Building Bonding and Bridging Capital through the ‘China Club’

Abstract

Out-of-school activities offered to young people can be discrete activities, completely divorced from school life and school curriculum, or they can offer extensions to normal school curriculum. This article reports on an ethnographic case study that investigated the effectiveness of a particular out-of-school activity, the 'China Club'. It offered secondary school pupils in the West of Scotland opportunities to learn about Mandarin language and Chinese culture, and facilitated the development of Bonding Capital between the group members and Bridging Capital between individual group members and people outwith the group. In working with those with whom they would not normally have engaged, and in visiting China as part of the 'China Club' , the young people's peer relationships were positively impacted upon, as was their willingness to take risks by moving beyond familiar and predictable social and learning environments to those that challenged and tested them, socially, and as learners.

SAFER than SAFE: China Club as a model of a positive after-school initiative

“…However, during the course of their involvement in China Club, they developed close relationships with each other. The role of the Hanban teachers in creating an environment of trust and cohesion cannot be over-estimated (see Santoro et al, 2018).…”

“…While Durlak and Weissberg focused specifically on the development of social and personal skills development, our data revealed the importance of relationships in creating a positive afterschool experience for young people. Elsewhere, we have presented data about the young people's viewpoints about relationships built through China Club, specifically in relation to bonding and bridging capital (Santoro, Cassidy & MacDonald., 2018).…”

“…This knowledge and their global awareness became evident in the interviews and in their conference presentations. It was through the young people's self-reporting in their conference presentations and discussions about the visit to China, that it was clear that their confidence had also grown (Santoro et al, 2018). The planning of activities leading to increased confidence was perhaps less clear than the planning of activities that enhanced knowledge and awareness of language, culture and wider global awareness.…”

“…Furthermore, while out-of-school sports programmes will train young people to develop and apply particular skills, these are intended to develop their abilities in ways that support their engagement with, and enjoyment of the activity such as swimming, horse riding, football or athletics. Other initiatives may support children to grow their social networks either with their peers, with adults, members of their wider community, or beyond (Fredricks & Simpkins, 2013;Santoro, Cassidy & MacDonald, 2018). Some programmes are established to provide opportunities for young people to receive mentoring (Hamilton, 2014).…”

“…Whatever the goal of the out-of-school activity, due consideration must be given to the young people's social contexts and what they might find relevant and potentially useful (Simpkins, Riggs, Ngo, Ettekal & Okamoto, 2017). Consequently, the purpose of the activities will determine whether the initiatives are called "after-school programmes", "extra-curricular activities" or "clubs" (Santoro et al, 2018).…”