Social Capital: A Common Purpose

Abstract

Early in my teaching career, I would often read to my outdoor education students from books that focused on communication, group processing, relationships, networking and leadership. Typically, I would offer a short reading while on a mountain top, watching the sunset, as the students took in the view and reflected on their day. After listening to the stories, there would be silence before a structured group discussion. It was during these silent periods when I would ponder the imponderables of how social groups form, function and grow. When I think about the contents of the stories many years later, it became obvious to me that I had incorporated, amongst other things, social capital indicators into my teaching delivery for most of my professional life. The idea that social capital and outdoor education have a common purpose was a personal epiphany. At the time of writing this chapter, there was little published research on the nexus between social capital and outdoor education; however, what research there is suggests a strong relationship. Is outdoor education and social capital an obvious fit that has been hiding in plain sight? In the story that follows, this possibly overlooked connection between social capital and outdoor education is presented, critiqued and explored through an outdoor education curriculum called Future Maker. Understanding this nexus will add to an outdoor educators’ professional practice and theoretical underpinnings.