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My Conclusions

I wanted to use this action research project to examine how to design community programs that
creatively developed social capital. Inspired by the research of Robert Putnam (2001) and L.J.
Hanifan (1916) , I wanted to take their academic work and apply it to the implementation of real
experiences that engaged both youth and adults within the community. In his groundbreaking
work, Hanifan advocates for the development of social capital by writing:

the individual is helpless socially, if left to himself. If he comes into contact with his
neighbor, and they with other neighbors, there will be an accumulation of social capital,
which may immediately satisfy his social needs and which may bear a social potentiality
sufficient to the substantial improvement of living conditions in the whole community.
(Hanifan 1916, 130-131)

As obvious as that statement may seem to most educators, I wanted to really examine the
development of social capital and put it to practice. In doing so, I wanted to bring different
members of the surrounding community together, across the diverse lines of age and
neighborhood, to simply talk to each other, learn from each other, and share their own stories.
Relatively new to the community, I knew that my research would be limited in its scope and
reach. How could I, in one short year, inspire social change through the fostered growth of
personal relationships? One community dinner would not lead to the substantial improvement
of living conditions, but it would be a start. Considering that limitation, I wanted to research
what such an effort would entail, what obstacles would arise, and how we could build a larger
community initiative that could best address those challenges.

Along with my partner Henry Cohn Geltner, I spent the year developing a portfolio of inclusive
and creative programming that engaged not just youth, but also adults. In doing so, we created
our organization, the BoomBox Collective, and three flagship programs:




Community Music Exchange- At our
first event, we shared musical
interests, learned more about our
neighbor's favorite songs and
collectively created a community
playlist that represented our diverse
tastes.





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Trade School- To encourage skill sharing
within the community, we transformed the
commons at HTHMA into a community
classroom, where six passionate volunteer
teachers offered a class on a subject they
consider valuable. From the practical
(Promoting Yourself As An Artist or
Creative) to the creative (Book Binding
101), Trade School included a diverse set
of offerings meant to represent community
interests.





At The Table- Along with 7th grade students at High
Tech Middle Chula Vista, we hosted a community
feast centered around good food and good
conversation. At the event, we not only ate a delicious
meal cooked by our students, but also engaged in
table conversations about food and our dreams for a
healthier future.





Out of building those three different experiences, we learned many lessons about organizing
and developing our own community initiative. Many of those lessons have been outlined in the
three separate findings chapters (linked above). Although many of them now seem obvious or
foolish to at first neglect, we needed to go through every trial and set back in order to best learn
and improve the next program.

Aside from the lessons embedded into each experience and discussed in the Findings chapters,
three major themes surfaced throughout the year that were crucial to our work:

Conclusion #1 Collaboration is Key to Developing Social Capital

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An integral part of community work is finding and engaging meaningful community partners.
Whether that be a creative expert (DJ @Large), a local non-profit (Suzies Farm), or a coalition
of committed student volunteers, we realized throughout the year that not only did we need
partners to provide resources and guidance, but that collaboration provided our events a broad
base to build from. With more partners involved (regardless of age), we had both more hands
involved in the preparation of our program and more specifically, more personal networks to
plug into. Our last event, At The Table, proved to be our most diverse (age, ethnicity,
neighborhood) and we recognized that to be a reflection and extension of the involvement of our
student volunteers.

For us to be effective or relevant, we needed to build our own social capital as an upstart
organization. In doing so, we wanted to better examine the idea put forth by authors Paul
Mattessich and Barbara Monsey that social capital served as a attitudinal, behavioral, and
communal glue that holds society together (Mattessich and Monsey 1997, 9). However, in
practice as a community organization, we also realized the need to recognize social capital as a
vital tool in developing our own program and reach. Organizationally, our needs aligned with
Pierre Bourdieus view that social capital translates into the network of connections he can
effectively mobilize (1986, Social Capital section, para. 2). To spread and work, we needed to
foster those strategic ties and relationships that would support our work and help us engage
future participants. In doing so, we perpetually tried collaborate with new partners and mobilize
their networks.

Although vital, collaboration requires a significant amount of time, energy, and preparation.
Many missteps were discussed in the Trade School and we now recognize that more parts
means more movement, which ultimately necessitates more work and coordination. With twenty
hands and minds involved in our At The Table program, we needed to be that much more
organized to not just prepare our volunteers to support our program, but to actively lead it. To
truly collaborate, we needed to do a better job of empowering our partners, again regardless of
age, to take ownership over our shared project.

Outside of schools, it requires work to both find and keep community partners. In the first half of
the year, we were more active in doing so and tried to connect with like minded individuals and
organizations that we could learn from (see chapter 1 on the Community Music Exchange).
Although that did produce some key relationships, it also required a serious amount of time,
energy and more coordination. We chased many around a maze of exchanged emails and
phonecalls. In order to connect with each, I recognized that we needed to meet in person. We
wanted to not only present our ideas and programs, but have these organizations recognize our
passion and positive energy. An email may have opened the door, but we physically needed to
walk through it and make the effort to connect with potential collaborators and partners. Again,
that worked in some cases (ie Ethan at the Digital Gym), but it was almost a full-time job in
itself. As our program began to roll and develop its own momentum, our effort to actively find,
engage, and personally connect with local organizations dwindled.

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Forming relationships is not the same as maintaining relationships. Although it is mportant to
establish connections, we found it most difficult to maintain them as we continued to grow. Not
only did we struggle to find the time, but we found that different programs required different
partners. Although necessary, our growth made it harder for us to stay connected to previous
partners. We thanked Evan for his offering of time and space during the music exchange, but
have not been in contact with him since our music exchange in January.

With that said, maintaining relationships, although difficult, is obviously not impossible. Here are
three next steps we want to encourage for continued collaboration:

Highlight partnerships through social media- Use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and
other online tools not only for self promotion, but to also promote the efforts and support
the good work of your local partners. Whether an upcoming event or a past
accomplishment, spreading their good work will only keep up your connection and also
endorse positive work being done in the community.

Participate - This is difficult, but absolutely crucial. As community organizers, we need
to practice what we preach. We cannot only expect local residents and organizations to
come to our events; we must participate in other programs as well. Showing up is one of
the best ways to maintaining a positive relationship with local partners.

Invite and Include- Although the next program may not center around the strengths or
interests of previous community partners, we must continue to invite them and at best,
find creative ways to incorporate them into future programming. A community dinner
may not include a time for skill sharing, but maybe our improv instructor could facilitate
the ice breaker?

As organizers, we must find ways to keep our partnerships fresh in to help our partners feel
valued and engaged.

Conclusions #2 Community Building Benefits from the Same Structures that Support
Project Based Learning

Throughout the year in the GSE, we have discussed the principles of Project Based Learning
and the fundamental values that define deeper learning. Through our coursework, we have
explored innovative strategies to better insure that every voice is heard, that all hands are
engaged, and that every student feels included. In his thorough teachers guide to project based
learning, educator Alec Patton outlines the strategies and structures that define an innovative
PBL classroom. In section 5, he articulates five critical ways to better build a culture of project
based learning (2005, 72-75):

1. Ask your students about their prior experiences, skills, and interests
2. Foster student ownership of the learning
3. Establish a set of classroom norms or ground rules, in which everyone feels invested
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4. Help your students learn to fail and learn from failure
5. Trust your students, and give them a reason to trust you

While reading through this list, we could very well substitute the word students for
community participants. Our experience with community programming that these principles
should not only exist within the classroom, but need to be established and practiced within all
community work. To provide safe and creative forums for youth and adults to come together, we
need to practice the same values that we endorse in our most innovative classrooms. Just
because there are more adults in the room does not mean that our program will always be
engaging or equitable or productive. We need to work just as hard to design experiences,
programs, and spaces that not only put all participants on a level playing field, but also safely
encourage them to share and connect with new people.

In the beginning of the year, I underestimated this work. I assumed that if we worked outside
school space and included adults, we would not need the same structures that support a
classroom. As covered in the Literature Review, we wanted to use art and dialogue as the
primary vehicles to encourage social interaction. Anne Goldbard, author and community
organizers, inspired that sentiment, writing that that, the point [of community art] is not the
particular achievements of any individual or society, however beautiful or remarkable, but the
whole colorful, generative, constantly-renewing complex of cultures (Goldbard 2008, 16) We
wanted to create art and inspire dialogue out of peoples experience and more importantly, the
exchange of those experiences. And we needed to design structure to make these exchanges
effective and positive.

Whether building positive classroom culture or developing a wider base for potential social
capital, the PBL values mentioned above are essentially the same. The values therefore
necessitate similar actions and frameworks. Without them, community art becomes just painting
and dialogue becomes just small talk.

In creating three separate experiences, we recognized that adults need the same structures to
learn and share as our students. They need process time. They need proper modeling. They
need differentiation. In all future programming, we need to design for these structures to better
insure that all participants not only enjoy our program, but find value in the experience. From
this year, we identified three values that were necessary to building inclusive and creative
community programming and three specific tools that MUST be included in the organizers
toolbox:

1) Clear Purpose and Instruction- For every program, we asked for people to not only
participate, but to come ready to share something personal. Whether a favorite song or budding
skill or personal experience with food, we wanted to create opportunities for our participants to
learn from each other.We learned that it was important to support future participants by
providing clear expectations on what and how to participate at our programs. This could not be
a hidden page on our website, but instead, needed to be an accessible set of guidelines that
prepared participants for the upcoming experience. Although our expectations will and should
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change for every event, we need to always communicate both the purpose and structure behind
each event.

Community Tool- Models Regardless of the program (music, art, food), participants need
model to set the standard of what to expect, what to prepare, and to inspire a vision of our
overall goals. Whether that be through a video preview or interactive presentation at the actual
event, adults, just like youth, need a real model to drive their own actions and interactions. As
organizers, we need to give them not just list those expectations or guidelines, but we need to
assemble them in a model form to both encourage and empower our participants.

2) Safe Environment and Norms- It starts with setting the expectations outlined above,
however it does not end there. We also need to dedicate time at every event to establish
important norms and guidelines. Although not a traditional classroom, we want to create a
space where our participants feel safe, comfortable, and confident to share their own
experience and story. To do that, we need to design structures to best insure that every
participants voice and opinion will be both heard and considered. We consider this to be a
necessary step with youth, but often forget the importance of norm setting with adults. With little
time to collectively brainstorm norms or create a facilitated contract, we often resorted to
simply establishing certain guidelines or expectations in the beginning of the program. For
example, at the beginning of the Community Music Exchange, I encouraged participants to not
only be open to new music, but to also take risk and seek out new friends.

As a specific program evolves, we want to use our current participants to establish productive
norms and expectations for future participants. Then, our norms would not just come from my
mouth, but they would grow out of each program.

Community Tool- Icebreakers Considering that our program is generally designed to
encourage social interaction, each separate event could be classified as an ice breaker.
However, we as organizers cannot stop there. Built into every experience, we need to provide
multiple opportunities for people to introduce themselves, talk to new people, and share
something personal. Breaking the Ice cannot be assumed, but it must be intentional and
present throughout the event. By doing so (or forcing so?), participants will become more
familiar with new faces and more applicable norms can be established. It could be as simple as
splitting the group up into smaller conversation or as elaborate as our Question Cloud at the
Community Music Exchange. Check out the Stoke section on the Stanford d. School of
Designs website to help generate some new ideas. Regardless of the form, a creative and
inclusive ice breaker is an effective way of putting those valuable norms and expectations to
practice.

3) Hands-On Learning- Covered extensively in our Trade School chapter, providing
opportunities for hands on learning is absolutely central to our future programming. Like our
young students, adults do not want to be lectured at for hours. We need to be active to be
engaged. In the beginning of the year, I was inspired by the work of Frank Smiths The Book of
Learning and Forgetting (1998) and wanted to design our programming around his social
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learning theory. However, through this action research project, I realized that social interaction
cannot be the sole focus. Like young students, adults want to creatively play and experiment
with new mediums. If we want people to take time out of their busy schedules to participate in a
creative workshop, dinner, or book exchange, we need to design a program that allows for
playful experimentation. Whether it be through music or improv comedy, organizers cannot just
facilitate ice breakers or put art on display to attract potential participants. Instead, we found that
our participants wanted to get their hands dirty and interact with the medium as well. By doing
so, organizers will connect with Pattons second principle listed above (Foster student
ownership of the learning) and allow participants to take real ownership over their program
experience.

Community Tool- Playful Experimentation Although we wanted conversation to be the
primary focus of each workshop, all participants, regardless of age, needed the time, materials,
and structures to interact through other forms. Whether that be through chalk art or book binding
or music, we needed to design creative elements in each program that allowed for our
participants, especially adults, to play and experiment. Throughout the year, we observed that
participants not only learned more when their hands were active, but they engaged in more
comfortable and inclusive dialogue.

Conclusion #3 To Build Community Among Youth and Adults, Start By Empowering the
Youth

At the beginning of this research, we wanted to create opportunities for youth and adults to
share and learn from each other. In doing, we learned that if we wanted to motivate students to
participate, we needed to involve them in the creation and design of the program. We needed to
let them lead and support them in doing so. In terms of youth participation, our two most
successful events (Community Music Exchange and At The Table) were the two that put
volunteer youth to work. When we simply invited them to participate at Trade School, they did
not come. However, when we actively sought their help and provided them clear roles, they
eagerly participated and benefited from the program. From video documentation to setting up
the space to facilitating conversations, our students flourished when they were given a job and
responsibility.

They would not derive purpose just because it was stated, but because it was embedded in the
actual experience. The adults came either as friends to support The BoomBox Collective or to
benefit from the overall experience- hear new music, meet new people, learn how to breakdown
a motorcycle engine. However, a majority of our student participants showed up because they
wanted to help create and facilitate the experience. As one 7th grader noted with At The Table:

I wanted to make an impact and to make my voice heard. I was eager to sign up and
to make the difference to bring my community together.

This sense of ownership echoed throughout many of our student interviews and differed from
our feedback from adults. In his seminal work The Ethic of Excellence, progressive educator
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and Deeper Learning legend Ron Berger touches on this theme by stating that, We cant first
build the students self-esteem and then focus on their work. It is through their own work that
their self-esteem will grow. (2003, 65) Although Berger here is specifically talking about the
work of classrooms, the same rationalization needs to be embedded in the work of community
building. We cannot truly encourage our students to participate and seek out opportunities to
interact in meaningful ways with adults just for the sake of interaction. They must be empowered
to do so, and feel that they have a role which they and others take seriously.