Youth Social Capital Formation in Nicaragua
A Neighbourhood Inquiry
In: The International Journal of Children's RightsSearch for other papers by Richard Maclure in
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Search for other papers by Melvin Sotelo in
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In many Latin American countries, stringent crime control measures have failed to stem high levels of youth crime and violence. As a consequence, there is burgeoning interest in the notion of youth social capital as a basis for policies and programmes designed to enhance the rights of young people living in circumstances of poverty and risk. Yet there is little knowledge of existing sources of youth social capital in poor urban communities in Latin America. To address this gap, the authors conducted an inquiry into the sources and aspects of youth social capital in one low-income urban neighbourhood in Nicaragua.
The study revealed that despite a local context fraught with the effects of poverty, youth experienced varying benefits from family and peer relationships, and from their differentiated associations with school, church, and places of work. In recognition of these existing sources of local support, we argue that youth social capital formation, particularly through family assistance and investments in schooling, has considerable merit as both a means and an end of community development strategies in low-income neighbourhoods. We acknowledge, however, that social capital formation as a basis of youth policies and programmes must be founded on a broad civic and political commitment to children’s rights which, as yet, is far from evident in Nicaragua.
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In 2012, an estimated 3.4 per cent of Nicaragua’s gdp was spent on education, and this was projected to fall to less than 3 per cent of annual gdp in 2013 (Instituto de Estudios Estratégicos y Políticas Públicas, cited by Hutt, 2013).
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Youth Social Capital Formation in Nicaragua
A Neighbourhood Inquiry
In: The International Journal of Children's RightsSearch for other papers by Richard Maclure in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Melvin Sotelo in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
In many Latin American countries, stringent crime control measures have failed to stem high levels of youth crime and violence. As a consequence, there is burgeoning interest in the notion of youth social capital as a basis for policies and programmes designed to enhance the rights of young people living in circumstances of poverty and risk. Yet there is little knowledge of existing sources of youth social capital in poor urban communities in Latin America. To address this gap, the authors conducted an inquiry into the sources and aspects of youth social capital in one low-income urban neighbourhood in Nicaragua.
The study revealed that despite a local context fraught with the effects of poverty, youth experienced varying benefits from family and peer relationships, and from their differentiated associations with school, church, and places of work. In recognition of these existing sources of local support, we argue that youth social capital formation, particularly through family assistance and investments in schooling, has considerable merit as both a means and an end of community development strategies in low-income neighbourhoods. We acknowledge, however, that social capital formation as a basis of youth policies and programmes must be founded on a broad civic and political commitment to children’s rights which, as yet, is far from evident in Nicaragua.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 1317 | 140 | 4 |
| Full Text Views | 199 | 6 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 73 | 8 | 0 |
