In April 2021, Omar Abdulaziz Hallaj, a Partner at LUGARIT, conducted a two-day online workshop on social capital for young professionals and civil society activists in Syria. Organized in collaboration with Niuversity, a Berlin-based virtual learning platform, and Afkar Plus, a start-up business incubator, the workshop overcame significant logistical challenges, during the COVID pandemic, to provide critical insights on the role of trust and cooperation in community development. Afkar Plus hosted participants under the leadership of Samer Alaswad, ensuring safe and conducive learning conditions amidst Syria's volatile security situation.

Building on the workshop’s success, the educational content has been recently transformed into a learning guidebook titled "Introduction to Social Capital." This 34-page, 4,300-word guide was prepared by Niuversity team, led by Dr. Fadi Amroush and LUGARIT’s consultant Eva Ziedan. Designed for accessibility, the guide simplifies complex concepts, making them applicable to various development contexts.

Highlights from the Guide

• What is Social Capital? The guide introduces the concept and what drives its development.  

• Tradition and Heritage: It examines the relationship between social capital and cultural legacies such as traditions and heritage, highlighting their role in shaping trust and cooperation across different contexts and time periods.

• Economic and Developmental Impact: The guide explores the influence of social capital on economic growth and its critical role in fostering sustainable development within societies.

• Positive and Negative Social Capital: A detailed comparison of the positive and negative forms of social capital is presented, showcasing how each can shape societal dynamics and outcomes.

• Social Capital and Conflict: The guide analyzes the interplay between social capital and conflicts in communities, offering insights into how trust and cooperation can mitigate disputes or, conversely, exacerbate tensions.

• Practical Applications: Case studies and value-chain analyses illustrate how trust and cooperation drive progress in various sectors. 

• The Broader Perspective of "Community Capital": Finally, the guide introduces the overarching concept of "community capital," emphasizing its importance in holistic development and economic progress.

Notably, this guidebook is the first of its kind in the Arab world and is published under a Creative Commons license, ensuring free access for individuals and organizations. It is a resource aimed at fostering "social energy," empowering stakeholders to leverage trust-based networks for sustainable development.

We invite readers to download the guidebook and explore this work.  Join the conversation on building resilient and inclusive communities!