What is Social Capital?

Have you ever stopped to think about what holds your community together? “Community glue” isn’t something you can rush out to the local hardware store and purchase. You won’t find a site to buy it online, but if you look really closely you might see it at the grocery store or at your church or even in the newspaper! This “community glue” is called social capital. Strengthening the social capital of your community can help make people’s lives healthier, safer and richer.

Read more about Creating Community Connections

• Social Capital and Our Community (1 MB PDF) — Print Extension’s U-Connect online publication.
• The What, Why, Who, How, When, and Where of Public Participation (206 K PDF) — A review and action planning handout by John M. Bryson and Anne R. Carroll
• ‘Social capital’ makes communities better places to live — Community glue holds your community together. By Jody Horntvedt
• Our Community: Assessing Social Capital — An assessment tool your community can use to get an accurate picture of the ties among its people and organizations.
• 150 Things You Can Do To Build Social Capital — Little and big actions we take every day. From the Saguaro Seminar on Civic Engagement in America.

Contact an educator

Contact an educator about a workshop in your community.