Collective care is an internal group practice of supporting participants’ needs, communication, and well-being so that disaster response can continue without consuming its own people [@fernandesjesus2021; @madrjoin2022].
Within emergent disaster response, the term matters because grassroots work can fail not only from outside pressure but from exhaustion, isolation, and silent overload inside the group. Fernandes-Jesus and coauthors identify a culture of care and support as one of the group process strategies that helped mutual-aid groups sustain involvement over time [@fernandesjesus2021].
Collective care includes regular check-ins, attention to participants’ needs, supportive norms, and spaces where strain can be made visible before it hardens into burnout or withdrawal.
Related terms
- Burnout - one condition collective care tries to reduce
- Wellness Center - a care form that can support both affected communities and responders
- Conflict Handling and Community Safety in Emergent Disaster Response - a text on the safety norms that collective care overlaps with