Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1080/10705422.2023.2224470
Michelle Mohr Carney, Deborah Adams, Amy Mendenhall, Mary L. Ohmer
In the 19 century, Alexis de Tocqueville (1969) cautioned about the omnipotence of the majority and the potential negative effects of individualism on American democracy. Later Putnam (2001) echoed that warning, suggesting that individualism could lead to community disengagement and the decline of our democracy. Although the warning from Tocqueville was two centuries ago, the dangers of radical individualism and the tendency to put self-interest ahead of the greater good can be witnessed today in the proliferation of gun violence and mass shootings, attitudes toward climate change, and a variety of public policies. Is civic engagement the antidote? It is easy to lose sight of the benefit of the collective in the face of pervasive self-interest, but the power of community to use democracy to create change offers hope. According to Longley (2022), “civic engagement means participating in activities intended to improve the quality of life in one’s community by addressing issues of public concern, such as homelessness, pollution, or food insecurity, and developing the knowledge and skills needed to address those issues. Civic engagement can involve a wide range of political and nonpolitical activities including voting, volunteering, and participating in group activities like community gardens and food banks.” The benefits of engaging civically have been widely researched. Civic engagement has been linked to good citizenry as measured by voting, protecting the environment and advancing public health (Wike et al., 2022) and to healthier societies (Healthy People 2030 n.d.; Salinsky, 2022). Putnam linked the importance of civic engagement and social connectedness to “school performance, public health, crime rates, clinical depression, tax compliance, philanthropy, race relations, community development, census returns, teen suicide, economic productivity, campaign finance, even simple human happiness – all are demonstrably affected by how (and whether) we connect with our family and friends and neighbors and coworkers” (Stossel, 2000). Ballard et al. (2019) found civic engagement in later adolescence/early adulthood to be positively associated with increased income, educational achievement, and mental health outcomes. Sanders (2001) found psychological benefits to political participation. Formal and institutional civic engagement has been declining for years (McCann, 2022), but Fine and Harrington (2004) provide an alternative perspective. Their research showed that in the face of declining institutional civil engagement, small groups can make a big difference. They suggested that “instead of indicating a decline in civil society, a proliferation of small groups JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PRACTICE 2023, VOL. 31, NO. 2, 121–126 https://doi.org/10.1080/10705422.2023.2224470
19世纪，亚历克西斯·德·托克维尔（Alexis de Tocqueville，1969）警告大多数人无所不能，个人主义对美国民主的潜在负面影响。后来Putnam（2001）回应了这一警告，认为个人主义可能导致社区脱离和我们民主的衰落。尽管托克维尔的警告发生在两个世纪前，但在枪支暴力和大规模枪击事件的激增、对气候变化的态度以及各种公共政策中，可以看到激进个人主义的危险以及将自身利益置于更大利益之上的倾向。公民参与是解药吗？面对普遍存在的私利，人们很容易忽视集体的利益，但社区利用民主创造变革的力量带来了希望。根据Longley（2022），“公民参与是指参与旨在改善社区生活质量的活动，解决公众关注的问题，如无家可归、污染或粮食不安全，并发展解决这些问题所需的知识和技能。公民参与可以包括广泛的政治和非政治活动，包括投票、志愿服务和参加社区花园和食品银行等团体活动。”公民参与的好处已经得到了广泛的研究。公民参与与投票、保护环境和促进公共健康（Wike et al.，2022）以及更健康的社会（Healthy People 2030 n.d.；Salinsky，2022）相关。Putnam将公民参与和社会联系的重要性与“学校表现、公共卫生、犯罪率、临床抑郁症、纳税、慈善事业、种族关系、社区发展、人口普查报告、青少年自杀、经济生产力、竞选资金，甚至简单的人类幸福感——所有这些都明显受到如何（以及是否）我们与家人、朋友、邻居和同事建立联系”（Stossel，2000）。Ballard等人（2019）发现，青少年后期/成年早期的公民参与与收入、教育成就和心理健康结果的增加呈正相关。Sanders（2001）发现政治参与在心理上有好处。多年来，正式和机构的公民参与一直在下降（McCann，2022），但Fine和Harrington（2004）提供了另一种视角。他们的研究表明，面对日益减少的机构公民参与，小团体可以有所作为。他们建议，“小团体的激增并没有表明公民社会的衰落，《2023年社区实践杂志》，第31卷，第2期，121-126https://doi.org/10.1080/10705422.2023.2224470
{"title":"Civic engagement: an antidote to desperation?","authors":"Michelle Mohr Carney, Deborah Adams, Amy Mendenhall, Mary L. Ohmer","doi":"10.1080/10705422.2023.2224470","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10705422.2023.2224470","url":null,"abstract":"In the 19 century, Alexis de Tocqueville (1969) cautioned about the omnipotence of the majority and the potential negative effects of individualism on American democracy. Later Putnam (2001) echoed that warning, suggesting that individualism could lead to community disengagement and the decline of our democracy. Although the warning from Tocqueville was two centuries ago, the dangers of radical individualism and the tendency to put self-interest ahead of the greater good can be witnessed today in the proliferation of gun violence and mass shootings, attitudes toward climate change, and a variety of public policies. Is civic engagement the antidote? It is easy to lose sight of the benefit of the collective in the face of pervasive self-interest, but the power of community to use democracy to create change offers hope. According to Longley (2022), “civic engagement means participating in activities intended to improve the quality of life in one’s community by addressing issues of public concern, such as homelessness, pollution, or food insecurity, and developing the knowledge and skills needed to address those issues. Civic engagement can involve a wide range of political and nonpolitical activities including voting, volunteering, and participating in group activities like community gardens and food banks.” The benefits of engaging civically have been widely researched. Civic engagement has been linked to good citizenry as measured by voting, protecting the environment and advancing public health (Wike et al., 2022) and to healthier societies (Healthy People 2030 n.d.; Salinsky, 2022). Putnam linked the importance of civic engagement and social connectedness to “school performance, public health, crime rates, clinical depression, tax compliance, philanthropy, race relations, community development, census returns, teen suicide, economic productivity, campaign finance, even simple human happiness – all are demonstrably affected by how (and whether) we connect with our family and friends and neighbors and coworkers” (Stossel, 2000). Ballard et al. (2019) found civic engagement in later adolescence/early adulthood to be positively associated with increased income, educational achievement, and mental health outcomes. Sanders (2001) found psychological benefits to political participation. Formal and institutional civic engagement has been declining for years (McCann, 2022), but Fine and Harrington (2004) provide an alternative perspective. Their research showed that in the face of declining institutional civil engagement, small groups can make a big difference. They suggested that “instead of indicating a decline in civil society, a proliferation of small groups JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PRACTICE 2023, VOL. 31, NO. 2, 121–126 https://doi.org/10.1080/10705422.2023.2224470","PeriodicalId":46385,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Community Practice","volume":"31 1","pages":"121 - 126"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47088951","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1080/10705422.2023.2210136
D. Littman, Karaya Morris, C. Hostetter, Madi Boyett, Kimberly A. Bender, Brendon T. Holloway, A. Dunbar, Sophia P Sarantakos
ABSTRACT Mutual aid, a longstanding practice among socially marginalized communities, has proliferated as a widespread form of collective care amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and compounding crises. We used critical phenomenological methods to understand how participants (N = 25) who engaged in mutual aid in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic conceptualized mutual aid, and how their social identities intersect with their conceptualizations. We found that conceptualizations of mutual aid fell upon a spectrum; some participants (who primarily held privileged social identities) saw mutual aid as a temporary crisis response, which was similar to traditional aid, and could be adjunctive to government support. Others (who tended to hold more marginalized social identities) saw mutual aid as an ongoing support mechanism which was explicitly different than traditional aid and should be separate from government structures. Our research offers insight into mutual aid at a moment of compounding crises and little studied increase in mutual aid. We invite mutual aid groups to consider how their understandings of their work fall upon this spectrum and offer resources for political education in mutual aid work.
{"title":"How was mutual aid being conceptualized during its proliferation in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic? A critical phenomenological analysis","authors":"D. Littman, Karaya Morris, C. Hostetter, Madi Boyett, Kimberly A. Bender, Brendon T. Holloway, A. Dunbar, Sophia P Sarantakos","doi":"10.1080/10705422.2023.2210136","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10705422.2023.2210136","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Mutual aid, a longstanding practice among socially marginalized communities, has proliferated as a widespread form of collective care amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and compounding crises. We used critical phenomenological methods to understand how participants (N = 25) who engaged in mutual aid in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic conceptualized mutual aid, and how their social identities intersect with their conceptualizations. We found that conceptualizations of mutual aid fell upon a spectrum; some participants (who primarily held privileged social identities) saw mutual aid as a temporary crisis response, which was similar to traditional aid, and could be adjunctive to government support. Others (who tended to hold more marginalized social identities) saw mutual aid as an ongoing support mechanism which was explicitly different than traditional aid and should be separate from government structures. Our research offers insight into mutual aid at a moment of compounding crises and little studied increase in mutual aid. We invite mutual aid groups to consider how their understandings of their work fall upon this spectrum and offer resources for political education in mutual aid work.","PeriodicalId":46385,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Community Practice","volume":"31 1","pages":"193 - 214"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48219212","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1080/10705422.2023.2208577
E. LaRocque
ABSTRACT Drawing on qualitative data collected during the first phase of an intervention-research, this study explores the concept of “social-ecological transition” (SET) from the perspectives of youth eco-activists. As a multi-level approach to intersecting social and ecological crisis, this notion has yet been examined from a social work viewpoint and limited knowledge is available regarding how it is being appropriated and envisioned in nonscientific spaces. Considering the need to increase youth participation in ecosocial work and climate governance, youth eco-activists from Canada (N = 10) were interviewed to explore their definitions of the SET and to better understand youth-specific issues related to climate change and climate action. A focus group was conducted with five of those same youth and aimed to foreground their experiential knowledge to collaboratively refine the ecosocial component of a sport and nature-based program, implemented at a subsequent phase of the research. Findings show that youth focus especially on socio-cultural elements of the transition, therefore expanding current understandings of the SET. Three main components are mapped-out (Intersectional climate justice, Intergenerational allyship, Place-based connections) and reveal that collaborations, solidarities, and connections are at the heart of eco-activists’ narratives. Key considerations for ecosocial work practice are discussed by centering youth voices, thus showcasing the need for increased experiential learnings to (re)connect with nature and community. The concept of relational ecological justice is proposed to capture a nuanced, non-dichotomic position concerning the ecocentrism/anthropocentrism debate, an approach that invites to renegotiate the ontological boundaries of ecosocial work.
{"title":"Co-envisioning the social-ecological transition through youth eco-activists’ narratives: toward a relational approach to ecological justice","authors":"E. LaRocque","doi":"10.1080/10705422.2023.2208577","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10705422.2023.2208577","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Drawing on qualitative data collected during the first phase of an intervention-research, this study explores the concept of “social-ecological transition” (SET) from the perspectives of youth eco-activists. As a multi-level approach to intersecting social and ecological crisis, this notion has yet been examined from a social work viewpoint and limited knowledge is available regarding how it is being appropriated and envisioned in nonscientific spaces. Considering the need to increase youth participation in ecosocial work and climate governance, youth eco-activists from Canada (N = 10) were interviewed to explore their definitions of the SET and to better understand youth-specific issues related to climate change and climate action. A focus group was conducted with five of those same youth and aimed to foreground their experiential knowledge to collaboratively refine the ecosocial component of a sport and nature-based program, implemented at a subsequent phase of the research. Findings show that youth focus especially on socio-cultural elements of the transition, therefore expanding current understandings of the SET. Three main components are mapped-out (Intersectional climate justice, Intergenerational allyship, Place-based connections) and reveal that collaborations, solidarities, and connections are at the heart of eco-activists’ narratives. Key considerations for ecosocial work practice are discussed by centering youth voices, thus showcasing the need for increased experiential learnings to (re)connect with nature and community. The concept of relational ecological justice is proposed to capture a nuanced, non-dichotomic position concerning the ecocentrism/anthropocentrism debate, an approach that invites to renegotiate the ontological boundaries of ecosocial work.","PeriodicalId":46385,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Community Practice","volume":"31 1","pages":"127 - 151"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46391062","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1080/10705422.2023.2213229
Ohiro Oni-Eseleh, M. Paul, L. Pereira, Amanda Kate Macaluso, Dulande Louis
ABSTRACT In seeking to bridge the micro-macro divide in social work education, we conceptualized, developed, and initiated an innovative university-community partnership-based pilot internship program over a two-year period with four social work student interns placed within the cross-section of local government, social service agencies and community. Our goal was to work within the tripartite context to identify gaps in service delivery in the communities and support local organizations in addressing the gaps. The social problems identified through the internship program revealed service gaps in the areas of substance abuse treatment, intimate partner violence, parenting support, poverty alleviation and services for clients of color and individuals presenting with juvenile delinquency issues. While lack of student preparedness, agency policies, cost and lack of a clear understanding of the internship structure and goals constituted some barriers, the first year of the pilot’s implementation provided a strong case for university-community engagement and resulted in the creation of a comprehensive program structure to guide the execution of this internship model in future.
{"title":"School of social work in partnership with community: finding areas for potential collaboration in service delivery","authors":"Ohiro Oni-Eseleh, M. Paul, L. Pereira, Amanda Kate Macaluso, Dulande Louis","doi":"10.1080/10705422.2023.2213229","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10705422.2023.2213229","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT In seeking to bridge the micro-macro divide in social work education, we conceptualized, developed, and initiated an innovative university-community partnership-based pilot internship program over a two-year period with four social work student interns placed within the cross-section of local government, social service agencies and community. Our goal was to work within the tripartite context to identify gaps in service delivery in the communities and support local organizations in addressing the gaps. The social problems identified through the internship program revealed service gaps in the areas of substance abuse treatment, intimate partner violence, parenting support, poverty alleviation and services for clients of color and individuals presenting with juvenile delinquency issues. While lack of student preparedness, agency policies, cost and lack of a clear understanding of the internship structure and goals constituted some barriers, the first year of the pilot’s implementation provided a strong case for university-community engagement and resulted in the creation of a comprehensive program structure to guide the execution of this internship model in future.","PeriodicalId":46385,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Community Practice","volume":"31 1","pages":"235 - 253"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44444328","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1080/10705422.2023.2215231
Angela Malorni, C. Lea, T. M. Jones, K. McCowan, H. J. Crumé
ABSTRACT Positive youth development (PYD) measurement tools are influenced by the social positionalities, ideologies, and interests of those who create them. Historically, racial, ethnic, and gender-minoritized practitioners and youth program participants have been excluded from the development and testing of PYD measures. In particular, they have been excluded from the conceptual work of defining and operationalizing central PYD constructs, from which PYD measurement and implementation are rooted. Furthermore, the existing constructs are subjective qualities, characteristics, and normative behaviors. The role and impact of power, privilege, and oppression on PYD are often missing from PYD constructs, yet they play an important role in PYD practice with racially, ethnically, and gender-diverse youth. This paper aims to center the knowledge and experiences of marginalized youth practitioners and youth in the conceptualization of PYD constructs. A multiple qualitative case study design and a purposive, convenience sampling approach were used to identify programs within a publicly funded, county-wide initiative in the pacific northwest that serves Black, Indigenous, or person of color, immigrant or refugee, and/or trans- or non-binary youth. The inductive analysis identified three key constructs: racial and social identity development, socio-emotional development, and youth-centered program environment. Participants emphasized communitarian understandings of identity development, a clear articulation of social justice principles across constructs, and emphasized relational practices and environmental factors over youth characteristics. We outline results in detail and discuss how youth and adult service providers’ perspectives can help inform a more empowering and relevant model for evaluating PYD interventions.
{"title":"Centering marginalized positive youth development constructs: examining perspectives and experiences of racially, ethnically, and gender minoritized practitioners and youth","authors":"Angela Malorni, C. Lea, T. M. Jones, K. McCowan, H. J. Crumé","doi":"10.1080/10705422.2023.2215231","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10705422.2023.2215231","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Positive youth development (PYD) measurement tools are influenced by the social positionalities, ideologies, and interests of those who create them. Historically, racial, ethnic, and gender-minoritized practitioners and youth program participants have been excluded from the development and testing of PYD measures. In particular, they have been excluded from the conceptual work of defining and operationalizing central PYD constructs, from which PYD measurement and implementation are rooted. Furthermore, the existing constructs are subjective qualities, characteristics, and normative behaviors. The role and impact of power, privilege, and oppression on PYD are often missing from PYD constructs, yet they play an important role in PYD practice with racially, ethnically, and gender-diverse youth. This paper aims to center the knowledge and experiences of marginalized youth practitioners and youth in the conceptualization of PYD constructs. A multiple qualitative case study design and a purposive, convenience sampling approach were used to identify programs within a publicly funded, county-wide initiative in the pacific northwest that serves Black, Indigenous, or person of color, immigrant or refugee, and/or trans- or non-binary youth. The inductive analysis identified three key constructs: racial and social identity development, socio-emotional development, and youth-centered program environment. Participants emphasized communitarian understandings of identity development, a clear articulation of social justice principles across constructs, and emphasized relational practices and environmental factors over youth characteristics. We outline results in detail and discuss how youth and adult service providers’ perspectives can help inform a more empowering and relevant model for evaluating PYD interventions.","PeriodicalId":46385,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Community Practice","volume":"31 1","pages":"152 - 173"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42645072","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1080/10705422.2023.2217160
Monique Gill, Ben Gronowski, Elliott G. Moon, Claire Devine, Megan Holtorf, Bill Wright
ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to examine the impact of investments in community organizing made as part of a 10-year comprehensive community initiative focused on community power building in California. Data from multiple sources were used to examine the relationship between investments and one measure of civic engagement, voter turnout. Comparisons were made over time (2010–2019) and between intervention and propensity-weighted comparison sites. Analyses determined that investments by the funder were positively associated with turnout; this effect differed across elections and was largest in 2012. Broad investments to support community engagement, organizing, and base building had a positive impact on voting, an important indicator of civic engagement. In historically marginalized or underserved communities, investing in power building can yield benefits despite structural barriers that result in inequities. As restrictive electoral reforms grow across the country in the wake of the 2020 election, initiatives designed to build power may support proactively organizing against these changes or provide the infrastructure to understand and navigate them. Investing in community power building is a promising strategy for philanthropic organizations, organizers, and policy makers.
{"title":"Investing in community power building to increase civic engagement through voting: lessons from the Building Healthy Communities initiative","authors":"Monique Gill, Ben Gronowski, Elliott G. Moon, Claire Devine, Megan Holtorf, Bill Wright","doi":"10.1080/10705422.2023.2217160","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10705422.2023.2217160","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to examine the impact of investments in community organizing made as part of a 10-year comprehensive community initiative focused on community power building in California. Data from multiple sources were used to examine the relationship between investments and one measure of civic engagement, voter turnout. Comparisons were made over time (2010–2019) and between intervention and propensity-weighted comparison sites. Analyses determined that investments by the funder were positively associated with turnout; this effect differed across elections and was largest in 2012. Broad investments to support community engagement, organizing, and base building had a positive impact on voting, an important indicator of civic engagement. In historically marginalized or underserved communities, investing in power building can yield benefits despite structural barriers that result in inequities. As restrictive electoral reforms grow across the country in the wake of the 2020 election, initiatives designed to build power may support proactively organizing against these changes or provide the infrastructure to understand and navigate them. Investing in community power building is a promising strategy for philanthropic organizations, organizers, and policy makers.","PeriodicalId":46385,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Community Practice","volume":"31 1","pages":"174 - 192"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46533547","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-02DOI: 10.1080/10705422.2023.2196967
Deborah Adams, Mary L. Ohmer, Amy Mendenhall, Michelle Mohr Carney
In this first issue of the Journal of Community Practice (JCP) for 2023, we find it challenging to write an editorial that balances hopefulness for the future while also looking realistically at the wide range of current global crises. The crises are numerous, and we risk the appearance of minimizing those we do not name here. We know that they all need and deserve our editorial, scholarly, and professional attention. In this editorial, we focus on three global crises that are among those with the most urgent need for community practice in 2023. Here we discuss natural disasters, war, and the related dislocation of families and communities; climate change and the critical need for renewable energy; and poverty. We believe that teaching/learning, research, and social action in these crises areas need to be informed by a realistic view of the challenges ahead as well as examples of recent scientific and social breakthroughs that may help us balance the need for continued social change with something akin to cautious optimism about the future of our work with the people and communities of the world. In this editorial, we also offer three related thoughts on community practice in times of social and economic crises. First, these crises are negatively affecting individuals, families, communities, and nations in increasingly interrelated ways throughout the world. We are not able to successfully respond to social and economic crises as though the challenges we face are bound by local, regional, or national borders. Second, crises like those we highlight here require social workers and allies from related fields who have the education and training needed to respond effectively at all levels of practice. None of the serious social and economic challenges in the world today can be resolved exclusively at the individual and family levels. Our challenges require community practice, policy practice, and research to guide needed structural changes. Third, we will be better equipped to continue the work of averting and responding to crises if we keep our eyes open to research breakthroughs and examples of positive social change from a wide range of disciplines. While it will not help to create a sense of false hope or willfully ignore emerging threats to social wellbeing, the importance of balancing our view of what is wrong with the world and what is going well in the world is essential to the future of community practice. Without such a balanced view we risk not being able to recruit new generations of the best and the brightest to seemingly “grim” professions and condemning those currently in the field to burnout, cynicism, and ultimately abandoning the fight for social justice. JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PRACTICE 2023, VOL. 31, NO. 1, 1–10 https://doi.org/10.1080/10705422.2023.2196967
{"title":"Global crises and hopefulness in community practice?","authors":"Deborah Adams, Mary L. Ohmer, Amy Mendenhall, Michelle Mohr Carney","doi":"10.1080/10705422.2023.2196967","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10705422.2023.2196967","url":null,"abstract":"In this first issue of the Journal of Community Practice (JCP) for 2023, we find it challenging to write an editorial that balances hopefulness for the future while also looking realistically at the wide range of current global crises. The crises are numerous, and we risk the appearance of minimizing those we do not name here. We know that they all need and deserve our editorial, scholarly, and professional attention. In this editorial, we focus on three global crises that are among those with the most urgent need for community practice in 2023. Here we discuss natural disasters, war, and the related dislocation of families and communities; climate change and the critical need for renewable energy; and poverty. We believe that teaching/learning, research, and social action in these crises areas need to be informed by a realistic view of the challenges ahead as well as examples of recent scientific and social breakthroughs that may help us balance the need for continued social change with something akin to cautious optimism about the future of our work with the people and communities of the world. In this editorial, we also offer three related thoughts on community practice in times of social and economic crises. First, these crises are negatively affecting individuals, families, communities, and nations in increasingly interrelated ways throughout the world. We are not able to successfully respond to social and economic crises as though the challenges we face are bound by local, regional, or national borders. Second, crises like those we highlight here require social workers and allies from related fields who have the education and training needed to respond effectively at all levels of practice. None of the serious social and economic challenges in the world today can be resolved exclusively at the individual and family levels. Our challenges require community practice, policy practice, and research to guide needed structural changes. Third, we will be better equipped to continue the work of averting and responding to crises if we keep our eyes open to research breakthroughs and examples of positive social change from a wide range of disciplines. While it will not help to create a sense of false hope or willfully ignore emerging threats to social wellbeing, the importance of balancing our view of what is wrong with the world and what is going well in the world is essential to the future of community practice. Without such a balanced view we risk not being able to recruit new generations of the best and the brightest to seemingly “grim” professions and condemning those currently in the field to burnout, cynicism, and ultimately abandoning the fight for social justice. JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PRACTICE 2023, VOL. 31, NO. 1, 1–10 https://doi.org/10.1080/10705422.2023.2196967","PeriodicalId":46385,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Community Practice","volume":"31 1","pages":"1 - 10"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42081164","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-02DOI: 10.1080/10705422.2023.2188339
Elizabeth Shay, Maureen MacNamara
ABSTRACT Macro (community practice) social work and community planning practitioners do not have an extensive tradition – over time or space – of working together, despite overlapping professional goals and service populations. In an exploratory qualitative study using a convenience sample, we analyzed student responses to questions about the experience of interdisciplinary course activities to assess whether students in these two disciplines valued opportunities to collaborate with those from an unfamiliar and yet complementary profession. Content analysis suggested modest positive attitudes – and some differences, with planning students somewhat more positive about the interaction, and social work students less likely to see the planning profession as relevant to community practice.
{"title":"Planning and social work: teaching pre-professional university students across colleges","authors":"Elizabeth Shay, Maureen MacNamara","doi":"10.1080/10705422.2023.2188339","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10705422.2023.2188339","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Macro (community practice) social work and community planning practitioners do not have an extensive tradition – over time or space – of working together, despite overlapping professional goals and service populations. In an exploratory qualitative study using a convenience sample, we analyzed student responses to questions about the experience of interdisciplinary course activities to assess whether students in these two disciplines valued opportunities to collaborate with those from an unfamiliar and yet complementary profession. Content analysis suggested modest positive attitudes – and some differences, with planning students somewhat more positive about the interaction, and social work students less likely to see the planning profession as relevant to community practice.","PeriodicalId":46385,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Community Practice","volume":"31 1","pages":"11 - 23"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59905823","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-02DOI: 10.1080/10705422.2023.2189901
Maji Hailemariam, T. Bustos, Julia Felton, Kent D Key, DeOnica Greer, Bernadel L. Jefferson, Janice Muhammud, Dewaun Robinson, Sharon Saddler, B. Spencer, Raven Miller, Fallon J. Richie, Monicia Summers, Jonne McCoy-White, Jennifer Johnson
ABSTRACT Economically disadvantaged communities experience disproportionate health and social challenges relative to more affluent areas. This study describes ways women support and give back to their community in a minority-majority community experiencing social, economic and health challenges. We conducted qualitative interviews with 100 women and human service providers serving women in Flint, Genesee County, Michigan. Using methods aligned with community-based participatory research, a group of community and academic partners analyzed the data. Participants noted several personal characteristics of women they identified as assets including resilience, strength, resourcefulness, creativity, determination, tenacity, wisdom and the ability to nurture others. We think these personal characteristics represent individual assets that help women in Flint survive and build social capital. Women reported developing their social capital through giving, collaborating and sharing their skills with people in their personal networks. Significant personal assets in the form of individual characteristics already exist within Flint. Even in an area characterized as having health and economic challenges, women in this study were able to leverage their personal assets to build social capital and to mobilize resources for their benefit and the benefit of the community.
{"title":"“We bounce back from the worst of the worst”: assets of Flint-area women identified in the Flint Women’s Study","authors":"Maji Hailemariam, T. Bustos, Julia Felton, Kent D Key, DeOnica Greer, Bernadel L. Jefferson, Janice Muhammud, Dewaun Robinson, Sharon Saddler, B. Spencer, Raven Miller, Fallon J. Richie, Monicia Summers, Jonne McCoy-White, Jennifer Johnson","doi":"10.1080/10705422.2023.2189901","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10705422.2023.2189901","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Economically disadvantaged communities experience disproportionate health and social challenges relative to more affluent areas. This study describes ways women support and give back to their community in a minority-majority community experiencing social, economic and health challenges. We conducted qualitative interviews with 100 women and human service providers serving women in Flint, Genesee County, Michigan. Using methods aligned with community-based participatory research, a group of community and academic partners analyzed the data. Participants noted several personal characteristics of women they identified as assets including resilience, strength, resourcefulness, creativity, determination, tenacity, wisdom and the ability to nurture others. We think these personal characteristics represent individual assets that help women in Flint survive and build social capital. Women reported developing their social capital through giving, collaborating and sharing their skills with people in their personal networks. Significant personal assets in the form of individual characteristics already exist within Flint. Even in an area characterized as having health and economic challenges, women in this study were able to leverage their personal assets to build social capital and to mobilize resources for their benefit and the benefit of the community.","PeriodicalId":46385,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Community Practice","volume":"31 1","pages":"82 - 104"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41824866","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ABSTRACT The Magnolia Mother’s Trust Project seeks to spotlight the impact of consumer sovereignty inherent in cash transfers to low-income single mothers. The project offered a guaranteed income benefit of $12,000 for one year to 110 Black single mothers in Jackson, Mississippi. Participants were within 200% of the poverty threshold. The aim of this investigation is to describe the project and report preliminary findings of outcomes related to community connectedness, health, and family wellness for Magnolia Mother’s Trust participants. This report highlights the differences in preliminary outcomes between Magnolia Mothers and similarly situated women who did not receive the cash supplement. Implications for policy and further investigation are discussed in the conclusion.
{"title":"Guaranteed income: experiences of African American mothers in the Magnolia Mother’s Trust Project","authors":"Eyitayo Onifade, Kwanele Shishane, Fese Elonge, Lakeithia Glover","doi":"10.1080/10705422.2023.2190327","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10705422.2023.2190327","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The Magnolia Mother’s Trust Project seeks to spotlight the impact of consumer sovereignty inherent in cash transfers to low-income single mothers. The project offered a guaranteed income benefit of $12,000 for one year to 110 Black single mothers in Jackson, Mississippi. Participants were within 200% of the poverty threshold. The aim of this investigation is to describe the project and report preliminary findings of outcomes related to community connectedness, health, and family wellness for Magnolia Mother’s Trust participants. This report highlights the differences in preliminary outcomes between Magnolia Mothers and similarly situated women who did not receive the cash supplement. Implications for policy and further investigation are discussed in the conclusion.","PeriodicalId":46385,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Community Practice","volume":"31 1","pages":"105 - 120"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43079240","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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