6533b870fe1ef96bd12d03a5

RESEARCH PRODUCT

‘We Don’t Differentiate between Old and New Arrivals’. Research Notes on Social Capital Formation in Religious Organizations among Polish Young Migrants in the UK

subject

description

With more than half a million Poles living in the UK, Polish Catholic Church has become an important provider for religious and social services in the UK. In this context, a plethora of religious organizations has been developing around the Polish Parishes especially focusing on youth. Drawing on 12 participant observations and semi-structured interviews with priest, association leaders and Polish youth, this paper asks how social capital is created within religious association by the Polish youth living in the UK. The research identifies 3 types of religious organizations operating in the religious communities and which are the main types of social networks that are formed within these religious organizations. Nevertheless, it touches upon the types of resources available within the developed social networks and concludes by arguing that the present finding provides evidences against what was observed in other studies on social capital formation among Polish migrants in the UK.