Reading this 2010 Hideaway article reminds me of a question asked to me before about analyzing the street children phenomenon. That was really tough to explain. I know I was not being asked to just look at the statistics or reports. I know and feel that to better understand their situation, I have to hear their stories too. And yes, their eyes have much stories to tell, and its not easy looking at them straight to the eyes...
One of my first actual experiences as a young social worker is with street children. By theory and even in the practical sense, it is true that intervention with them (not just for them) should be sustainable and empowering. We can identify immediate causes or factors which have to do with the children and family; underlying causes or factors which have to do with the community; and the root causes or factors which have to do with the society as causes in the growth of street children. Immediate causes are poor and large families unemployed/underemployed parents, irresponsible parents, family values which are materialistic/consumerist, family conflict, family environment, vices of parents, degradation of morals, violent upbringing by parents and lack of knowledge and parenting skills.
Widening our lens we can also see that meanwhile, the underlying causes are ineffective access to basic services, non-availability of adequate employment opportunities, inequitable distribution of resources and opportunity in the community like land ownership, nature and conditions of work/employment: formal and informal sectors, congestion in slum areas, inadequate housing/poor housing facilities, poor law enforcement/exploitation by law enforcers, only one style of delivery of education exists, deterioration of values and central body provides no/few activities for children. The root causes are the economic, political and ideological superstructure, the structural roots of poverty and underdevelopment and the unequal world order and the debt burden.
We need more of this kind of exercise in looking at the issues we have in our society, and having the necessary communication skills and being equipped with the right medium will help us a lot. Minimizing the negative effects of globalization can come if all of us will take part in the advocacy of being more conscious creatures. One thing that had changed as a result of globalization is the quality of the communication that we have and the kind of relationship that we have developed. We want everything to be instant. It is sad reality that many had become less sensitive to the feelings of others and we care more of our own development.
Communication should be used as a tool of empowering each other, of building the confidence and self-respect and dignity of one another, of promoting authentic relationships, brotherhood and sisterhood and true familial atmosphere. We should take time to talk to one another face to face and not just be contented with machines or gadgets. We should be connected to our soul, and give more time in listening to our innermost feelings, as well as the feelings of others. And of course, that includes giving time to interact with other people like with the children. We should listen to their stories. We should help them find the beauty in having wonderful and productive conversations. We should give them beautiful childhood memories and even until they grow. In my point of view, I know that every act of kindness and care we extend to these children will have a long way to go. We may not realize it but who knows our help to them is the same, or only example they have of hope and love? A fish that we have given them may inspire them to learn fishing. Why not try? It's worth the risk. In the same way, we should do the same to our own selves as well and to others. When many forces around us have been changing the world, making it appear smaller and faster, we should level up the kind of communication that we have too, making it more developmental, inspiring, transformative, peace-promoting and meaningful. We should go beyond what we hear, or what we can ask. We should learn how to discover stories from their eyes too...
One of my first actual experiences as a young social worker is with street children. By theory and even in the practical sense, it is true that intervention with them (not just for them) should be sustainable and empowering. We can identify immediate causes or factors which have to do with the children and family; underlying causes or factors which have to do with the community; and the root causes or factors which have to do with the society as causes in the growth of street children. Immediate causes are poor and large families unemployed/underemployed parents, irresponsible parents, family values which are materialistic/consumerist, family conflict, family environment, vices of parents, degradation of morals, violent upbringing by parents and lack of knowledge and parenting skills.
Widening our lens we can also see that meanwhile, the underlying causes are ineffective access to basic services, non-availability of adequate employment opportunities, inequitable distribution of resources and opportunity in the community like land ownership, nature and conditions of work/employment: formal and informal sectors, congestion in slum areas, inadequate housing/poor housing facilities, poor law enforcement/exploitation by law enforcers, only one style of delivery of education exists, deterioration of values and central body provides no/few activities for children. The root causes are the economic, political and ideological superstructure, the structural roots of poverty and underdevelopment and the unequal world order and the debt burden.
We need more of this kind of exercise in looking at the issues we have in our society, and having the necessary communication skills and being equipped with the right medium will help us a lot. Minimizing the negative effects of globalization can come if all of us will take part in the advocacy of being more conscious creatures. One thing that had changed as a result of globalization is the quality of the communication that we have and the kind of relationship that we have developed. We want everything to be instant. It is sad reality that many had become less sensitive to the feelings of others and we care more of our own development.
Communication should be used as a tool of empowering each other, of building the confidence and self-respect and dignity of one another, of promoting authentic relationships, brotherhood and sisterhood and true familial atmosphere. We should take time to talk to one another face to face and not just be contented with machines or gadgets. We should be connected to our soul, and give more time in listening to our innermost feelings, as well as the feelings of others. And of course, that includes giving time to interact with other people like with the children. We should listen to their stories. We should help them find the beauty in having wonderful and productive conversations. We should give them beautiful childhood memories and even until they grow. In my point of view, I know that every act of kindness and care we extend to these children will have a long way to go. We may not realize it but who knows our help to them is the same, or only example they have of hope and love? A fish that we have given them may inspire them to learn fishing. Why not try? It's worth the risk. In the same way, we should do the same to our own selves as well and to others. When many forces around us have been changing the world, making it appear smaller and faster, we should level up the kind of communication that we have too, making it more developmental, inspiring, transformative, peace-promoting and meaningful. We should go beyond what we hear, or what we can ask. We should learn how to discover stories from their eyes too...
No comments:
Post a Comment