Learning for Change: learning about social resilience through play

At the "Learning for Change" conference (organised by TRANSIT) we held a workshop on the Social Resilience Monitor (SRM) – developed by het PON and Telos – and on the social resilience dialogue game. In the monitor, social resilience is defined as the capacity of people or communities to deal with changes and the access to external resources that enable different strategies that enhance the resilience. The SRM distinguishes three types of resources: personal resources, social resources and (essential) services in the (immediate) vicinity.

The social resilience dialogue game is a method which enables stakeholders to discuss problems in society from the perspective of social resilience. In the workshop we introduced the issue:

"How do you achieve that young adults with a mental illness participate in the neighbourhood in accordance to their abilities?"

We asked the participants to come up with a desirable result.

"What is your ambition? What do you want to achieve?"

In the game, each participant had to decide for themselves which personal, social and community resources are most important in relation to the issue. And each participant had to explain to the others why he or she thinks these resources are important. Finally, the group decided on 3 final resources. Based on these resources, the group explored which activities are necessary to achieve the desirable result and who is going to do it.

The participants were very positive playing the social resilience dialogue game. The game stimulates conception of social resilience and the understanding of dynamics in resources. It enables to formulate concrete governance interventions based on the dynamics in personal, social and community resources.