Capacity Building and Empowerment: A panacea and a challenge for agency-university engagement

Capacity building is an effective strategy for promoting organizational change and/or improving the quality of social services. In this article I present an empowerment approach to capacity building. In doing so I propose a number of principles that can promote capacity building and collaboration between social service agencies and universities from an empowerment perspective: keeping the control of the capacity building process in the agency; developing competencies that matter to the people in the agency; engaging in supportive roles; maintaining a strengths-based approach to capacity building; focusing on sustainability, institutionalization and utilization of acquired skills; and paying attention to cultural and contextual issues. Further, the challenges and benefits of the empowerment approach to university-agency collaboration are discussed in this article

El “privilegio de los blancos”

El “privilegio de los blancos” (“White Priviledge”) se describe como la experiencia de ventajas que un grupo experimenta basado exclusivamente en sus características físicas y sociales. La experiencia de privilegio es el resultado de condiciones históricas de opresión en el conjunto de la sociedad. Dichas ventajas son adquiridas sin esfuerzo, no son el resultado de talentos particulares y no son comunes ni universales. El constructo está asociado con estrato social y posiciones de poder, reflejando fuerzas hegemónicas de dominación social de parte de grupos privilegiados. Notamos cómo la característica psicológica del “privilegio de los blancos” es su naturaleza inconsciente, es decir, quienes lo experimentan lo reciben como una condición natural de su estatus y quienes lo otorgan han sido condicionados a hacerlo como conducta deseable y esperada. Por último, reflexionamos acerca de la división de clases en Argentina y Latinoamérica y analizamos ejemplos de cómo se manifiestan los privilegios.White Privilege is described as an advantage that a group of people experience based exclusively on physical and social characteristics. Such experiences are the result of conditions of oppression across society along the years. White Privilege is not earned through talent or effort, but rather is granted, and the advantages are not common or universal. This construct is also related to high social status, as a reflection of the hegemonic dominance of privileged groups. We highlight that the psychological characteristic of White Privilege is its unconscious nature, i.e., those who are privileged are not aware of it, and they experience it as a natural condition of their social status. On the other hand, those who grant White Privilege are already conditioned to do so as desirable and expected behavior. Lastly, we discuss issues of class divisions in Argentina and LatinAmerica, and analyze examples of how privileges are manifested

Using participatory and creative methods to facilitate emancipatory research with people facing multiple disadvantage: a role for health and care professionals

Participatory and creative research methods are a powerful tool for enabling active engagement in the research process of marginalised people. It can be particularly hard for people living with multiple disadvantage, such as disabled people from ethnic minority backgrounds, to access research projects that are relevant to their lived experience. This article argues that creative and participatory methods facilitate the co-researchers’ engagement in the research process, which thus becomes more empowering. Exploring the congruence of these methods with their professional ethos, health and care professionals can use their skills to develop them further. Both theory and practice examples are presented

“Leaps of faith”: parents' and professionals' viewpoints on preparing adolescents on the autism spectrum for leaving school

Adolescents on the autism spectrum experience difficulty transitioning from secondary school to post-school activities, often due to transition planning processes that do not meet their unique needs. This study identified parents' and professionals' viewpoints on transition planning for adolescents on the autism spectrum. Interviews were completed with nine parents of adolescents on the autism spectrum and four professionals who worked with adolescents on the autism spectrum. A constant comparison approach was used to analyse the transcripts. Four themes were identified, reflecting parents' and professionals' viewpoints on how to meet the transition planning needs of adolescents on the autism spectrum. Supporting adolescents to grasp the big picture can enhance motivation to participate in transition planning. Autism can be an ‘invisible disability’; therefore, encouraging adolescents to be active participants and to be seen in transition planning ensures their individual needs are met. Encouraging adolescents to have high aspirations in transition planning develops their self-determination. Finally, to be prepared for the transition from school may reduce the adolescent's' anxiety. Adolescents on the autism spectrum face unique challenges in transition planning. The themes identified in this study provide insight into how parents and professionals might support adolescents with these challenges

Understanding school dropout for teenage mothers with learning disabilities.

Understanding school dropout for teenage mothers with learning disabilities

Acculturation and Psychological Distress Among Adolescent Immigrants From the Former Soviet Union: Exploring the Mediating Effect of Family Relationships

The present study investigated the potential mediating effect of adolescents' perceptions of family relationships using a structural equation modeling approach. The sample consisted of 226 immigrant adolescents from the former Soviet Union resettled in a suburban county in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. who were selected at random from the local public schools. The study included independent assessment of acculturation to the host (American) and native (Russian) culture. Results confirm the mediational role of family relationships on the impact of Russian acculturation on reduced distress. In addition, family relationships partially mediated the link between American acculturation and reduced psychological distress for these youth. The findings suggest that for this immigrant population native acculturation was related to less distress only when linked to positive familial relationships, whereas American acculturation was related to less distress directly, as well as through its positive impact on familial relationships

Perspectives of Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors on the Factors Related to Employment Outcomes of Racial and Ethnic Minorities with Disabilities

The current study was conducted to identify effective strategies to promote employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities from diverse cultural backgrounds within the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) system. Twenty one “excellent or very good” VR counselors, who were nominated by their supervisors, participated in semi-structured qualitative interviews. Participants were 15 females and 6 males, with an average of 17 years of experience in the VR system. The participants identified five themes: (1) an empowerment approach to case management; (2) the importance of developing successful counseling relationships; (3) supports provided to help consumers adjust to or cope with their disability; (4) supports provided to assist individuals with disabilities to develop or refine skills to obtain and maintain employment; and (5) supports provided to assist employers in understanding the benefits of employing individuals with disabilities in general, and accommodating the needs of specific individuals with disabilities. Effective counselors must be flexible, provide additional supports to their clients in specific circumstances and/or challenge them when needed, and more importantly, help clients find ways to overcome and be productive on the job with the necessary accommodations and/or assistive technology

Capacity Building and Empowerment: A panacea and a challenge for agency-university engagement

Capacity building is an effective strategy for promoting organizational change and/or improving the quality of social services. In this article I present an empowerment approach to capacity building. In doing so I propose a number of principles that can promote capacity building and collaboration between social service agencies and universities from an empowerment perspective: keeping the control of the capacity building process in the agency; developing competencies that matter to the people in the agency; engaging in supportive roles; maintaining a strengths-based approach to capacity building; focusing on sustainability, institutionalization and utilization of acquired skills; and paying attention to cultural and contextual issues. Further, the challenges and benefits of the empowerment approach to university-agency collaboration are discussed in this article