Resilience is often discussed in terms of how societies respond when a crisis occurs. But communities build the foundations of resilience long before disruption happens. Trust, belonging, participation, and places where people meet can help communities organise and support one another when circumstances change.
These were some of the key messages from Nordregio’s webinar What makes communities resilient? Insights from Nordic regions, held on 1 October. Researchers, public authorities, and community practitioners from across the Nordic Region discussed what psychological resilience means in practice and how communities can strengthen their capacity to respond to change and uncertainty.
Resilience starts before a crisis
Resilience is not something authorities can simply create for people. Communities already have knowledge, relationships, and resources that can support collective action. Public authorities can help by creating the conditions for people to connect, participate, and support one another.
Everyday activities can help build this capacity. For example, sports clubs, cultural organisations, libraries, voluntary groups, and local associations give people opportunities to meet, discuss common issues, and build a sense of belonging. These connections can become especially valuable when normal routines are disrupted, and existing social networks and organisations can take on unexpected new roles as part of society’s critical (social) infrastructure during crises.
The webinar is part of a Nordic research project on Recognising and supporting psychological resilience: Regional approaches across the Nordic countries. Drawing from the Finnish comprehensive security strategy, the project defines psychological resilience as citizens’ (individuals’ or communities’) self-initiated and self-organising adaptation to changing circumstances or crises through values-based activities.
Trust and participation build capacity to act
A resilient community is supported, at least in part, by people’s everyday relationships which contribute to the development of shared societal values and willingness to act in crisis. To improve resilience, local and regional actors note the importance of:
- Reducing anonymity by creating opportunities for people to get to know one another;
- Fostering a sense of belonging through inclusive community activities and shared spaces;
- Encouraging community through the arts and other cultural activities that bring people together;
- Identifying reliable information points so people know where to turn when circumstances change; and
- Engaging with local communities to learn from their crisis experiences and listen to their recovery needs.
Participation and having a voice can strengthen people’s sense of agency, while relationships can provide practical support when circumstances change.
Everyday places can strengthen resilience
The Nordic examples discussed during the webinar showed that resilience does not always require new programming.
In Tønsberg and Færder, Norway, the public library provides a trusted space for information, interaction, and community activities, and has recommended itself as a designated information point for the community.
On Gotland, Sweden, local preparedness initiatives have brought residents together to identify skills and resources within their communities and strengthen local networks.
In Grindavík, Iceland, the continuation of community activities has helped residents maintain connections and a sense of belonging after volcanic eruptions forced people to leave their homes.
These examples show how residents, civil society organisations and public authorities can build on relationships, knowledge, and resources that already exist. They also highlight a tension: communities may have the capacity to contribute to resilience, but they cannot be expected to carry these responsibilities alone.
Local initiatives may need guidance, resources, and support from regional and national authorities to sustain their work and contribute effectively to preparedness. Public authorities must avoid placing unrealistic expectations on self-organising communities or transferring responsibilities they do not have the resources to fulfil while simultaneously inviting them to play a role in their country’s all-of-society security efforts.
The less visible work matters too
Building trust and relationships takes time. The benefits may only become visible when something goes wrong.
Physical infrastructure and formal preparedness systems can be easier to identify and measure than the everyday activities that help people build relationships and develop shared values. Yet a library programme, sports club, cultural activity, or neighbourhood association can also make important contributions to resilience, with the potential to act as critical infrastructure in their own right.
Recognising this less visible groundwork means taking a broader view of preparedness. The trust, connections, and local capacity built over time may provide a foundation for collective action during a crisis.
What can communities and authorities do?
In the webinar, local, regional, and national actors gave several tips for strengthening the foundations of resilient communities from their experiences:
- Start before the crisis. Everyday relationships create capacity for collective action.
- Treat trust as infrastructure. Trust between people and institutions helps communities act together, but the work for developing such trust also requires guidance, resources, and support from government actors.
- Build on existing community capacity. Authorities can connect, enable, and support local initiatives rather than trying to design resilience for communities.
- Recognise everyday places and activities. Libraries, associations, sports clubs, and cultural organisations can contribute to resilience without becoming emergency agencies.
- Allow time for resilience to grow. Resilience develops gradually and depends on the specific strengths, needs, and challenges of each community.
- Account for inequalities. People do not arrive at points of crisis on equal ground. Balance new responsibilities for citizens within all-of-society security approaches with appropriate support to ensure all members of a community can be equally prepared for crises.
More to explore
Watch the webinar recording and read the new report, Shaping values, building trust: Psychological resilience in Nordic communities, to explore how Nordic communities are building the foundations for resilience in everyday life.
The discussion continues at Nordregio Forum in November, where Hilma Salonen and Lisa Rohrer draw on Nordic case studies to shed light on the often-overlooked foundations of resilient communities in their presentation Unsung heroes of attractive places: overlooked yet essential building blocks.
A policy brief with further insights is also coming soon as the Nordic research project Recognising and supporting psychological resilience: Regional approaches across the Nordic countries continues.
