Social Capital
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My Experience
Near the conclusion of my ten weeks in Namibia, many grade 12 learners had begun to ask me about attending university, either in Namibia or abroad. Learners posed the questions: “What requirements do I need to get in? How much does it cost? I want to be a teacher, or maybe a doctor. Can I do those things at UNAM (University of Namibia)?” Some asked me to print applications to schools in Hong Kong and Australia, while others were more conservative and wanted South Africa or Namibia applications. One day, I was sitting with a group of learners perusing universities in Scotland (a group of volunteers from Scotland had visited the school a few weeks previously), when I simply had to say, “I don’t know anything about this, I can’t help you. I don’t know what kinds of tests you take, how they are scored, or the qualifications for schools. I’m not even sure when the school year is for university. (Turns out the year runs from January to December, same as K-12). Who usually helps you with applying to university?” The answer? “Well, usually the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) teacher.” Because the ICT teacher has access to computers, she had the unofficial duty of providing learners with all the information related to applying to university- the requirements, applications, and costs. As the short-term, American-born, volunteer ICT teacher, I was the last person prepared to offer guidance in terms of applying to tertiary education.
As I reassured myself that I was not fit to help the learners in this way, that it was not my responsibility, I wondered, “Well, whose responsibility is it? Who helps all these learners? Surely one teacher for 200+ grade 12 learners cannot help everyone adequately.” I thought back to the process I underwent when applying to college, the paperwork, essays, letters of recommendation, college visits, and endless encouragement from parents and teachers. It was always expected that I would go to college, never a question for me or my brother within my family. The support from teachers and parents was something I realized was completely missing in the lives of my learners at Ongha S.S.S. At a hostel school such as Ongha S.S.S., the learners learned, lived, and ate on the school grounds returning home once a term for a weekend. This eliminated parents as real forces of guidance in the learners lives primarily due to distance and limited communication. Luckily, Ongha had many good teachers that cared for their learners. But with high learner to teacher ratios and the demands of teacher’s personal lives, learners were left with minimal social capital. This lack of social capital in learner’s lives limited their knowledge, and often negatively impacted their ability to become more connected to their future goals.
Significance
Social capital is extremely important in the lives of youth as they develop their interests and seek to make long term commitments to these interests in the form of jobs and careers. Supportive parents, older siblings, coaches, teachers, religious members, community leaders, and more have the ability to promote students to reaching their goals, both in school and in life. Students who lack social capital may be unaware of opportunities available to them and cease to pursue their interests because they do not know how. Furthermore, students often need diverse sources of social capital in order to attain upward social and economic mobility. Providing these sources of social capital, especially for first-generation college students, is a challenge for both developing countries like Namibia, as well as industrialized countries like the U.S.
Near the conclusion of my ten weeks in Namibia, many grade 12 learners had begun to ask me about attending university, either in Namibia or abroad. Learners posed the questions: “What requirements do I need to get in? How much does it cost? I want to be a teacher, or maybe a doctor. Can I do those things at UNAM (University of Namibia)?” Some asked me to print applications to schools in Hong Kong and Australia, while others were more conservative and wanted South Africa or Namibia applications. One day, I was sitting with a group of learners perusing universities in Scotland (a group of volunteers from Scotland had visited the school a few weeks previously), when I simply had to say, “I don’t know anything about this, I can’t help you. I don’t know what kinds of tests you take, how they are scored, or the qualifications for schools. I’m not even sure when the school year is for university. (Turns out the year runs from January to December, same as K-12). Who usually helps you with applying to university?” The answer? “Well, usually the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) teacher.” Because the ICT teacher has access to computers, she had the unofficial duty of providing learners with all the information related to applying to university- the requirements, applications, and costs. As the short-term, American-born, volunteer ICT teacher, I was the last person prepared to offer guidance in terms of applying to tertiary education.
As I reassured myself that I was not fit to help the learners in this way, that it was not my responsibility, I wondered, “Well, whose responsibility is it? Who helps all these learners? Surely one teacher for 200+ grade 12 learners cannot help everyone adequately.” I thought back to the process I underwent when applying to college, the paperwork, essays, letters of recommendation, college visits, and endless encouragement from parents and teachers. It was always expected that I would go to college, never a question for me or my brother within my family. The support from teachers and parents was something I realized was completely missing in the lives of my learners at Ongha S.S.S. At a hostel school such as Ongha S.S.S., the learners learned, lived, and ate on the school grounds returning home once a term for a weekend. This eliminated parents as real forces of guidance in the learners lives primarily due to distance and limited communication. Luckily, Ongha had many good teachers that cared for their learners. But with high learner to teacher ratios and the demands of teacher’s personal lives, learners were left with minimal social capital. This lack of social capital in learner’s lives limited their knowledge, and often negatively impacted their ability to become more connected to their future goals.
Significance
Social capital is extremely important in the lives of youth as they develop their interests and seek to make long term commitments to these interests in the form of jobs and careers. Supportive parents, older siblings, coaches, teachers, religious members, community leaders, and more have the ability to promote students to reaching their goals, both in school and in life. Students who lack social capital may be unaware of opportunities available to them and cease to pursue their interests because they do not know how. Furthermore, students often need diverse sources of social capital in order to attain upward social and economic mobility. Providing these sources of social capital, especially for first-generation college students, is a challenge for both developing countries like Namibia, as well as industrialized countries like the U.S.