International conference
AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO SOCIAL INCLUSION
THE SOCIAL INCLUSION DEBATE: STRATEGIES AND DILEMMAS
1-2 MARCH | 2017 | CLUJ-NAPOCA GRAND HOTEL NAPOCA
WEDNESDAY – 1 MARCH
Presentations and speakers WEDNESDAY – 1 MARCH 12.00–13.30 PLENARY SESSION: Methods and approaches in working with vulnerable communities Eva FAHLSTRÖM-BORG (Sweden): Social transformation Systemic Theory comes from Family Therapeutic practice. Family therapy has borrowed the word from Cybernetics. Cybernetics is a transdisciplinary approach for exploring regulatory systems—their structures, constraints, and possibilities. When studying social transformations we are used to concepts like evolution, revolution and political power struggles. Systemic thinking on the other hand observes what happens in a whole system and how each movement affects all parts of that system. The role of the professional is not to show “proper ways” of transforming society but rather to listen and support new initiatives. Give strength and courage and never loose hope! “Water what you wish to grow!”—If you want roses in your garden, don´t water the thistles. And remember some seeds don´t grow the first year they are put in the soil and some seeds will never grow. A project is expected to give results that can be measured and evaluated—but this kind of results are not necessarily a way to social transformation. Social transformations don´t follow a set pattern—it only tells that social transformations could happen where communities encourage its members to be active more than reactive and where the members of the community eventually learn to be proactive—doing more of what functions and leaving cultural conserves behind. Eva Fahlström-Borg is a senior psychotherapist, supervisor and trainer of psychotherapy, psychodrama, sociodrama, Restorative Practices and Theatre without manuscript. She is also a scholar of Political Science. She works internationally. She often holds workshops about different forms of social exclusion and possible roads to inclusion. Eva Fahlström-Borg is the Scandinavian supervisor of the Pata-Cluj team and the Chair of Disaster and Trauma Interventions in IAGP.
Vidia NEGREA (Hungary): Restoring the citizenship of the most vulnerable groups Restorative practices—as defined by IIRP (www.IIRP.edu)—is a new field of study that has the potential to positively influence human behaviour and strengthen civil society around the world. Aiming to build healthy communities, increase social capital, repair harm and restore relationships using restorative practices can be a challenging and long journey especially when working with people who lost their trust in the ‘system’ and their sense of belonging to the wider society. It may start with intra- and interpersonal conflicts, symptoms or a state of mind based on “Post-traumatic Victimhood” (Berman), and continued while trying to keep a balance between maintaining one’s dignity in the process of adapting to a new reality and developing a different identity. Yet it is worth the effort, because the way how the identity of a new citizenship is gained, shapes the way a person will be able to participate in the community and society. 1