilitator connecting and expanding communities,

inviting diversity: intergenerational, multi-stakeholder,

multi-disciplinary, geographically dispersed

• Enabler of authentic conversations and creative

expressions for a sustainable future

n –

init

iati

ve &

So

cia

l C

oh

es

ion

n-in i tia tiveFactors o f Socia l

Cohesion

T rsut bu i ld ing

activi ties

Group

form ation

Dia logue

Com mon

patterns

Development

o f thei r own

regions

Com muni ties

of l i fe

Sol idari ty

T rust

Social

belonging

Participation

to pubkl ic

a ffa i rs

Responsibi l i ty

Lebanon Compass

• Multi-confessional communities

• Constant political cultural turmoil

• Inherent social divisions

• Fragmented societies

• Diversity

• Openness

• Resilience

• Talent/Potential

• Innovation

Community-

based civic

action

Public Libraries as Public Spaces

ASSABIL’s Experience

Public libraries as public spaces

Public libraries as forums of expression and

debate

Public libraries as meeting spaces for everybody

Public libraries as cultural mediators

Public libraries need to reach out to the community

Community

Voices

Hermil

SrifaBeit Meri

Conversations

Dialogue

Circle

Open Space

Creativity

Expressing

ListeningProducing

Hermil

overcoming

gender gap

Responsibility and

Acceptance of

others8-initiatives

Beit Meri

Multi-stakeholder 3-initiatives

Integrated Process

whole-system

Baakline/Barouk

Web of

Connections:

Community5-initiatives

Inquiry/Expression

Srifa

Cooperation

Intergenerational

voices 4-initiatives

Collective

Coming Together

Connection

Interaction

Cohesionn-initiatives

Social Cohesion:

People’s Thoughts

• Appropriate Relationships / nourishing warm relationships

• Cement

• Continuity

• Common interest / Cooperation (no destruction and

avoidance) /Collective (one hand alone cannot clap)

• Connection

• Development

• Belonging to a society

• Life and building a country

• Secular society

• Title of success

• Unified society

• Web that leads towards a virtuous society

Impact of Social Cohesion in

Community Voices (participants feedback)

• Bringing communities together/Building relationships

• Bringing diversified citizens of various affiliations and

backgrounds together and maintaining the link

• Circle that connects people together (we all complete

the other)

• Correlation with others/Stronger Connections with

each other

• Convergence and similarities of projects across the

country

Impact of Social Cohesion in

Community Voices (participants feedback)

• Identifying the problems and searching for solutions

for all – North, South, East and West

• Introduction to other regions through its people

• Opening cooperation possibilities between different

regions

• Felt responsible

• New established relationship with municipality

Community-based action

Recommendations

• Introduce, present, and train individuals and groups on

the working tools they need;

• Consistently, work on strengthening the essential

social human relational skills

• Provide opportunities for individuals and groups to

experiment with the realization of their ideas;

• Provide balance between support and independent

action of individuals/groups - Ensure that people take

personal responsibility through tangible contributions

• Build up on prior engagements to maintain the initiated

energy momentum within the people, until they are

ready to manage its continuity by themselves;

• Connect people with each other for the purposes of

materializing their projects and activities.

Education Field

Recommendations

• Develop and apply relational capacities (listening,

generative dialogue, open conversations, alternative

forms of expression, complex problem solving

methodologies, conflict transformation methods,

effective decision-making tools ..) that strengthen

social cohesion in the classrooms and the overall

campus environments

• Unify the meaning of social cohesion for Lebanon

and its people. Open dialogue spaces in educational

settings amongst all stakeholders (e.g., at schools:

students, parents, educators) around social cohesion

with the purpose of identifying potential actions for

implementation there.

Education Field

Recommendations

• Create social cohesion projects within diverse

education settings. Connect the processes, participants

and outcomes to understand the broader dynamics at the

country level.

• Bring education to life by having community-based

service and action an integral component of the

curriculum. This supports the understanding of the

purpose of our learning, which moves from an

individualistic ambition to a more collective connection,

with clarity of our role coming through experience not

downloaded spoon-feeding.

enact your

creativity,

contribute

collectively

and

sustain the

growth

Towards a Social Cohesive Ecology:

Themes from a Participatory

Community perspective

Acknowledgements

ASSABIL

Heinrich Boell Foundation

Public Libraries in Hermil, Baakline, Srifa, Beit Meri,

Beirut- Monnot/Geitawi/Bashoura

Comunity Voices participants

n Hosts – Hala F., Firas, Joumana, Solange, Lina

www.nnow.org

enact your

creativity,

contribute

collectively

and

sustain the

growth

Towards a Social Cohesive Ecology:

Themes from a Participatory

Community perspective

Presented by

Hala Makarem

Paper Prepared by

Hala Makarem – n initiator

Dr. Kamal Abouchedid - Director of the Center for

Applied Research in Education (CARE) at NDU

www.nnow.org

attended by ALL – Thank YOU