Bridge building : afterschool activities, youth social networks, and community development

Abstract

In recent years, U.S. cities have dramatically increased funding for afterschool activities. These afterschool programs may contribute to community development by expanding social networks, providing new channels for the flow of information and resources to low income neighborhoods. Drawing on research and literature from the fields of sociology, political science and adolescent development, I develop an argument for this hypothesis. The theory is tested using both qualitative data collected from interviews at three case study sites, and quantitative data from surveys distributed to afterschool youth programs in the Boston area. I find that afterschool programs build both bridging and bonding social capital by increasing local and extra-local connections between adolescents and adults, peers, and parents. Policy recommendations designed to increase the social network impact of afterschool programming are provided.