Welcome
Dear Esteemed Members and Colleagues,
Welcome to the latest edition of The Bridge – Newsletter of the International Social Capital Association. As we embark on this journey of knowledge exchange and scholarly discourse, we are delighted to bring you a curated collection of insights, updates, and accomplishments that reflect the vibrant spirit of our academic community.
This edition will feature an interview with Jeff Donaldson, Ph.D., a founding ISCA member and the principal researcher at Preparedness Labs Incorporated. We highlight our web-based programs in this edition and talk about other ways that members can get involved with the association.
The directors at ISCA extend our appreciation to each of you. Your dedication and enthusiasm continue to shape the International Social Capital Association (ISCA). Your invaluable support fuels our mission to create a platform where ideas and connections flourish.
Download a PDF of this newsletter
MEMBER HIGHLIGHT
Jeff Donaldson, Ph.D., is the principal researcher at Preparedness Labs Incorporated, an organization that provides resources and conducts research on emergency preparedness. Based in Canada, Jeff and his team have provided emergency preparedness education for individuals, organizations, and government entities and published books on a wide range of challenging scenarios from pandemics and natural events to economic impacts on the lives of individuals, families, and communities.
Social capital theory influences my work on a daily basis. It is the framework for my contribution to emergency management. Much of what is completed in the pillar of preparedness is building relationships, creating norms of reciprocity. The potential that exists in our social networks are often the most valuable resources in the immediacy of an event and for the recovery period.
Jeff is also a founding member of ISCA. Interested in identifying a theory to explain the relationship between emergency management agencies and community members, he discovered social capital through the ISCA webinar program. Building trusting relationships is critical to successful responses and collaborative solutions in emergency situations. Jeff also realized that social capital was at work in building trusting and sustainable relationships with municipalities, building the necessary foundation for engagement in a disaster.
Jeff says that the greatest benefit he’s gained through his membership with ISCA is networking and getting to know others who use social capital in their work and research. He really enjoys being exposed to the diverse lenses and applications with which people leverage social capital.
When asked about his vision for the future of ISCA, Jeff is very hopeful noting that, so far, ISCA is the only international association dedicated to the dissemination and elevation of the theory focusing on both academics and practitioners. He sees social capital as a critical piece to navigating idea exchange and conflict. Jeff is a firm believer in both the utility and the ideals of social capital. He is hopeful that members become more engaged in the programming provided by ISCA and use the organization to expand their own network through the building of social capital with each other.
To learn more about Preparedness Labs Incorporated, go to this link.
GET INVOLVED
Visit the ISCA events page for Interest Group schedules and access. https://www.intsocialcapital.org/events/
- ISCA Webinar Series with Tristan Claridge
- Disaster Resilience with Jeff Donaldson
- Social Capital Paradigm with Tristan Claridge
- Sunbest 2024 Conference (Edinburgh) collaboration with Heather McGregor
- Research Design and Mentoring with Beverly Sloan
Mighty Networks
Our community platform has been a bit quiet lately, so we have decided to improve access by making it available to non-members as well as members. This means you can invite people to join, even if they are not a member of ISCA. This will remove the barriers to participation and encourage more people to get involved. As our interest groups start to develop, this will be important to provide an easily accessible platform for interest group discussions. To invite someone to our Mighty Networks community, go to https://community.intsocialcapital.org/invite and copy the link or you can invite people by email directly from that page. Be an ambassador for our association and get recognition for helping us grow.
ISCA Webinar Series
Our webinar series has been running since April 2020 with presentations by prominent scholars and practitioners including Prof Robert Putnam, Prof Eric Uslaner, Prof Lindon Robison, Prof Daniel Aldrich and many more.
Our webinar series provides a platform for people to share their research or their practical applications of social capital with an international audience.
Click here to submit a proposal to present in the ISCA Webinar Series.
Visit the ISCA events page to register for upcoming webinars.
SHARE YOUR WORK
Are you using social capital theory in your research and public-facing writing? Please submit information about your work so we can share it on our website. Listings will not include the full text, but links to text or downloads can be included. Go to this survey to submit
STAY IN TOUCH
We would love to hear from you and answer any questions you have about ISCA. ISCA board members can be contacted through the Governance page.
