Constructing questions for the social professions of today: the case of social pedagogy

The complex societies we now inhabit oblige us to question, reformulate or even rupture the traditional socio-political frameworks in which social pedagogy and the social professions have been developed and in which the theories that explain and justify them have been constructed. These frameworks have institutionalised concepts, practices and methodologies that often no longer fit within the complexity of today’s constantly changing realities. The aim of this article is to propose and analyse some key foundations for understanding the social professions and the actions they carry out. It concerns itself with generating questions that link social pedagogy and the social professions with the complexity of today’s social life. The questions address the current content of what we refer to as ‘the social’ and its relationship with other dimensions such as politics, culture and the environment. Among other issues, the article addresses how the social professions have developed within the political framework of the welfare state. Based on the answers to these questions, we argue in favour of updating the term ‘social’ with renewed connotations, and of defining the ‘good life’ as the reference point that must give it meaning

Social pedagogy, social education and social work in Spain: Convergent paths

The rise of social pedagogy in recent years has led to a revival of discourses and practices in the fields of social work and pedagogy. Both fields have seen a renewed way of interpreting social and educational relationships and professional practice. This, in turn, has resulted in ongoing analysis and debate regarding the academic and professional affiliation of social pedagogy in recent decades. The aim of this article is to provide an outline of how these disciplines and practices have evolved in Spain. This study adopts a comparative perspective to present a descriptive analysis of the history, training and areas of professional intervention of social pedagogy, social education and social work. The first section discusses the complexity of the relationships between them. In the following two sections, the historical evolution of these disciplines is analysed, highlighting their fundamental milestones. This is followed by a comparison of their respective professional profiles and initial training. The next section then reveals shared professional intervention areas and those that are specific to each professional practice. By way of conclusion, a critical reflection is provided on the way in which the relationship between social pedagogy and social work is usually approached, and also the positioning of the relationship between these disciplines and practices

Lineamientos para la gestión ambiental de residuos de construcción y demolición (RCD) en Bogotá D.C.

Abstract The article analyzes the academic debate of the Social Work in Latin America regarding the social-environmental issue. The academic space of dialogue studied was the Latin American Seminars of Schools of Social Work occurring between 1998 and 2012. During this period, five seminars were held, presenting more than 1,000 studies. The research examined these studies, separating the works that directly addressed the socio-environmental issue in order to: a) identify the most used (theoretical or contextual) concepts; b) determine the predominant social and environmental problems studied; and c) learn about the fields of professional action. The results showed the Social Workers commitment to elaborate an academic and political position facing the extractive and capitalist logics that affect much of Latin America, particularly the rural and indigenous communities. The findings pointed out the need to broaden the disciplinary narratives in place, aiming to gain space in the global debate.Resumo O artigo analisa o debate acadêmico do Serviço Social latino-americano em relação à questão socioambiental. O espaço de diálogo acadêmico analisado se refere aos Seminários Latino-Americanos de Escolas de Serviço Social realizados entre 1998 e 2012. Durante este período foram realizados cinco seminários que somam mais de mil trabalhos. Filtraram-se os trabalhos que abordam de maneira direta a temática socioambiental, com o objetivo de: a) detectar os conceitos (teóricos ou de contexto) mais utilizados pelos autores; b) determinar as problemáticas socioambientais predominantes; e c) conhecer os campos de ação profissional. Os resultados demonstram o compromisso da profissão em elaborar uma posição acadêmica e política que enfrente as lógicas extrativistas e capitalistas que afetam grande parte da região, especialmente o mundo rural e indígena. Também é evidenciada a necessidade de aumentar as narrativas disciplinares em circulação, para assim alcançar maior presença no debate global.Resumen El artículo analiza el debate académico del Trabajo Social latinoamericano respecto a la cuestión socioambiental. El espacio de dialogo académico analizado son los Seminarios Latinoamericanos de Escuelas de Trabajo Social desarrollados entre los años 1998 al 2012. Durante dicho periodo se realizaron cinco Seminarios que suman más de mil ponencias. Se filtraron las ponencias que abordan de manera directa la temática socioambiental, con el objetivo de: a) detectar los conceptos (teóricos o de contexto) más utilizados por los autores; b) determinar las problemáticas socioambientales predominantes; y c) conocer los campos de acción profesional. Los resultados dan cuenta del compromiso de la profesión para elaborar una posición académica y política que enfrente las lógicas extractivistas y capitalistas que afectan a gran parte de la región, especialmente el mundo rural e indígena. También queda en evidencia la necesidad de aumentar las narrativas disciplinares en circulación, para así lograr mayor presencia en el debate global

Finnish social services students’ perceptions of purpose and helping unknown others

This mixed methods study introduces the concept of purpose in the social pedagogical education of Finnish social services students (N = 151). The aim of this study is to specify the purpose profiles of the students and to investigate how students with different profiles define the intended outcome of having a purpose in life and why they want to help unknown others. Three purpose profiles are identified: dabbler, purposeful and dreamer. Most of the social services students appear to be dabblers, who differ from the purposeful group in that they keep searching for new purposes in life. Purposeful students were the most able to address values as their guiding principles in life, although what was most important for students in all profiles was to pursue a pleasant life rather than a value-driven or some form of good life. Purposeful students also specified value-based helping goals more than others and felt that their own well-being was the key to helping others. The study points out that students’ awareness of their values and purposes should be promoted during their social pedagogical education. Most students might not be aware why they are pursuing a helping profession. Students could be supported in identifying helping unknown others as their life purpose in order to promote their wellbeing, satisfaction at work and wider understanding of the personal level and social level impacts of helping