www.mainecf.org/grants/initiatives/socialcapital.aspx

Social groups boost state’s ‘super community’

AUBURN – When a massive ice storm knocked out power to thousands across the state in 1998, a home-grown network sprang into action.

That kind of neighbor-to-neighbor network didn’t just happen, according to Garrett Martin, director of program strategies for the Maine Community Foundation. It was the culmination of years of social interactions among Maine’s residents – voters, church-goers, club members and neighbors – all working together.

“And overnight, Maine’s ‘super community’ popped up,” he told about 30 local community and business leaders Wednesday morning. “It put on its cape and went to work.”

Martin presented findings from a Maine Community Foundation study designed to track those social connections. Look no further than the response to Hurricane Katrina to see what happens when those connections fail.

“For some, it’s a graphic reminder of how a dearth of social connections affect a community just when it needs them,” he said.

The survey shows those social networks changing in Lewiston-Auburn. For example, residents attend church more now than they did in 2000, when the survey was first performed. They associate with work-mates more often, too, and have more friends of different races.

But they interact with their neighbors less, participate in their children’s schools less and watch more television. The study showed less diverse relationships among residents – people are not interacting with others that are not in their financial caste, part of their social group or members of their religion. And it showed less interracial trust among residents.

People attending Wednesday’s meeting included city staff members and elected leaders from Lewiston-Auburn, members of the Chamber of Commerce, the Lewiston Auburn Economic Growth Council, Lewiston’s Visible Community, local museums, nonprofits, churches and public relations firms.

Each had their own take on the survey results, but they agreed next steps matter. They need to refine the data, make it more specific to Lewiston-Auburn and make sure the study includes all residents – especially young adults and recent immigrants.

The foundation performed the first survey in 2000 along with Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. It asked residents questions about membership in community groups, their church habits and distances they commuted to work. It also asked their attitudes about their neighbors, their communities and their friendships.

The latest version was released in February.