Mid-Term Quiz Question #1
Consider the readings about the factors needed to help motivate people to participate in democracy and peace-making, collaborative efforts. Summarize what you could do in your community as a social worker to advance democracy and peace and why, given the readings, you believe such actions would be effective.
I believe that the concepts of self determination in conjunction with interdependence ought to be guiding principles in social work practice in order to advocate for peace. More specifically, self determination ought to be the principle that guides our management of our own counter-transference and interdependence ought to be what we encourage all of our clients to seek out from one another.
ReplyDeleteThe article “Self Determination From A Pacific Perspective” warns of the inherently western bias within the concept of self determination as eastern perspectives favor the collective’s perspective before the individual. I feel that there is much to take away from both perspectives. It is imperative to be fluent in understanding them both and utilizing them harmoniously in practice. Self determination, when utilized correctly, in my opinion, is not something to advocate for exclusively. One should never encourage anyone to simply think only of themselves. People are social beings regardless of what culture they identify with, and it is healthiest to always encourage positive relationships amongst our clients and their families and peers. The more connected to others a person is, the more meaning they will feel attached to their actions and ultimately their own lives. We ought to pepper in self determination in allowing our clients the freedom to advocate for themselves how they best can accomplish this.
I think that self determination is also an invaluable tool for social workers in caring for ourselves. It is a huge mistake to think that we ultimately have control over anyone with which we work. They have the right to determine for themselves how and what they will do in their own lives. We cannot force them to make a right decision or a wrong decision. A supervisor I once had in the past once said that we can take no credit for anyone’s triumphs and at the same time are not obligated to take blame for anyone’s failures. We are advocates, cheerleaders and confidants, but all of the work must be done by our clients.
When our clients feel they have the power to determine how they want to live their lives in addition to feeling connected to their surrounding peers and larger institutions, the stage is set for them to take action together towards furthering democracy and peace. It is our job to create the space for them to see that this is possible and to encourage the confidence within themselves to be an active participant in their life rather than a passive one. There are merits to individualistic and collectivist ideals, and they should be joined rather than kept separate.
I believe it would be important and effective to be creative in finding ways of promoting democracy, peacemaking, and collaborative efforts. People need a sense of hope to come together for a common cause. If you encourage them to do an activity that has been tried before and failed it may be difficult to gain momentum. Many times it is the little things like locking all the bathroom stalls that can be very effective. It is important to name the reason people are coming together and then support the cause around these ideas.
ReplyDeleteSo in my community there is a great deal of gentrification happening, but it is also important that the people being dispersed are taken care of it. It may be important for those that have been dispersed to come together in a non-violent movement and demonstrate that they would like to move together or feel a sense of control in where they live next. Many times they are just moved out of the community. I struggle with how this could be done. It may be good for those who feel betrayed to have a day to reflect the important things to them, involving music, foods, and community. At this time, they could also present their concerns to a local alderman or other official; a time for these people to tell their stories. So many of the readings have been about the idea that people can’t be “put in a box”. To be able to express their personal stories and be heard is a powerful tool when working towards peace making and democracy.
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ReplyDeletePart 2
ReplyDeleteIn my very best moments, I can only attempt to hold a candle to the active sense of justice and compassion that comes so naturally to my wife Kristina. Her current involvement with an organization called Once Chicago One Nation (OCON) will serve as an example of how these principals can be played out in a real-life scenario.
OCON is an interfaith organization that seeks to bring together Chicagoans of diverse faiths and cultures, with an emphasis on the Muslim community, to get to know each other through addressing local needs.
Currently working as a community ambassador with OCON, Kristina has joined forces with a group of women from a wide array of cultural and faith backgrounds. They are planning on hosting a community forum to educate, elicit support and awareness, as well as, promote dialogue about measures to remediate the ill effects of the underground sex trade in Chicago.
Know what you are asking. - The group has garnered the support of several experts in the field of human trafficking. In this way, they will be providing up-to-date information on the ways that the human trafficking industry is feeding the underground sex trade in Chicago.
Know what you are asking for. This group has clearly defined, within the very mission of their work together, what it is they are requesting of their audience. Beyond their intent to educate, they feel that it is imperative to collaborate with participants in an effort to uncover new and creative ideas about addressing the demand that fuels the sex-industry.
Know who you are asking. The group has specified that they are attempting to work with members of the interfaith community. They have begun to advertise their forum amongst the multitude of congregations within the greater Chicago-land metropolitan area who have interfaith components to their respective ministries.
Know how to ask. By incorporating people from a multitude of faith backgrounds, the group has increased the likelihood of having culturally relevant dialogue with their target audience.
People are motivated if they actually believe that they can make a difference. Social workers have the responsibility to empower the people to see their own capacities and the understand the value of the objective that is fought for. By engaging with the local community, social workers will understand its problems and the needs that arise from them. Cultural competency is an indispensable requisite to be able to help in a global context. However, "peace-making" is dangerous term as people from the Western hemisphere tend to impose their values and understanding of peace - though with good intentions- on other cultures or in the words of Paulo Freire (2000, Pedagogy of the Oppressed) "expect positive results from educational or political action programs which fail to respect the particular view of the world held by the people themselves. Such programs constitute cultural invasion, good intentions notwithstanding."
ReplyDeleteHowever, people will not care about political decisions, if they are too busy to figure out how to survive the forthcoming day. Democracy and peace are strongly bound to the conditions that have to be created to enable them. Education is one of those important conditions and I always advocate for it. If we look at developing countries, we notice the extreme high illiteracy rates. In Guatemala for instance, it is around 30%. And even those, who are able to write and read, have often left school after finishing their primary education forced by difficult economic conditions which implies structural violence in its economic from. If social workers want to help a community to participate in a peace-making process, he or she has to understand that civil and political rights should not be regarded separately from the economic and social ones, which leads me to these crucial questions:
If people theoretically enjoy the political right to vote and the civil right to freedom of speech, but suffer from such a low level of education how are they supposed to know which party actually provides the best options to them and leads to a just democracy?
And an even more pragmatic question: How are the over 50% of the poor living in rural areas supposed to have the means to get to the next city in order to actually participate in the elections if they do not have the sufficient resources for a minim standard of life?
If we, as social workers, want to motivate to participate in democracy, we have to create the circumstances that "permit" them to do so, starting with the basics like education and transportation.
From our readings on cooperation in peaceful societies we learnt that peace can exist where people think rather collectively than individually. Like the Pacific peoples, the Maya are also categorized by more social relationships where sharing of food, knowledge and any kind of resources has a much higher value (Linnekin & Poyer, 1990, p. 8). They are strong people, but many of them do not believe in their power anymore, result of many decades full of discrimination and oppression. Sticking together and collectively fighting for their rights, ethnic groups such as the Maya could accomplish much higher political influence through participation and social justice. However, many do not believe in their chances anymore, have surrendered. If social workers want to make a change, they have to focus on the empowerment of group leaders or even entire groups, establish mutually their strengths and capabilities. Paulo Freire claimed that the "weakness of the powerless has be transformed into a force capable of announcing justice". Gutierrez (1990) agrees stating that [group] powerlessness was reducing the ability to exercise the personal control"(p. 149) and thereby political participation or rather the chance to fight for a real democracy with all its privileges and freedoms. The social worker is not a peace-maker, but rather a medium to facilitate the people to find their own way to peace and democracy and to understand why it is worth fighting for them.
In the narrative by Ramune Jurkeviene and W. David Harrison (“What Kind of Freedom? A Narrative of Change”), they described freedom as an individual’s own understanding of the meaning of the word. To some it may mean respect for every human being, right to private property, and to others it meant to have privilege (p. 95). In this article during a protest that Jurkeviene was participating in she thought to herself, ‘What makes me go there even though I’m aware that I risk my career, my freedom, even my life? Is it because I do not want to live on under this occupation–whatever it may cost me? At least deep in my heart I want to feel like a human being’ (p. 94). Jurkeviene’s and the other protestors’ determination ended up paying off, Lithuanians were independent from the Soviets (p. 95).
ReplyDeleteFrom this example and the recent protests in Egypt I think an important action to take to advance democracy and peace is to make our voices heard this can be done through protesting such as in Lithuania and Egypt or advocating for changes in policies by getting in contact with our state senators and representatives. I think that protesting and voicing our opinions can be very effective as we can see from the Lithuanian and Egypt examples but also from several other protests that have occurred in our country such as the civil rights protests and the women’s rights protest. I also think that it is important to encourage others to participate in voicing their opinion through protesting or getting in contact with state officials. I feel the more people that are involved in an action, the more impact it can have, which is evident through the protest that occurred in Egypt and Lithuanian. Jurkeviene and Harrison described in the article, “two years later a whole million Lithuanians, over a quarter of the people in the country, went out to join hands in formation on the ‘Baltic Road’ linking to a chain of about two million people to show solidarity against the occupation” (p.95). A way to get more people involved in advancing democracy and peace is to inform people about the inequalities experienced by people and encouraging them to get involved to fight for peace. I think that through the many protest we have seen throughout different countries, it can be very effective if people are willing to get involved.
In order to promote democracy and peace in today’s society I think it is important for each community to define what democracy and peace mean to them. As discussed in class, Jane Addams’ definition of democracy was where everyone has an equal influence in determining policy. As the Hull House promoted civil society among the diverse tenants, these tenants were able to find a place to have a voice in society. By providing a place for people to gather together for civic, cultural and social activities Hull House was able to affect change in various laws including child labor and worker’s welfare. By joining together, their civil society was able to promote both peace and democracy.
ReplyDeleteJane Addams’s Hull House is an example that current society should strive to follow. According to Putman (2000) American’s are increasingly disconnected from their communities. This lack of connection can have devastating effects on communities and society. In order to advance democracy and peace we need to advance civil society. As discussed in class, civil society is formal and informal social networks that promote networks between people and can be a number of things including; choirs, senior centers and neighborhood associations. By creating networks between people, civil society advances empowerment and engagement and simply gives people more power.
An example of civil society in Chicago is Faith in Place. This is a collation of religious groups that partnered together to “promote clean energy and sustainable farming.” This mission also includes living by their respective beliefs to work for peace and social justice. Faith in Place has empowered a community of religious people to live out their faith but also has given them a voice to promote democracy and peace in society. Not only does Faith in Place sponsor farmers markets (which develop community), they also are involved in social and political justice. This includes advocating for good environmental legislation and supporting fair trade goods, all that Seipel (2003) outlined as good poverty reducing strategies.
Efforts to motivate people to participate in democracy cannot be done until we address the principle of cultural relativism and understand what democracy and freedom means to the population we are working with. According to Jurkuviene and Harrison (2005) freedom can mean many different things including the right to property, respect for all human beings, or the right to self-expression or even a combination of these and other rights. Not only do we need to understand what democracy means to each group we also need to understand their motivations for acting, or self-determination, in a cultural context. As Ewalt and Mokuau (1995) discuss, self-determination could be seen in terms of individual autonomy or it could be seen in terms of group well-being depending on the culture of the group. Either way, this determination is needed if people are going to feel that they can have some sort of influence on their ability to be free. Additionally, just as Seipel (2003) discusses, we need to invest in human capital by educating those around us on the importance of advocating for themselves and/or the group. This also enhances their determination and vice versa. It seems only logical to me that when people feel they have a say and understand how to fight for what they want they will feel motivated to advocate for themselves. Lastly, I believe the final ingredient to push for freedom, democracy, and peace includes the advancement of civil society. In other words, there is power in numbers. As we discussed in class, by creating informal social networks members of groups will feel connected and responsible for each other, which motivates them to help one another.
ReplyDeleteIn summary, I believe by being culturally aware and working to empower my clients by educating them on the nuisances of society’s social systems and how to advocate for themselves for what they want, we can advance democracy together. Even little things such as teaching them how to get in contact with their local representatives and sending them a letter or email on an issue can help. Additionally, building networks within the community will promote the feeling of connection and responsibility which can lead to members further empowering and educating each other. For example, creating community festivals or constructing mural projects with residents can help build this sense of connection and responsibility for each other. Ultimately with their voice, education, responsibility, and support these groups have the power to be heard and transform society.
In Jurkuviene, Harrison (2005) article „What kind of freedom? A narrative of change“ the main sentence for me was: "It meant legal things like the right to private property or to have privileges. There were people for whom it meant a respect for everyone human being, the right to self-expression". This idea shocked me, really shocked. Now I am living in the free country, in Lithuania, but before reading this article I never was thinking deeply about freedom. What does this phenomenon mean for me personally? That day I was really confused, it touched my spirit... My roommate asked me why I was so serious that day? I was thinking about democracy and freedom, was trying to find my main ideas about this phenomenon.... As a social worker I was thinking how group has a big power to change people lives.
ReplyDeleteI understand that freedom means a lot for democracy in society. Democracy is very important in the life of every nation. It brings understanding that in democracy everyone has equal influence and when people are together, this power could do more than one person. It is essiantial in order to motivate people. Also, I think that children „didn‘t birth“ with sense of democracy, this sense could be educating.
Social network is a sign and signal of democratic society. It helps to communicate, change ideas, suggestion and to declare peace. Then in individual‘s, community‘s, national‘s life would be more secure „to scream“ about personal ideas.
International Federation of Social Workers (2000) states that: “The International Federation of Social Workers recognizes that social work originates variously from humanitarian, religious and democratic ideals and philosophies; and that it has universal application to meet human needs arising from personal-societal interactions, and to develop human potential. Professional social workers are dedicated to service for the welfare and self-fulfillment of human beings; to the development and disciplined use of scientific knowledge regarding human behavior and society; to the development of resources to meet individual, group, national and international needs and aspirations; to the enhancement and improvement of the quality of life of people; and to the achievement of social justice.” This definition define principles of democracy. The most important principle of democracy is to bring peace in all the world.
Firstly, in Lithuania there are not so many community social workers. There are school community social worker, social workers who are working with families at risk. New profession in Lithuania is community social worker in the small villages. We need more community workers in Lithuania. I as community social worker advance to create day care centers, where children could spend their time when their parents are working. It could help parents and children to feel safe and get services for their children. Also I suggest organizing meetings where democracy and peace principles could be discussed, to discuss how to improve person’s daily life, focusing problem solving and decision-making. When people are together, they hear other people’s suggestion and can look in the problem from different sides. It helps to find the best way to solve problems, inspire them. Besides this I suggest creating more social projects and programs which could improve basic conditions of life. But the most important thing how to motivate people to participate in democracy and peace-making are to be together in one big group and together seek for huge purposes.
As a community social worker, I will try to educate clients critical thinking, I will try to empower them to make the most important decisions of their life. I will teach people to be active, to participate in elections. In our country, people are often disappointed with the government and they choose not to participate in elections, do not express their own opinion or they do not have their opinion. If we want to foster democratic values in our country, our people should be active and participating. Our country has high unemployment rate, high taxes, low wages, low pensions, so many people live on the poverty line. In order for people to be active and participate in public policy decisions, we should make efforts to increase social welfare.
ReplyDeleteAs a social worker I would try to initiate discussions among various political and social movements that people’s voice could to be heard. Measures to reduce poverty in the country should be taken and thus increased public participation can be expected. Also, I would preach these forgotten values like honesty, love, respect, tolerance, kindness to each other. Working with clients I would promote these values, teach people to respect, express compassion, love each other and so on.
According to readings democracy had been shown in very wide perspective and in quite serious level, so it is hard to imagine doing something close to this in my society alone, as a social worker. However, it doesn’t mean that we cannot spread ideas about democracy and trying to create opportunities for people to say where and how they want to see democracy.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think that democracy in society: it is when people are not forced to do something they do not want to. Unfortunately, in our society we still have quite serious problems with corruption, and the worst side is that people are getting to use it and it is becoming a part of living style. Also, though Azerbaijan is a country which is developing very fast and trying to integrate to Europe in very high level, we still have people from the Soviet times and middle-aged people who are afraid to say what they think and to be against any rule that government established.
But the positive side of this situation is that youth think absolutely different, and they are much more Europeanized that their parents or grand-parents and they are trying to create more freedom in fields they are able to do it, even starting from very little things.
As a social worker, I prefer to work with youth and with those parts of society who are considered as antisocial or showing deviant behavior (such as alcohol and drug abusers etc.) I was always against bribery myself and students around me were also fighting with this regime at the university we studied. For me, it is possible to organize meetings with students from the same university, or more universities, and discuss the question how they can fight personally against "bribery system"? With their help we could find different ways of studying in more fair and more useful ways. It is especially useful to talk with those youth who are already used to pay teachers for marks, starting from their school education. Also, working in schools in the same topic could be very effective. Probably, later youth had never thought about other ways of fighting this "rules", or maybe those who want to fight are seeking an answer to a question "How we can do it?", or "Who will support us?"
As a conclusion: Why is democracy important? - Because we need improve ourselves, we need to have a "space" to develop our talents and to rise as good specialists, we need to be useful and we need to have less-stressed life in our country. We cannot continue lose our talented youth, who are leaving country just because to have more peace and more democracy. We need to create it in our own country. That is why we need democracy, and that is why we need peace.
It is better to start create democracy ourselves, especially when government doesn't support us. We, as social workers can start working with youth in different cities of Azerbaijan, and try to widen and broaden minds.
Carolin, good point about needing to meet immediate needs first! Thanks for your honesty Gitana. It is great to hear about other people personal responses when they ring so close to home and spark personal reflection. Aysel, it was good to read your conclusion! being so removed from oppression I lose sight of the reason it is important.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Stephanie's answer:
ReplyDeleteI really like Stephanie's points about education as a way to motivate people to participate in democracy. Civic engagement, or actively participating in a democracy can be difficult or confusing for people who have not previously participated in democracy because, let's be honest, the logistics can be tricky. For example, think about the process of voting. First, you have to have a valid driver's license, you have to register, find your voting location, and know when to vote (and then be available at that time). While this is a very familiar system to all of us, it can be a confusing and exhausting process for someone who is new at it. So, like Stephanie said, simply making opportunities to educate clients and community members can make a world of difference in their ability to participate in democracy.
The thing that I found to be the most important part of helping to motivate people to participate in democracy and peace-making is giving them a voice. It is important as a social worker to hear the stories of the people. To begin to understand where they are coming from is essential. Jurkuviene and Harrison (2005) speak about understanding the starting point of the people. History of the issue and the history of the people can bring about an understanding of how to move forward. It’s also important to begin to understand the goals and what freedom is. Jurkuviene (2005) writes about her own experience of learning that each person had their own ideas of what freedom meant to them. Freedom is such a broad work, just as democracy and peace-making are. Therefore, again by giving the people a voice to speak about what their goals are and what their understanding about the problem and solutions is key for a productive beginning. In social work we always say :”Start where the client is.” It feels the same when working with all people. To start where they are and learn their history and assess the situation is essential.
ReplyDeleteWhen looking at what I could do to as a community social worker to advance democracy and peace it would essentially be the same. I would start at the beginning and learnt eh story and history of the population. I would not go into any situation or population without speaking directly with the community members first to begin to understand the effects. Also, to begin to look at how the communities perceive democracy and peace, and learn from them. I think by beginning with the community and learning it would give such a strong foundation to any actions that would follow. It would not only get the community on my side, but also it would come from a truthful place for everyone. This would in turn motivate people to participate because they would be fighting for what they believe and not what I believe is right for them.
Democracy, peacemaking, and collaborative efforts should be made priorities on all levels of a societal system. Seemingly small measures of democracy, such as teaching children to cooperate instead of compete, can be as useful as more extensive measures, such as the United Nation’s role in peacekeeping in a war-torn country (Bonta, 1997; Doyle and Sambanis, 2000). The key in both of these situations is motivating people to take an active, participatory role in changing their society for the better, whether they choose to change their government, their community, or their household. So, the question becomes, how can we, as social workers, stimulate these types of peace-building activities?
ReplyDeleteFirst, social workers must understand the context of the community by studying its history. This history should include the history of the inhabitants (Are the inhabitants mostly indigenous, or have there been significant migratory patterns? Is there a history of colonization? Have certain groups gained or lost power over time?), the history of the conflict or concern (What are the roots of the problem- economic, social, etc.? Did the conflict include significant physical or structural violence? Is the conflict now resolved or is it ongoing?), and the history of previous interventions (Have previous interventions been attempted? Who has attempted interventions- community members or outsiders? Has my social work agency attempted intervention previously? Did the intervention work, or did our agency make matters worse?). An example of the importance of these and other questions comes from a 2004 article by Pham et al, who studied the effects of PTSD in Rwandan communities after the genocide in Rwanda in 2004. Peace building and reconciliation efforts in that country were largely affected by community members’ symptoms of PTSD. If peace builders ignored these effects and the history that ultimately caused them, it would be hard to understand why reconciliation efforts were sluggish, or why community members appeared to be disinterested or removed.
Second, when planning strategies for peacemaking, it is also important to understand meaningful cultural differences between ‘outside’ peace makers and community members (Wong & Tsang, 2004). What western peace makers might consider healthy, important, or necessary interventions, non-western cultures might consider intrusive, disrespectful, or unnecessary. This type of cultural sensitivity can partly be achieved by studying historical or traditional interventions in a certain community, or studying interventions that have been generated within that culture (Kee, 2004). Similarly, it is imperative that social workers recognize a community’s right to self-determination, which is a Western value when understood in a client to therapy context, but can be useful for social workers when they approach their work with communities to which they do not belong (Healey, 2008).
Given these factors of competent peace making and cooperative efforts, I could work in my community to increase voter registration and voter turnout for future elections. An important factor in democracy and cooperation in communities is making sure that citizens are represented. To understand the context of low voter turnout or civic engagement in my community, I could research the history of the area and try to identify reasons why people do not vote. For example, my neighborhood (Uptown) has historically had a large population of people with mental illness. Education efforts and voter campaigns with local mental health agencies might make it possible to motivate this historically marginalized and misunderstood group to vote or advocate for themselves in future election cycles.
In order to advance democracy in my community, I think an excellent starting off point would be to consider as Jurkuviene and Harrison (2005) discuss, how to understand where the group of people came from, or really their history. In considering their history, as a social worker I can understand which topics and issues are most important to them and from there I could apply and promote democracy to these issues and explain how they would better and further them.
ReplyDeleteFor example, I live near Boys Town, which is of course home to a large LGBT population in Chicago. In order to do as Jurkuviene and Harrison suggest and aid this population via understanding their starting point, I would have to research the long history of oppression, judgement, and shame placed upon this community. Knowing that up until a few years ago the DSM still listed homosexuality as a mental disorder would be a good factor to consider. By offering counseling services to those who still feel hurt by the past issues the gay and lesbian communities have faced and the discrimination that still occurs today, I would be able to advance peace and democracy in this community. I think also organizing a council or board that meets to discuss how to address the discrimination that still happens in Chicago would be a great way for the people who are harmed by hatred and oppression to be their own voice for social justice. I seem to keep mentioning petitions, but organizing this population to verbalize the pain they feel in being denied the same rights other Americans have in marriage would certainly empower them.
I also seem to keep mentioning forming groups, but I think the more alliances/councils/boards that can be formed to speak out against the injustice of gay people being denied the right to marry would be the most affective way to express the change that needs to occur to the government in order for everyone to truly be equal in the eyes of the government. Such great strides have already been made in this community, but continuing the empower them and support them along the way can only continue to make progress. Forming boards and councils to discuss changes that can be made to impact a group positively can be used to aid any minority group, and in my opinion, can be implemented in any civilization throughout the world if the leaders have the group's story of origin in mind and their best interest at heart.
Grace I really liked what you said about PTSD in Rwanda. I think this is a really important fact in beginning to understand the history. Often people will come into situations with the best intentions, but not be able to effectively work. Learning the history is an essential part of beginning change. Rwanda is a great example of this because PTSD would obviously be a deterrent from proceeding with any type of action, and is also a reason why those on the outside should not judge. Trauma seems to often be overlooked, and in any country where there has been a history of violence or aggression trauma would inevitable follow. Being aware of this would be a crucial step in beginning to assess the community.
ReplyDeleteCarolin, I agree with you that people need their basic necessities met if we expect them to participate in pushing for a democracy. They may care about political decisions that affect them and their situations, but you’re right, if they are struggling just to make it to the next day then they most likely will not have the time or energy to participate in politics. I think lacking the time and energy also goes hand in hand with feeling powerless to influence change. If people have been pushed so far down that, on an individual basis, they are merely surviving day to day, without the power to bring themselves up, then it is only logical that they also feel pushed down in terms of having any power, on a collective basis, to change the systems that are doing the pushing. Your point about education also goes along with this. If we are able to educate people about these systems of power and who is fighting for them and who is not, they are bound to be more equipped to practice their right to vote and freedom of speech, which you discuss. The more educated they become, the more empowered they feel and the more empowered they feel the more they may advocate to further educate themselves. But again, you are right, if these people’s basic needs are not met first then this education may fall on deaf ears and the resulting empowerment will be lost.
ReplyDeleteRobert Putnam, an American political scientist famous for coining the slogan “Bowling Alone,” argues that society today has seen a decrease in the sense of community. Despite technological development and the new media and forms of communication, and in partly because of them, people today have fewer interpersonal relationships then ever before. There has been a generational shift, and people have become isolated; they no longer belong to clubs and associations or do things together, but instead they even bowl alone. Putnam argues that people today have lost a sense of community, which makes establishing collaboration and relationships very difficult and advancing and maintaining democracy and peace even harder.
ReplyDeleteThe first time I have really began thinking about this issue was during my freshmen year of college when I had a chance to meet students from other cities or states. Either in class or during lunch break we randomly began comparing our high school experiences and what types of activities we were required to participate in. As it turns out that only a limited number of high schools in this country still requires their students to do community projects or to volunteer. I personally think this is outrageous!
I think that school is one place where one can really have a chance to learn what democracy, collaboration, and participation in civic society is all about. Civic engagement is essential to a democratic society, but many young Americans have reduced their engagement in public affairs, many times because this topic has steadily been deemphasized in our public schools. I have a feeling that, as much as society as a whole has lost interest in public matters, young people in particular are less interested in politics; less informed about current events; and less likely to attend public meetings, contribute to political causes, contact public officials, or vote in elections, than earlier generations.
As social workers we can act as agents of change and fight to bring back education on civic engagement to our schools. Adults are much harder to change then children, who, as we all know, can be easily influenced, so by reaching this younger population we have a better chance of actually succeeding. We can motivate the youngsters to mobilize for civil rights, to clean up the environment, to rehabilitate houses for homeless families, and to organize against violence in the schools. Educating kids on the importance of those actions will help them develop into more responsible and caring adults, who will then value and understand democracy and hopefully be more involved in peace-making.
I believe motivation has to do with self determination. As stated in Gray- The Quest for a Universal Social Work, “Self-determination is a case in point. Despite its universal nature, there are important differences in its cross-cultural application (Ejaz, 1991). In Eastern and traditional cultures, more emphasis is placed on collective rather than on individual interests, and on the achievement of individual fulfillment via group means (Hutchison, 1987). Studies show that poor and uneducated people tend to have a different worldview from that of their social workers.” With this said, self determination is basically a theory of motivation. However, it’s applied differently by each culture/geographic region. In the U.S. we’re taught to have this strong determination in order to achieve the highest amount of success possible. In other countries, people are sometimes raised as a collective and value family/depending on others rather than self sufficiency. It’s important to note though, that no matter the differences in how self-determination is applied, it’s still a fundamental principle of social work.
ReplyDeleteWhile doing a lot of volunteer work in the urban community, I’ve noticed that a lot of people don’t think they can make a change in their environment. Whether it’s cleaning up the community, rallying people to vote, etc, people don’t think anything will change. So instilling this notion of self-determination would allow individuals to start focusing on what they want to participate in or see achieved. Then, by organizing a few and setting goals and leading by example, it will lead to others to follow their examples. Often times, it takes just a few dedicated individuals to lead this motivation and once others see that minor progress, they usually follow. Some people are self motivated while others need to be led to self determination. So by organizing people with strong self determination first, others would be able to see the changes being made and be able to follow the examples that have been set.
Grace and Stephanie, in response to your post about the importance of educating people on how to advocate for themselves I have to say I agree with your stance wholeheartedly. I believe that education on issues such as democracy and collaboration can on its own be very powerful, but education on how to advocate for oneself and on how society actually works can be even more influential. I also concur with Grace, when she states that “Civic engagement, or actively participating in a democracy can be difficult or confusing for people who have not previously participated in democracy.” I learned this the hard way, moving here from a foreign country as a teenager, so I can attest to the fact that learning how to participate in democracy can be exhausting, and actually doing it, actually participating in democracy, such as through voting (registering, finding your voting location, and knowing when and how to vote), can be something that I might not even want to put my energy into. However, when people do not know how to do something or that they even can do something, they simply won’t do it. Education, therefore, is key!
ReplyDeleteAs a student receiving his Masters in Social Work we have been taught many theoretical ideas, concepts, and values for our practice after graduation. However, it seems there has always been one repetitive theme throughout our education: self-determination. It is the “right to make their own decisions, their right to actively participate in the helping process, and their right to lead a life of their own choosing” (Ewalt and Mokuau, 1995, p. 168). We as social workers are trained to believe that it is in each person’s right, their freedom, to choose their own destiny, and make their own choices, whether it is maladaptive or otherwise. In a global perspective, we must have the courage and the tools needed to instill this quality in not only individual clients, but in communities throughout the world. And we must find ways to instill this theme in others.
ReplyDeleteThroughout history there have been many instances of self-determination where people won their freedom and democracy, but in the present as well. In Madison, Wisconsin people have lined the courtyard and the capital building atrium for weeks in order to express their civil rights in a peaceful yet vocal manner. They have made their desires known day in and day out, and they refuse to give in despite the cold, their hunger, or probable fatigue. For weeks, Madison has been flooded with supporters not only in Wisconsin, but other states as well who believe that democratic rights have been violated. In Lithuania, according to the Jurkuviene and Harrison (2005) article, people protested and won their freedom against the Soviet occupation. They faced a dangerous opponent who had deprived their right to self-determination and their freedom, under an iron fist for far too long. What motivated the people of Lithuania to face possible death? What motivates people in Madison, Wisconsin to camp out on capital grounds for days on end? The answer that seems to be the most prominent answer and simple to understand was said by Sarah Stevenson, “At least deep in my heart I want to feel like a human being” (p. 94).
This desire, this right to feel human is not taught. It is an innate right. However, for those who can not grasp this, it is important that those who can must advocate for civil and political rights, protect these beliefs through organizational practice, policy development, research, and action, and create a community belief behind this right for self-determination. (Alice, 2004, p. 151) As social workers, in order to advance democracy and peace, we must “enhance human wellbeing and help meet the basic human needs of all people” (NASW Code of Ethics). We must help people “feel like a human being” before any actions can be effective.
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ReplyDeleteAccording to the situation in Lithuania and other countries all over the world I think that social workers and other specialist really have to think how to help to motivate people, to encourage them to participate in community and even in their country social life. At the moment people are more likely to stay away from what is going on because they have a lot of problems in their own life (lack of money, food, no work,etc..) and because thay are affraid of getting bigger problems they think better not to participate in social events.
ReplyDeleteFirstly looking at the situation in Lithuania I think that people are not believing in our authorities any more because mostly they are speaking but doing nothing. People who have power have to show people that their words are not worthless...I mean they have to show by doing good things to community (for example: it is common before the election to promise people to reduce taxes, prices, etc.. but this is only words). People need to see real progress between words and things in order to be motivated to do something. Secondly, speaking about democracy, I think it is important to empower people to be and to work as a group. As Paulo Freire was speaking about how important is to be „equal“ in group, to have equal rights and not to feel „smaller“ or less important, I think that me as a social worker in the community could make situations for dialogues. It would be very good to make meetings where could participate people from different perspectives: authorities, community workers, people who live in that community and they could share their minds, their understandings of different things and then together think about solutions. People „without power“ need to feel that they all are at the same level. In other words they need not only to listen what others talk but they have to have an opportunity to say what they think. As Margot Breton said in article „A rewarding group worker‘s journey“: „...action without reflection and reflection without action are unjustifiable...“(p.25), so we need to show people that we are living in democratic community where everyone is very welcomed to share its ideas and where solutions can be made together. In conclusion I would like to say that people will be motivated when thay will see that what they say and what they do is not worthless that they can be a part of community‘s social life.
I agree with Ryan that people often need to follow somebody to see their examples in order to do something by their own. But it really depends on country situation and cultural things because according to situation in Lithuania people don't trust others and especially those who shoud be leading persons in our country. I think that for us it is very hard work to motivate people. Firstly we have to try to motivate them to make changes in micro level: to believe in themselves that they are able to do something by themselves and then to start thinking about changes in mezzo or even macro level.
ReplyDeleteTo people like me, who have always been part of democracy, things like peace, human rights, social justice, the ideals of democracy, are taken for granted. Democracy is same as identity to them. On the other hand, a new value in western world, called individualism, has been taken over the people´s way of thinking. Despite the globalization, people are more and more just thinking themselves. In these old democratic countries the challenge is to sustain the ideals of democracy. There are also those counties who are struggling to obtain full democracy. In those countries it is more difficult to motivate people to participate in democracy and peace-making, especially if there are economical inequalities between citizens. As Ahmadi (2003) regards, “there will be no authentic democracy in the world as long as the current differences in the distribution income persist”. She states that poverty is “a key obstacle to the establishment of real democracy in the world today”.
ReplyDeleteThat is why, there is a need for social work to sustain and promote the ideals of democracy. People and especially the policymaker are needed to see the inequalities. Social worker can be and should be the voice of citizens. As Ahmadi (2003) describe, “social worker has one foot in the system world and the other in the life- world”. Social worker has the best vantage point of society.
As a social worker in Finland I can advance democracy and peace by uphold the ideals of democracy that those ideals are reaching also people, who are not our citizens but they are living and working in the country. I have one example, which has been recently in headlines in Finland. The globalization of social problems is reality also in today Finland. Our country is more and more the end up country of women trafficking. Women from East-European countries and for example Nigeria end up to Finland as sex workers. Unfortunately, there are not many ways to help these women in frame of Finnish law. Even if these women are brave enough to get help, there is still no guarantee that the situation of these women would get better. Without work permit social security will be a minimum. This will lead a victim to financial distress, to bread lines, or even to work illegally again. Instead, the user can threaten and compel. Fear will be the victims company for many years, even though they have gotten help. As a social worker I can advance democracy by stating these kinds of faults in our system and that way affect Finnish policy making that there will be more possibilities to help these women, victims of human trafficking.
Carolin, I thought your post was very insightful. As you said, “Democracy and peace are strongly bound to the conditions that have to be created to enable them”. As we know we must be culturally sensitive to even cultures that are our own because every culture varies geographically. I completely agree with your statement about, the reality of people are facing dyer, life threatening situations, promoting democracy and peace cans be the last things on their mind. In addition, your comment about advocacy for education was fantastic, as I personally believe that the key in breaking what Hinduism would call, “samara”, or suffering, is mental liberation. Education I believes promotes self-efficacy and determination in a more collective perspective. Furthermore, people can challenge the poor treatment they may be receiving from their governments and the power of the mind and peaceful gatherings, like Gandhi, to make a difference in the treatment of humanity.
ReplyDeleteAs social workers it is our duty to guide people into the adoption of self-empowerment of themselves and what they can do as individuals. This self-empowerment will hopefully allow them to fight for their rights as a human being. I believe as social workers it is never us who changes people. We as people simply do not have that much power to decided who is to be democratic and who is not. We as social workers also have to be mindful and culturally sensitive towards what “peace” may mean for people. Much of our job is, meeting people where they are. Though it may be easier said then done, we would be doing a disservice to our clients because that is a form of putting our value judgments onto another. We will never know what is liberating for people because we are not them, however, we can advocate for the need to be educated. Often times in Western society, we associate liberation with physical freedom. But, physical freedom is only a fraction of the problem. Mental liberation is also a key factor in the makeup of liberation. If people become more educated then they can free their minds to believe that it is their natural born right to be happy. Therefore, the advocacy for education is a key piece in reaching liberation.
ReplyDeleteThe article “Self Determination From A Pacific Perspective” addresses the Westernization of the concept of self-determination and eastern perspectives that favor the collective’s perspective before the individual. As social workers, we should not promote either or, yet promote an understanding of both in order to have a more holistic practice. Values of democracy and cooperativeness can be innately seen in all human beings, regardless of race or gender. It is displayed by the desire to connect to one another and be around others. An emphasis on these connections with others in combination with the environment can lead to more consciously aware society. It is our job as social workers to encourage these innate qualities of humanity amongst out clients, but also recognize it is our clients that do the work not us. This propelled notion is imperative of the self-determination value that is self-conscious of the Western beliefs of hyper individualism and encompasses a more communal and holistic aspects of self-determination. As we have seen in many of the readings, even in developing countries where violence and poverty are rapid, “peace-making” will come naturally as a result from the adoption of this more holistic and communal perspective rather than a value we try to implant on another society.
I believe to promote values of democracy and peace-making there needs to be an agreement of what these concepts mean. The readings have suggested that causing global change is not a step but a change that occurs over time. Healy discusses the concept of self-determination as “the ability of the client to make his or her own life choices and decisions” (p. 246). I think this concept can be applied to the advancing of democracy and peace-keeping within a community. Social workers must allow a space where these concepts can be discussed freely and openly among community members. In turn, this dialogue help create inspiration and motivation among the individual to instill these ideals among their community. Along the community to take control of what democracy and peace-keeping mean to them in the context of their culture is an empowering task.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, we have discussed that education is an essential tool to the advancement of an individual and a society. As people begin to connect to these concepts of democracy and peace-keeping education is the next step to implementation. Education helps people understand what they want, what would work best for their community, and how they can ultimately we reach their common goals. Although communities and individuals will continually change these concepts will be the building blocks of progression. I believe as social workers it is our job to provide as much access to education and knowledge. We are the agents that arm individuals with the ability to make an informed choice for their future. Values of democracy and peace-making allow individuals to promote ideals of education and self-determinism.
Just as it is phrased in the question, democracy and peace-making are collaborative efforts. When considering the readings, the history of the world and what is going on all across the world today, efforts to establish democracy and create peace in places that are unfamiliar with those concepts require long-term maintenance to ensure sustainability. Jurkuviene and Harrison state in the article What Kind of Freedom? A Narrative of Change that “the problems of designing free, just societies is evident today across the world.” They go on to explain that we can learn more from the history of nation-building and rebuilding by starting where the people are (as we do with our clinical clients). By understanding the history of the country and the efforts and attempts the people have made to create change and make peace, we can move forward in the process and prepare people with the necessary mechanisms to sustain newly formed freedom, democracy, and peaceful existence in their country.
ReplyDeleteAs a girl whose heart beats Palestinian blood, I have spent the last ten years since I lived in Palestine trying to find ways to connect my social activism and involvement back to the country my parents were born and raised. For the last decade, the livelihood of the Palestinian people has been dependent on Israeli rule and how they allow the Palestinian people to travel, communicate, shop for basic needs, work, attend school, etc. I remember in my last visit to Palestine five years ago that we were required to go through a checkpoint to get back to our village after being in the main town for the day. Commuting to this main town before then used to take no longer than twenty minutes. When I was there the commute, which involved two or more taxis sometimes, took close to an hour and a half. This sounded like a small problem to deal with when I was told about it over the phone, however, after experiencing inconveniences like this one firsthand I truly felt the difficulties of trying to maintain a job or go to school every day in this situation. The nuisances I dealt with during the two months I spent in Palestine are nothing compared to what the people there have had to endure for the last ten years.
While I know that the conflicts between Palestine and Israel date back to before my parents were even born and cannot be solved until there is a peace-making ‘collaboration,’ I am constantly thinking about what will happen when Palestine is finally free. Where will the source of political power come from? What will the economy look like? Will education be different? How will transportation issues be solved? My concerns are for the short- and long-term effects freedom will have on the people of the country and their standard of living. With these things in mind, I will continue to research the histories of countries across the world that have been liberated from political and economic oppression and the progress that has been made, as well as, the process and length of the transition periods from oppression to freedom to thriving independence. I will focus my efforts by working with advocacy groups and relief funds for Palestine in order to prepare this population for their involvement in and ability to prosper as a free country. The Palestinian people not only can be a part of the movement to end conflicts, but can also be part of the peace-making resolution between the two states. With the proper skills and tools, they will be able to take a large part in rebuilding the political, economic, and social structure of the country. Advocacy groups can not only work on behalf of the Palestinian people, but they can also teach them to advocate for themselves. By educating and showing them that they are a large (or the main) part of the transition after reaching freedom, they can work towards plans for a successful future for their home country. To ensure that this will happen, people need to be prepared in advance for a lengthy transition process and not a single occurrence of flourishing in freedom.
. My country regained independency 20 years ago, pulled away form compulsory collectivization and oppression, but now I thing turned towards individualism. It is important to mention this fact, because it might be one of the focal points why sociality is developing so slowly and democracy is more appearance that reality. While reading articles I think I found important element, which is integral in developing democracy and sociality. It is collaboration. It looks like people are unable to team up with one another and seek for their goals. In article „Cooperation and Competition in Peaceful Societies” was mentioned, that collaboration is most efficient strategy to obtain social goals. I would agree with this idea. How to begin collaboration? May suggestion is very simple – start to talk with people. People do not know each other in the neighborhood so first step should be meet with each other. Next step is to help to understand that they are not powerless and in a group they can have a great power. That power consists of decision-making, involvement into creation of democracy. First of all it has to be small steps: meeting or small feast-day. It would allow meeting and communicating. I think social worker could be initiator helping people cluster and showing other that autocratic way of governing – democracy. Important moment is to help people to understand that oppression left only in our minds, now we have a chance and must use it. Nobody will create wellbeing, only ourself.
ReplyDeleteAlicia,
ReplyDeleteI think that you have brought up an important point. Many people are not involved in their communities or feel a part of their communities; if people do not feel a part of their communities than they are less likely to get involved and advocate for democracy and peace. I agree with you in that it is important to establish civil societies in order to empower people. Civil societies can really help get people involved and help communities move toward democracy and peace. Civil societies can encourage people fighting for a certain cause to come together and assist in advancing that cause such as the example you provided of Faith in Place.
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ReplyDeleteJim Ife says: „ „Globalisation from below“ on the other hand would be globalisation that was in the interests of „ordinary people“, would be essentially demoratic, involving maximum participation in decision-making, and would be based on ideas of social justice and human rights rather than on narrow economic interests alone“ (Alice Johnson, 2004: 151).
ReplyDeleteAll economic and social policy must enhance human capacities responsibly to be in public life but Lithuanians are learning principles of democracy yet.
„The contemporary social development perspective focuses on the integration of economic and social policy. According to Midgley, ‘economic development should be inclusive, integrated and sustainable and bring benefits to all; and secondly . . . social welfare should be investment oriented, seeking to enhance human capacities to participate in the productive economy“ (Isadora Hare, 408).
Community social worker`s activity should be oriented to interchange of intercommunion of community members arranging common activities, community events or actions. During common activities they are able to know each other better and to find the best decision for community actions. While writing the project and getting funding for such activities community social worker may rally community members „to act underhand“.
1. The world is a family of many nations consisting of people like anyone of us.
ReplyDeletePeace-making is very alike to friendly family creation. This is so because every human being who has power once has been a child. Therefore it depends on lessons learned in the family the way adult will express one’s power. A person willing to join democratic society and peace-making must have critical and creative mind, tolerance, self-confidence, respect for other human beings, their attitudes and be able to take crucial decisions. Citizen is not born a democrat, democracy is to be learned as one is learning sport, history, learning form experience and practising. (Kjaergaad ir kt. 1996). If we want to live in democratic society first of all we need to develop these qualities in ourselves and our children. I think that basic principles of peacekeeping are communication and cooperation as well as active participation in public life and ability to reach objectives without using aggression or humiliation. We ought to encourage our children to be interested in processes of society, nation’s history and also experiences of foreign countries. I think acknowledgement of other cultures, respect to each other and understanding are highly important. As a social worker in community I should encourage members of community to communicate and cooperate, respect each other and different nations, to be tolerant. I think developing these qualities would help us be democratic and peaceful, willing to help.
For a man to become motivated, it is important that he would find the meaning and would understand how benefits certain behavior or attitude (I mean for democracy and peace building). The conscious understanding of the best helps to provoke / disclose discussion and cooperation. As stated by Bruce D. Bonte in article "Cooperation and Competition in Peaceful Societies” (1997)," co-operation is ... the most effective strategy to achieve social objectives". In order to work effectively with a person, it’s necessary to know what experience he has, his community's history and in what kind of community the social worker will work.
ReplyDeletePeople’s democracy and citizenship is best viewed in elections (how actively people are voting). I would initiate closer contact of politicians with voters, not only when they seek promotion, but also every day that everyone could feel that his opinion is important. It is also very important to reduce problems such as corruption and poverty. A man whose physiological needs are satisfied can begin to think what he could change in lives of his relatives or community. The reduced corruption would help people understand that they are significant too.
Mellisa, you find a very important part of helping to motivate people to participate in democracy and peace-making. I like this great idea about giving people a chance. Also, your opinion about social worker‘s job with client are so fascinating. I think it is very important for global social worker.
ReplyDeleteThe first point, I think that people have to realize why it is important to participate in democracy and peace-making. People have to answer these questions for themselves: what will be better for me if I seek these values.
ReplyDeleteWhen I speak about motivation of people I think the first step is to know what they think about that. Task is to ask them a few questions, for example, what do you think about democracy and peace-making, what is your personal opinion about that, what things are important for you.
I think a social worker would conduct a group and the clients would discuss about these values. Discussion of group is good way to express your opinion and to hear what other people think about that. It is no problem if opinions are different. It is normal, because people have different experiences. Clients may find consensus during discussion. It may happen that client will think about issues which he has never thought before. Client may do something differently than he/she did before.
A social worker could conduct a group where clients share situations of their lives. A social worker may help them to reflect their behaviour and actions. Clients have to choose what is better for them personally. When he/she does something good for another person or does something bad. There are a lot of situations in our lives when we can choose to hate or to love, to forgive or to keep anger for another person in your heart. Clients are encouraged to reflect situation of their lives where they added to democracy and peace-making.
I think, very inportant thing is that a social worker as a person has to show his/her values: such as democracy and peace-making by action and behaviour. Social worker has to seek these values and express in his/her work. Clients have to see real example and social worker has to be one.
Ability to solve conflicts peacefully is one of the most important social skills. In my mind, social worker‘s role is important in this situation, especially if a social worker works with children. In Children Day Care senters, where children are from families which have seriuos problems with alkochol or drugs, social workers help children to solve conflict peacefully, because often children from these family get wrong model. Children learn to share things and food, to show respect for each other. I think it is very important to show a model of right behaviour. I think, we need to start from little things and peace-making will go on.
To Carolin.
ReplyDeleteYou had been puting together the same ideas that I have been thinking. I agree with you that if the basic needs are missing people are not able to be interested in such things like democracy. Already, the hole idea is too far from their daily life.
And there is the same example of the western world. If people are living close the poverty line, are they interested in things like global warming, pollution, recycling and so on? No they are not. So if I as a social worker want to promote higher values, I take care the basic needs of my community.
Katie,
ReplyDeleteI like your consistent theme of balance of two differing perspectives. I agree that as a social worker we should support both self determination and interdependence in individuals. This sense of community fosters relationships that provide mutual support, and peace. I believe a sense of community and connection with others is an important element to prevent isolation. If we can assist a client in having a voice for themselves and for others I believe this gives a deeper meaning to an individual’s life.
I really like your supervisor’s comment that we can’t take credit for a client’s triumphs and that we don’t have to take the responsibility for their failures. Thanks for sharing that.
Democracy and freedom may be defined differently by different cultures. During a class lecture, we discussed how democracy is limited in China due to the lack of freedom of speech. Lithuanian students reported democracy is limited when it comes to economic equality. Equality can be restricted by poverty (Grodofsky, 2003). For example, a college may say they have equal opportunity, but certain minority or economic groups do not have access to these institutions that provide grades needed for acceptance in these schools. Therefore, freedom is limited, and poverty needs to be addressed to form a democratic society.
ReplyDeleteRelationships are necessary to motivate people in joining together to advocate for democracy and peace making (Maoz, 2004). The professional exchange we take part in during our global social work class could be a component of what I do in my community to advance democracy and peace. Relationships formed between our class and the class in Lithuania foster empathy and a connectedness that lead us to an understanding of each other, which is commonly used in peace building activities (Maoz, 2004). I could also partake in and advocate for transformative dialogue between groups involved in peace building. Transformative dialogue is when each group openly deals with conflict and expresses themselves, while respectfully listening to the other group. After discussing these values and emotions, it motivates people to include each other in the realm of themselves, which instills a moral responsibility of acceptance (Moaz, 2004). This process may take some time, but collaboration has been effective in the Middle East between Palestinian, Israeli, and Jordanian centers (Grodofsky, 2003).
If we want a democratic society, we need to fight poverty. Since relationships are vital in motivating people to take responsibility for others, I could advocate for projects to interact with poverty stricken neighborhoods on a relational level (Moaz, 2004). Poverty is correlated with crime and violence, and we must reduce conditions that contribute to crime and violence to create a foundation that fosters peace building (Grodofsky, 2003). Another effective action would be to persistently advocate for government action in providing fundamental shelter and food needs to the people, which prevents future conflict between people. Since the government cannot directly provide peace after signing an agreement, this is necessary (Grodofsky, 2003).
I have to constantly be aware there are cultural differences when collaborating with others and promoting peace in social work. For example, social work values self-determination, but upholding this value globally may look different depending on the culture’s acceptance of paternalism (Healy, 2008). As a social worker, I could form and encourage community events involving the arts and educate our community on cultural differences. I could advocate for school funding to provide extracurricular activities for children to join together and learn about other cultures, fostering appreciation rather than negative stereotyping. Those who are culturally blind cannot participate in collaboration or peace building if they are unaware certain beliefs are not universal. Raising awareness would be effective because individualistic values derived from Western cultures may be damaging to another culture, which limits equality in democracy. For example, Ewalt and Mokuau (1995) discuss self-determination in collectivistic societies. Many U.S. mental health services and rehabilitation practices require individual responsibility and initiative, which does not make sense to many minority cultures. This is why they may fail and are oppressed by the dominant group. As social workers promoting peace building, it is beneficial to focus less on therapeutic interventions, and focus more on power relationships and oppression, using community-based interventions (Grodofsky, 2003).