Social Capital Case Study

My journey shows that I am determined to graduate with my bachelor’s degree in Family Services and continue to my master’s degree in Student Affairs. This journey as a freshman student from Gary, Indiana to being a senior has not been easy. Gary, Indiana is a low-income, predominately African-American community. I graduated high school ranking 6 of 100 seniors and of that 100, I only know of six students who attended college; three have graduated from college already. I plan to be the fourth college graduate from my high school class. I am a first college generation student. Upon attending college, I realized how unprepared academically I was for college. Without being academically prepared, I faced many bumps in the road. I have no family system in Cedar Falls, Iowa. I have used my resources and developed a great support system of advisors.

The research topic I plan to focus on involves studying the experiences of African American males who have formed mentoring relationships as undergraduates, particularly when the mentor is a Black male and the relationship takes place at Clemson or other PWIs in the south. In my opinion, these relationships can have a profound impact on a student’s ability to persist towards graduating from college. Though my research, I want to hear the experiences of Black males who have benefited from successful mentoring relationships with other Black men. As a mentor, I believe that establishing a strong mentoring relationship with Black males at a young age can greatly improve their chance of academic success. Furthermore, I believe that mentoring is a strong early intervention mechanism to prevent Black males from dropping out of high school and deterring them from pursuing degrees in higher education. At the same time, I would like my research interest to focus on African American males in the south, but I would like my scope to focus on mentoring relationships between black men; both structured and unstructured.

Peer mentoring is one of a range of peer support frameworks used in schools where students provide support to other students. Peer mentoring provides an alternative avenue of support by offering support from the peer group rather than adults. Research has shown that students respond well to peer mentors and feel a connection with someone that is closer to their age and more closely connected to the experience of high school. The mentors serve in a dichotomous role as older more experienced source of support that one can turn to for advice and guidance, while simultaneously serving as a friend and peer that one can relax and have fun with. This is a role that many times adult mentors cannot fulfill, which makes peer mentoring unique and sometimes

Research suggests that mentoring has the potential to be a powerful and effective mechanism for success within African American males (Woodland, 2008; Bandy & Moore, 2011). Supportive adult-child relationships are critical to the social and emotional development of children. Children who have these relationships tend to demonstrate more confidence, experience a greater sense of security, have higher grades, and for African American youth in particular, mentoring has also been associated with higher rates of college attendance (Suarez-Orozco, Pimentel, & Martin, 2009; Woodland, 2008). Additionally, research also supports fostering partnerships between the communities and schools, and connections between youth programs and families as promising practices for serving African American males (Bandy & Moore,

Sarah D. Sparks and Loyola University Maryland have different viewpoints when it comes being ready for college and careers. High Schools in Chicago are trying to help its students through a system of student support and feedback that continues through the first year of

Through my experience with Building Bonds, Breaking B.A.R.S (Barriers Against Reaching Success), our campus’ first organization aimed towards minority youth in the juvenile justice system. I have had an opportunity to collaborate with Durham County Youth Home as a youth mentor, aiding as a positive role model to foster and nurture individual initiative. Volunteer sessions entailed topics such as job interviews, why education is important, tutorials in schoolwork and any other topics that would be beneficial. Mentoring under-represented

Throughout my professional career in higher education, I have grown a strong interest in serving non-traditional and community college students. This unique population thrives when they have access to student support services and transformative educational opportunities. I have the desire to be in a position where I am able to dictate how these students are serviced and, or how accessible educational opportunities are to them. I received my Bachelor’s degree from East Carolina University in Family and Community Service with aspirations of being a social worker, but shortly after leaving the institution I gained employment in Thomasville City School system. There I had the chance to mentor and teach transferable life skills and soon realized

Prior to working for Upstate University Hospital, as an Administrative Assistant, I worked for Syracuse Housing Authority for eight years. Four of those years, I was an Educational Coordinator through S.H.A.’s TAP program (Tenant Assistant Program). During my time of employment at S.H.A., I learnt social challenges that are faced in today’s low income families, teen’s issues and individuals who were trying to achieve their education endeavors.

Advisers certainly have the tools to help students become more successful in the classroom. However, it is important to acknowledge that students will leave campus because they feel as though they cannot find social support, or they do not feel as though they fit in (Wilson et al., 1999; Potts & Schultz, 2008; Valentine et al., 2011; Larose, Chaloux, Monaghan, & Tarabulsy, 2010; Ward, Thomas, & Disch, 2014). Institutions need to encourage at-risk students to find peer groups that provide them social support. While there are a variety of student organizations available for students to become involved in, at-risk students, especially those who are first-generation, are often unaware of their opportunities.

The ultimate goal of the MODEL Program is to reduce the health-risk behavior and achievement gap of youth to develop positive future leaders (Collins, 2002). MODEL does this by incorporating a comprehensive mentoring program, which serves selective youth participants chosen from at-risk middle and high schools that want to be a greater influence in their communities. Some participants will be from a juvenile or other intervention program. The participants’ age varies between twelve to twenty-five years old. The age of eighteen to twenty-five is considered emerging adulthood, the time in between adolescence and adulthood, which in most cases today, is considered as “prolonged adolescence” (Arnett, 2000). For attending students, there will be ongoing advisement and courses, along with summer and winter sessions of real life venture projects. These projects include local community services at family resource centers, recreation centers, churches, clinics/hospitals, and participation in juvenile program focus groups that discuss consequences

discover that there are many kinds of families and that the important adults in those programs

We conducted monthly in-school sessions on Career Planning, College Readiness, Family Development, and Money Management with guest speakers

Whole Foods build human and social capital by putting value in training their staff and properly training management, moreover, they understand the snowball effect that management has on the company as a whole. Human capital is fertile probabilities in people (Kinicki & Kreitner, (2013). Whole Foods comprehends that effectively educating the workers to do an outstanding job at assisting customers with purchases can help build the company, and that builds human capital by optimizing the potential in that worker via training.

The TRIOs program at Pulaski Technical College also offers a Tutor-Mentor Program for all eligible program participants. In this program, TRIO students work with qualified tutor-mentors who provide tutoring in writing, mathematics, computer skills, and support the students’ other academic, career and personal goals. TRIO students are paired with a faculty mentor, who helps the student navigate their academic career by addressing academic challenges, and offer guidance on how to balance their home, work and school life. The purpose of this program within TRIOs is to foster a supportive community for the student. These

Social capital is a widely used theoretical concept to understand how social structures are formed and utilised by people embedded within that particular structure. The research undertaken for this thesis has used social capital as a theoretical foundation as well as a practical methodological tool for furthering the research aims. By using social capital theories, a better understanding of the effects of land demarcation and grabbing will be reached, and the outcomes relating to conflict and cooperation can be better analysed. In this section an overview of what social capital is, and its function in the research will be discussed, specifically looking at different types of social capital, and the role it can play in improving adaptive capacity.