07/02/2012  

Working with your Community

Sport can be used a tool to develop people and communities ? indeed sport has a range of cross cutting benefits from improved health through increased participation, to the reduction of crime and anti social behaviour to the renewal and regeneration of communities.

When used as a tool for regeneration through activities such as:

  • Capital investment in facilities
  • Coach and Sport Leader Training
  • Mentoring

"...sport can deliver a range of outcomes and impacts for the benefit of that community. Social enterprise can be a model that will enable the benefits to exist long beyond the lifecycle of funding and regeneration programmes".

Partnership working can be used to strengthen your work and maximise the benefits to your community. In addition to this, by enabling participation from users, members and wider stakeholders, a social enterprise can ensure it is more flexible and resilient. This will enable it to adaptable and ensure its sustainability.

Furthermore, sport can also contribute to the development of ?social capital? (shared networks, norms and values ? characterised by trust, a sense of belonging, reciprocity and mutuality), as well as creating and developing feelings of wellbeing. By enabling participation, a social enterprise can be a useful catalyst to creating social capital within a community.

The sections within Working with your Community will include introductions to papers on sport and regeneration, social capital and wellbeing. There will be case studies, research and tools to develop and strengthen your community through your activities.

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