So What? The Impact of Social Capital Created by the Ford Institute Leadership Program
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Date
2014-06
Authors
Fritsch, Aimee
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
This study investigates the impact of social capital, defined in this context as the
personal or community benefits that comes from social networks, that participants
formed by being a part of the Ford Institute Leadership Program (FILP) a community
leadership class sponsored by the Ford Family Foundation. FILP is a class designed to
train emerging, existing and experienced leaders, and draws class members from
individuals who live and/or work in the sponsored communities. The study asks the
question, "What are people doing with the new or deepened relationships they formed
because of these classes? ... Research was done via in-person interviews with
participants in three case study communities: Ontario, Henniston, and Forest Grove,
OR. The results of this research suggest that new connections are creating personal,
professional, and community benefits, especially in increased access to resources.
Findings from this study will be of primary use to the Ford Family Foundation, but
would also be interesting and applicable to anyone interested in community
development, rural studies, some sectors of sociology, and/or program evaluation.
Description
54 pages. A thesis presented to the Department of Planning, Public Policy, and Management, and the Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Bachelor of Arts, Spring 2014.
Keywords
PPPM, Social capital, Networks, Rural communities, Nonprofit organizations, Oregon, Community development