Dark cloud or silver lining? The value of bonding networks during youth

Social capital is fast becoming a salient and exciting area of youth study. While debates about social capital during youth usually focus on its presumed positive consequences, there is a current trend to label certain forms of networking, particularly bonding networks, as 'perverse', 'bad' or 'dark'. What is often referred to as the 'down side' of social capital? Consequently, certain populations and increasingly young people who rely heavily on bonding networks to 'get on' and 'get ahead' in life are being labelled as social capital deficient at best or deviant at worst. This demonstrates that little, if any consideration has been given to how this form of networking is tied to resilience or sense of identity. This article examines the role of deviant and strong bonding networks during youth in light of evidence collected as part of a social capital study undertaken in the Wollondilly Shire, Australia, in 2008-2009. I posit that bonding forms of social capital far from being negative of bad are in fact valuable coping mechanism, particularly for disadvantaged and vulnerable youths.