Page 3 - BRIDGE the Gap Newsletter - Issue 1 - November 2020

Social capital is a key success factor of the two-generation approach. Many years of research has shown that social capital manifests as peer support; contact with family, friends, and neighbors; participation in community and faith-based organizations; school and workplace contacts; leadership and empowerment programs; use of case managers or career coaches; social networks, such as cohort models and learning communities; and mental health services.
This country has a rich history of people—connected by history, culture, or common values—working together to improve their lives and the prospects for their children. This mutuality is the scaffolding on which American Dreams have been built. Personal initiative is key, but no one—despite persistent myths about bootstrapping and self-made men—does it alone. People built pathways to the middle class by pooling money, watching each others’ kids, supporting each others’ businesses, and recommending each other for jobs. BRIDGE to Success is social capital in action.
That same sense of mutuality exists today. BRIDGE to Success is building a movement to strengthen and resource social capital as a way to increase economic and social mobility for low-income families and communities. As others join this movement, we will see a revitalization of the mutualism and resources that support economic and social mobility.
One example of how we’re doing that is through an innovative mini grant under 1k or less. We heard from the families with whom we partner that they were having a hard time accessing money to pay their bills, keep up with their rent, buying groceries or even starting a new business. They don’t have credit or collateral to get loans to fulfill these needs, but they do have relationships. We developed a mini grant
that puts value on those relationships by creating a character underwriting criteria.
The BRIDGE to Success 3rd Core Component - Social Capital - builds on the strength and resilience
of families, bolstering the aspirations parents have for their children and for themselves. It is a powerful component in programs that help move families beyond poverty. Social capital is a key success factor of our two-generation approach.
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