socialjustinceinaction: a new zealand experience
DESCRIPTION
These slides accompany a webinar by Robin Pope and David Hanna of Wesley Community Action in New Zealand. This is a longer version of the Keynote presentation from the Saskatoon Heart and Soul of Change Conference that was a smashing success. Here is the description: How do we truly work alongside people from different cultures and backgrounds in a respectful manner? This presentation follows the organizational journey of Wesley Community Action. Robyn and David will share their story about working alongside marginalized people and groups, and how each has contributed to not only a just therapeutic endeavor but also a just society.TRANSCRIPT
Social Justice in Action – A New
Zealand Experience
Robyn Pope and David Hanna
Wesley Community Action (NZ)
Starting with the voice of
people wanting change
• Edge Te Whaiti – senior member
of Notorious Chapter of the
Mongrel Mob, working to support
positive futures for families in his
community.
It’s all about ‘Learning’ 1. The power of Colonisation – old / new,
visible / invisible
2. How we change – what is the core element to
sustainable change and how PCOMS supports
this?
3. Importance of Courage and Discipline
4. What we are learning
Our (visible) British Colonial
Legacy – Treaty of Waitangi
• Signed 1840 between Maori Chiefs and British
Crown.
• An aspirational agreement between two
sovereign peoples that valued “Protection,
Participation, Partnership” to create a new
future
• Still highly current today – Treaty settlement
process
Our (invisible) Western Cultural
legacy – Colonisation of the Needy
• Individual
reinforced helplessness, the ‘expert’
(social worker, counsellor, nurse) will fix me.
• Organisational / systemic
Hierarchical structure, expert patches,
fixation on intervention models, devalue
relationships, mechanical orientation.
We needed to change
“It is essential to remember that
all change originates when we
change our awareness of who we
are” M Wheatley and M Kellner-Rogers 1996
What happens
New people,
laws, institutions,
language, power
structure
imposed
Unfamiliar
territory…shifting
sands
Response of
colonised
people
Resistance –
overt and covert
Anger, violence
Withdrawal
Refusal
Impact
Loss of values,
culture, story,
belonging
Poor health,
depression
Disbelief,
feelings of
worthlessness
and confusion
Values of
Coloniser
Our form of
justice
We know how to
help you
We know better,
and have better
systems and
solutions.
If only you’d
listen to us
Impacts of Colonisation
How PCOMS supports change
• PCOMS shifts the approach from a
colonising one to a social justice approach.
• Supports a new awareness in clients and
workers and links with wider social justice
movements (client led / community led).
• Partnerships, protection, participation are
enhanced
• Challenges language and behaviour
Importance of Discipline and
Courage
• The Wesley Way and consistent
organisational wide process
• The discipline to collect and use data to
inform our work
• The courage required to truly let the
client / community Lead
2. Creating the
Ground
-Callers/Hosts
create purpose
& principles 1.0
- Form &
commit to core
of process
3. Giving Form
& Structure
-Design
- Invitation
process
- Organising &
logistics
4. Conversation
-The
stakeholders find
collective
meaning & co-
create
5. Practice
- Act it out
“Groan
Zone”
Breaking through
Emergence
Toke Paludan Moller www.interchange .com
1. Birth of
the
callers
- Naming the
issue/
question
Strategic Directions
Insights
• Have a sound implementation plan
for PCOMS (training isn’t enough!)
• Need to align with core values and
frameworks – profoundly grounds
everyone
• The power of using client led data
• Being intentional and maintaining
integrity - keeping true when
swimming up stream
Final Words
The voice of two clients …