Sense of community as a strategy for the reconstruction of the social fabric network

Abstract

Considering the importance of developing a sense of community to strengthen unity and mutual support among the diverse people that make up communities in Latin America, the Semillero Politeia, a study group affiliated with the Universidad Católica de Colombia, highlights the need to analyze the factors that enable Colombian society to strengthen and progress socially as a community. The objectives of the Politeia group include the production of accessible knowledge, through Community Psychology, about the importance of strengthening the sense of community belonging in different contexts. In the past year, the group has developed social innovation tools for working within communities, addressing themes of community sense and emotional connection. In addition to offering accessible explanations and establishing relationships with territorial demands, these tools provide various activities aimed at developing individual and collective strengths. Thus, this article aimed to relate the sense of community belonging to social innovation technologies in the field of Community Psychology. The results include intergroup collaboration between researchers, psychology students, and social agents, seeking to promote knowledge and create new spaces for the reconstruction of the social fabric in the country through inter-institutional alliances. This relentless pursuit transcends academia as an institutional space, involving different agents present in our communities. Given the urgent psychosocial demands found in Colombia's various historical-social scenarios, the proposed work stands out for producing knowledge that encompasses and mobilizes social segments through social innovation technologies, by strengthening the sense of belonging.