“Unless we engage in these and other conscious acts of reflection and re-education, we easily repeat the process with our children. We teach what we were taught. The unexamined prejudices of the parents are passed on to the children. It is not our fault, but it is our responsibility to interrupt this cycle” -Tatum Social Justice methods are a tool for reflection, to learn about how we are engaging each other, and to consider how our preconceived notions can lead to uninformed or accidental mistreatment of people. Contrary to this purpose, many have begun to see it as an infringement…
Tag: society
Examining Social Justice Part 1: A Road Map to Understanding
Tensions exist around issues of social import. If we are incapable of defining what it is that we are actually fighting for, we will be unable to engage one another constructively on topics that shape our world.” Social justice is a controversial topic whose definition and importance are often contested. There are those who claim social justice as their moral obligation when shaming someone for their behavior, leaving a bad taste in people’s mouths around this cause. When conversations come up that cite social justice or discuss social structures, inequity, race, gender, etc, people often back out of the conversation for fear…
Wired for Connection: Building Relationships Increases Resilience
A few months ago, I had the privilege of attending an annual conference called “A View from All Sides” hosted by the Children’s Trust, a family support organization in Massachusetts. The keynote speaker, Dr. Bruce D. Perry, spoke about the effects of empathy on the developing brain. He made some very important and fascinating points about the role of connection and relationships on our well-being. Through his research, he has studied the make up of the human brain as well as our societies approach to relationships and the importance we place on interacting with each other. As he described our…
Grandparents Raising their Grandchildren: Support for Three Generations
Working in the field of human services in Massachusetts for the past 3 years has given me an understanding of the vast way in which community problems are intertwined. There are so many topics to discuss when it comes to looking at a community as a whole and breaking it down into manageable pieces. The purpose of the organization I work for on Cape Cod is to prevent child abuse and neglect by supporting families and building resources in the region. Through our work, we engage various social issues that a person may face. From family dynamics, domestic violence, poverty,…
More Than Talk: Approaching Child Sexual Abuse as a Public Health Problem
Many disturbing things occur that we wish didn’t take place. We worry, we discuss, we wonder why. How can this happen when I just want the world to be a good place? Why does something like this go on when it seems like everyone I know is just as bothered as I am by these problems? What we often fail to realize is that everything happens within an environment that supports it and allows it to occur, grow, or even flourish. A plant without water or sunlight, no matter how much it is a plant, will die because it does…