1、1MIDLOTHIAN BEFRIENDERS - CROSS GENERATIONAL NETWORKING ACROSS THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY DIVIDE TO BUILD SOCIAL CAPITALMhairi Main, Rae Goode, the First Meeting; Boundaries and Confidentiality. On completion of the training the students feedback showed that they also wanted First Aid training, talks by c
2、are home staff involved in daily care of the befriendee, and also from the associated health professionals. This demonstrated the seriousness with which students took their role and how important training was to them both for this role and for future learning. Their suggestions will be integrated in
3、to next years training programme, as per reflective practice.What does the student derive from this volunteering experience? The volunteer learns many new skills, one of the most significant has been that of communication, especially with older generations. Students often find themselves out of thei
4、r “comfort zone”. They appreciate quickly the importance of different ways of communicating, and this is particularly evident where the client is in the later stages of multiple sclerosis or alzheimers; Students are made (more) aware of a part of society that is hidden away from the public eye a for
5、gotten community within their own. They see the life their befriendee lives, on whom he/she depends and in some cases how their befriendees condition affects the families. Therefore, they are encouraged to think beyond themselves and their immediate families, and to look to the wider community they
6、live in; Schools and education authorities are increasingly familiar with the concept of “resilience”. It is hoped that this volunteering experience will equip those involved with tools that can be used to help them cope with future challenges and changes to their lives. The students are more likely
7、 to recognise and understand the feelings of others; believe in their own self-worth; understand and be able to form and maintain relationships with others that are meaningful and mutually respectful ; and have as a result the ability to set goals for future life; The role they fulfil earns them vit
8、al points (ASDAN) on UCAS application forms and references for job applications. In addition it helps to clarify choices about future study and careers; In addition to the above, other benefits to the students are a feeling of self-worth; they are making a difference; contributing to society; feelin
9、g responsible; helping others through helping themselves; and having their opinions listened to and acted upon, e.g. training. In one case a volunteer has for the first time taken the initiative when going into the care home about an activity and has seen his fellow students follow his lead. The ben
10、efit to this student is immeasurable. 3Robert *is an example of how the programme benefits those from all levels of achievement. He is not an academic student and his studies adviser at school doubted whether he would go beyond the training stage for befriending. However, he has found that he has an
11、 aptitude for this role, taking pride in the in the fact that he has never missed a session. He communicates well with staff in the care home and organises the activities that he and his other team members will undertake with the clients. In doing so he has become the groups leader ensuring, for exa
12、mple, all clients in the home have volunteers available to them even when students are ill. The once quiet boy now talks with confidence and fluency about his future plans. Thus, students finding it hard to make potential career and educational choices often find the volunteering opportunity a time
13、where they can reflect on their future. The school can further support the student at this point in the decision making process.* Not students real nameBenefits for the Befriendee - The befriendee undoubtedly benefits from the visits they receive from students. Some perceive that they have a role to
14、 increase the students understanding of their lives; and others see that they have to be there for the students as they are making an effort to visit them. For those with dementia they have the pleasure of being able to talk about the past which they often find easier to recall than more recent even
15、ts. There are some who have either no relatives or at least none who live close enough to visit, and for them the weekly visit from the volunteers is that much more significant. Befriendees have something to look forward to, meeting someone who is not a carer or health professional. Some feel better
16、 emotionally and in one case the befriendee came off a “suicide watch” as his levels of depression became more manageable. One can never underestimate the benefits of a supporting relationship. The Care Home The staff from the care homes involved have testified to the direct benefits from the studen
17、ts visits. The residents as a whole enjoy seeing young people in the building who stop and talk.The Families The families of the befriendees welcome the respite from visiting all the time as they have the reassurance of a person calling to see their relative on a particular day. Students families in
18、 some cases drop their child at the care home, they are actively supporting and encouraging them to be involved in this role. The Schools The participating schools have benefited as they are able to extend the number of social options open to their students and the positive publicity concerning the
19、project reflects well on the school in the wider community. Moreover, the programme has also encouraged further contacts between the care homes and schools with tea parties, Christmas parties and school choirs visiting. The schools involvement is therefore on many levels.The next section moves on to
20、 consider how social capital theory can link to practice in the field. It offers a brief resume of social capital thinking and highlights how Midlothian Befrienders and staff are consciously embracing a social capital approach in regard to their work.2. SOCIAL CAPITAL LINKING THEORY AND PRACTICEMidl
21、othian Befrienders staff has consciously incorporated social capital thinking into their practice. Staff have attended workshops on social capital as part of their continuing professional development and brought lessons 4learned to their work and programmed outcomes. How does social capital link int
22、o the work of Midlothian Befrienders?Social capital revolves on the notion that relationships and social networks are assets that allow people to build communities, knit our social fabric and commit to one another. Social networks and a sense of belonging can bring positive benefits. Indeed, it is a
23、sserted that where high levels of social capital are catalysed communities are healthier, as well as being more socially and economically more successful than communities where there are low levels of social capital.Social capital theorists all concur - that if social capital is about anything it re
24、lates to networks of people, community development, civic engagement, neighbourliness, and a range of social connections and social networks that allow us to benefit in some way through reciprocity and achievement of mutual goals. In essence, social capital is about how people can derive resources f
25、rom relationships with others. Clearly, in this context, the Student Befrienders programme is developing social capital - it is about relationships, networking and developing a sense of belonging between the young and the not so young. This comes in part from the everyday contact between the people
26、involved who are forming and developing social connections and networks based on trust, shared values, and reciprocity (aka give and take).In terms of a social capital approach, the Midlothian Student Befrienders Programme meets a range of social capital goals and potential outcomes: The project enc
27、ourages pupils to develop their citizenship skills as Befrienders supporting pupils to become leaders The programme provides young people with the opportunities to fulfil their potential The programme encourages students to involve themselves in decision making seeking out opportunities for communit
28、y involvement broadening pupils learning, experiences and achievements; and increasing their awareness of where they fit into and bond with the community; Student leadership developing the capacities of students to broaden their experience developing confidence and being perceived as role models by
29、younger students; Young people engaging Young people and older people developing a relationship based upon the two fundamental components of social capital - reciprocity Young people develop their personal, social Achievement through learning for young people through community engagement and bonding
30、 with older people, encouraging supportive ties Promoting the corporate image of the school in the community; and in so doing promoting the linking of the school with the wider community; Developing trusting attachments; Students developing their own learning agenda and strengthening their own poten
31、tial for independent learning students taking responsibility for their own learning plans through community work; Students developing their confidence at a transition point between school and post school worlds of employment or higher education; Offering opportunities for community involvement that
32、prepare students for roles in society and future life; Increasing numbers of students participating in community affairs/activities would be indicative of an increase in social capital as would be an increase in numbers of participants in the network;5 Increase in the sense of community A commitment
33、 to developing the social and practical capacities of young people on the margins of society; A desire to signpost directions and open up roads to learning, training and employment for disaffected young people; A belief that befriending can catalyse personal development where the young participants
34、can become more confident, feel better about themselves and able to see how they can contribute to their community for the better; A resolve to encourage young people to make links with other people in their community and build positive working relationships with them; A drive to develop social capi
35、tal by developing volunteering opportunities and community based activity that develop higher levels of trust, cooperation, reciprocity amongst unlikely counterparts.Interestingly, West Brunham and Otero assert that school leaders need to be growing social capital by broadening their mission from th
36、at of merely classroom performance to that of consideration of social and community functions. They argue (2004) that schools can be harbringers of community leadership by improving school relationships across the school community divide and the Midlothian Befrienders initiative corroborates their f
37、indings. Of course, there are research limitations associated with our work in Midlothian and there is clearly a 6challenge to develop a more in depth, critically constructed piece of research which is something we are presently undertaking. In the meantime, we hope that we have served up an interes
38、ting piece of evolving research that feeds a hunger to understand how social capital can be harnessed to cross the school community divide.BIBLIOGRAPHY/REFERENCES(1) Midlothian, Scotland, near Edinburgh, is a metropolitan, regional area with a population of over 80,000 people, covering 140 square mi
39、les.(2) http:/www.aers.org.uk/ AERS, which was established in 2004, is a two million pound, 5 year programme funded by the Scottish Government and the Scottish Education Funding Council.Baron, S. Field, J. Schuller, T. (eds) Social Capital Critical Perspectives (Oxford University Press, 2000).Putnam, R. D. Bowling Alone The Collapse and Renewal of American Community (New York, Simon & Schuster, 2003).West Burnham, J. & Otero, G. “Educational Leadership and Social Capital,” (Incorporated Association of Registered Teachers of Victoria Seminar Series, August, 2004, No. 136).
