• Process of caring placed within a number of contexts o Community
Unique, therapeutic, and socially welcoming
Oldenburg calls these “third places” or “Great Good Places”
• 5 Criteria to qualify as “Great Good Place”
1. Serves to “root” individuals – where one is known when present and missed when absent
2. It lends itself to possession and control – “their” grocery store, salon, etc.
3. Serves socially to rejuvenate the patron
4. Patrons experience no fear of being themselves
5. Exudes warmth, friendleness, support, and mutual concern
• Indigenous and Professional Caring and Helping o Indigenous – Localized efforts to reach out to and help residents
2 Types:
• Organized (formal???)
• Unorganized (informal???)
Important to the field of SW
Long and distinguishing history
“Any effort to learn from or enlist the services and support of nontraditional settings in undervalued communities is significant for SW’s; it helps the professional shift from ‘outsider’ to ‘insider’ in an urban context.”
• Shift from ‘outsider’ to ‘insider’ will prove challenging
• Acceptance of ‘blame’ for past injustices on the part of SWs
“An ability to care is usually a key indicator of a community’s health and well-being.”
• *(Discuss: All Souls book connection)*Community overwhelmed by daily life and dominated by external forces, it will not have the ability to care for itself this failure will manifest as a wide range of social problems solved through the development of partnerships between residents and external forces
National organizations:
• Points of Life Foundation, City Care of America, and the Corporation for National and Community Service
Stressed volunteerism and developed numerous projects stressing self-help
• Self-help started with AA
• Self-help movements have not, in general, been embraced by people of color o Developed their own systems of helping, however, according to reading there is a need for self-help organizations in these communities
A sense of community is elusive or short-lived due to the high rates of moving, changing employment, and divorce
*(Discuss: Youth-Led connection, how this affects us as SW and how/why we should encourage our clients to do so)*….Why take time out of your life to help others? Service helps us understand people with different backgrounds and different perspectives helps us learn about ourselves our strengths, weaknesses, etc. o Professional – Efforts on the part of professionals to offer assistance that can be expected to meet minimal standards, with accountability to designated bodies.
*( Discuss/Ask which of these next 5 is the most critical, in their opinion)* Caring demonstrated by professionals has been largely unsuccessful at reaching communities of color in urban areas
• Why is this? 5 key factors:
1. Importance of mutuality
2. Accessibility
3. Affirmation vs. stigmatization
4. Multifaceted mission
5. Primary role of helper is not doing “social work”
* (Discuss/Ask about info at the top of pg. 38)*
• Personal Qualities and Qualifications of Individuals in Nontraditional Settings o “Guides” o There is no formal curriculum that can connect a person to associational community life
• *Barriers to Collaboration o Collaboration is