It’s About Who You Know: How Students Can Utilize Social Capital to Get Real Jobs Presenter: Alli Smale KenCrest EmployNet.

It’s About Who You Know: How Students Can Utilize Social Capital

to Get Real Jobs

Presenter: Alli SmaleKenCrest EmployNet

Alli

Social Capital is “the resources available in and through personal and business relationships.”

- Wayne BakerTaken a bit farther… Social Capital as it pertains

to individuals with disabilities is “the personal and collective power of people with disabilities and organizations to further their full inclusion within the community, to access social support networks, and to increase their

quality of life.”

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Connecting: Easier or More Difficult?

Connecting might be easier, but relationship building has become more difficult

Since 1960, Americans began to:- join less- trust less- vote less- schmooze less

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Connecting: Easier or More Difficult?

Participation in social organizations such as churches, civic groups, social clubs and yes even bowling leagues (gasp) has dropped dramatically.

Upwards of 50% over 3 decades.

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Why is Social Capital Important?

Basically- Social Capital keeps us healthy, safe and happy.

Not hospitals, not police,not medications or vices,but REALTIONSHIPS!

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Relationships Make the World Go Round

How we find our soul matesHow we know who to trustHow we find the good coffee shop in townHow we find jobsHow we succeed in business

Who Makes Your World Go Round?

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Loneliness is the only true disability!

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What we know…

People with disabilities are not rich in social capital.

People with disabilities are un-employed and under employed.

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What we think we know…If we can help people with disabilities increase

their social capital, we can also help them to:

• Maintain employment in a job they like.• Empower them to choose where and with

whom they want to live.• Gain access to the opportunities they want.

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So…now what??Really look at the 150 Ways to Build Social

Capital Document- There’s a lot of good stuff in there.

Begin talking about Social Capital at school, at work, at home, with your friends and colleagues, where you worship etc…

Talk about it at annual meetings, person centered planning…

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So…now what??It takes a long time to build Social Capital- but

day by day, experience by experience, it adds up!

Discuss Social Capital with students, families and teams. It takes a lot of buy in to truly make this work and can’t be done solely in the course of the school or work day.

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Teams can…• Help students develop Social Capital goals.• Help students to design contact/business cards.• Ensure folks you work with have email

addresses and can access their accounts.• Emphasize the importance of joining social

structures outside of school.• Work on skills to help folks maintain the

friendships they make during school or other activities. #NationalAPSE2015

Individuals and their families can…• Adopt Social Capital into their home and

family lives.• Families can foster positive relationship

building.• Facilitate as many social ties as possible.• Be willing to share their networking circle with

job developers.

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The Social Capital Campaign:Banking Experiences Instead of Cash!

Our Blog:http://thesocialcapitalcampaign.wordpress.com

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“Individuals who possess a significant amount of social capital, as a rule, have the resources, leveraging capacity, and natural supports necessary to achieve greater inclusion and a better quality of life as well as the ability to advocate for others with disabilities who may not have the ability to do so themselves.” (Accessing Social Capital)

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Resources• What To Do: 150 Things You Can Do To Build Social

Capital- Saguaro Seminar, Harvard

• http://www.bettertogether.org

• Better Together: Restoring the American Community, Putnam, Robert D., and Feldstein, Lewis M., 2003

• Accessing Social Capital: Implications for Persons with Disabilities, Gotto, George S, 2010)

Resources• Conversations on Citizenship & Person Centered

Work, O’Brien & Blessing, 2011

• Social Capital: The Power & Potency of Relationships, Condeluci, Al Ph.D, 2013

• www.alcondeluci.com

Contact InformationAlli Smale

Director, Program Enhancement & GrowthKenCrest Services

610-327-4606 ext [email protected]

Find me on Facebook: Allison Ingram Smale Blog spot:

http://thesocialcapitalcampaign.wordpress.com