Youth And Social Capital

Social capital arising from social networks based on trust has been traditionally seen as the property of adults from which the younger generation gain benefit. Far less attention has been given to the production of social capital among young people themselves, in making the transition from dependent child to independent adult. Through findings from research groups in Finland and England, this book fills the gap by examining how young people develop and use social capital in different contexts at school and outside, in cementing friendships, in developing identity, in smoothing the passage through education and from school to work, and in resisting coercion into pre-designated adult roles. As part of the developing field of youth studies, the book will be of much interest to academics and policy makers and practitioners working with young people.

The concept of social capital has become increasingly prominent in both the theoretical and applied social science literature over the last decade. This publication seeks to provide a set of empirical tools to measure social capital, focusing on its application in developing countries. The methodology aims to generate quantitative data on various dimensions of social capital as part of a larger household survey (such as the Living Standards Measurement Survey or a household income/expenditure survey). The paper also provides detailed guidance for the use and analysis of the data.

This volume builds understanding of practices in youth and community development that create or build social capital assets at the individual, group, and community levels. The authors explore whether programs contribute to the development of social capital at the individual and community scales, thereby fostering and enhancing positive youth development as well as community development. It includes articles on defining and measuring social capital through instruments designed to document impact and also to engage program participants. The authors then discuss program practices that build social capital in a wide range of youth development settings, from community-based service-learning to 4-H community clubs. Finally, they focus on building social capital in particular contexts, including work in rural communities with the most vulnerable youth. The volume is designed to help practitioners: Refine their dual focus on youth and community development Clarify constructs that help translate the public value of positive youth development to community stakeholders Provide examples of practices that link youth and youth programs more intentionally to the social relationships that knit communities together. This is the 138th volume of New Directions for Youth Development, the Jossey-Bass quarterly report series dedicated to bringing together everyone concerned with helping young people, including scholars, practitioners, and people from different disciplines and professions.

Adolescents today are demonized by politicians and the media across the world. We are bombarded with assertions of young people's antisocial behavior and gang fighting and the link to depletion of social capital. This book examines the extent to which young people are engaging with the indicators of social capital, as illustrated by a sample group of 16-18 year-olds in the most socially deprived urban areas of Glasgow in Scotland. Ross Deuchar's compelling research reveals the adolescents' views on life in the city, the influence of gang culture and territoriality on their own lives and on the social capital within their communities. The book features the voices of young people, some of them asylum seekers or from ethnic minority backgrounds, who have become disenfranchised by educational failure, unemployment and poverty and also of those who have faced great challenges but have overcome them. The book examines the extent of their civic participation, social networks and levels of reciprocity and trust, and presents case studies of projects and initiatives which are helping to re-engage young people. Here is a book written for all those who work with young people from disadvantaged groups, whether in schools or youth organizations. It will be of particular relevance to academic researchers with an interest in social capital and also to community educationalists and youth leaders, secondary teachers and students who are studying towards qualifications in community education and youth work. The book will also interest people who are concerned with community welfare: politicians, the police, community sports development officers and youth coaches.

In this unique collection, the social capital - relationships and networks - of children and young people, and in one case parents and teachers, is explored in a wide range of formal and informal settings.

Through findings from research groups in Finland and England, this text examines how young people develop and use social capital in different contexts.

The currency of social capital serves as an important function given the capacity to generate external access (getting to) and internal accountability (getting through) for individuals and institutions alike. Pierre Bourdieu (1986) defines social capital as “the aggregate of the actual or potential resources which are linked to possession of a durable network of more or less institutionalized relationships of mutual acquaintance and recognition or in other words, to membership in a group” (p. 251). Social capital contains embedded resources as a tool for manifesting opportunities and options among individuals and groups. Inevitably, the aforementioned opportunities and options become reflective of the depth and breadth of access and accountability experienced by the individual and institution. As educational stakeholders, we must consistently challenge ourselves with the question, “How do K-12 schools and colleges and universities accomplish shared, egalitarian goals of achieving access and accountability?” Such goals become fundamental toward ensuring students matriculating through K-12 and higher education, irrespective of background, are provided the caliber of education and schooling experience to prepare them for economic mobility and social stability. To that end, the volume, Contemporary Perspectives on Social Capital in Educational Contexts (2019), as part of the book series, Contemporary Perspectives on Capital in Educational Contexts, offers a unique opportunity to explore social capital as a currency conduit for creating external access and internal accountability for K-12 and higher education. The commonalities of social capital emerging within the 12 chapters of the volume include the following: 1) Social Capital as Human Connectedness; 2) Social Capital as Strategic Advocacy; 3) Social Capital as Intentional Engagement; and 4) Social Capital as Culturally-Responsive Leadership. Thus, it becomes important for institutions of education (i.e. secondary, postsecondary, continuing) and individuals to assume efforts with intentionality and deliberateness to promote access and accountability.

Social capital, children and young people is about the relationships and networks - social capital - that children and young people have in and out of school. Social capital has become of increasing interest to policy makers but there has been little evidence of how it operates in practice. In this unique collection, the social capital of children and young people, and in one case parents and teachers, is explored in a wide range of formal and informal settings. The contributors to the book, who include academic researchers and educational professionals, provide in-depth accounts of social capital being developed and used by children and young people. They offer critical reflections on the significance of social capital and on the experiences of researching the social capital of sometimes vulnerable people. This book is essential reading for anyone concerned with how children and young people get along, get by and get on.