ABSTRACT
The investigation was informed by the work of J. Rappaport, who maintained that researchers should study conditions that lead to empowerment and those environments that are not conducive to it. The goal is to understand the settings in which strengths and resources exist—or might exist, and how resources are defined and used by the participants. The process through which this occurs constitutes empowerment. Over time, caregivers translate cultural capital into human capital. Consequently, the process of empowerment benefits caregivers, their families, and their neighborhoods. Cultural capital can then be translated into human capital, or money, which individuals can use for their own benefit and the good of their communities without betraying ethnic or cultural identity. The goal of the project was twofold: First, to contribute to the knowledge base by refining the concept of empowerment; and second, to promote replication by identifying the salient features of an effective family empowerment program.
