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- QUESTION
What are some of the theories (choose two) that appeal to your understanding of community work? Why ?
Original posts should be approximately 500 words in length and 2 references are required.
Your response to another student should approximately 50-100 words.
You will receive a mark out of 100 for each discussion board post .
Your online interaction and sharing of ideas is a key element of the learning in this unit.
The Modules will be assessed according to the following criteria:
Demonstrated understanding of core community work theoretical approaches;
Direct discussion of the links between theory and practice;
Concise answering of the activity question;
You must demonstrate that you have read the core unit readings and engaged in your own wider research;
Adherence to academic writing conventions, including referencing and formatting
Response to another students post and attempts to promote discussion
Responses will be assessed on the above criteria and their attempt to promote further discussion.Please use the remaining 50 Words to respond to this writing below:
Social Action Campaign
SeedMob is a grassroots Australian Indigenous Youth climate network building a movement of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for climate justice -their vision is for a just and sustainable future with strong cultures and communities powered by renewable energy. Three main campaigns underpin SeedMob - DONT FRACK THE NT, LAND RIGHTS NOT MINING RIGHTS and LETS STAND TOGETHER TO PROTECT COUNTRY. Seed utelises mostly online engagement and petitioning to gather traction towards their campaign towards greater self determined land rights and recognition, then followed by organised protesting with a large focus on climate change.Understanding the importance and relevance of land is central to understanding the connection of all Aboriginal peoples and cultures. Currently, in the Northern Territory, 80% of the land (SeedMob, 2020) is currently under oil and gas licenses, with obvious repercussions to the environment -using specifically fracking wells poison groundwater and pollute the air. Aboriginal owned and controlled communities under the oil and gas licenses have opposed the fracking agreements in the Northern Territory and attempts to explain complex mining techniques were not done in consultation with proper CLAD requirements of the Traditional Owners (SeedMob 2020) - in direct disregard of the existing requirements of legislation between Indigenous land owners and oil&gas companies.
The effectiveness of Seed's No-Fracking campaign can on one hand be determined by the amount of signatories and attention within Northern Territory parliament, however until the focus is switched to the legislation which underpins the Indigenous land rights, the campaigning -though always valuable- will have little tangible outcomes. Native title and land rights legislation are inherently flawed with differing perceptions as to what constitutes land 'ownership'
(AIATSIS, n.d). Claims become further complicated as the Australian Government has set Western standards (written, recorded) in which Indigenous Australians must prove ongoing connection to land in ways of their ancestors (National Native Title Tribunal, 1993) - there is obvious contention in places worst affected by colonisation and language loss. Indigenous land rights NEED to be understood and implemented in the way in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples understand 'land rights' in collaboration with local and federal Governments in order to protect our environment and land.Our law is etched into the land, we must protect our law.
References -
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies AIATSIS (n.d). Mining and Aboriginal Land. https://aiatsis.gov.au/sites/default/files/e_access/mnscrpt/a348564_v_a/a348564_v_p25to34_a.pdf
National Native Title Tribunal (1993). Types of native title claims. http://www.nntt.gov.au/nativetitleclaims/Pages/default.aspx
SeedMob. (2020). Protect Country, Stop Origin Fracking the NT. https://www.seedmob.org.au/
| Subject | Sociology | Pages | 3 | Style | APA |
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Answer
Discussion Post: Theories That Appeal to My Understanding of Community Work
Community work entails mobilizing communities to come together and use their existing social structures and resources in addressing their problems. In deciding to work with communities in social work practice, individuals are driven by various interests and appeals. The two theories that appeal to my understanding of community work are the social action and community development approaches. This discussion is on how the two theories have appealed my understanding of community work.
The social action theory developed by Max Weber, assumes that individuals will vary their actions and behaviors based on social contexts and their (actions’) effects on other people. This model is vital in ensuring the empowerment of people to change their actions and hence avoid oppression (Rothman, 1995). One of the reasons as to why this theory appeals to my understanding of community work is that it helps in giving me explanations about the power structures as well as power disparities in the society and their effects on the lives of individuals in the community. This theory provides me with a basis for empowering people in the society to address their own needs. Through the social action theory, I understand why community wok is important in changing the behavior of individuals in the community to enhance their capacity to meet their social obligations.
The community development theory involves working with communities to set agendas and organize for ways to achieve such goals. According to this approach, the role of community work is to address imbalances and bring about change in the realms of social justice, inclusion, and equality (Taylor, 2015). As such, social institutions as well as government actions of providing education and healthcare are meant to meet the needs of those in the community. This theory gives me motivation to continue working with communities and empowering them to have resilient mechanisms for addressing their needs. This approach appeals to me because of the manner in which it ensures that there is justice in the community through collection action. For instance, mobilizing people in the community to agitate for justice, equality, and inclusion gives me the joy that there will be a time that communities will enjoy equal benefits irrespective of their levels of income or color of their skin. The theory of community development further helps me understand that community work is more about empowering people to have the courage and will to advocate for what is just as opposed to relying on outsiders to help them get justice.
In sum, the two theories that are instrumental in enhancing my understanding of the role of community work are the social action and community development approaches. The social action theory, which understands that the society is in constant conflict and power struggles, helps me to take actions to empower communities to resist oppression and fulfill their needs. Community development theory, on the other hand, has helped my understanding of community work as not only a task to ensure equality but also inclusion and justice
References
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Rothman, J. (1995). Approaches to community intervention. Strategies of community intervention, 5, 26-63. Taylor, J. (2015). Working with Communities. OUP Australia and New Zealand.
Appendix
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