Infrastructure and the 'Big Society'

Guest blog from Stephen Quashie

Civil Society Infrastructure arose to support action in communities and has a vital part to play in the new government’s vision for the ‘Big Society’ says Stephen Quashie, Value of Infrastructure Programme Manager.

The 'Big Society'

Our new government wants society (the families, networks, neighbourhoods and communities that form the social fabric of everyday life) to be bigger and stronger than ever before. In this vision of the 'Big Society' citizens and communities will have the power and information they need to come together and solve the problems they face.

While government can grant the power, it is civil society infrastructure that can provide the support, connections and voice to enable citizens to come together and make the change they want to see. After all, this is why civil society infrastructure formed in the first place!

The Story of Infrastructure

It is when citizens in communities of locality or interest have identified and responded to unmet needs that many civil society groups and organisations have been formed.

These groups and organisations found that they needed mutual support to get started and new skills and ideas to build their capacity to make change. They discovered that if they worked together they were better heard amongst decision-makers. Arguably most importantly, they also needed to make connections with others to take action and access resources.

So these groups formed networks, associations and councils in which they could talk, share ideas and find mutual support, campaign and lobby on common concerns. This range of councils, associations and networks have become known as 'infrastructure'.

Real Relationships

The role of civil society infrastructure can be briefly described as to: develop, influence and connect civil society organisations looking to make change.

Civil Society Infrastructure is uniquely placed to deliver this supporting role because it has risen through this organic process with understanding, knowledge and independence.

The main currency of communities that are vibrant, strong and taking action is not money but relationships. What drives these relationships is trust and a shared understanding of mutual benefit.

A civil society organisation needs to be able to trust that the infrastructure organisation will represent its issues fairly and effectively. They also need to have faith that the infrastructure organisation has the relevant knowledge to identify their needs and develop their skills.

The more trust a civil society group or organisation has in a support provider, the more open the organisation is to the support and the more likely it will have a lasting impact.

Investing for Action

If the government wants society to be bigger and stronger than ever before then it must look to invest in this civil society infrastructure to develop, influence, and connect those looking to make change.

Stephen Quashie