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Community Psychology in a World in Crisis - Call for Action in a World in Crisis.

Please share with every attendant your opinion about:

  • What are the most important challenges that current economic ans social crisis
    poses to community psychology?
  • What are for you the answers that we have to (can) give to those challenges?

 

  • Bill_Berkowitz

      I believe it is important for this conference to move from ideas to
    action.  Rethinking community action has been our conference theme. And
    action, based on sound ideas, is how
    desired change comes about.

       Given the multiple dimensions of our current world situation, there
    are many pathways for desired community action. Below are just a few,
    based on actions we as community psychologists can take.  I hope others
    may help refine them and add action ideas
    of their own.   

        *   A conference paper with specific action objectives for our future
    work as an international group of community psychologists.  These should
    be specific and measurable objectives that can be at least partially
    achieved by the time of our next meeting in 2014. 
    A good part of that meeting should focus on discussion of how well we
    have met our objectives.

         As for the content of those objectives, some elements that might be included are:

         *  More visibility of community psychology in national and local media.

          * Plans to develop more community psychology activity in parts of the
    world that are presently underrepresented or not represented at all —
    for example, in Africa, the Mideast, Southeast Asia, India, and China.

           *  Use of libraries in differnt countries as contact points for
    community psychology resource information, building on the idea David
    Chavis mentioned in his opening  conference remarks in his work with the
    Gates Foundation.

          *    Having collaborating centers in different underepresented countries,
    to take the lead in communicating information about community
    psychology within their own country — a model similar to that which has
    worked with the World Health Organization Collaborating
    Centres.

            *  The expansion of online learning in community psychology and
    community development, perhaps leading to the creation of a global
    university or global classroom for this purpose.

          *   A web site dedicated to the publicity of new community ideas,
    ideas that have been successfully used in some communities and that
    could be adapted for other situations,  as well as those ideas that have
    not yet been tried but seem promising .

         *  Circulation and adoption of this statement by SCRA, ECPA, and
    other national community psychology organizations,  and dissemination of
    this statement by those organizations to their own members.

         *   Dissemination of the statement to current graduate schools and
    progams teaching  commumnity psychology, with encouragement to include
    teaching of it in their courses. 

          *   Inclusion of the statement in published articles or new or revised community psychology textbooks.

            *  An International Committee to monitor progress made toward achieiving these specific objectives.

          Again, these are just some beginning thoughts that need further development. But I hope we can continue to develop these and similar themes together, to maximiize the value of this conference and our important work.  
    All best wishes,

            Bill Berkowitz
            University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA

  • http://www.facebook.com/jgonzalezconde Joan Gonzalez-Conde Cantero

    Nada mejor que empezar con un tema que nos da miedo a todos, tanto a los más jóvenes que nos gustaría dedicarnos a ésto en el futuro como a los que ya llevan en el mundo un tiempo: la falta de recursos económicos. La falta de dinero público hace que nuestras posibles intervenciones se vean limitadas tanto en la dimensión temporal como en la dimensión de recursos disponibles. No creo que sea bueno para los profesionales saber que nuestro proyecto pueda verse reducido a simples acciones de corta duración, siempre bajo la amenaza de la falta de presupuesto para continuarla.

    Así mismo, esto nos obliga a ser mucho  más esquemáticos en nuestro proceso y se nos exige ser capaces de obtener indicadores de éxito, que sacados del contexto y burocratizados, será difícil reflejen el verdadero éxito o fracaso de una intervención.

    A mi parecer, surgen así diferentes acciones: el psicólogo comunitario se debe centrar, más que nunca, en la lucha por la autonomía de los miembros de las comunidades, y en donde el trabajo colaborativo, las asociaciones y las cooperativas autogestionadas tomen más peso que nunca. También, debemos saber trabajar bajo el nuevo contexto de requerimiento de indicadores de éxito y la burocratización de la acción comunitaria, siendo más críticos con nuestro trabajo, y tratando de explotar al máximo los recursos que se nos ofrece.

    Ante todo, creo que no debemos olvidar que ante estas situaciones de crisis, aquellos que se dedican a la comunidad tienen más importancia que nunca, y debe empoderarse para reclamar su papel y los recursos que necesite.

  • Rubendavidfernandez

    Open Conference Blog, Blog abierto para la conferencia. 

  • 4cicp2012

    The first comment…