| Summary: | 碩士 === 長榮大學 === 社會工作學系碩士班 === 101 === It seems to be there are some common phenomena shared by the aboriginal communities in Taiwan: 1) a massive migration to urban cities, those who remained were mostly children and elderly people; 2) heritage maintenance has become difficult because of the relocation; 3) lower levels of educational backgrounds as a result of inadequate resources; 4) labour force participation rates in physically demanding jobs are high; 5) low employment and low income rates were further intensified after the government implanted the foreign labour policy. The Pinghe Community Development Association in Taiwu Town, Pingtung County has applied the politics of Development and Cultural Revivaland and the welfare communitization in order to encourage communal practices, as an attempt to improve Piuma tribe’s current situations. Their services including, for example, the establishment of the care centres for seniors, after-school care for students, coffee shops, and kindergarten children are taught in their native language.
The concept of social capital has been playing an important role in the study of community development. This thesis explores the progression of the Pinghe Community Development Association since 1995. Through the analysis of the process of social capital flows, and through the lens of the concept of social capital, this thesis helps readers to understand the importance of human resources in the development of social capital.
The research methods conducted for this thesis were participant observation (an internship with the Association), archive research, and the in-depth interviews with 13 community members. The collected data demonstrate many aspects of the Association, particularly why it was established and how the services were developed; as well as its organizational structures and managements, human resources, and the goal of sustainability were also discussed. Research findings suggest that by continuing their tribal heritage, the Association has been more multidimensional due to the new key players were able to extend the Association’s networking system. Therefore, this thesis argues that the characteristics of Paiwan's traditional culture, for instance, trust and mutual beneficial cooperation may strengthen their networks of social capital. Furthermore, this networking system could create local employment opportunities and a sense of belonging for Paiwan people. As a result, it generates tribal solidarity, human resources flexibility, a cohesive management, and informational flows. In other words, the practices of their traditional cultures provide a solid basis of social capital. By deepening their communal network, it helps to increase tax revenues and offers the Association more operational independence.
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