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    Community Outreach

    Chapter · April 2017


    DOI: 10.4135/9781483385198.n47

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    Mavis Sanders
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    The SAGE Encyclopedia of Out-of-
    School Learning
    Community Outreach Programs

    Contributors: Dante de Tablan & Mavis G. Sanders


    Edited by: Kylie Peppler
    Book Title: The SAGE Encyclopedia of Out-of-School Learning
    Chapter Title: "Community Outreach Programs"
    Pub. Date: 2017
    Access Date: April 11, 2017
    Publishing Company: SAGE Publications, Inc.
    City: Thousand Oaks,
    Print ISBN: 9781483385211
    Online ISBN: 9781483385198
    DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781483385198.n47
    Print page: 105
    ©2017 SAGE Publications, Inc.. All Rights Reserved.
    This PDF has been generated from SAGE Knowledge. Please note that the pagination of
    the online version will vary from the pagination of the print book.
    SAGE SAGE Reference
    Contact SAGE Publications at http://www.sagepub.com.

    Community outreach programs link organizations with external partners to achieve mutually
    valued goals for targeted populations. Two intertwining dimensions characterize community
    outreach. One dimension focuses on connecting organizations that can provide
    complementary resources and supports for specified populations. The other dimension
    focuses on building culturally responsive and community-responsive bridges to these
    populations to better address their needs. In the context of out-of-school learning (OSL),
    community outreach is a strategy to ensure that children and adolescents, especially those in
    underserved communities, are provided with developmentally appropriate activities supervised
    by caring adults during nonschool hours. As such, community outreach is a means to expand
    the social capital available to young people and their families, which is linked to in-school and
    out-of-school success. This entry describes the relationship between community outreach
    programs, social capital, and improved outcomes for children and adolescents. The entry
    concludes with a discussion of strategies that facilitate effective community outreach generally
    and for OSL specifically.

    Community Outreach Programs and Social Capital

    Community outreach programs are an important mechanism to increase social capital.


    Defined as the material and nonmaterial assets embedded in individuals’ social networks,
    social capital is created and exchanged through positive relationships. Theory and research
    show that social capital can protect individual children and youth from factors that place them
    at risk for school failure, social isolation, incarceration, and other negative outcomes. However,
    because of changes in the structure and function of families and neighborhoods in the United
    States, many young people are growing up without the social capital necessary for their
    healthy development; this is especially the case in low-income communities with limited
    political and economic resources. Community outreach programs, by building stronger
    connections between and among organizations and the individuals they seek to serve, can
    facilitate the reciprocal ties and mutually beneficial connections that are characteristic of high-
    quality social capital. Such outreach is particularly important during nonschool hours when
    many children and youth in vulnerable communities are without the enriching activities
    associated with positive youth development.

    The Benefits of Community Outreach Programs for OSL

    Often, a significant divide exists between those eligible for OSL programs and those actually
    utilizing them. Well-designed and implemented community outreach programs can increase
    the number of children and adolescents participating in OSL activities. Effective
    communication is a critical element of outreach programs, ensuring family and community
    awareness of OSL services, operating dates, fees, and eligibility requirements. Trusted
    community-based organizations as well as media outlets can assist with communication
    efforts. Effective community outreach programs can also increase participation in OSL
    activities by addressing barriers to participation. Barriers can be identified through surveys,
    interviews, and focus groups with potential participants during different stages of program
    development and implementation.

    Through community outreach, OSL programs can also build linkages across individuals,
    agencies, and organizations to better address children’s educational and safety needs and to
    enhance their physical and emotional well-being. Some of the documented outcomes of
    community outreach include stronger and more resilient relationships, increased

    Page 2 of 4 The SAGE Encyclopedia of Out-of-School Learning


    SAGE SAGE Reference
    Contact SAGE Publications at http://www.sagepub.com.

    neighborhood stability, and amplified community voices. The resulting social capital helps
    build students’ confidence and self-efficacy, enabling them to fully participate in and maximize
    the benefits derived from OSL programs and activities. Moreover, this enhanced social capital
    empowers students to effect positive changes in their communities. That is, children and
    youth discover their ability to address issues of interest or concern using a wider repertoire of
    approaches learned from interactions with persons, groups, and corporations.

    Strategies for Effective Community Outreach Programs

    The current literature highlights several strategies to improve and enhance community
    outreach programs. These include employing participatory action research, selecting
    appropriate sites for outreach activities, and building community trust through deep listening
    and respect. Participatory action research to understand micro-, meso-, and macrolevel
    factors affecting children, families, and communities can be an integral part of community
    outreach programs. This research approach involves community members, organizational
    representatives, and researchers collaboratively monitoring the progress and impact of
    community outreach on commonly identified and valued goals. It thus promotes an ethos of
    continuous improvement and shared accountability that can strengthen OSL programs over
    time.

    Community outreach programs are also most effective when they utilize spaces that are
    accessible, welcoming, and familiar to the targeted population. As the premier institution that
    interacts with children and families, schools have the opportunity to become outreach sites for
    their surrounding communities. Especially in underresourced neighborhoods, community
    schools can play an important role in making programs readily available to students and
    families who are not closely connected to other formal institutions. These schools’ focus on
    youth development, academic enrichment, and family engagement make them especially
    viable outreach sites for OSL programs.

    Woven through all the work involving community outreach is listening and respect to ensure
    an inclusive process. Within communities, parents and extended family members, children
    and youth, and other residents have ideas and solutions of their own. The skill of community
    outreach workers lies in drawing these out and identifying and maximizing resources that can
    help students and families bring their ideas and solutions to fruition. In addition, deep
    listening and respect bind community stakeholders together and create the robust
    relationships that characterize effective community outreach programs. Within the context of
    OSL, these three strategies create conditions for participants’ authentic engagement.

    See alsoParticipation and Engagement; Participatory Action Research; Positive Youth


    Development; School-Based Programs

    Dante de TablanMavis G. Sanders


    http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781483385198.n47
    10.4135/9781483385198.n47
    Further Readings
    Coleman, J. S. (1988). Social capital in the creation of human capital. American Journal of
    Sociology, 94, S95–S120.
    Halpern, D. (2005). Social capital. Cambridge, England: Polity Press.
    Jacobson, R., & Blank, M. J. (2011). Expanding the learning day: An essential component of
    the community schools strategy. New Directions for Youth Development, 2011(131), 55–67.
    National Institute on Out-of-School Time. (2000). Quality and assessment. Wellesley, MA:

    Page 3 of 4 The SAGE Encyclopedia of Out-of-School Learning


    SAGE SAGE Reference
    Contact SAGE Publications at http://www.sagepub.com.

    W e l l e s l e y C o l l e g e C e n t e r f o r R e s e a r c h o n W o m e n. R e t r i e v e d f r o m
    http://www.niost.org/APAS/apas-overview
    Schoenberg, C., Leary, K., & Anyanwu, I. (2014). City speaks: Community voices on Baltimore
    schools. Retrieved from http://cityspeaks.ffee.org/

    Page 4 of 4 The SAGE Encyclopedia of Out-of-School Learning

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