How do neighbourhood festivals build meaningful social ties?
This study evaluated the Festival of Neighbourhoods (FON), a community-based initiative in Kitchener, Ontario, aimed at forging social ties and recognizing informal gatherings among local neighbourhoods. Inspired by a group of community leaders who “felt it was time to celebrate the everyday and the ordinary in neighbourhoods and the spirit of community that existed in so many parts of Kitchener but was not clearly recognized,” the FON encourages local citizens to organize and enter neighbourhood events (e.g., picnics, street parties, barbecues) in a random draw for a community improvement grant. One grant is awarded to a neighbourhood each year. The grant serves as
- incentive to encourage local citizens to organize neighbourhood events, and
- a resource used by neighbourhoods to encourage community development and lead to local partnerships.
Purpose
The purpose of this research project was to explore how FON, a community-based initiatives, facilitates the development of social capital, the by-product of our social relationships that make possible of the achievement of certain aims that cannot be accomplished by individuals in its absence. Social capital is present, for instance, when neighbours informally keep an eye on each other’s homes or when friends help a member of their social circle move a heavy piece of furniture. We draw on our social capital to help us get by or get ahead in life. Accordingly, the widespread existence of social capital is vital to the sustainability of healthy communities.
Because social capital is an essential ingredient in building community capacity, there is deep concern about a possible decline in social capital within contemporary society. This concern is serious enough that governments worldwide are making efforts to address it. What role, then, do community-based initiatives, such as FON, play in its development?
Findings
An examination of the effectiveness of the Festival of Neighbourhoods reveals casual leisure events, such as festivals, provide a perfect setting for individuals who already know each other to socialize and renew their sociable bonds. Furthermore, they facilitate the development of new relationships by bringing people together who might otherwise have no reason to socialize. Meanwhile, project-based leisure, such as any undertaking facilitated by the receipt of an improvement grant, builds more formal relationships among people and serves as a resource to facilitate community development. In short, without leisure it would be difficult to bring people together, and thus, difficult to produce social capital. In short, any attempt to build social capital effectively naturally begins with leisure.
Additional reading
Johnson, A. J., Glover, T. D., & Yuen, F. (2009). Supporting effective community representation: Lessons from the Festival of Neighbourhoods. Managing Leisure, 14(1), 1-16.
Yuen, F., & Glover, T. D. (2005). Enabling social capital development: An examination of the Festival of Neighbourhoods in Kitchener , Ontario . Journal of Park and Recreation Administration , 23 (4), 20-38.
