Cormac Russell: “there is no better medicine than the community”

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Russell wanted to convey the need to mobilize civil society, "because everyone has something to contribute." Source: Third Sector Table.
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The speaker stressed the importance of support within civil society in the face of complicated situations. Source: Third Sector Table.

The social researcher places the actions and power of civil society and neighbourhoods at the centre. These actors can also make very positive contributions.

Cormac Russell, the director general and founder of Nurture Development Limited, delivered the opening speech at the 7 th Catalonian Third Sector Congress, an event that brought different organisations and actors from the sector together to revisit the social reconstruction in the post-pandemic context.

In his speech he aimed at conveying the need to mobilise civil society, “because everyone has a contribution to make”. The proposal is based on a policy shift and “recovering a grassroots- led democracy”.

This idea, where the community steps out of its role as a helper and institutions as the ones helping is based around three concepts: on the one hand, the need to recover and discover civil society’s assets: “What are the available resources”, what is civil society proud of?” This should allow institutions to establish a better relationship with associations and people working in neighbourhoods, taking their real needs into consideration (and not what were believed to be their needs, as up until now).

The last concept behind this idea is based on putting action and the community at the centre. In his address, Russell explained the task not only of third sector social organisations, but also of much more informal networks, such as a book club or a trekking club, that generate mutual support among citizens.

In this sense, he highlighted the importance of support inside civil society to deal with complex situations: “there is no better medicine than the community.

Those belonging to a community and a social fabric live better lives”.

Russell is the author of ‘Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD): Looking Back to Look Forward’, a book where he was able to witness first-hand how everywhere in the World, “normal” people have been able to improve their environment and this is precisely the way he believes societies should progress.

To do this, this social researcher believes it is necessary to have collaboration between the social third sector and the institutions as actors that are complementary.

At the same time, he mentions three changes that are necessary: stepping away from what doesn’t work and moving closer to what makes us stronger; forgetting about the idea of only providing services and also looking for the value the community can contribute; and avoid prioritizing our o personal agenda and priorities to come closer to the needs in the community.

According to Russell, the action of those helping today is mainly focused on the communities that need total support. In his view, however, it is also good to focus on communities that have some assets and can improve with just a little support. This is all to allow the community to be an active part in the actions of society and thus to improve their situation and their environment.