In the past few weeks, I've talked with a couple of people who weren't aware that there is help for struggling families in Suburban Ramsey County.  If you are a resident of Suburban Ramsey County, including Arden Hills, Falcon  Heights, Lauderdale, Little Canada, Maplewood, Mounds View, New Brighton, North St. Paul, Oakdale, Roseville, Shoreview, Vadnais Heights, White Bear Lake or White Bear Township, and you or someone you know needs help with Basic Needs (food, clothing, shelter) our Community Resources for Family Basic Needs lists resources specifically available to children and families living in Suburban Ramsey County.  We also have a longer, more comprehensive list with more resources for families with young children. 

Isolation increases risk while connections increase protection. To reduce isolation, we need to increase connections, both to people and to places.  We can help you get connected. 

The fancy word for this is social capital, which is basically old-fashioned neighborliness.  Social capital is the connections we have with other people and resources.  It is important because when we face challenges, we turn first to people we know—our family, neighbors, friends, our child’s teacher or child care provider, our co-workers, etc.  We need both wide and deep connections. 

During the winter of 2009-2010, we are launching a Kids Matter Network to support and build capacity in all of the settings where kids spend their time—from recreation programs to schools to faith communities to businesses to scouting and other youth groups.   Suburban Ramsey County has many, many adults working both as volunteers and as paid youth workers who know and show, through their actions and commitment, that Kids Matter.  Our Kids Matter Network is being created to support their work. 

Just as social capital is important to individuals, it is also important to groups and organizations.   We heard from many of you that you would like opportunities to learn about what is going on in Suburban Ramsey County, chances to meet with like-minded people, and opportunities to share and learn from each other and from experts.  If you are interested in learning more about our Kids Matter Network, contact us. 

There are many programs and services serving children and families in Suburban Ramsey County.  We have begun compiling brief descriptions of some of the many groups and programs serving children, young people and families in Suburban Ramsey County.  [NOTE:  If you would like your program or organization listed, please contact us.]  We encourage you to contact these organizations directly to learn more about how you can contribute your time, talents, or resources to benefit kids. 

Bel Air Elementary School Mentoring Program

Contact:  Tess Koepke

651-621-6315 or tess.koepke@moundsviewschools.org

How are the Children? is partnering with Bethel University to identify and inventory  all programs, projects, and organizations who impact children, youth, and families in our communities.  We are particularly interested in identifying the informal, or less formally organized, services and sources of support offered voluntarily by individuals and families, in neighborhoods, through faith communities, at workplaces, etc.  The information we gather will be used to inform us as we intentionally build better communities for kids and families living in Suburban Ramsey County.  This mapping began in November, 2009. 

Our Social Capital Mapping goals are to:

Robert Putnam, author of Bowling Alone and Better Together, researches and writes about social capital, and more specifically about the decline in informal connections between people.  We’ve excerpted below some definitions and discussions from his published writing.

What is Social Capital? 

Social capital refers to the trust, reciprocity, and shared understanding that arises from networks of relationships. 

Bonding social capital includes your ties to people like you—birds of a feather flock together. These are the people who bring you chicken soup if you get sick.

Bridging social capital arises from networks that encompass different types of people.  Bridging social capital is about fostering relationships across social divisions; it's about coming together to argue as well as to share.

Our goal is to build and enhance both kinds of social capital in Suburban Ramsey County.

Why Social Capital Matters

Community matters when raising kids.  Through Community Connections, How are the Children? is creating positive environments for children by:

• Connecting families with community supports and resources; and

• Connecting caring adults to kids and the programs serving them.

Many places have a role to play in providing positive opportunities for young people to develop well.  When we think about “how are the children?”, we tend to focus on individual factors, but children and young people develop within the context of family, peers, neighborhood, schools, community, and the larger culture.  When all of these work together to create positive, healthy environments for kids, the cumulative effect is much greater than focusing on the child alone, the family alone or the community alone.