Summary Of Robert D. Putnam's Bowling Alone

In the article entitled “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital” of Robert D. Putnam, the United States has a strong and active civil society; however, it has been weakening over the past several decades. The civic engagement in the U.S. has witnessed significant drop on many factors, such as number of voters, number of public meetings, number of people who trust the government in Washington, and so on. However, new types of organization are growing rapidly including tertiary associations, non-profit organizations, and support groups. Putnam suggests some possible solutions to re-empower the U.S. civic engagement, such as focusing on organizations and networks that help increase social capital, encourage the face-to-face social interaction, and explore creatively how public policy have impact on social-capital formation (Putnam). In the article “Still Bowling Alone? The Post-9/11 Split” of Thomas H. Sander and …show more content…
Green Summer Campaign is a national program in which students across the nation spend 1 month of their summers volunteering in the less developed parts of the country. In 2007, I participated in this campaign as a volunteer. Eleven other college students and I were assigned, as a team, to go and live in a small province called “Tan Thanh Dong” of Cu Chi, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. During that one-month period, my teammates and I participated in various programs and events including cleaning roads, fixing houses, teaching children basic computer skills, and creating small social events and games for the local children. Besides participating in Green Summer Campaign, I did not participate in any other big social events. In Viet Nam, social engagement is not a norm. Many people are still struggle to put foods on the table. Most students have to work on the farms after school; therefore, they have little opportunities to participate in social events if